E34 - 520!
Printed From: Bavarian-Board.co.uk - BMW Owners Discussion Forum
Category: Technical & Model Specific Forums
Forum Name: BMW 5 Series
Forum Discription: This forum will deal with any issues on the BMW 5 Series (E12, E28, E34, E39, E60 & E61)
URL: http://www.bavarian-board.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=44710
Printed Date: 01-May-2024 at 22:08
Topic: E34 - 520!
Posted By: agaafear
Subject: E34 - 520!
Date Posted: 01-May-2009 at 00:34
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A friend of mine is looking for a cheap old BMW and seems set on a 3 series. I was trying to persuade him to buy an E34 5 series. I see a lovely, 1995, genuine, 520i with 130K miles on carzone for €1,700. I know the six cyl will do big mileage without trouble and the E34 is known for its superb build quality and longevity. I read in one of the BMW mags that it is one of the best cars BMW ever produced. View or comments would be appreciated.
Thanks. |
Replies:
Posted By: jetsetwilly2000
Date Posted: 01-May-2009 at 09:44
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E34's are fantastic! Very well screwed together and feel very solid and dependable, and everything from the controls to the suspension feels (and is) built to be smooth and silky for a long long time. I think they were bmw's high point in build quality. Any E34 will be a nice car to own, but (no disrespect to any 520 owners out there), but I think the 525 is probably the most popular. You'll get the same mpg as a 520i with less stress and more performance. ------------- E90 M3 DCT, E46 330d Touring, VW T5 wannabecamper Previous: Disco 3 TDV6, 2x E34 540i6, E34 535iS |
Posted By: Nigel
Date Posted: 01-May-2009 at 19:20
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I couldn't agree more with the above comments. I'm presently running a very late E34 estate, the 518i 4 pot, it only does 30 - 33 on a run, I used to get 30 out of the two 525's I've owned. The 5 series is a much better car than a 3 series, the six cylinder engines sound nice, but apart ftom that you may as well be driving an astra !
------------- Best Wishes Nigel |
Posted By: thepits
Date Posted: 01-May-2009 at 19:22
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Go wash your mouth out
(p.s. name me a 6pot vauxhall) ------------- Cats know your every thought. But don't care. |
Nigel wrote:
Posted By: agaafear
Date Posted: 01-May-2009 at 19:43
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A Nigel, the 3 series is quite a bit better than an Astra - I would think - and hope!! The E34 would seem to be regarded as the car that brought BMW into the Merc league in terms of build quality, competing with the W124, which is regarded as the last of the 'over engineered' Mercs. I think this E34 looks nice and clean - what do you guys reckon? http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/5-Series/520i/200847190922546/advert - http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/5-Series/520i/2008471909225 46/advert
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Posted By: agaafear
Date Posted: 01-May-2009 at 19:47
| I agree that the 525 makes more sense in terms of economy and performance, but the person looking for a car needs to keep the engine reasonable for tax and insurance purposes; even a 2 litre will probably be a bit of a stretch. I have a 320i (E46) and the performance is fine, rather than awesome, but it's probably lighter than the 5 series. I know the E39 520i needed to be driven hard for any sort of performance - i.e. 3rd gear and 3,500+ to overtake with at any decent pace. |
Posted By: 540 V8
Date Posted: 01-May-2009 at 21:04
Vauxhall made a Calibra V6 ------------- 
Current:E34 540i Touring 6 speed manual(Mpower bodykit & suspension)& Chrysler Voyager 3.3 V6 auto Previous:E34 530iSE AC Schnitzer suspension. E28 525e auto-Standard |
Posted By: 540 V8
Date Posted: 01-May-2009 at 21:23
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I agree, there is no better put together beemer than the e34. It's very solid, reliable and compared to the more modern BM's, cheaper to repair as it has not so many electrics as it's younger siblings. I have had two e34's spanning about 7 years and being totally honest, the first one which was an '89 530iSE saloon started fine except it took a few turns when warm and I probably less than £300 over 2.5 years getting it through MOT's and non-service items. My current 540 which i've had coming up for 5 years now has cost me front suspension arms, rocker cover gaskets and some rear suspension bushes. I have a misfire and a couple of revving issues but she still runs well and hasn't cost me more than 6-7 hundred over the time I've had her. Convince him! Mike -------------
Current:E34 540i Touring 6 speed manual(Mpower bodykit & suspension)& Chrysler Voyager 3.3 V6 auto Previous:E34 530iSE AC Schnitzer suspension. E28 525e auto-Standard |
Posted By: Nigel
Date Posted: 01-May-2009 at 22:58
From the Cavalier upwards I think you'll find ( I'm not sure if they've made a six pot smaller than that), mostly 2.5's and 3 litres what what I remember. The Senator was probably the best that I've driven, very like an E34 except for build quality. ------------- Best Wishes Nigel |
Posted By: wackenzie
Date Posted: 02-May-2009 at 00:06
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I've had a few vauxhalls over the years, but since taking
on the e39 a year ago I can honestly say, that even with a few niggling problems the e39 is amazing in terms of build quality, this car won best saloon car for a few years running, mine is a 2001 and I bet feels and sounds better to drive than loads of brand new cars. Also had a go in my brothers which is 5 years older and could not tell the difference. I even doubt that the new BM's are as good as these cars, but looking forward to finding out. |
Posted By: agaafear
Date Posted: 02-May-2009 at 03:38
Off topic gents! 
