E34 Possible Purchase - Good Idea?

[schmidtdarren]

Hey all,

I'm just new to the forum and am looking at a purchase of a 1990 BMW 535i E34 auto.

This is a pretty used up car and the asking price reflects it... $1800cdn. The car has been in a minor front end collision before (not a write off), and is fixed quite well. There are quite a few things that appear to be wrong with the car... as follows.

1. The head gasket appears to need replacing.
2. When firing up, the engine runs rough and revs rough.
3. There is some trim broken on the driver's side door.
4. One of the headlights is broken (lamp ok) and one is out (probably just lamp).
5. The interior of the car is about a 4/10 or so, with the seats showing wear and some of the trim (around the shifter) is well worn. The four-way flasher switch is broken and others well worn.
6. The instrument cluster is not fully functional. The gas/temp guages are not working as well as the electronic area on the lower part of the cluster (showing the # of k's on the car/trip I would think).
7. No stereo (might be an issue due to the speaker systems in these cars)
8. The driver side rear door handle appears to be sticky (may just be a lube issue).
9. Windshield needs replacing as well as wipers.
10. Front tires need replacing.

Ok, first off, I'm not a mechanic. I've performed relatively minor work on cars before (plugs, wires, disc brake pads, minor wiring issues, stereos, etc) and can follow a manual.

I've done some research on this site (very nice group here). It appears that the head gasket is an easy fix as well as the plugs/wires. Hopefully this is as far as the engine repairs go, it may well be a cooked engine. The cluster issue appears pretty common and fixable. Some of the trim pieces must be obtainable (tan interior).

Do the gurus of this site think that this car is salvageable? I know that it will take a few thousand dollars and quite a bit of effort to get things back to par with this car. Even so, for under 4 grand to have a vehicle of this calibre...

Any opinions or ideas/issues would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Darren Schmidt
Calgary, AB Canada.

[dacoyote]

first of all welcome to the group

1. The head gasket appears to need replacing.
---It's not really bad
2. When firing up, the engine runs rough and revs rough.
---have you checked the valve cover gasket / Plugs
3. There is some trim broken on the driver's side door.
---Easy Fix
4. One of the headlights is broken (lamp ok) and one is out (probably just lamp).
---Bummer
5. The interior of the car is about a 4/10 or so, with the seats showing wear and some of the trim (around the shifter) is well worn. The four-way flasher switch is broken and others well worn.
---You can try to clean up the leather and so, the flash switch is a easy one to fix
6. The instrument cluster is not fully functional. The gas/temp guages are not working as well as the electronic area on the lower part of the cluster (showing the # of k's on the car/trip I would think).
---bulbs / capactors
7. No stereo (might be an issue due to the speaker systems in these cars)
---There are a lot of people that can help with that
8. The driver side rear door handle appears to be sticky (may just be a lube issue).
---I would try lube first
9. Windshield needs replacing as well as wipers.
---Bummer and normal wear and tear
10. Front tires need replacing.
---Normal War and Tear, did they wear even?

The entire group here is cool, everyone loves their car.

I would suggest getting a Bentley book and starting on the engine stuff first. Do you have any sort of service records for things like the tranny and the like.

-Charles

[liquidtiger720]

4. One of the headlights is broken (lamp ok) and one is out (probably just lamp).

Thanks,
Darren Schmidt
Calgary, AB Canada.



I can have a set of U.S. spec ellipsoid headlights for sale if you want them. Throw a $$ at me.


And welcome. Hope you decide to stay! :D

[uscharalph]

I'd have an independent mechanic you trust give it the one over. You don't want to be walking into some major repairs right off the bat. They could throw your 4 grand figure right off the map. That would basically solve item #1 & item #2. All the others can be accomplished with a little help from this forum.

If it doesn't pass the independent inspection there are plenty of other E34's to be had for under 4 grand. Personally, I'd like a 5 or 6 speed instead of automatic.

[schmidtdarren]

I haven't checked the valve cover gasket and/or plugs. I would guess that it does need this stuff. I'm just very weary of spending money on a fixer-upper and then putting 3000+ on an engine replacement. There are NO service records or anything else. I haven't driven the vehicle.

