1995 525i Fuel mileage

[Dude99]

So I'm looking at buying a 1995 525i. Its in nice shape and I like the body lines. Up until now I have been a Mercedes guy (mostly a diesel Mercedes guy), but I think its time for a change. At any rate, the one thing that has me curious is fuel milage. From what I'm reading I can expect around 28-30MPG on the highway, is this realistic? What are those of you that have a 1995 525i getting?

I've read that the coolign systems are a bit fo a soft spot on these, but are there any other issues I should be aware of?

-thanks,
Dude99

[mattyb]

Don't know about 525i but welcome anyways the answer is here regardless search archives

[whiskychaser]

In US mpg terms, my '92 would do 28 at a steady 75mph. That is pretty close to what the handbook specifies from new. It was a 5 speed auto and had slightly better mpg than the manual 5 speed. I would think a later (vanos) motor would be more economical though I suspect some advantage may be lost if it is coupled to a 4 speed auto.

Plastic water pump impellers and thermostat housings really need to be treated with a little caution. Otherwise, the cooling system is like any other - let it overheat and it may well repay you by blowing the head gasket.

None of this is ground breaking information. As mattyb says, you will find more information if you do a quick search.

And welcome from me too!

[Dude99]

Thanks for the info and the welcome! So were the 1995 models available with both 4 and 5 speed automatics? or were they all 5 speed?

[whiskychaser]

Thanks for the info and the welcome! So were the 1995 models available with both 4 and 5 speed automatics? or were they all 5 speed?
It is purely a matter of market. Any E34 525i M50 auto built for N America got the GM 4 speed box. If it was built for the Europe, Japan or the S African market, it got a 5 auto speed. It is usually a ZF but there are a few Jatco boxes around. If it says PRND321 by the shift lever, it is a 4 speed. If it says PRND432 it will be a 5 speed. Manuals are 5 speed. If you put the last 7 digits of the vin in realoem.com you will soon find out which. Put it in a vin decoder like this and you will find out what spec it had when it was made:
www.bmwarchive.org/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html

It would be a help if you put your location in your profile because as you can see, there are market differences :-)

[Dude99]

Updated my profile, sorry about that.... So N America got stuck with the 4 speed eh. bummer. Will I still be in the 28-30mpg(US) range with the 4 speed box?

[632 Regal]

Updated my profile, sorry about that.... So N America got stuck with the 4 speed eh. bummer. Will I still be in the 28-30mpg(US) range with the 4 speed box?

Try reviews at Edmonds for your specific car. Looks like 18-26 from peoples reviews.

I looked for mine the 530 vs 540 and they get the same mileage. 16-24

Looks like no benefit on the smaller engine thanks to the EPA. Wonder what these cars get in other countries?

http://www.jimstonefreelance.com/50plus.html

[ryan roopnarine]

Updated my profile, sorry about that.... So N America got stuck with the 4 speed eh. bummer. Will I still be in the 28-30mpg(US) range with the 4 speed box?

With the stock chip, I'd expect 26-27 max at normal cruising conditions (ie 75mph, a/c on). With some kind of performance chip, the highway mileage potential will be greatly increased. About 10 years ago, I took a trip from Orlando to Toronto in my non-vanos 525i (when she was much younger) with a EAT chip using premium gas. On the way up, we were hauling ass (the economy--and the county mounties that come with it nowadays--won't allow for this now) but my sustained speed (including gas and bathroom breaks) was 78.6 mph. In short, we were going really really fast. On that northward leg, I got about 31 mpg with climate control running as I pleased (using cruise control). On the return leg, I let my sister drive the bit prior to Atlanta, so she didn't bother to heed my warnings to make it out of there before 4 in the afternoon. On that leg--with the bumper to bumper--we got about 28.5 or so. During this time, there's instances where I'd be a glutton for punishment and drive 55mph on the highway with the a/c on 25% of the time, and I could get 35 or 36 if I was making a trip over flat terrain. That was a long time ago, though. 10 years has passed, and the engine in your car isn't a spring chicken if it has been driven regularly, so I can't offer any firm figures for what you'd get with your nearly 20 year old purchase.

Best of luck.

