Daily a E34 525?
Discussion
Hi,
Sure this will have been asked regularly enough, but here goes…..I’m looking to properly daily a classic (ish) car, as in use every day and it would be my main car. I’ve seen a handful of E34s online that seem to have an ok MOT history so initially I thought it maybe worth starting there. I do about 8 to 10k a year of which most is personal and I do a round trip of 220 miles to Whitby about 12 times a year. I had a couple of E30 325i Sports in my twenties and back then they were fairly new cars, so will a 1997 525i be a road to disaster and leave me stranded on the north Yorkshire moors? Also I don’t have a garage so any car is going to be on the street, as is my 15 year old MX5.
I’ve also been looking at the LS400 as I had a 430 which I loved but ideally would prefer a BMW. I’m in no way handy with the spanner’s but use a decent garage locally and my work pays all my fuel bill, as I am work.
Am I asking for maximum borkage, plastic failing, head gaskets blowing and getting on first name terms with rust?
For some reason I can’t bring to replace my aging Sharan with a new car, so therefor I would like an even older aging car.
Cheers
Nick
Sure this will have been asked regularly enough, but here goes…..I’m looking to properly daily a classic (ish) car, as in use every day and it would be my main car. I’ve seen a handful of E34s online that seem to have an ok MOT history so initially I thought it maybe worth starting there. I do about 8 to 10k a year of which most is personal and I do a round trip of 220 miles to Whitby about 12 times a year. I had a couple of E30 325i Sports in my twenties and back then they were fairly new cars, so will a 1997 525i be a road to disaster and leave me stranded on the north Yorkshire moors? Also I don’t have a garage so any car is going to be on the street, as is my 15 year old MX5.
I’ve also been looking at the LS400 as I had a 430 which I loved but ideally would prefer a BMW. I’m in no way handy with the spanner’s but use a decent garage locally and my work pays all my fuel bill, as I am work.
Am I asking for maximum borkage, plastic failing, head gaskets blowing and getting on first name terms with rust?
For some reason I can’t bring to replace my aging Sharan with a new car, so therefor I would like an even older aging car.
Cheers
Nick
Edited by nickd164 on Monday 9th September 14:58
I've owned a 520i for a number of years now, for about 5 of them it was my daily. It still gets regularly used now - I've done about 600 miles in it in the last fortnight or so.
They are mechanically very robust, but rust can be a big problem. They are also relatively simple to work on. Suspension is (mostly) iron, so unlike an E39 you can beat it with a hammer. If you take it to a garage for everything the bill could run away with you, but if you are reasonably handy with the spanners you should be ok.
I'd certainly go for it, even if you do pair it with some snotty shed for the worst of the winter. The E34 would take the cold weather in its stride, but too much salt without care will kill them.
A 525i would probably feel even better as daily than my 520 - better brakes (vented front discs - ooo) more power, longer final drive (I think)
Unlike a lot of stuff from the 80s/90s, they feel very solid - doors shut with a typical BMW solid thunk, and you can tell they were built to last, yet still have a classic feel. A friend of mine summed up the E34 as a "new old car", and the E39 (I had both at the time) as an "old new car".
As you would be dailying it, you might have to reset your expectations as to kit levels - all had electric windows/mirrors/central locking, but not all had A/C, remote locking etc. Mine is a 1995 520i SE (so high trim level, last of the line) and whilst that has A/C (a rare option on a 520i), it doesn't have remote central locking. Doesn't particularly bother me tbh.
ETA: Apologies I see you say you aren't handy with the spanners. However regular servicing is so easy on these nearly anyone could do it. I've learnt a lot whilst owning mine.
M50s (I assume you're looking at later 525i so all will have that engine) are fairly hardy. Mine even cooked after the aux water pump exploded and dumped all its coolant - and despite stories of doom and gloom it seems fine...
They are mechanically very robust, but rust can be a big problem. They are also relatively simple to work on. Suspension is (mostly) iron, so unlike an E39 you can beat it with a hammer. If you take it to a garage for everything the bill could run away with you, but if you are reasonably handy with the spanners you should be ok.
