1992 525iT Price Check

[ciz28]

I'm new to E34's, but am looking to get into an M50 touring. I came across this '92 525iT on craigslist:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/1602839209.html

Any guidance on what this should be worth? I am supposed to check it out this weekend, but I wanted to get a better feel for the market for these cars beforehand.

[WhoNew]

Seems kinda high. almost 5k with 161k miles........
I can't see the pics, but if it's what you want , and a perfect example of a touring, then let your pocket book be your guide.

[jbondbmw]

It does seem high, but it looks very nice (from what I can see in the pictures). Good condition tourings are hard to find. I'd want to pay $3,500 if everything works and interior/paint/body are decent.

[kalevera]

The price would be in line if the car were mint, even at that mileage. But, for starters, I'd want to know why the rear wiper isn't in the parked position, probably needs a hatch wire harness replacement. A non-mint car, or a car with problems....well, it's worth much less, 50% of that price I'd say.

[jhughes]

My car was originally sold at Kuni. I still have the license plate surrounds on the car, which are awesome.

If the maintenance is up to date and major work such as front end components, etc. have been replaced, It's probably not that bad of a deal. I'm opening up to the idea of buying cars with proven maintenance history at a higher price than an "average" example. I'll easily have 5K+ into my car (inc purchase price) by the time I have everything sorted on the car, so it makes sense.

[ciz28]

I was also thinking that around $3500 would be pretty fair for this car. The current owner does not have receipts for any suspension or cooling system maintenance, which are the two areas I was most concerned with. But by this time, that work should have been done or it would be very noticeable, so we'll see.


But, for starters, I'd want to know why the rear wiper isn't in the parked position, probably needs a hatch wire harness replacement.

Good catch, I'll be sure to look that over when I check out the car.

[e34armour]

There was a 93 with sub 100K listed for a similar price on this forum, http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1362381&highlight=525it , not sure if he sold it or held onto it, the listing has expired. Not very helpful I know, but it was a white/black touring with recent maintenance done IIRC(not sure what though)

I'd say that's worth a good 750-800 less than listed, but if it's clean and up to snuff and you want it bad enough you may have to wait a while before finding another black/black M50 up for sale locally. 160K on an M50 wouldn't scare me away.

[ciz28]

160K on an M50 wouldn't scare me away.

I agree that 160k on an M50 isn't scary; I have 193k on my M42 and it's still running great. The big thing for me is the lack of any verifiable maintenance records. My E30 got expensive in a hurry as I replaced every wear part on it, and I'd like to avoid that on this E34.

[Sir Montalbon]

i picked up my 92kmi, very close to mint interior/exterior '95 touring for less than $4k with delivery. it runs a bit rough, but that's what b40 swaps are for :devillook (errr.... s50 in your case)


patience is a virtue. it took 9 months to find mine. good luck.

[ybyless]

I bought my '95 with 92000 miles for $4000.00, and
it is in extremely good condition.

[Mark185]

I am thinking $3K for nice body and interior without proof of critical maintenance. The auto box is on borrowed time at 160k miles. A hatch rear harness repair will cost you more than $700.00 in parts if you do the labor yourself. (Unless you make your own harness replacements.) This will fail soon if it has not been replaced yet. Rear subframe bushings are usually shot at this mileage and are expensive to replace unless you DIY.

Other items to ask about proof of maintenance:

Front and rear wheel bearings
Catalytic converter
O2 sensor
Struts, Shocks and springs
Rear shock mounts
Thrust arm bushings and ball joints
Rear control arm bushings

If most or all of these things have been replaced after 100K miles, his price is very reasonable. If not, $3K would be my top offer for running vehicle with a rust free body and good interior.

[yaofeng]

He is dreaming. $1,500. No more.

[Elekta]

Did anyone buy this one? It has the OEM tow bar for cryin out loud.
http://www.midatlantik2002s.com/albums/touring/t4sale_025.sized.jpg

Black 92 Touring with 5 speed (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1381797)
That'd be my pick

[jel]

I'll raise yaofeng's bid to $2600. Black/black tourings are admired by many forum members but not by our family in Las Vegas with the heat & dust. It's encouraging that car has manuals & at least 1 of the 2 keys still with it. I agree with the what others said re derferred maintenance: did anyone list radiator/water pump/fan clutch life of 60K miles? The rear wiper should park horizontal on driver side. Verify the sunroof panels move forward & backward indepenently & as a unit when stacked together. Engine should be great for years, trans will last until it fails, hatch wiring is replaced, failing or failed.

[dhr racing]

As you can see, the list of potential/probable failures/replacements means you need to spend alot more time checking over what has/hasn't been done. I am glad to be unemployed as my e34's have decided to want all their wear items replaced simultaniously! Maybe 1500 or 2k if you love the car!