EDIT: mine is the 4 speed GM box, not the manual, with a 4.10 rear end. I've never seen an improvement in city driving MPG with the performance chip; these cars are heavy.

[John in CT]

Mixed/City driving, on the other hand, is slightly less than 20 mpg (US) with my 1995 5-speed,

John

[Dude99]

Is there any noticeable MPG difference between the VANOS and non-VANOS engines?

thanks to all for the replies and info so far

[Dude99]

So after much reading and sifting through posts I'm starting to get a pretty good handle on what these cars are all about. A quick question about mileage though. A car just popped up by me with 300,000kms on it. It's a 1991 525i with a 5 speed manual in it. This is by far the highest mileage one of these I've seen around me, but it appears to be in nice shape. What sort of mileage are these good for before major components start to fail? Should I be concerned by the mileage at all?

[632 Regal]

So after much reading and sifting through posts I'm starting to get a pretty good handle on what these cars are all about. A quick question about mileage though. A car just popped up by me with 300,000kms on it. It's a 1991 525i with a 5 speed manual in it. This is by far the highest mileage one of these I've seen around me, but it appears to be in nice shape. What sort of mileage are these good for before major components start to fail? Should I be concerned by the mileage at all?

Opinion only. 300K is time the engine is worn out, this does not apply in well maintained synthetic engines. I have seen these in good condition at 600K but were meticulously maintained. All service records are key, changing fluids religiously are a great sign. Look through the maintenance schedule and you will see what I mean. If they dont at least do the schedule the car can be crap.

My car will go for around 5500 with a torn driver seat and thrust arms needing to get done. You usually get what you pay for when venturing into E34 territory. My project is almost done, I just enjoy restoring these things.

You can get them on Ebay for 1500-2500 needing help. Add about 4K and you should be good.

Mileage is all about maintenance/replacement of worn stuff. I will usually back away from anyone selling that is under 50 years old for personal reasons. A kid can tear one up pretty good in a few months.

Gas mileage varies, your going to be in the ballpark with all E34's within a few MPG. Pick your poison.

[Dude99]

Thanks for the info.... Now if I could just find a nice one around me.....

[632 Regal]

Thanks for the info.... Now if I could just find a nice one around me.....

Look up the hot spots where BMWs were unloaded from the boats. Atlanta GA, I think PA, and others but have no clue. In them areas usually you can find decent rides. Don't go for the cheapest as they might be garbage (mostly). Stay away from salt areas IE PA. You will need to travel to find something good, southern US cars are usually decent in regards to rust but go right back to maintenance. You do not ever want anything that has over heating issues, or transmission issues. If the condition looks rough than the drive train is fubarred. If they cant replace a $3.00 wheel cap how can they afford 8 quarts of oil?

Cosmetics can tell a tale even if previously meticulously cared for. Just take one idiot a couple months to ruin a perfectly great car. I know, bought one for my son, still working on it. Could have spent a couple grand more and be driving instead of wrenching and it still not being done, plus the cost is more than a decent one. What a waste.

[Dude99]

I'm up in Canada so none of those are close to me. I've gone to see 3 so far.... none were really worth buying.... the hunt continues...

[632 Regal]

Canadia eh? The hard part is finding one within distance you can actually inspect. Everything else is a luck of the draw. You can always have one shipped as an option.

[93 525 Paul]

Higher mile 4hp30 525i like mine won't quite get 30 on the freeway any longer. Never chipped mine, kinda wish I had. I've got a 180k mile/300k km car and have kept an eye out around the central part of California. While the politics here are a joke, the cars are in really great shape. The SF Bay area cars and the SoCal E34s seem to have really high miles on them while the cars from Sacramento to Bakersfield much less so.
When I was shopping for my E34 back in the late '90's I drove only 525i and 535i cars and noticed on the on board computers that the city/highway cumulative MPG was in the high teens on 525i and about 16 for 535i models. I do think there is a bit of an mpg cost to displacement/hp. My E60 550i gets really great freeway mileage and really poor mileage in town with my foot in it all the time.

[Dude99]

I ended up going with a 1992 525i. I looked at several 1995 models as well as a 1993 but they were all crap. So I when I came upon this one I snagged it. Thanks all for your help.

[632 Regal]

We'll see you around no?