Is purchasing a 20 year old E34 sensible for a new car owner?

[Tidy30 38]

Hi all,

I have been seriously considering purchasing a 1993 E34 Touring. As a bit of a thorough learner, I've done a bit of reading on these forums, messaging a couple of very useful members here, and have a rough idea of where the risks etc are.

I've spoken to Chris from BM Workshop to find out more about the PPI process, and he did highlight a few things which I had thought originally wrong (primarily the availability of parts, the very likely threat of wear and tear etc).

Essentially, my question relates to if I am being sensible here in aspiring to own a 20 year old BMW with relatively hard to get parts, especially for the first car I purchase myself, for myself.

Has anyone had bad experiences? Even after the largely visual-inspection PPI, how likely is it a reasonably well looking will need comparatively expensive maintainence work? If it helps, the vehicle in question still conatins the original SLS system and has done about 218,000km.

Things will be moving forward in the next few days, so I thought I would ask the community for any last minute advice.

Cheers for your time,

[kingkarl 136]

+Hi mate.

Spend as much money on a well maintained, low km, nz new car. Basically do the opposite of what I did haha.

I got my e34 very cheap and its mint on the exterior and interior but it's overdue a LOT of maintenance which will cost into the thousands if/when I commit to it all... Including:

All shocks/springs $500+

Numerous bushings and suspension components $500+

Transmission $500-$1000

Windscreen wiper mechanism $?

Power steering pump $?

Fan blower motor, resistor and cabin filter $200+

Brake rotors $140+/pair

Rear electric window regulators $100 each

Those costs are just for the parts. Labour at workshops isn't cheap so it pays to have a bit of DIY skill

... And the list grows each week.

no.1 avoid the jappas if you can. The Jatco box they came WILL need to be replaced at some. Demand to test drive a Jap car cold and you'll experience the horrendous jatco jerk I put up with each morning. From what I've seen transmissions are one of the more expensive/harder to come by parts for this reason. Apart from transmissions I don't think parts are particularly hard to come by. A bucketload of e34s left the factory and there are plenty of parts cars still out there.

Cant go wrong with a well looked after, nz new, low km example. 218km is fine if its been well looked after. What spec is the car? 525i?

[Tidy30 38]

Thanks mate. It's a 525i, imported from Japan in 1999 I think.

That sure is a scary list.. Another query, how much can I rely on the PPI to tell me these things? From what Greg at Team McMillan said, it was largely a visual inspection only. Apart from the bushings, everything else on your list will require some disassembly to get into.

Another one I am considering is Lance's E34 http://www.bimmersport.co.nz/forums/index....showtopic=45606

Higher km's, but NZ new with the SLS removed. Lower price too! The original one I'm looking at was listed around $5000 (before negotiation though)

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2132]

Not sure if they are expensive or not. I buy thousands of dollars of parts every year for cars i pickup do up and flick on. But i have never brought Japanese bits and I only by genuine, i dont think they are that bad really. Have had two project Mercs and one project Volvo, and parts for both of those both much more expencive than BMW.

But service history is everything on an old car. E34s one of the more bullet proof chassis, but if there are any problems with the self leveling, just find another one. in fact i wouldnt buy an E34 with that no matter if it worked or not probably.

All the straight 6 engines these came out with are pretty easy to work on yourself, plenty of guides on the internet for anything you could want to do, anything from changing a tyre to changing a cam belt etc. Not sure about the V8s to work on, havent had one

[Eagle 1661]

Get your parts overseas from pelican parts etc, cheap as and still readily available.

Self leveling is easy enough to delete, ive ended up putting new shocks all round on most E34 ive owned as most have been worn or just on rubbish

Lance's E34 looks nice thou

[_Matt_ 42]

parts are easy to find and no more expensive than any other 90s automobile. It's the fuel that costs you an arm and a leg

[kiwi535 538]

forgive me for saying this....get real.A twenty year old car is a time bomb.I had a very very very well looked after e34 535 and for its whole life it didnt really cost me that much.Well maybe it did,but i serviced it religiously,did not skimp on anything.It blew the head gasket,and the repair (i did i few things that were likely to be required soon) cost me nearly the same ammount of money that i sold the car for.

