First time e34 purchase?

[j.gotham]

Hello.

I'm considering purchasing my first BMW, but I'm a bit unsure of the price. I was hoping that your experience could help me feel better about the potential purchase, or tell me otherwise. I've read a lot about the E34's reliability and solid construction, but I'm still worried about mileage and maintenance, as well as the price!

The car I'm looking at is a 1991 535i. My friend is a big car enthusiast, so I'm almost positive the car has been maintained well throughout its life. Most of the internal engine parts have been swapped for compatible M parts, and it has recently recieved a new A/C pump, transmission replacement (with warranty for 3 years), radiator, and front shocks. All work has either been done by my friend or a certified BMW tech. He also possesses all the paperwork/records for the car's maintenance. Covered most of its life, the exterior has a few dings and chips, but the paint is great otherwise. Interior seems a bit worn, but it is a 15 year old car. The internal stereo system has been swapped out for a high end alpine system with new head unit, amps, and sub.

The car has 153k miles on it, and he offered it to me for $5500.

Future maintenance seems minimal - oil changes and fluid changes. The major requirement is new tires in 2-6 months. Possible belt replacement (fan?) in a year or more.

I'm wondering if this is a good investment or not? I feel like at 150k, the car is near its end. I'm also unsure of the price, as my check on KBB (I know its really innaccurate), and other sources price the car lower. I'm having a hard time reconciling the difference between book prices and market prices, so I figured this would be the best place to check.

I've also found an alternative 535i with 210k miles for $3800. This one I have no idea of how well it was maintained, short of the owner saying she fixed all minor problems and the mechanic said the car was in good shape. I'm pretty sure the car hasn't had its transmission and radiator swapped out though, which could mean big costs in the future.

At this point, I'm at a loss with what to do. I really need a reliable car to last me through these next few years with minimal maintenance costs, and I don't want to get into something that's a poor investment. I'm worried about the car's age, and its reliability.

Would you advise that this is a good price and a good investment? Or is the price high and/or the car is nearing its end soon? Any opinions or comments would help, and I thank you in advance for the help! I'd really appreciate some informed opinions on the matter.

Thanks again!

[Espen]

I dont know where you live, or what the price level is in your country, so i cant say anything about the price.
But regarding the mileage, i would say that 150 000miles is not much for an e34, the suspension is the most suffering area, because of the cars weight. I would say that the engine would last at least 300k miles if well maintained.

Its rust that kills theese cars.

[Eric Clark]

At this point, I'm at a loss with what to do. I really need a reliable car to last me through these next few years with minimal maintenance costs, and I don't want to get into something that's a poor investment. I'm worried about the car's age, and its reliability.

Thanks again!

If these are your main priorites then get a Toyota. 10 year old BMWs are best in the hands of people that love them and do not mind working on them. The major parts last a long time but it is the little things that can nickle and dime you to death. I personally would get a 91-95 525i if reliability was my main concern.

[bbig119]

I personally think $5500 is probably a bit high for the car as you describe it without seeing any pictures. Again, like Espen said- that price is based on where I live, but might be a good price where you're at.

Sounds like a nice car though, but I think you should be willing to attempt some repairs and maintinence items by yourself to save some $$$.

[Espen]

5000$ for a 150k 535i is Super cheap for my country, i gave 5000$ for my 525i, a good 535 here costs 10-12 000$ here.

[HDhandyman]

IF these cars are kept in the best of shape, then they may well run to 300,000. Still, a lot of people seem to think that these babies will just run to 300,000, just cause. If they are not taken care of with all the recomended care, all the of the essentials will have been replaced by 300,000 and you can call that what you want.

So, the life of your potential car is at least one half over. It's nice that the trans has been replaced, and that this car was owned by someone who loved her, but you need to be aware of the fact that these cars require quite a bit of maintanence.----not just a lube and a belt here and there.

You should go here and read, but it sounds like you want a Toyota or a Honda.

www.bmwe34.net

[j.gotham]

I'm currently in California, USA.

I'm willing to maintain and keep the car running well, I just simply wont have the money to do numerous hundred dollar maintenance repairs. As far as putting in the maintenance time, my friend has offered to take care of it as long as I bring it to him, and he can teach me as things go on - there's also his tech if he can't do it.

I'm worried about the price, and how much I could be realistically spending each year to maintain the car.

What do you think? Should I go down this road, or stay with the Japanese?

[HDhandyman]

okay, okay, this is what I think. This car might be great. For me 5000 is about the price range where a lot of variables exist for an e34. Most sell around 4-5000 and you just kind of get a nice car, or you get one that needs lots of repairs...only the right pre-inspections will tell. 8-10,000 is the range where price is really discernable because you're dealing with more rare versions of these cars at that point. Regardless, Cali is a premium spot to pick up a bimmer. Unlike other geographical locals, in Cali you have the chance to really get exactly what you want from a bimmer because there are tons of niceys out there. If it seems like there is any reason that you don't want to pay 5500 for this car or whatever, don't. There are so many perfect bimmers in Cali, it's rediculous. You should contact (PM) Gayle. Her indy is one of the most premier and he's sure to have a line on plenty of nice e34s.

The other thing is, does this car have everything you want? I mean, if you don't mind the maintanence, is it a stick shift? Does it have any of the mods that you want? Have you driven an E28 (generation earlier) stick shift and decided that you don't want that? I mean, you could potentially locate an e28 with a stick and 60-80,000 miles on it in mint condition for the price you are talking about paying.

These cars will occasionaly slap you across the face with several hundreds of dollars, and if you become part of this community you may want to make several mods. I would try to get a good feel for what people have here, what you will want, and then decide if you'd like to get this car or another.