I'd certainly go for it, even if you do pair it with some snotty shed for the worst of the winter. The E34 would take the cold weather in its stride, but too much salt without care will kill them.
A 525i would probably feel even better as daily than my 520 - better brakes (vented front discs - ooo) more power, longer final drive (I think)
Unlike a lot of stuff from the 80s/90s, they feel very solid - doors shut with a typical BMW solid thunk, and you can tell they were built to last, yet still have a classic feel. A friend of mine summed up the E34 as a "new old car", and the E39 (I had both at the time) as an "old new car".
As you would be dailying it, you might have to reset your expectations as to kit levels - all had electric windows/mirrors/central locking, but not all had A/C, remote locking etc. Mine is a 1995 520i SE (so high trim level, last of the line) and whilst that has A/C (a rare option on a 520i), it doesn't have remote central locking. Doesn't particularly bother me tbh.
ETA: Apologies I see you say you aren't handy with the spanners. However regular servicing is so easy on these nearly anyone could do it. I've learnt a lot whilst owning mine.
M50s (I assume you're looking at later 525i so all will have that engine) are fairly hardy. Mine even cooked after the aux water pump exploded and dumped all its coolant - and despite stories of doom and gloom it seems fine...
Edited by Triumph Man on Monday 9th September 14:29
Edited by Triumph Man on Monday 9th September 14:30
Edited by Triumph Man on Monday 9th September 14:31
Triumph Man said:
I've owned a 520i for a number of years now, for about 5 of them it was my daily. It still gets regularly used now - I've done about 600 miles in it in the last fortnight or so.
They are mechanically very robust, but rust can be a big problem. They are also relatively simple to work on. Suspension is (mostly) iron, so unlike an E39 you can beat it with a hammer. If you take it to a garage for everything the bill could run away with you, but if you are reasonably handy with the spanners you should be ok.
I'd certainly go for it, even if you do pair it with some snotty shed for the worst of the winter. The E34 would take the cold weather in its stride, but too much salt without care will kill them.
A 525i would probably feel even better as daily than my 520 - better brakes (vented front discs - ooo) more power, longer final drive (I think)
Unlike a lot of stuff from the 80s/90s, they feel very solid - doors shut with a typical BMW solid thunk, and you can tell they were built to last, yet still have a classic feel. A friend of mine summed up the E34 as a "new old car", and the E39 (I had both at the time) as an "old new car".
As you would be dailying it, you might have to reset your expectations as to kit levels - all had electric windows/mirrors/central locking, but not all had A/C, remote locking etc. Mine is a 1995 520i SE (so high trim level, last of the line) and whilst that has A/C (a rare option on a 520i), it doesn't have remote central locking. Doesn't particularly bother me tbh.
ETA: Apologies I see you say you aren't handy with the spanners. However regular servicing is so easy on these nearly anyone could do it. I've learnt a lot whilst owning mine.
M50s (I assume you're looking at later 525i so all will have that engine) are fairly hardy. Mine even cooked after the aux water pump exploded and dumped all its coolant - and despite stories of doom and gloom it seems fine...
They are mechanically very robust, but rust can be a big problem. They are also relatively simple to work on. Suspension is (mostly) iron, so unlike an E39 you can beat it with a hammer. If you take it to a garage for everything the bill could run away with you, but if you are reasonably handy with the spanners you should be ok.
I'd certainly go for it, even if you do pair it with some snotty shed for the worst of the winter. The E34 would take the cold weather in its stride, but too much salt without care will kill them.
A 525i would probably feel even better as daily than my 520 - better brakes (vented front discs - ooo) more power, longer final drive (I think)
Unlike a lot of stuff from the 80s/90s, they feel very solid - doors shut with a typical BMW solid thunk, and you can tell they were built to last, yet still have a classic feel. A friend of mine summed up the E34 as a "new old car", and the E39 (I had both at the time) as an "old new car".