The car itself is said to have 241,000K on it (could not verify as that part of the cluster is not working) What is the expected lifespan of the M30 engine? This one might not've been kept up as well as it should have so that comes into play.

I'm pretty impressed with the availability of parts and mods for this car. There seems to be quite a bit of help through theses forums too.

Any idea on the normal value of a car of this age/condition?

Thanks,
Darren Schmidt

[Kalevera]

Hi Darren.

Welcome. As others have said, I hope you decide to stay. Down to business...

Let me preface this by saying that I wouldn't spend more than $800 USD on a "fixer-upper", especially an automatic.

There are a million different things to say about the head gasket. Assuming that the car actually needs a head gasket, be sure to account for the possibility that it may also have a warped or cracked head (or block). A used M30 isn't more than $1000 USD for the part itself, installation isn't that big of a deal and a competent tech should get it done in less than a day. Having said that: the M30 is a hard motor to kill. Mine was abused. I pulled the valve cover for the first time 1000 miles after buying the car and rebuilding the front end/replacing the transmission and discovered a banjo bolt sitting in a valley. My motor's a little louder than most, but it still runs fine. 400k is normal if the thing has been at least somewhat looked after. So, pull the valve cover and check that stuff. I'd also drain some or all of the oil and inspect it, perhaps even the coolant from the block.

The other issues are minor in the scheme of things. With a little dilligent searching, you'll probably be able to find a complete interior for little money. Same goes for the other parts. Most people replace tires when they get (larger) wheels.

The main concern is the body: how good is it? My $900 project car, after about $5000 in mechanical and cosmetic upgrades, still needs $4000 worth of body work. Mind you, I'd be doing most of the prep work; our body shop would handle the stuff that I can't do, which is a bit. Some have said that it takes $10k to achieve the perfect E34 these days; I would've been there already at a $5k discount if the rust free southern car that I bought didn't have dents and burnt paint. Rust protection on the E34, especially the later ones, is incredibly good; still, check it out.

I spent a few hours today conversing with Rob Levinson of UUC. Rob has owned lots of cars. In discussing the cost of repairing Fritz's exterior faults with my boss, Rob shared a sliver of wisdom regarding "projects", knowledge that I wish I'd known back in October: Plan ahead and know what you're getting into. Know exactly what you want out of a car, and if those desires meet your budget, prior to buying anything. If the budget doesn't meet those desires, adjust it accordingly so that it is acceptable. Rob told me that he had his E38 750iL planned out befor he found the car that was to become this (http://www.robertlevinson.com/seven/).

It all depends on what you want. I want to build a 550. Rob thinks I should get rid of my current car (aaahh!) and buy a late M50TU powered 525, then dump an S50 in there. Is my 550 goal worth sticking in a body with burned up paint and lots of dents? That's for me to decide...

So, ultimately, get the best information on the car that you can, determine what you want and if it's feasable given time and monetary budget constraints, and make a sound decision based on that. There's always another car.

best, whit

[uscharalph]

"I spent a few hours today conversing with Rob Levinson of UUC. Rob has owned lots of cars. In discussing the cost of repairing Fritz's exterior faults with my boss, Rob shared a sliver of wisdom regarding "projects", knowledge that I wish I'd known back in October: Plan ahead and know what you're getting into. Know exactly what you want out of a car, and if those desires meet your budget, prior to buying anything. If the budget doesn't meet those desires, adjust it accordingly so that it is acceptable. Rob told me that he had his E38 750iL planned out befor he found the car that was to become this."

That linked car you posted is soooo niiice!

[pundit]

The bottom line is if you would like to end up with a very clean sound E34 in the end just save yourself the grief and buy one in the beginning!

It is far cheaper, repeat... FAR CHEAPER to spend more now on a decent car than buy a 'cheap' (read possible money pit) and spend A LOT MORE on restoring it.
Especially if you are not particularly mechanically inclined.

[guinness]

Pundit,
that is the best advice i've seen on this entire thread.

[moogplayer]

I second what Pundit says. Like yourself, I am by no means a mechanic (although my dad repairs older british cars). So I went out and bought a clean one-owner '94 525 touring with a newly rebuilt tranny (w/warr) for $6200. Had all receipts & did a pre-inspection at a reputable indy BMW shop. I sank about $600 into the car immediately (new filters all around, fluid flushes, valve cover gasket, etc). I financed the car & am loving it.

