nickbawt 0 Report post Posted July 18, 2009 Hey guys, Basically Ive been looking for a nice 540 for a long time, dealerships have proved fruitless (they just dont seem to know what they're talking about..), so a friend of mine has suggested I try this forum. I searched and found some amazing examples, though the threads are a few months old now. Basically if you know someone trying to sell a e34 540i send them my way! Also looking forward to being part of an active local bimmer forum! Much appreciated, Nick Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soarer260@hotmail.com 0 Report post Posted July 18, 2009 Hey guys, Basically Ive been looking for a nice 540 for a long time, dealerships have proved fruitless (they just dont seem to know what they're talking about..), so a friend of mine has suggested I try this forum. I searched and found some amazing examples, though the threads are a few months old now. Basically if you know someone trying to sell a e34 540i send them my way! Also looking forward to being part of an active local bimmer forum! Much appreciated, Nick Hey mate Yeah the dealerships now days are pretty hopeless with cars of this type, they over value them and in a lot of cases know very little about them, unless they are supplied with paper work. There have a been a few good E34's around on Trade Me but it seems as of recently they have been snapped up.... or kept, like what I did with mine and likewise with Ian (creaver) I figured once you buy them, you may as well just keep and enjoy them, as to resell they can be pretty hard unless you have someone that knows what they want. Since keeping mine, I've committed to it, spend loads on it and will continue to do so until it gets written off by someone crashing into me or gets nicked. They are one of the BMW greats the E34's, much more desirable than the common E39's in my opinion, unless its a 2001, M sport 6 speed.... Anyway good luck with your search! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mynbmr 225 Report post Posted July 18, 2009 Welcome Nick You can go for a 535 or a 530 v8 still a e34 the best bmr Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soarer260@hotmail.com 0 Report post Posted July 18, 2009 You can... but the 540i/540is is where its at. The 535i's and 530i's are down quite a bit on power & torque... getting a similar gas mileage to the 40's... Remember too, your pulling the same weight around. Take your pick.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted July 18, 2009 You can... but the 540i/540is is where its at. The 535i's and 530i's are down quite a bit on power & torque... getting a similar gas mileage to the 40's... Remember too, your pulling the same weight around. Take your pick.. the 535 has a nicer steering handling and brake feeling IMHO(i have driven three e34 540 six speeds....) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soarer260@hotmail.com 0 Report post Posted July 18, 2009 (edited) the 535 has a nicer steering handling and brake feeling IMHO(i have driven three e34 540 six speeds....) I do like the 535's, I originally looked into one in my hunt for an E34, but then went for the 540's after finding the 535i's I drove a little flat. Just seems a big difference 70BHP and 95nm between them... Especially in todays world, when a 540i is just over 200kw, is crushed by the 250-300kw Luxury sedans of today. Depends what you really want though. But, I wouldn't say no to a 535is if a good one came up. Edited July 18, 2009 by Mike-E34 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
APT 179 Report post Posted July 18, 2009 E34 Not manual tho Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soarer260@hotmail.com 0 Report post Posted July 18, 2009 E34 Not manual tho I recall seeing that one sell for 2,200 or something like that on a $1 res. Looks like someone is trying to make a few dollars... Unless it didn't sell and they're trying to resell it for a higher price. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nickbawt 0 Report post Posted July 18, 2009 Yeah I figured if Im going v8, I may as well go all out and get a 4 litre, knowing me Id always kick myself if I bought a 535 wondering what a 540 would be like and if Id made the right choice etc. Cheers for the welcome guys, Im in no rush to buy one as Ill just wait for something nice to come by. In your guys experience how many 540i's have you seen with the old nikasil blocks? I know the question has probably been put to death on the forum but just curious how many are still out there, and were never replaced when there was the recall. Does NZ fuel affect the old nikasil block? Cheers, Nick Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soarer260@hotmail.com 0 Report post Posted July 18, 2009 Cheers for the welcome guys, Im in no rush to buy one as Ill just wait for something nice to come by. In your guys experience how many 540i's have you seen with the old nikasil blocks? I know the question has probably been put to death on the forum but just curious how many are still out there, and were never replaced when there was the recall. Does NZ fuel affect the old nikasil block? Cheers, Nick The nikasil was just an American problem, with their crappy sulphur rich petrol. My cars done almost 260k's and its still got good compression & leakage. Simon, another member heres 540is has done almost 400k's, so these engines are sure as sure, strong. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
martyyn 2 Report post Posted July 18, 2009 Nikasil was not just an American problem it was huge in the UK aswell. In fact there were issues anywhere that had a high level of sulphur in the petrol. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nickbawt 0 Report post Posted July 18, 2009 Perfect! Cheers for the info guys Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted July 19, 2009 I do like the 535's, I originally looked into one in my hunt for an E34, but then went for the 540's after finding the 535i's I drove a little flat. Just seems a big difference 70BHP and 95nm between them... Especially in todays world, when a 540i is just over 200kw, is crushed by the 250-300kw Luxury sedans of today. Depends what you really want though. But, I wouldn't say no to a 535is if a good one came up. engine is very impressive i agree.The main reason i did not buy the 540 six speeds was that they were in worse condition than my 535.Seemed silly to spend 10000 more to get a car that in most ways is worse than the one you got...my 2c.A minter however...... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1524 Report post Posted July 19, 2009 Id rather a manual 535i than a 540i auto (which 99% of people buying a 540 end up with). I found with all my E34\E32 autos i just got bored and sold them after a few mths, even with the power of the V8 & V12. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1258 Report post Posted July 19, 2009 Id rather a manual 535i than a 540i auto (which 99% of people buying a 540 end up with). I found with all my E34\E32 autos i just got bored and sold them after a few mths, even with the power of the V8 & V12.well said ,i have done the same always sold on the auto's got borred with them.but the 540ia is a nice cruiser with enough power to overtake when needed. i might be getting some V8 manual boxes in soon . so watch this space. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
