Guys/Gals I need your help!

[Iwantae34525i]

hey everyone.

Before I start, I should give you some background. I am a huuge ford fan and have owned two falcons previously. I just sold my last one and I am looking for an upgrade. Been a member of www.fordforums.com.au for a while.

Here a pic of my previous rides. Both were inline6's, the white one was a fairmont ghia (3 speed auto!:( ) and the green one was a fairmont. Both EA's, both gave me issues. But I loved them, and the green one went pretty well as it was a 5 speed manual that I gave a bit of stick to).

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/fomoco4eva/deakincar_parkfrontquater2.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/fomoco4eva/DSCF1568.jpg

Ive always loved BMW's, my uncle has had BMW's since I can remember (lucky bugger has a lease plan). So he currently has a e60 530i that I am very jealous of..lol

So I was looking through some dealerships and I stumbled upon a 1989 525i. It has everything I want, its black, full leather, sunroof, my choice of wheels (M5 ones aswell) and the most important part, its a manual.

If you could please go to this site its the 525i going for $10900 (the only manual one)

http://www.benjaminjamesmotors.com.au/used.php

(tell me if you have issues finding it)

But of course there is a catch, its got 250,000 k's on the clock. The good news is that it has a full service history (two log books actually) at Doncaster BMW. The car also comes with a 3 year warrenty from the dealer.

I guess I am a bit scared of the k's though. I know that falcons tend to need some attention around this time (although if looked after are fine). But I know NOTHING about BMW's.

What do you guys think? I still need to go for a test drive and get a RACV check done, but I thought id do some research first as I know forums can be very very good.

What should I be looking for? Is the price reasonable for the k's? I am going to offer him $8500 cash (his greek) and go from there. Ill happily pay $9000 but the car is 16/17 years old and has high k's.

So please, help me help you..lol...I want the car but Im not rushing into anything.

Thanks alot! And sorry for the long post.:D

Allan

(if I get the car I will change my username, I couldn't think of anything inventive just yet...lol)

[Iwantae34525i]

Oh I figured that the first thing I should do is ring the dealership were it was serviced and ask for its history?

[Lennyz525i]

Looks like a nice example! It has an M20 engine though, if you're not hp hungry it'll do just fine, with a 5spd anyway. Hey it's got rear headrests! Only M5s got those over here. It did some conversions, $10,9K AUS = $7,9K US, $8,5K AUS = $6,2K US. 245KMs = 153K miles. There are a number of aussies on this board that can make sense out of these numbers.

Here's some stuff to read:
http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/trouble/what_will_break.htm

http://www.bmw4life.com/buyingE34.htm

Good luck!

[Iwantae34525i]

m20 engine?

i didn't know the 2.5 changed through the e34 phase?

whats the other engine? and if the m20 that bad?

[Bill R.]

you post a vin number or some engine pictures we won't be able to tell. And no the m20 isn't bad, its just one is an earlier motor than the other. One has 12 valves, the newer one has 24 valves and a number of other changes to modernize it.



m20 engine?

i didn't know the 2.5 changed through the e34 phase?

whats the other engine? and if the m20 that bad?

[Medz]

HAHA! Small world Allan, I actually sent you a couple of emails about the green one you had for sale (the one with the xr front). Did you end up selling it? I thought you had an XR8 all lined up ready to go?

Here's why I didn't end up getting back to you about that in the end...broke the bank and bought this instead...

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f377/Medz84/525iback.jpg

Small world hey?

[Qube]

3 year warranty? If it's bumper to bumper from the DEALER, it sounds too good to be true!

[Iwantae34525i]

HAHA! Small world Allan, I actually sent you a couple of emails about the green one you had for sale (the one with the xr front). Did you end up selling it? I thought you had an XR8 all lined up ready to go?

Here's why I didn't end up getting back to you about that in the end...broke the bank and bought this instead...

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f377/Medz84/525iback.jpg

Small world hey?

ok thats just freaky!

I sold my car last night.got 2k cash for it and I kept the XR front and headunit! The guy who brought it didn't have enough cash to get it all..so I took those bits off.

I can get about 800 for the full XR front anyway.

I had an AWESOME EB XR8 lined up...it had a GT kit and GT wheels but it needed about 3k worth of repairs, and he wouldn't budge with the price. No way I am spending ~7-8k on a EB.

Whars your car like? How much did you pay?

[Medz]

I haven't picked it up yet, I've got a couple hundred down for a deposit and I'll be picking it up on Tuesday afternoon. It's in pretty nice condition, but much like the one you're thinking of buying, it's done about 240k's. Still drives really well though and isn't showing any signs of trouble that I could see so I think it will be ok - particularly at the price I paid for it.

In terms of exactly what I paid...Let's just say I was quite fortunate to find someone in desperate need of some quick funds (it was a private sale), who offered it to me at a price which was almost too good to be true. I actually went straight home after seeing it and called the vehicle security register to make sure it wasn't stolen! It all checked out to my delight and I raced back across town to chuck a deposit on it before anybody else got there!

