thinking of buying this car
 

I'm thinking of buying this car but i'm not sure because i don't know a lot about E34's...i was hoping someone could help out


I went to see it today everything looks good

its a 1990 525i
fully loaded
Blue w/ black interior
alpine head unit
MANUAL :)
220k miles
no body damage
interior is clean
runs well

completely stock

$1995

does all that add up? or is there something fishy that i should look out for? I really don't feel like getting screwed over...

the best thing to do would get some sort of carfax or autocheck report.. but i think that seems about right compared to the mileage and year

btw if you dont mind me asking where are you located? in my area there is an m5 for sale im pretty sure its that body style it was in the sf chronicle classifieds ill have to find one and tell you more.. i too dont know much about the 5 series

I live in atlanta/alpharetta/the only habitable place in georgia

ok dude.. i have the same exact car, same exact mileage, same exact everything.. except its black on black.. make sure that things such as bushings, control arms, joints, exhaust, are ok.. if they have never been replaced, they are most likely bad.

make sure there is no 'wiggling' or 'shimmy' in the steering wheel especially between 50-60mph.. u can fix those of course after, but it all depends on whether u have time or not.. check and make sure the heater core is ok.. its a $700 job, or if u do it yourself like i did, its about a full days worth of work.. a great site for DIY jobs is roafly.org bmw forums.. those guys seem to know the E34's in and out.. great stuff.

also, check your hoses, rad, and heater vavles, aux water pump.. oh, ask them when the water pump was changed, and if not, you will want to change it soon.. same about thermostat and timing belt. if the timing belt goes, so does the engine. there are lots of little things that will go bad over the miles, but if you do things yourself and are somewhat mechanically inclined, its all good.. but yes, make sure you get a history report and service records if possible.. I never did get them with mine, but its a risk you take, and it can get pricey and be a pain in the ass..

but overall all i can say is that its a great car.. take care of it, and make sure that it was taken care of before.. You will fall in love with it! if not, get the new m5 :)

I was waiting for you or torque to say something because you both own E34's...


here's my big thing though... regardless fo the condition of the car before i buy it i want to replace teh timing belt exhaust, all teh hoses, the water pump rad and heater valves...how much will that set me back? assuming i do some of it myself

well the cost of parts. obviously. it depends where you buy things from.. i would be careful with ebay of course.. unless the parts are actually made with a thought that they will be put into a bmw.

exhaust can get pricey.. again it all depends.. you can spend a few grand from AC or like 600 bucks from BavAuto. Also, one thing, KNOW that the cooling system in the M20 is a BITCH to bleed. Maybe Im retarted but it took me 1500 tries to get it just right. kinda. once you open up a hose somewhere or anywhere in the system, you gotta bleed the air out..

Do you plan to do any suspension work to it?

I think that for that price, its a pretty good deal.. I mean as long as the engine is still good.. you may want to do a leakdown test or a pressure test on it too.. should be alright though. M20's are said to be bulletproof :) Enjoi

Well... I have to warn you, before you buy.

The car is very slow. Other than that it's a good car.

hey remember he's got the 5sp? :) not the autotragic! haha.. sorry man

regardless... you still run 9s in the 0-60

It's all about the handling in the twisties :drive2

Id offer a thousand for it.. if you really want it. M20+ E34 = one slow car. You could look around for an e30 with the same mileage for around the same price. The 5 speed is nice though.. its pretty rare in 5's.

go for the m30!! big six is the only way to go. the 535 is a slick car and is pretty fast out of the box. with a chip it moves! just my .02, but the e34's are a blast. big enough for your friends to come along, but still tight enough and built by bmw for the infamous handling one craves in the corners!

yea.. 5 speed 535 is the way to go. Theyre real cheap to.

i wouldn't go that far...