As you would be dailying it, you might have to reset your expectations as to kit levels - all had electric windows/mirrors/central locking, but not all had A/C, remote locking etc. Mine is a 1995 520i SE (so high trim level, last of the line) and whilst that has A/C (a rare option on a 520i), it doesn't have remote central locking. Doesn't particularly bother me tbh.
ETA: Apologies I see you say you aren't handy with the spanners. However regular servicing is so easy on these nearly anyone could do it. I've learnt a lot whilst owning mine.
M50s (I assume you're looking at later 525i so all will have that engine) are fairly hardy. Mine even cooked after the aux water pump exploded and dumped all its coolant - and despite stories of doom and gloom it seems fine...
Edited by Triumph Man on Monday 9th September 14:29
Edited by Triumph Man on Monday 9th September 14:30
Edited by Triumph Man on Monday 9th September 14:31
Triumph Man said:
I've owned a 520i for a number of years now, for about 5 of them it was my daily. It still gets regularly used now - I've done about 600 miles in it in the last fortnight or so.
They are mechanically very robust, but rust can be a big problem. They are also relatively simple to work on. Suspension is (mostly) iron, so unlike an E39 you can beat it with a hammer. If you take it to a garage for everything the bill could run away with you, but if you are reasonably handy with the spanners you should be ok.
I'd certainly go for it, even if you do pair it with some snotty shed for the worst of the winter. The E34 would take the cold weather in its stride, but too much salt without care will kill them.
A 525i would probably feel even better as daily than my 520 - better brakes (vented front discs - ooo) more power, longer final drive (I think)
Unlike a lot of stuff from the 80s/90s, they feel very solid - doors shut with a typical BMW solid thunk, and you can tell they were built to last, yet still have a classic feel. A friend of mine summed up the E34 as a "new old car", and the E39 (I had both at the time) as an "old new car".
As you would be dailying it, you might have to reset your expectations as to kit levels - all had electric windows/mirrors/central locking, but not all had A/C, remote locking etc. Mine is a 1995 520i SE (so high trim level, last of the line) and whilst that has A/C (a rare option on a 520i), it doesn't have remote central locking. Doesn't particularly bother me tbh.
ETA: Apologies I see you say you aren't handy with the spanners. However regular servicing is so easy on these nearly anyone could do it. I've learnt a lot whilst owning mine.
M50s (I assume you're looking at later 525i so all will have that engine) are fairly hardy. Mine even cooked after the aux water pump exploded and dumped all its coolant - and despite stories of doom and gloom it seems fine...
Thanks,They are mechanically very robust, but rust can be a big problem. They are also relatively simple to work on. Suspension is (mostly) iron, so unlike an E39 you can beat it with a hammer. If you take it to a garage for everything the bill could run away with you, but if you are reasonably handy with the spanners you should be ok.
I'd certainly go for it, even if you do pair it with some snotty shed for the worst of the winter. The E34 would take the cold weather in its stride, but too much salt without care will kill them.
A 525i would probably feel even better as daily than my 520 - better brakes (vented front discs - ooo) more power, longer final drive (I think)
Unlike a lot of stuff from the 80s/90s, they feel very solid - doors shut with a typical BMW solid thunk, and you can tell they were built to last, yet still have a classic feel. A friend of mine summed up the E34 as a "new old car", and the E39 (I had both at the time) as an "old new car".
As you would be dailying it, you might have to reset your expectations as to kit levels - all had electric windows/mirrors/central locking, but not all had A/C, remote locking etc. Mine is a 1995 520i SE (so high trim level, last of the line) and whilst that has A/C (a rare option on a 520i), it doesn't have remote central locking. Doesn't particularly bother me tbh.
ETA: Apologies I see you say you aren't handy with the spanners. However regular servicing is so easy on these nearly anyone could do it. I've learnt a lot whilst owning mine.
M50s (I assume you're looking at later 525i so all will have that engine) are fairly hardy. Mine even cooked after the aux water pump exploded and dumped all its coolant - and despite stories of doom and gloom it seems fine...
