bought a 1992 525i for 1000.

[mvbrian]

I picked up a 92 525i for a $1000 and took it to a shop to have it put on the lift to check things out. The rear sway bar links were both broke. I hear that's an easy fix. I had the breaks checked and the mechanic told me that it had some bad ass rotors in the front. He showed them to me and they have a wavy groove cut in them. Are these aftermarket or stock.It is a silver car with black leather that looks almost new. Other than that all that is wrong with the car is a broken headlight and the SRS light blinks for like 5 minutes then goes solid. I'm sure there is a post about that on here some where.

[632 Regal]

the rotors are aftermarket, strange that the SRS light goes out though, usually once their on they stay on and the only way to reset them is the dealer. There are sensors inder the hood on the fenders, those are the switches. Anytime you mess with them or the airbag make sure the battery is disconnected for 5 minutes before you do anything.

post some pics!

[Dave M]

Wow, $1000, post pics, mileage, history etc. Hope you got a gooder and not a money pit. Truth be told, they're all money pits :) , only difference is how much we payed for em.

Snoop around in the archives, check http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/trouble/what_will_break.htm (what will break) for some common issues. Do a compression test (if not already done), buy a Bentley manual yada yada....

Welcome and good luck,

Dave M

[Qube]

Why can't I find more for cheap? :) I'd love to have one around for parts. *must keep looking*

[madmaxdvl]

Congrats!

I got my '92 525i for s traight-up trade for a '91 Nissan 300zx. I consider it a fair trade!

One thing you may want to check out is the cooling system... as I found out myself, the plastic on the radiator is prone to becoming brittle and cracking at the least opportune times! I just replaced my radiator, thermostat, and water pump for under $300 in parts. Good thing I did the water pump--it had the original plastic impeller and was showing signs of cracking apart.

I agree with Dave M... the Bentley manual is a must-have (luckily, the PO gave me his.. heh heh) ;)

Hope you have as much fun as the rest of us... just remember fixing and upgrading is a part of life... It seems to me, though, that doing it on an e34 is a heck of a lot more rewarding than doing it on a Dodge Neon or a Honda!
:D

[Kobe Diesel]

paid $1200 for my 89 525. granted it needs work but it is a solid vehicle for it's age and mileage.

[Alexlind123]

Im beginning to think mine cost too much... Of course it did have under 110k when i got it.

[Rigmaster]

I picked up a 92 525i for a $1000 and took it to a shop to have it put on the lift to check things out. The rear sway bar links were both broke. I hear that's an easy fix. I had the breaks checked and the mechanic told me that it had some bad ass rotors in the front. He showed them to me and they have a wavy groove cut in them. Are these aftermarket or stock.It is a silver car with black leather that looks almost new. Other than that all that is wrong with the car is a broken headlight and the SRS light blinks for like 5 minutes then goes solid. I'm sure there is a post about that on here some where.

Hey,

just a long shot, but did the car pass thru a salvage auction or other used car auction???

I ask because if it did, that's the likely cause of your broken rear sway bar links. Many of those auctions use loaders with really long forks on the front to load and move cars around their lots. The guys operating those loaders are pretty good with them, but it's very easy for them to break things underneath the car. I have bought several cars from various local salvage auctions with broken rear swaybar links, one of them even had the rear muffler knocked off by the forks, and I actually saw one guy crack the aluminum oil pan on a smashed E30 318is I bought when he was trying to load it on my trailer!!

Bret.

[liquidtiger720]

Im beginning to think mine cost too much... Of course it did have under 110k when i got it.


How much did you pay? haha



Are there any original owners of e34's in here?


Mine was bought with ~50,000 miles on it in 1998. It was about ~25,000 usd.

[Alexlind123]

Mine was alot less than 25000, i got it in august of last year.

[mvbrian]

the rotors are aftermarket, strange that the SRS light goes out though, usually once their on they stay on and the only way to reset them is the dealer. There are sensors under the hood on the fenders, those are the switches. Anytime you mess with them or the airbag make sure the battery is disconnected for 5 minutes before you do anything.

post some pics!
The SRS light does stay on. I guess I'm gonna have to go to the damn dealership to get it reset. I spilled a mocha and i think it went down the passenger buckle.

[arffam1]

Its good to see that good deal can still be found, Its all about being in the right place at the right time. I bought my 91 525i for $1700, she needs a muffler but she has bav auto spring and bilstein sport shock and 152k. Good Luck.

[shogun]

Black inside and out except for wood trim aroud the shift. (soon to be changed - suggestions?) Unfortunately an automatic but I really dont care... lol Plagued by the lower door trim rust but it gives me a summer project...
--------------------------------
well, for the wood you can try to recover it
BMW E32 7-series information and links (http://www.e38.org/e32/)
automatic is no problem, you will like it sooner or later.
Door trim rust: see my website below, our member Kibokojoe made it with electrolysis

[Bill R.]

The srs system does a self test every time you turn the car on, so a reset won't help. You'll have to find and fix the problem to get the light to stay out.