Thinking of buying an E34 M5
Discussion
Hi Guys,
considering buying one of these. Always been a dream of mine to have an E34 M5. For me the loveliest of Beemers...
Now, their beginning to get a little aged. Any buying advice?
The particulr example I'm looking at is a 1993, has 195,000 KM and is currently owned by a motorsports event organiser...
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Orlando
considering buying one of these. Always been a dream of mine to have an E34 M5. For me the loveliest of Beemers...
Now, their beginning to get a little aged. Any buying advice?
The particulr example I'm looking at is a 1993, has 195,000 KM and is currently owned by a motorsports event organiser...
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Orlando
The earlier 3.6 cars are generally regarded as the better option.
The engine isn't as stressed as the 3.8, and a lot more solid for it. The 3.8 is a screamer though! Also, look sof rthe nurburgring suspension. I knwo a lot of people go aftermarket with regards to suspension, thease little beauties will set you back £500...a corner. Check al the interior electrics. There will be quite a few, even if the original buyer was tight.
Outside of that, they will eat bushes quite regularly, but are very solid cars.
The engine isn't as stressed as the 3.8, and a lot more solid for it. The 3.8 is a screamer though! Also, look sof rthe nurburgring suspension. I knwo a lot of people go aftermarket with regards to suspension, thease little beauties will set you back £500...a corner. Check al the interior electrics. There will be quite a few, even if the original buyer was tight.
Outside of that, they will eat bushes quite regularly, but are very solid cars.
Is this a LHD model (as it's in km)?
Anyway with 195,000km (120k miles) your looking at £6k if it's in perfect condition, right hooker and £7k will be enough.
If it does have the Nurburgring suspension and brakes, and the suspension has not been replaced yet then you are looking at a £3k job for all 4 corners as the struts are £600 for the fronts, £400 for the rears, and then there's all the extra bits like bushes, thrust arms, etc that will inevitably need doing. Your top price then would be £4k for a LHD '93 model, or £5k for a RHD model.
However, most people that have replaced the Nurburgring have done so with the original parts rather than going down the road of finding replacement, non-electronically systems as they want to keep their vehicles original.
The brakes are not cheap either, so look for how much life is left in them as well.
I've not heard of any 3.8 (or 3.6) engine let go due to 'stress' in the 5 years i have owned mine, and the timing chains tends to last to 200,000 miles, however some people replace them every 100,000 miles. The engines that I've heard that have 'let go' were due to failure of the timing chain tensioner, rather than the timing chain itself. This is cured with regular maintenance/checks.
The only other thing I can think of checking that may need replacing at huge cost is the exhaust/catalyst!
If you want some more info, you can check out the e34 M5 Messageboard at www.m5board.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=4 - they won't bite and have quite a few miles under their respective belts.
Anyway with 195,000km (120k miles) your looking at £6k if it's in perfect condition, right hooker and £7k will be enough.
If it does have the Nurburgring suspension and brakes, and the suspension has not been replaced yet then you are looking at a £3k job for all 4 corners as the struts are £600 for the fronts, £400 for the rears, and then there's all the extra bits like bushes, thrust arms, etc that will inevitably need doing. Your top price then would be £4k for a LHD '93 model, or £5k for a RHD model.
However, most people that have replaced the Nurburgring have done so with the original parts rather than going down the road of finding replacement, non-electronically systems as they want to keep their vehicles original.
The brakes are not cheap either, so look for how much life is left in them as well.
I've not heard of any 3.8 (or 3.6) engine let go due to 'stress' in the 5 years i have owned mine, and the timing chains tends to last to 200,000 miles, however some people replace them every 100,000 miles. The engines that I've heard that have 'let go' were due to failure of the timing chain tensioner, rather than the timing chain itself. This is cured with regular maintenance/checks.
The only other thing I can think of checking that may need replacing at huge cost is the exhaust/catalyst!
If you want some more info, you can check out the e34 M5 Messageboard at www.m5board.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=4 - they won't bite and have quite a few miles under their respective belts.
The range of prices can be confusing, as someone trying to sell quickly may sell a perfectly fine exampel for £5k, while another 'enthusiast' might want £10k for a dog of a 1991 3.6.
If you're only going to do limited mileage then the best buy is the last of the line LE models - LE as they were the last 50 in the UK and had special paint and interiors - no engine mods though.
These usually go for £12-14k with 60-80k miles. Rosso Red with Cream leather is the best looking but the Orinocho Green/Blue with Mint/Petrel leather is usually cheaper.
If you are doing huge mileage then it's worth buying a good, but cheap, mid-mileage one and putting all the miles on it you can to get your monies worth. I do 30k a year in my current one and it had 86k on it when I bought it, now has 146k on it. It also does the odd track day or two!
----------------------------
If you do find one, the first thing to do is find a good BMW specialist rather than a BMW dealer, as the dealer uses our goodwill to fund his small sales margins - i.e. we get screwed.
Inspection I costs abou £500-£800 at a dealer, or £250-£400 at a specialist as it is mainly labour costs.
Same goes for Inspection II - about £700 compared to £400.
However, every 2nd Inspection II involves more work as the head is taken off and the valve clearances are checked and shimmed back to spec. This involves an overnight stay as the engine needs to be cold for the measurement to be accurant.
Oil services can be done yourself in an hour.
>> Edited by m-five on Friday 6th August 17:40
If you're only going to do limited mileage then the best buy is the last of the line LE models - LE as they were the last 50 in the UK and had special paint and interiors - no engine mods though.
These usually go for £12-14k with 60-80k miles. Rosso Red with Cream leather is the best looking but the Orinocho Green/Blue with Mint/Petrel leather is usually cheaper.
If you are doing huge mileage then it's worth buying a good, but cheap, mid-mileage one and putting all the miles on it you can to get your monies worth. I do 30k a year in my current one and it had 86k on it when I bought it, now has 146k on it. It also does the odd track day or two!
----------------------------
If you do find one, the first thing to do is find a good BMW specialist rather than a BMW dealer, as the dealer uses our goodwill to fund his small sales margins - i.e. we get screwed.
Inspection I costs abou £500-£800 at a dealer, or £250-£400 at a specialist as it is mainly labour costs.
Same goes for Inspection II - about £700 compared to £400.
However, every 2nd Inspection II involves more work as the head is taken off and the valve clearances are checked and shimmed back to spec. This involves an overnight stay as the engine needs to be cold for the measurement to be accurant.
Oil services can be done yourself in an hour.
>> Edited by m-five on Friday 6th August 17:40
chippy69 said:
prepare for Ferrari running costs
Not quite, the service interval is (on average) 6,000 miles and the car doesn't break down every other motorway junction!
Mine's got 140k on it and is still going strong, with regular preventative maintenance of course - and that includes keeping it away from uninformed BMW dealers.
m-five said:
prepare for Ferrari running costs
Not quite, the service interval is (on average) 6,000 miles and the car doesn't break down every other motorway junction!
Mine's got 140k on it and is still going strong, with regular preventative maintenance of course - and that includes keeping it away from uninformed BMW dealers.
True, I am just talking from the experience of a friend who ran one for a while and if he hadn't had a full BMW warranty...
could have been the way he drove however!
Don't get me wrong it is one of my all time favourite cars.
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