looking to buy an E34 525i. I am 18

[PE_in_the_market]

Hey guys like i said i'm 18 and i am looking at getting a 525i in the 91-95 era.

Any help or advice or any major things i should look out for ?

one of the reasons is because my nissan 1400 is a hot target and have had a few scares with it trying to be taken allready, And this beemer i would think is less easy to steal ? and is around the same value if i sell my car.

thanks guys any help would be appreciated

Cheers

 

[Budleigh]

Make sure it's an M50, not the 12-valve model.

 

[zaleonardz]

THe E34's that you are looking at is just as popular for theft, simply because they are built so damm well that they are used in cash in transit heists to ram the truck off the road.

But they are, fantastic cars, the 520 is underpowered, 525 is a really good way to go IMO or if you can afford it, get the 540 for miles of smiles provided you dont kill yourself with it

 

[jaunef]

The e34 525i is a strong car. Mine got stolen.

 

[PE_in_the_market]

Thanks guys,

A few more questions

I definitely want a manual trans. Are these hard to come by ?

Oh and the M50, did that come out from 91 onwards ? big improvment from the SOHC m20 ? why dont people like those ? haha rather a few q's in one line

thanks a lot chaps

 

[zaleonardz]

in the 525 the manual trans is not that hard to get hold of.

Besides, on here, auto transmissions dont last long... we tend to get rid of them

Cant comment on the M50 much as I dont know the motor.

 

[PE_in_the_market]

ok yea auto transmission most definitely doesnt tickle my fancy.

When i see e34s on the road they are 80% of the time white .
I know you get a blue one and a silver one but have you ever seen a black one ?
Oh and i have seen a few brown ones

 

[Budleigh]

Thanks guys,

A few more questions

I definitely want a manual trans. Are these hard to come by ?

Oh and the M50, did that come out from 91 onwards ? big improvment from the SOHC m20 ? why dont people like those ? haha rather a few q's in one line

thanks a lot chaps

Lots of manuals with the 525i. And yes, the M50 is a worthy improvement on the M20. It's a smoother motor with more revvability, more power and considerably more modern. You get them with or without VANOS, but either way, it's one of the good motors.

IIRC, they came out in 1991/1992 - it should have the full 16-button OBC if its an M50.

 

[zaleonardz]

OBC retrofits are easy though, I have a spare..

Stickshift is selling a DAMM nice E34 520 in virtually prestine condition, although the 520 I feel is underpowered, this car has been cared for.

Drop him a PM.

 

[Budleigh]

Hmm. Should have used an easier reference:

M20 -

M50 -

If it's got a battery under the hood, it's not an M50.

 

[Hellas]

Looks like they only made the plastic cover bigger on the M50

 

[Sankekur]

With every new bmw engine the plastic covers get bigger and bigger and you can see less and less of the engine.

 

[Redline]

Thanks guys,

A few more questions

I definitely want a manual trans. Are these hard to come by ?

Oh and the M50, did that come out from 91 onwards ? big improvment from the SOHC m20 ? why dont people like those ? haha rather a few q's in one line

thanks a lot chaps

If you can try getting a M30 535i stick shift, much nicer bottom end torque. It's a low tec big capacity motor easy to maintain. If you not in a rush test drive all varients from 520i till the 540i choose the one's best for you.

Then enjoy the hunt. At 18 I'm sure auto is not 1st choice. (LOL)

 

[PE_in_the_market]

battery in the boot for a m50?

 

[Uber Soldat]

The battery is under the rear seat on the drivers side.

An M20 engined car isn't that bad. We have one with a 3.91 diff, it goes like stink and has 420 000kms on the clock.
The M20 has 170hp whereas the non-vanos M50 came with 192hp. The change from M20 to M50 happened around the middle of 1991.

As the guys have mentioned, go drive a few and decide which one you can live with. I do see a 540i in your future though...

 

[Budleigh]

Thanks guys,

A few more questions

I definitely want a manual trans. Are these hard to come by ?

Oh and the M50, did that come out from 91 onwards ? big improvment from the SOHC m20 ? why dont people like those ? haha rather a few q's in one line

thanks a lot chaps

If you can try getting a M30 535i stick shift, much nicer bottom end torque. It's a low tec big capacity motor easy to maintain. If you not in a rush test drive all varients from 520i till the 540i choose the one's best for you.

Then enjoy the hunt. At 18 I'm sure auto is not 1st choice. (LOL)

M30 is wonderful, but requires fettling because it's such an old motor. Very solid, though. Was pretty much at the end of its development curve in the E34s.

 

[PE_in_the_market]

what is a decent price to pay for one of these ?

 

[bmwe34]

E 36 325i Bro i had a 520i very slugish m50 2.5i is a BEAST:excited:

 

[Gerhardm32]

You will not go wrong with the E34 range. I have a '91 535 with the M30 motor and yes it is a automatic ( and no LZ I am not switching to manual, medical reasons with the knee). The 535 is heavy on petrol, but well worth enjoying.

On the stealing side, if you buy a E34, put extra security devices in, do smash and grab and learn to use that code on the OBC. I never used the code on the OBC and just installed Tracker Alert, the cost came to R8000 just in 1 week getting my car after it was recovered and impounded. I now have R2500 worth of extra devices in, because that double locking system and factory alarm don't do the trick anymore for the modern thiefs.

Good luck on the hunting!

 

[PE_in_the_market]

thanks man, could you please explain what the OBC is ?