[Iwantae34525i]

Its not a BWM dealer..its the car yard.

Ill have to read the fine print but yeah...its all inclusive.

[Lennyz525i]

3 year warranty? If it's bumper to bumper from the DEALER, it sounds too good to be true!

That does sound really good for a 17y/o car. An 89 525i definitely has the M20 engine. It's a relatively easy to work on engine that had been around for ages. It has a timing belt (just mentioning it before someone else does :D ) that needs replacement every 50K miles or so, do the waterpump as well while you're at it or you'll be facing my current mess. In early/mid 90 (build year) the 525i received a much updated M50 engine.

[Bill R.]

countries the m50 was around in 89http://www.bimmernut.com/%7Ebillr/images2/etk1.jpg



That does sound really good for a 17y/o car. An 89 525i definitely has the M20 engine. It's a relatively easy to work on engine that had been around for ages. It has a timing belt (just mentioning it before someone else does :D ) that needs replacement every 50K miles or so, do the waterpump as well while you're at it or you'll be facing my current mess. In early/mid 90 (build year) the 525i received a much updated M50 engine.

[Torque]

Bill, that's for a m50b20. I am curious to see if the m50b25 was around in 89 anywhere ... I'd love it if you cold check and post a screenshot of that.

You learn something new every day.

Edit: disregard, I found it myself. I never knew m50 was around that early. wow.

[Bill R.]

http://www.bimmernut.com/%7Ebillr/images2/ETK111.jpg
Bill, that's for a m50b20. I am curious to see if the m50b25 was around in 89 anywhere ... I'd love it if you cold check and post a screenshot of that.

You learn something new every day.

Edit: disregard, I found it myself. I never knew m50 was around that early. wow.

[Lennyz525i]

Damn, I had no idea either. I thought 525i's were equipped no ealier then early-mid 90 with M50s. AH well, learnt something new today

[Bill R.]

.
Damn, I had no idea either. I thought 525i's were equipped no ealier then early-mid 90 with M50s. AH well, learnt something new today

[wingman]

It's a lot of money for the k's and also for a manual. Be aware that selling a manual in OZ is VERY hard. Most 5s in this country were auto and people who buy 5s usually want autos. Manuals might be attractive for enthusiasts but they are not for the general populus and as a result sell for less. In OZ the Executive pack is the one you want. Extras such as cruise/leather/sunroof/rear blind/auto added as much as $11,000 to the new car price. This one appears to be an exec. My advice is to keep looking. www.carsales.com.au has some good 525i for sale at much lower k's and price. The M20 is just fine if you keep the revs to it. It gets a little asthmatic at around 5000rpm in top but at that stage you are well over the legal speed limit anyway. You'll find that your Fords just wont compare with the BMW. They may have more power than the M20 but it's the way it's delivered.

[Iwantae34525i]

thanks for the advice wingman!

if I can get him down to 9k do you think its still a good price? The guy is greek and the like cash up front!...lol

I dont think I quite agree though with your manual statement. I know with falcons atleast, there is about 2% of the total made that are manuals, hence making them more expensive to buy as they are harder to find. That is one of the reasons XR's hold there value well.

Id presume that would be the same for the BMW's. I could be wrong though.

[Zeuk in Oz]

Given that these are often enthusiasts' cars, I would prefer to buy one from an enthusiast who has maintained the car well rather than a caryard - I doubt if the warranty has any real value!
IMHO the M20 engine is perfect, especially in manual form - delivering good performance with fantastic fuel economy.
I wouldn't worry too much about the kilometers, but factor in a head rebuild in the purchase price - you can even do it yourself !
You will also need to factor in suspension component replacement etc.
I would suggest getting an independent BMW specialist to look at the car to give you an honest opinion.

[wingman]

thanks for the advice wingman!

if I can get him down to 9k do you think its still a good price? The guy is greek and the like cash up front!...lol

I dont think I quite agree though with your manual statement. I know with falcons atleast, there is about 2% of the total made that are manuals, hence making them more expensive to buy as they are harder to find. That is one of the reasons XR's hold there value well.

Id presume that would be the same for the BMW's. I could be wrong though.

BMW buyers and Ford buyers are chalk and cheese. They rarely have anything in common. 'BMW Car' an independant English magazine recently published an article about which features help your BMW maintain its resale value. They stated that buying a manual 5 series is committing financial suicide...

[wingman]

There is a good looking 1994 E34 M50 525i auto on carsales. I've tried a number of times to attach a link but it wont attach. It's got 212,000 and its $11,900. You could get it down to 10k at least. If the warranty that your dealer is offering is the same as mine it is fairly restrictive and unless you can haggle like I did wont cover much of your costs. The standard warranty which is for cars over 15yr old or 220,000 kms doesn't cover much. Because of the condition of my car I was able to get 'Classic Advantage' which basically covers twice the value and extras like cylinder heads/radiators/power windows etc. If they want to sell you the warranty for any more than $600 walk away. I KNOW that they still make a profit on it at $600.