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Posted By: Nigel
Date Posted: 02-May-2009 at 13:56
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Shirley Knot
------------- Best Wishes Nigel |
Posted By: 540 V8
Date Posted: 04-May-2009 at 20:22
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SUSTAINED! This is about the e34 not the griffin! Onwards and upwards! Mike -------------
Current:E34 540i Touring 6 speed manual(Mpower bodykit & suspension)& Chrysler Voyager 3.3 V6 auto Previous:E34 530iSE AC Schnitzer suspension. E28 525e auto-Standard |
Posted By: MBW1
Date Posted: 06-May-2009 at 22:29
Hmmm. I have an E36 Compact which is the biggest load of crap I've ever owned. The good bits: It doesn't seem to rust. The bad bits: Self destruct interior, constant problems with the electric windows and the engine (M42) has already had a major top end rebuild at 100k and looks like ithe bottom end might not last the month out. Crunches into 5th gear at anything over 60 mph and this is now it's 2nd gearbox, due a third....... Quality car my 8rse! Absolute toss and a disgrace to the badge. The E34 on the other hand was a proper BMW. ------------- I don't have a carbon footprint. I drive everywhere. |
Posted By: Nigel
Date Posted: 06-May-2009 at 22:33
I test drove some 3 series cars just before I bought my latest E34. I was very very dissapointed with the 3 series cars I drove, they were just so "nothing" !
------------- Best Wishes Nigel |
Posted By: MBW1
Date Posted: 06-May-2009 at 22:36
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To be fair the regular E36 saloon isn't a bad car. The Compact though just
has zero quality. Just really cheap and nasty with the pimply plastic dash looking like something from a seventies Skoda.  ------------- I don't have a carbon footprint. I drive everywhere. |
Posted By: Peter Fenwick
Date Posted: 07-May-2009 at 10:13
If the engines fooked after that kind of milage you bought a fooked car. Nothing to do with BMW I'm afraid. I also assume you mean 2nd hand gear boxes. If they don't get looked after they won't last no matter how well engineered they are. Also to compare a compact, the cheapest range BMW did at the time, with a 5 series is a bit daft isn't it?
------------- Entering an age of Austerity and now driving a Focus Diesel. |
Posted By: Peter Fenwick
Date Posted: 07-May-2009 at 10:19
A few years ago before I bought my E36 328 I drove an E34 525. Nice car but a totaly different beast to an E36. More comfortable than sporty and at the time just a bit to 'old' for me. The e36 on the other hand was and still is a nice sports saloon with great handling, a great driving position and a fabulous engine. Chalk and cheese if you ask me. Oh and the 3 series is far, far beter than an Astra. Trust me, my dad has had 3 and they are horrible. In his previous one the steering wheel felt like it was attached to the wheels via elastic bands. The Focus is a better car but still not as nice as a 3 series to drive ------------- Entering an age of Austerity and now driving a Focus Diesel. |
Posted By: MBW1
Date Posted: 07-May-2009 at 13:28
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- If the engines fooked after that kind of milage you bought a fooked car.
Nothing to do with BMW I'm afraid. I see. So why do M42 heads crack so often? -I also assume you mean 2nd hand gear boxes. Yes. And why did the original lose 3rd gear syncro at 80k? Plenty of oil and it didn't give any warning - it just broke. - If they don't get looked after they won't last no matter how well engineered they are. No! The whole idea of a quality car is that it can withstand normal daily use. Proper BMW's like the E34 can take terrible abuse and not break. This Compact (like the one before) is falling to bits. I guess loosening window motor to door frame rivets, a fractured mechanism and one failed motor are not BMW's fault then? I'm fairly hard on cars, but they do get mechanically maintained to a proper standard - could I have done more? Even the diff is whining on this heap! No oil leaks either. -Also to compare a compact, the cheapest range BMW did at the time, with a 5 series is a bit daft isn't it? Not daft at all. The Compact wore a BMW badge and thus was not a cheap car to buy when new. It should have been built to a far higher standard, ie so that the door trims don't come loose and attempt to fall off. It's no better made than a common or garden Ford! The E34 warranted a high price tag because it was built to a standard, not a price. The Compact is just cheap rubbish. In their defence, they don't seem to rust to bits like E36 saloons can and it drives very well. ------------- I don't have a carbon footprint. I drive everywhere. |
Posted By: Peter Fenwick
Date Posted: 07-May-2009 at 15:31
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E34s break plenty, just go on http://www.forum.bmw5.co.uk - www.forum.bmw5.co.uk to see. Normal daily use is not the same as abuse. How do you know that the previous owner of your car did not thrash the nuts off it? Did it come with a fully stamped service history? Unless you got it from new it's a bit daft to condemn a car as unreliable based on owning one. I'm guessing you got your compact after it had a few miles on it? Even with proper servicing you can kill an engine/box by thrashing from cold, bouncing off the limiter and just generally always driving it very hard. As for cracking heads, how is that any different from something like Nikasil which afflicted all BMWs even the 7 series. Also didn't the 518 have the same 4 cylinder engine as the compact? ------------- Entering an age of Austerity and now driving a Focus Diesel. |