[Cooljust]

Just to give you an idea of what everyone is talking about, a little while back (without consulting this board) I picked up a 93 Touring with an S50 swap. The car runs STRONG and it's been converted to a 5 speed, with UUC short shift kit, Hartge suspension and Alpina wheels. The seller was asking $5800 but I only paid $4k for it with 236K on the body (no rust) and about 160K on the M3 engine. Mechanically, the car is tight as can be, clear coat is fading a little but I can live with that because the cars is 17 yrs old. The interior is really clean and only the driver's seat shows any real wear. I was even provided all of the maintenance records for the last 5 years which showed extensive preventive and corrective maintenance.
Now, having said all that, when I picked the car up, I noticed that it had a break light failure message, and having owned an E36 M3 previously, I didn't give it much thought because on my previous Bimmer it was just a bulb. Well, I should have. Not only was the brake switch bad, (easy fix, $38 from the dealer) but both harnesses on the tailgate are bad and it's going to be at least a grand if I want the dealer to fix it for me. I didn't know for weeks that I was driving around with no brake or reverse lights. Parking lights worked just fine.
Know what you're getting yourself into with these. Great cars, I love mine, but if I'd known about the wiring harness issues with them, I wouldn't have given the guy a penny more than $2500-$3000 mainly because its such a pain in the ass to get fixed and there's no way around it.

[attack eagle]

Cool. Get some 22ga wire, bare bullet (butt) connectors and heat shrink tubing, and spend an afternoon patching in new wire before & after every frayed/broken wire.

takes all dang day, but it will cost you $5-10, and last for several years.

[Cooljust]

Thanks Eagle, I actually do have some small electronics training and have been considering doing it myself. Sounds like I'm gonna have my hands full this weekend.

[ShapeShifter]

^and that is what I did. $8 dollars in parts and I think the harness will last another 10 years. Really not that big of a deal if you know how to read a schematic and know how to solder.

[attack eagle]

suggest you cut the butt connectors in 1/2. or 1/3rds.

I tried solder, and it was just a pain in the arse.

[AquilaBMW]

I would say that seems a bit high. I also did the faux pas of picking up a 94 530iT without consulting this board or doing a PPI. Go read the story of "Betty" "Elaine" the Beemer to see what i went through and still going through.

Such a car with the potential for needed repairs or fixes should probably cost less. You can get close to mint examples for that price.

[squareman]

I'm just up the road from you and bought this for a bit less than the asking price of the one you're looking at. 163k miles, fairly fresh suspension (pic is on a hill. sits much more level), and throwing stars with new tires. I paid about $500 more than I wanted to because I love white wagons.

In our region, i'd say $3500 if it's VERY, VERY nice and has all records.

http://i626.photobucket.com/albums/tt345/squareman1991/bmwwagon.jpg

[AquilaBMW]

I'm just up the road from you and bought this for a bit less than the asking price of the one you're looking at. 163k miles, fairly fresh suspension (pic is on a hill. sits much more level), and throwing stars with new tires. I paid about $500 more than I wanted to because I love white wagons.

In our region, i'd say $3500 if it's VERY, VERY nice and has all records.



That is a clean looking car you got there.

[sfgearhead]

The car looks pretty good from 25 ft. and the records might help, but only if they show a full cooling system rebuild, a rebuilt tranny, and front suspension.

Otherwise assume you'll have to do all of them soon, plus the rear hatch wiring, which based on the wiper arm not parking correctly is likely needed now.

KBB lists $2500 in excellent condition. Show that to him, offer $3k, if he balks, walk.

I put mine on the market a few months ago at $4500 with all the above work done and had people throwing money at me. But mine is a '95, with only 125k miles, and all the major work done plus a set of 17" wheels. I was likely undercharging.

If you want an M5 clone and willing to pay $15k there is one floating around up in Seattle.

[E34Rich]

Paid $4200 for my 95 with 186k . All records and the prior owner had just replaced front end suspension with lemforder items (upper with 750 bushings / lower arms, tie rods, idler, center links, etc.), had the hatch wiring gone thru by local BMW shop with good rep., plugs, belt, replaced front windshield, etc... Tires were fairly new and matching spare. May have been a little on the high side but having all the records, recent work that was done (regular tranny flushes, coolant changes and related component items when called for), and being able to see what else was done and when (and it was all done by dealer or a shop I know does good work) counts to me.

In the next couple of months I plan to add the T-stars sitting in my garage, flush the tranny (time to do it), replace oil pan gasket (minor leak), replace the dog bones, rear sway links, coolant sensor, O2 sensor (@#$** CEL light) and some other items (upgrade radio and maybe even new head liner before end of year)...

I figure with all the records, proper up keep and the forged T-stars with covers, it will still be worth 4-4.5K...


Did anyone buy this one? It has the OEM tow bar for cryin out loud.
http://www.midatlantik2002s.com/albums/touring/t4sale_025.sized.jpg

Black 92 Touring with 5 speed (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1381797)
That'd be my pick

and at that price he is almost giving it away considering all the up keep and upgrades...