The other side of the coin was for the best part of 10 years it was as reliable as a stone.Thats why you can buy a bloody nice car for 4 or 5 thousand.Thats the risk you take when buying a 20yr old car.And its a risk that can not be eliminated even if you happen to buy a car that i have just described.But even then the car WILL require some input.

[antil33t 90]

Though being the first car he's about to purchase for himself, he's probably not got the money to throw down on a new car.

My E34 Touring has 260,000km. Drives like a dream. SLS hasn't failed yet although the camber switch is telling porkies (it actually says in the owners manual that if you get the SUSPENSIONLEVELING error not to drive over 170kph LOL)

I have planned that if the SLS fails, I'll throw coilovers in it.. as stock E34 height is a bit... meh.

mine is NZ new though.

Tourings have lots of annoying as piss issues, like the hatch loom breaking...

Personally, I'd get a sedan. M50 Manual or NZ New M50. (for the 525i anyway)

[Etwenty1 45]

Those costs are just for the parts. Labour at workshops isn't cheap so it pays to have a bit of DIY skill

... And the list grows each week.

+1 These cars (old bmw's) are only a sensible financial option if you can do most of the required work yourself.

If you are going to be paying someone for your maintenance work then prepare to spend big time, or get a camry.

IME the 5 series seem to need a lot of suspension work which is at the risky/unpleasant end of DIY.

[hybrid 1043]

I would say if it passes the PPI fine then its going to be the same as any other car.

To be honest the e34 is the last of the cars BMW did before the recycled plastic invasion happened.

This is why you see older BMW examples still driving fine at 280,000ks. My e30 (very well looked after its whole life) had 360,000ks on original running gear and was a dream.

Any car can blow a head gasket, or run a bearing. The thing is to (as with any car) is to think about preventative maintenace. But if a thermostat decides its going to get stuck closed after only 20,000ks its just bad luck.

As others have said parts are cheap. And you can even get good cheap parts in NZ too. BM workshop can help you there as well.

[Eagle 1661]

forgive me for saying this....get real.A twenty year old car is a time bomb.I had a very very very well looked after e34 535 and for its whole life it didnt really cost me that much.Well maybe it did,but i serviced it religiously,did not skimp on anything.It blew the head gasket,and the repair (i did i few things that were likely to be required soon) cost me nearly the same ammount of money that i sold the car for.

The other side of the coin was for the best part of 10 years it was as reliable as a stone.Thats why you can buy a bloody nice car for 4 or 5 thousand.Thats the risk you take when buying a 20yr old car.And its a risk that can not be eliminated even if you happen to buy a car that i have just described.But even then the car WILL require some input.

So you really paid a few thousand for a head gasket job and some other bits? While i dont know the details it sounds like you got taken to the cleaners.

[lord_jagganath 421]

HAHA! Buying a twenty year old ANYTHING is not a sensible option. At this stage, we are buying what makes us feel good. (until the inevitable? mishap that is). But with regular maintenance, knowledge of where to get cheap parts, and the knowledge of talking to good mechanics and helpful forummers, I do not see why we can't use these twenty year old precision machines for another twenty years.. (or a fraction of that if you get weary).

[*Glenn* 854]

Nothing wrong with a 20 year old

[Young Thrash Driver 1020]

get a camry.

Wash your mouth out

Just be sensible about what you buy- don't buy the lowered one on chromes, get the one being sold by the bloke who has 3 others in his garage.

BMWs are good cars, I've found- 4 3 series have cost me as much in maintenance (combined) as one Lancer GSR

[Etwenty1 45]

Wash your mouth out

According to the Dog and Lemon Guide they are awesome. I mean what other authority is there?

A mate has one, sounds like a sewing machine and handles like a swissball.

[lord_jagganath 421]

Dog and Lemon Guide. Such a foul publication.

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2132]

as one Lancer GSR

not hard when every "gizzer" is thrashed to hell and back!

[Tristan 338]

Dog and Lemon Guide. Such a foul publication.

If your car is euro, your car is sh*t.

[J~~ 0]

If your car is euro, your car is sh*t.

Truth.

[Young Thrash Driver 1020]

not hard when every "gizzer" is thrashed to hell and back!

Well I got it straight off the boat... probably the only standard one in the country when I sold it.

Seriously though, better an E34 than any Jap large-ish car

[_Matt_ 42]

Dog and Lemon Guide. Such a foul publication.

Every car I've owned is a "death trap" according to dog and lemon.