Posted By: jetsetwilly2000
Date Posted: 07-May-2009 at 16:02
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Now then now then. The E34 is dead reliable, there is pretty wide consensus on that. I can't see the 520 you're looking at but general advice applies - service history is valuable, don't touch anything that doesn't feel really really good, and test drive more than one because all E34s tend to feel more solid than other cars so he'll need to calibrate his bum. I don't think I can agree at all that a 3 series is like an astra; tho I've never owned either I've driven some of each, and the astra always seemed to me to be near the bottom of the food chain, while a 3 series is up near the top. But I'd rather have an E34 than an E36 or an E30, or even an E46. ------------- E90 M3 DCT, E46 330d Touring, VW T5 wannabecamper Previous: Disco 3 TDV6, 2x E34 540i6, E34 535iS |
Posted By: MBW1
Date Posted: 08-May-2009 at 11:32
I don't think you're quite getting the point. There isn't a car made that doesn't go wrong. I've always bought everyday use cars with high mileage and the E34's have always been fine and feel like they were built to do 200'000 miles. The Compact doesn't. It's crap. The guy valeting it yesterday afternoon was laughing at the crappy door trims as he cleaned them. At the front you can push them in an inch they're so flimsy. My previous Compact was a 316i on a P plate, a two owner car with around 80'000. Mechanically it wasn't bad but it had the same trim maladies. In the end I went and bought a brand new drivers's door trim because the original was delaminating and kept falling off. I also replaced all the loose window mechanism rivets with nuts and bolts. Absolute garbage IMO. I sold it whilst it was still worth something! No, a Compact didn't use the 1.8 8v engine but the 1.6, similar enough though and basically a good engine. ------------- I don't have a carbon footprint. I drive everywhere. |
Posted By: Peter Fenwick
Date Posted: 08-May-2009 at 13:13
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Ok so the trim quality and build on a compact isn't as good as an E34. Thing is though the trim quality and build on an E39 isn't as good as an E34 either. My comments were simply in defense of the 3 series bashing that was going on. The E34 was the last of the really well built BMWs. Anything after fell foul of the need for increased capacity due to ever increasing sales. I mean the 3 series almost sells Mondeo volumes these days.
------------- Entering an age of Austerity and now driving a Focus Diesel. |
Posted By: Andrew Rolland
Date Posted: 08-May-2009 at 19:43
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I saw a really nice mint M plate E34 on my way home this morning. It was in that sexy blue colour that I remembering seeing on a spanking new E34. I remember dreaming about it at the time cos it was before I could drive and I wanted to drive a car like that........Never have driven an E34. The E34 I saw today was de-badged but had the (low spec?) alloy wheels (similar to those on the Senator, just to link back to an earlier post I also regularly see an E34 525is but what is the significance of the s in the badge? I've only heard of E36 318is but never ever heard of an E34 525is, till I saw one in Glasgow recently.
That makes me feel better! Just shows what leaps and bound have been made in engine efficiency, my E60 gets between 28-34, depending if I'm towing crud to the tip or cruising. ------------- Be exclusive and drive a Petrol 5 Series! Current '13 62 F10 535i MSport Auto Previous '04 04 E60 545i SE Auto '03 53 E60 545i SE Auto (Stolen) '98 S E39 523i SE Auto |
Posted By: Nigel
Date Posted: 09-May-2009 at 20:30
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Is this the blue you like ?
------------- Best Wishes Nigel |
Posted By: Andrew Rolland
Date Posted: 10-May-2009 at 18:20
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No it is a lighter shade of blue. ------------- Be exclusive and drive a Petrol 5 Series! Current '13 62 F10 535i MSport Auto Previous '04 04 E60 545i SE Auto '03 53 E60 545i SE Auto (Stolen) '98 S E39 523i SE Auto |
Posted By: Ballcock
Date Posted: 18-May-2009 at 11:30
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OP, Is your mate still looking for/interested in an E34 ? I've a 1995 520iSE that I'd be willing to sell basically due to lack of use. It's Orient Blue with full grey leather interior. It's a manual with only 107k miles with FSH (14 recorded services - 11 of them at BMW) and I'm only the second owner from new ! NCT'd until 02/11 and 2 months tax left. It is in excellent shape (rust free) with electric windows,mirrors & sunroof as well as a 10 disc CD player all working as new. It has 17" OE BMW 5 spoke softlines as well as the original BBS crossspokes too..... It's a KE reg too ! PM for more info/pics if you like. ------------- E34 Pilot - Keeping it Old School on Irish Roads. 
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Posted By: adzy216
Date Posted: 14-June-2009 at 00:45
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Gotta be the 34 all the way. The epitome of BMW. I only have the baby 4 pot 518, but i sit at traffic lights in comfort. The above seems a perfect buy for the gent in question.
------------- Always willing to learn |