Buying an E34 Touring... What do i need to look out for?

[RiggsyB]

Hi there...

First post on here, but here goes! I've been keeping my eyes on the classifieds for a while for a decent condition E34 Touring for not silly money, and had no joy... Today i went to a garage to have a look at another car, and got there and there's a really good conditon 1995 E34 520i SE in Calypso red just sat there... It has done 115,000 miles, but full main dealer service history, last serviced 4,000 miles ago. Oh, and it's a manual not an auto (I hate auto boxes!).

I checked it over, but my knowledge is fairly limited... It has no rust that I can find (got my hands up right inside the arches etc), had new discs and pads at the last service, all the electrics work (apart from one window which they are going to sort out before they let the car go), and they'll put it through the MOT so it has 12 months on it... Oh, and they also said they'd junk the no longer fucntioning tape deck and put a CD player of sorts in (though they won't budge on the price, but then it's not extortionate anyway)...

Anyway... I drove it, and all seemed fine... But what else to look out for? Gears changed fine, car drove straight, it didn't sound any more throaty than any other similar age beemer i've ever heard, the interior is mint...

I've heard problems about whining manual gearboxes though? What happens to cause that? Is it a big problem? I heard a slight whine but wasn't sure what it was, but it wasn't very loud... Is it just a case of changing the gearbox oil regularly and it will be ok?

Engine wise all seemed sweet, but other than giving it the once over, i'm not too sure what i'm looking for... At 115k miles, what is likely to have gone wrong with it?

Anyway, i kind of want the car (as long as it's all alright), and i've seen friends with similar cars with much more miles on and still going very strong with no problems...

So please please please... ANY advice will be greatfully appreciated!

Thanks

P.S. Beemers are in my blood... My Dad has had an E28 528i, an E34 535i and a rare manual 540i, 2 E38 740i's, 2 E39 M5's, and E46 330ci, and E39 530i and he now has a new shape 330D Estate (he's got old!)... My mum had a couple of 3 series in her time too!

[Zeuk in Oz]

I presume from the model you are looking at and that the speedo is in miles that you are in th UK.

Given you family's experience with Bimmers, I would presume that your father has a BMW specialist mechanic (not necessarily a dealer) that he uses.

Get that person to check this car over.

Also get your dad to drive the car and give his opinion.

[calmloki]

We in the US aren't likely to give you much aid as we didn't get any 520SE tourings, much less in manual configuration! We could maybe help with suspension or rear hatch problems.....
Tom

[tim]

If it has the self-leveling suspension I would inspect it carefully. Also the double sunroof if so equiped.

[RiggsyB]

Cheers guys

Unfortunately getting my Dad to have a drive isn't really an option as I don't live too close to him rightnow! Also sad to say that my dad is a "buy it new, get raped by the dealer for servicing, sell it when 3 years old" type of guy... He knows beemers to drive, but hasn't got a clue (or an interest) mechanically...

I've spoken to an independent here who gave me a fair few pointers, but i was wondering if there was anything i might have missed out...

What problems occur with the rear hatch anyway? Speaking of which, how do you only open the hatch glass and not the whole thing?

Also, yes i'm in the UK... How come you didn't get any 520i tourings out in the US? And to be fair, manuals though much more common over here are still hard to come by in my experience... Still mostly autos here too, so i'm quite keen on this car!

[RiggsyB]

Checked the double sunroof and all seemed fine and dandy...

How do I know if it has self levelling suspension or not? And what goes wrong there?

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

the hood, look for the power steering reservoir, if it's a black plastic deal with ATF embossed on, no LAD, but if it's a metal can with CHF11 then you got LAD.

you can also see the lines, valve and accumalator under the rear of the car

[Alexlind123]

http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/troubl...will_break.htm

[Elekta]

check rear window hatch for wiring harness breaks. If the window and rear hatch don't open right when you depress the actuator, then you make have breaks in your harness. check if window stays up, as those shocks are a bizatch to replace on your first try

lets see the stick

[calmloki]

Lifting glass lid only: handle is on right side under the lip - that is, to the right of the center mounted hatch latch. Maybe. Dunno about UK - bend down and look for the second latch...
Tom