Edited by Triumph Man on Monday 9th September 14:29
Edited by Triumph Man on Monday 9th September 14:30
Edited by Triumph Man on Monday 9th September 14:31
I can only pair with the MX5, but that’s fine and it’s a nice little BBR200 so good fun. Kit wise not a massive issue and I’d soon get use to it. The Shaz aircon hasn’t worked for a while so again not a biggie. I think I will just enjoy running it and hopefully enjoy the experience. I’m aware things can go wrong and there could be some drama.
Triumph Man said:
HadiBass said:
I think it's very hard to find an E34 in good condition now. I know a few people who have had E34s for a long time and they are in pretty good condition, but the guys don't want to sell these cars.
They are out there - I'd say get on the E32/E34 facebook group Thanks and asked to join the group
nickd164 said:
Hi,
Sure this will have been asked regularly enough, but here goes…..I’m looking to properly daily a classic (ish) car, as in use every day and it would be my main car. I’ve seen a handful of E34s online that seem to have an ok MOT history so initially I thought it maybe worth starting there. I do about 8 to 10k a year of which most is personal and I do a round trip of 220 miles to Whitby about 12 times a year. I had a couple of E30 325i Sports in my twenties and back then they were fairly new cars, so will a 1997 525i be a road to disaster and leave me stranded on the north Yorkshire moors? Also I don’t have a garage so any car is going to be on the street, as is my 15 year old MX5.
I’ve also been looking at the LS400 as I had a 430 which I loved but ideally would prefer a BMW. I’m in no way handy with the spanner’s but use a decent garage locally and my work pays all my fuel bill, as I am work.
Am I asking for maximum borkage, plastic failing, head gaskets blowing and getting on first name terms with rust?
For some reason I can’t bring to replace my aging Sharan with a new car, so therefor I would like an even older aging car.
Cheers
Nick
Not a bad choice at all.Sure this will have been asked regularly enough, but here goes…..I’m looking to properly daily a classic (ish) car, as in use every day and it would be my main car. I’ve seen a handful of E34s online that seem to have an ok MOT history so initially I thought it maybe worth starting there. I do about 8 to 10k a year of which most is personal and I do a round trip of 220 miles to Whitby about 12 times a year. I had a couple of E30 325i Sports in my twenties and back then they were fairly new cars, so will a 1997 525i be a road to disaster and leave me stranded on the north Yorkshire moors? Also I don’t have a garage so any car is going to be on the street, as is my 15 year old MX5.
I’ve also been looking at the LS400 as I had a 430 which I loved but ideally would prefer a BMW. I’m in no way handy with the spanner’s but use a decent garage locally and my work pays all my fuel bill, as I am work.
Am I asking for maximum borkage, plastic failing, head gaskets blowing and getting on first name terms with rust?
For some reason I can’t bring to replace my aging Sharan with a new car, so therefor I would like an even older aging car.
Cheers
Nick
Edited by nickd164 on Monday 9th September 14:58
I used to drive a 520i manual when I was in medical school - doing a drive from South London to Canterbury.
Very smooth and comfortable car to drive, small (by modern standards) alloys and high profile tyres.
M50 engine is solid (had in both this 520i and a previous E36 325i). Watch out for the older plastic impeller waterpumps as they can fail but ime, it's a good engine. I had no concerns re long distances, low bork factor compared to many other new (more niggly) BMWs I reckon.
As has been mentioned finding an E34 with good bodywork will be a challenge. Probably your main issue, especially if mated to the auto will be mpg but given you've had E30 325is in the past, you probably know what to expect.
g3org3y said:
Not a bad choice at all.
I used to drive a 520i manual when I was in medical school - doing a drive from South London to Canterbury.
Very smooth and comfortable car to drive, small (by modern standards) alloys and high profile tyres.
M50 engine is solid (had in both this 520i and a previous E36 325i). Watch out for the older plastic impeller waterpumps as they can fail but ime, it's a good engine. I had no concerns re long distances, low bork factor compared to many other new (more niggly) BMWs I reckon.
As has been mentioned finding an E34 with good bodywork will be a challenge. Probably your main issue, especially if mated to the auto will be mpg but given you've had E30 325is in the past, you probably know what to expect.
