Looking at a 530i

[Paul in NZ]

i would think a 95 would already have alusil.....aprt from that it will have typical e 34 maladies....Dont quote me on the alusil thing but the v8 had been around for three years by then

[Golgade]

I was just posting about 535s vs 530is a few posts down, and I think I am going to go with a 530i. Not as quick, but thats alright. I am looking at a 530i with 143,000 miles but I didnt get a chance to look at the engine code, and I doubt that I am going to get another chance. SO, I have a couple questions: A: how rare is the Alusil engine?
B: Is it worth buying a nikasil engine?
C: The car has over 100,000 miles on it.....would a nikasil engine have already broken down by now?

The last 7 on the vin is: GE93349. According to that the production date is 04/1995, I dont know if they made the Alusil after a certain date.

The car also seems to have little to no options, such as heated seat, I dont know if the good motor was an option or not.

The Car is only 4,000 apparently runs great, Im just trying to compile enough info to see if it is relyable or not.
THANKS
Dan Lafley

[BMWCCA1]

There were no Alusil E34s. Even the first year of the E38 in the USA had a Nikasil block. I wouldn't trust a BMW Nikasil V8 as far as I could throw it, I don't care how many miles are on it. Time-bomb and hot-potato are descriptions that come to mind. Heck a chipped 525i is just as fast, gets much better fuel economy, is easier to work on, and has no longevity issues. And if you're talking about an automatic, most likely no one ever changed the ATF since the dealers and the manual were both confused as to whether or not it had lifetime-fill fluid. They did NOT. And if it doesn't have AST, keep looking!

[pgrindstaff]

If you can get the whole VIN you can try calling your local dealership and they may be able to tell you if the engine had been replaced. Also, I am sure if the seller really wants to sell the car (s)he would be happy to take a look at the block number for you.

[glen-sj]

Read this acticle on this link before making your decision.
http://www.e38.org/koalamotorsport/v8shortblock.htm

[bubba966]

The service department guys at Bellevue BMW were good about looking up the VIN's to check for block replacement when I'd asked about a few of them. Talk to them about it.