Cheers,

EDIT:

looking further @ your post, without all the right tools and garage equip., you should be prepared to budget 1500 dollars a year to love driving one of these cars. BE advised, these cars are for people who love to drive them. Upon first testing they may not yield incredible results, but over time the ride quality will become infectious. You'll get into a new car, even a euro, and think "yeah this is nice, but it seems kind of hollow". Then you'll get back into your E34 and it will feel like melted butter! That kind of engineering costs money to run. The thing about these cars is that you can into one cheap, but you spend money as you travel down the road. These cars go the distance, because long term maintanence cost is built into the equation. Hopefully you get the picture.

[Espen]

Basical maintenance if no big problems occur would be regular oil and oil filter change + fuel filter and ignition parts.

Most likely you will be spending some $ on new control arms, bushing, thrust arms and such.

[Scott C]

I hate to be the sour puss here, but if you are looking to spend that amount of money - $3-5K and you REALLY want to keep maint costs down, I would respectfully suggest sticking with a Honda.

As all the posts have mentioned, you can find a nice car for that price range but you will likely need to pay $$$ to keep her running. If you do run into an unfortunate situation (transmission - auto - $2K+ to repair), then you will be very unhappy.

If you get a Honda/Toyota type vehicle, you very likely will not have this type of maint cost to worry about (manual tranny assumed). The engines run forever (except for the Toyota sludge problem).

Not to nitpick - but none of these cars are an investment (other than lots of your time and additional $), they won't go up in value per se.

If you can afford the risk/maint cost, then you will likely enjoy this car.

Scott

[joe maniqz]

at 153k the car is on it's midlife...and for a bimmer i'm sure it won't be a midlife crisis as long as the essential major parts has been replaced...my 525 has the transmission rebuilt at 120k, transmission control unit at 122k, water pump and thermostat at 130k...so far i'm good to go for at least the next 50 or 60k...the car your looking at $5.5k seems reasonable in CA, i am from anaheim...and if it's a CA car that's a plus...at the end of the day it will depend on how you love driving this car...for assurance i bought myself a honda and a bimmer...the wife gets to drive the prelude because of it's reliabilty but i still love driving my bimmer and it may cost more to maintain but the price outweighs the experience of driving it.

[JonE]

Hello.

I'm considering purchasing my first BMW, but I'm a bit unsure of the price. I was hoping that your experience could help me feel better about the potential purchase, or tell me otherwise. I've read a lot about the E34's reliability and solid construction, but I'm still worried about mileage and maintenance, as well as the price!

The car I'm looking at is a 1991 535i. My friend is a big car enthusiast, so I'm almost positive the car has been maintained well throughout its life. Most of the internal engine parts have been swapped for compatible M parts, and it has recently recieved a new A/C pump, transmission replacement (with warranty for 3 years), radiator, and front shocks. All work has either been done by my friend or a certified BMW tech. He also possesses all the paperwork/records for the car's maintenance. Covered most of its life, the exterior has a few dings and chips, but the paint is great otherwise. Interior seems a bit worn, but it is a 15 year old car. The internal stereo system has been swapped out for a high end alpine system with new head unit, amps, and sub.

The car has 153k miles on it, and he offered it to me for $5500.

Future maintenance seems minimal - oil changes and fluid changes. The major requirement is new tires in 2-6 months. Possible belt replacement (fan?) in a year or more.

I'm wondering if this is a good investment or not? I feel like at 150k, the car is near its end. I'm also unsure of the price, as my check on KBB (I know its really innaccurate), and other sources price the car lower. I'm having a hard time reconciling the difference between book prices and market prices, so I figured this would be the best place to check.

I've also found an alternative 535i with 210k miles for $3800. This one I have no idea of how well it was maintained, short of the owner saying she fixed all minor problems and the mechanic said the car was in good shape. I'm pretty sure the car hasn't had its transmission and radiator swapped out though, which could mean big costs in the future.

At this point, I'm at a loss with what to do. I really need a reliable car to last me through these next few years with minimal maintenance costs, and I don't want to get into something that's a poor investment. I'm worried about the car's age, and its reliability.

Would you advise that this is a good price and a good investment? Or is the price high and/or the car is nearing its end soon? Any opinions or comments would help, and I thank you in advance for the help! I'd really appreciate some informed opinions on the matter.

Thanks again!

Well, as others have mentioned, get a toy or a honda for reliability. Bruno's website is valuable to find out what will go wrong with the e34's, there's even a list. Get the records and find out how many have been done. Many thing tend to go wrong or wear out at about 80k to 120k, so maybe many of them have been addressed already! I assume it is an automatic, and if it has been replaced recently, that is a major plus. Keep in mind the m30 engine will go a long time, but, you'll be paying a bit for fuel vs. the honda, toyotas. Mine with the EAT chip did about 17 in town and 23-24 highway at best.
You will want a decent interior or one that can be re-dyed or refurbed. Good used interior parts will be getting harder to find. I don't know what the market is like there, but, I sold my 535iA recently here in Minnesota with nearly perfect interior, some paint chips in the front, no dings or dents or rust. The tranny was likely original and only a fraction of the suspension stuff replaced at 103K, but still solid and not loose. Sold for $5100. Without seeing your prospective car, but knowing the tranny was replaced and records are available, it does sound hopeful. As mentioned, things will happen and this board is here to help you if you attempt to maintain or repair stuff on you own. If that car is in good shape as mentioned, then around $5K for a sweet ride like an e34 is not a huge risk, I don't think. You may never be completely comfortable driving any car that needs some maintenance like these cars, but, it is hard to beat the ride!
Good luck.