Best colour I used to drive a 520i manual when I was in medical school - doing a drive from South London to Canterbury.
Very smooth and comfortable car to drive, small (by modern standards) alloys and high profile tyres.
M50 engine is solid (had in both this 520i and a previous E36 325i). Watch out for the older plastic impeller waterpumps as they can fail but ime, it's a good engine. I had no concerns re long distances, low bork factor compared to many other new (more niggly) BMWs I reckon.
As has been mentioned finding an E34 with good bodywork will be a challenge. Probably your main issue, especially if mated to the auto will be mpg but given you've had E30 325is in the past, you probably know what to expect.
For me, these were the last of the proper ones. The E39 arguably drove a bit better but are now a nightmare of rust, plastic cooling system crap on a repeating cycle, ABS modules and a litany of niggles. They are far harder to repair than the E34. See also: E46. Superficially nicer that what went before but...
Rust is the killer of E34's that have been here from new. Apart from the cosmetic stuff, the rear sills are the biggie.
The M50 is near enough unbreakable. If it runs nicely, regardless of mileage (it doesn't matter) it will just run and run with oil and coolant changes every now and then. The old 5HP18 automatic is a tough old thing. Props and diffs never go wrong.
The cooling system is standard eighties BMW so old type hose clips and a radiator that can be replaced with a flat blade screwdriver in about 25 minutes. A new four bolt viscous fan coupling is £40 and worth replacing as a matter of course. Unlike the E39, the rest of it doesn't need 'refreshing'.
They are heavy cars and can be tough on suspension. But, dampers are cheap to buy and easy to replace. Ditto control arms, bushes etc. ABS pumps rarely fail, if ever. Dash pixels rarely fail.....if ever.
Parts availability is excellent still - there are no vital bits you cannot buy.
Don't turn up the chance of a really good 520i. The original 12v ones are a mobile road block but the 24v ones go quite well and are well suited to the automatic.
The old Behr air conditioning system is pretty simple and even if it doesn't work, it won't take much to resurrect it.
It's common to find the LH wiper arm has been touching the bonnet. That's wear in the wiper spindle and it's an expensive fix - far cheaper to fire some grease into the spindle and move the wiper arm around a spline or two.
They are very good cars. Most went through the usual old BMW phase, were neglected and scrapped but they were designed to be simple to repair and you can run one on a small budget - being able to do stuff yourself helps of course.
Rust is the killer of E34's that have been here from new. Apart from the cosmetic stuff, the rear sills are the biggie.
The M50 is near enough unbreakable. If it runs nicely, regardless of mileage (it doesn't matter) it will just run and run with oil and coolant changes every now and then. The old 5HP18 automatic is a tough old thing. Props and diffs never go wrong.
The cooling system is standard eighties BMW so old type hose clips and a radiator that can be replaced with a flat blade screwdriver in about 25 minutes. A new four bolt viscous fan coupling is £40 and worth replacing as a matter of course. Unlike the E39, the rest of it doesn't need 'refreshing'.
They are heavy cars and can be tough on suspension. But, dampers are cheap to buy and easy to replace. Ditto control arms, bushes etc. ABS pumps rarely fail, if ever. Dash pixels rarely fail.....if ever.
Parts availability is excellent still - there are no vital bits you cannot buy.
Don't turn up the chance of a really good 520i. The original 12v ones are a mobile road block but the 24v ones go quite well and are well suited to the automatic.
The old Behr air conditioning system is pretty simple and even if it doesn't work, it won't take much to resurrect it.
It's common to find the LH wiper arm has been touching the bonnet. That's wear in the wiper spindle and it's an expensive fix - far cheaper to fire some grease into the spindle and move the wiper arm around a spline or two.
They are very good cars. Most went through the usual old BMW phase, were neglected and scrapped but they were designed to be simple to repair and you can run one on a small budget - being able to do stuff yourself helps of course.
Edited by The Conflated Outlier on Wednesday 11th September 12:05
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