You can get into a clean, well-cared for 535i for $3K-$5K. I would recommend that route.

[Kalevera]

"I spent a few hours today conversing with Rob Levinson of UUC. Rob has owned lots of cars. In discussing the cost of repairing Fritz's exterior faults with my boss, Rob shared a sliver of wisdom regarding "projects", knowledge that I wish I'd known back in October: Plan ahead and know what you're getting into. Know exactly what you want out of a car, and if those desires meet your budget, prior to buying anything. If the budget doesn't meet those desires, adjust it accordingly so that it is acceptable. Rob told me that he had his E38 750iL planned out befor he found the car that was to become this."

That linked car you posted is soooo niiice!
Hehe. That's one of two 6 speed E38 750iLs in the world. We just finished building the second. I shot this pic today (overcast + my terrible photography skills = bad news) of them together.

http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/lowell/Two%20750s%20-%202.jpg

A few more pics here: http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/lowell/

#2 has 20" genuine alpina wheels, UUC big brake kit, UUC springs, a quaife, corsa quad tip exhaust, custom dash programming (courtesy of AutoLogic).

I haven't driven either of them (except for around the lot/and to take this pic), but I'm told that they'll break traction in 3rd. #2 is supposed to get dual blowers sometime this fall...

best, whit

[pundit]

Basically any car can & will develop problems now matter how much you pay for it. You could spend $4,500 on a clean E34 now to have the head gasket blow in three months. But a $4,500 car is likely to be overall in much better condition than an $1,800 car.

Supposing you spend $1,200 and get the motor fixed. Now it owes you $3,000. But you say the interior is 4/10. The electrics may be a $50 fix or a $500 fix. I can almost guarantee the front end will need $500 worth of work. Are you certain the front damage has been repaired properly? What about the potential for rust in the future etc? How good is the paintwork? A quality respray could set you back up to $4,000. Yada Yada Yada!!!

Go and have a look at some $3,000 to $4,000 examples to see what kind of E34 you can get for that money and then do the math. ;)

[schmidtdarren]

Amazing. Most help I've ever had on a forum. I'm into front projection home theatre (as well as higher-end 2ch audio) and there are some decent boards out there that give opinions/help, but wow.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure (actually positive) that I'll pass on this car. Its just one of those things that is giving me a bad feeling. I can see $100's bills and a few $1000's flying out the window of the "fixer upper". I've found a couple of others that are for sale around here and around the 5Kcdn mark. One is a 91 535 5spd with less K. I may take a look at it.

I'm going to be on the lookout for deals. This seems to be a "everyday guy's" BMW that can be maintained relatively easy and has parts readily available (I've heard a couple of Audi horror stories). I'm looking for a car that I can tinker with and be proud of rather than buy off a lot and drive around. I'll leave that to the wife and her Accord, which is a fairly decent car in itself in its latest version. It might be challenging some of the 3-series. I'm not flaming here, just observing.

Thanks for everyones assistance and opinions!

Thanks,
Darren Schmidt

[Paul in NZ]

buy the car that is cosmetically the best you can get...the mechanicals ere meant to get pulled out and replaced,but if its a NICE looking car its a NICE looking car......You can make it drive nice too.....

[genphreak]

All good advice I'd say. One thing to add though, seldom would you ever find a 535i E34 that does not need a LOT of work ultimately. They are too old. One of the justifications I use in my plan is to replace practically every wearing mechanical part within 3 years. That will cost you more than it would be worth, probaly 3 times the value of the car, still I like the car and would prefer one this carefully maintained than an E39 any day, which would cost a lot more to do the same to... perhaps a good thing is to buy a car from a person that has already gone to this expense (but properly) - perhaps its good to advertise in Roundel that yo are after a special car or talk to soem club people (BMW CCA for example) or research owners cars online and ask on the forums for people that are thinking of changing. (Mine is not finished yet and not for sale btw... )

[jv9999]

Run...

[dacoyote]

Nice... very nice.....

I would love to work at KMS...

-Charles