1992 E34 525i question

[Depper78]

Hello everyone. I'm a newbie here.. looking to buy my first BMW. I did search a little, but with little knowledge of BMW's and all the acronyms, I came up a little short. I'm looking to buy either an E30 or E34 and aside from the water pumps, are there anythings I should look for or other common problems? I found a 525i for sale, but I thought the engine looked like a later model engine. Could someone confirm if this is the correct engine? They are asking $4k for the car with 200k miles on it. Supposedly has new upper/lower control arms, tie rod ends, clutch, H&R springs and bilstein shocks. Any advice for a possible new BMW owner would be great.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b252/Slvr30V_Passat/92E34-1.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b252/Slvr30V_Passat/E341992.jpg

[whiskychaser]

That is a non vanos M50 as fitted up to about September 1992. Vanos is BMW shorthand for variable valve timing. You can tell if the engine has it by the bump on the front -check out post 10 here for a pic:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?306258-525i-M20-VS-525i-M50
Put your VIN in realoem.com and the date of manufacture will come up.

[Depper78]

Thank you for the info, I'll read through that forum link. I have read through the DIY info thread in the E34 forums, but I was looking for a little more specific experiences from owners. The car above has 200k miles, Is that toward the end of the engines life? Or are these engines known to last much longer? Thx again for any advice.

[whiskychaser]

Thank you for the info, I'll read through that forum link. I have read through the DIY info thread in the E34 forums, but I was looking for a little more specific experiences from owners. The car above has 200k miles, Is that toward the end of the engines life? Or are these engines known to last much longer? Thx again for any advice.
It could be that you are not getting a lot of responses as the question has been asked before and people expect you to do a search. Anyway, you could do worse than checking out this list of 'what goes wrong':
http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Trouble/What_will_break.htm
200k is a bit high for my liking but if it has been very well cared for it could easily go on for another 100k+. Have no clue about the price. Over here you could probably buy 3 for that sort of money!
HTH

[BMWM5E34]

The E34 and E30 are very different cars, so you should decide first wich is better for you.
That white 525i with the 17" BBS looks awesome!

[Binjammin]

The E34 and E30 are very different cars

Are you sure about that? They look very similar.

[BMWM5E34]

Are you sure about that? They look very similar.

Yes, the E34 is miles ahead the E30 in terms of refinement, equipment, insulation, engine options, interior space, etc.
It is normal considering that the E34 is from a superior segment and it is a newer model (it still feels way better than an E36 too).

The design of the front may look similar, but the cars are totally different.

Anyway, if you are looking for a light and sporty car, the E30 is a better choice. E30s are pretty fun to drive and easy to maintain.
The E34 is more comfort oriented, although they're fun to drive too. :D

[Binjammin]

Yes, the E34 is miles ahead the E30 in terms of refinement, equipment, insulation, engine options, interior space, etc.
It is normal considering that the E34 is from a superior segment and it is a newer model (it still feels way better than an E36 too).

The design of the front may look similar, but the cars are totally different.

Anyway, if you are looking for a light and sporty car, the E30 is a better choice. E30s are pretty fun to drive and easy to maintain.
The E34 is more comfort oriented, although they're fun to drive too. :D

I think the e36 seems pretty similar underneath to the e34 and the e30 as well, no?

[BMWM5E34]

I think the e36 seems pretty similar underneath to the e34 and the e30 as well, no?


The E30 is very "tail happy" and feels way less refined than the E34.
The E36 feels more civilized than the E30 but not as much as the E34. BMW completely redesigned the rear axle to make the E36 more predictable, as the E30 was well known for oversteering a lot round the corners.
That's why so many young drivers love it nowadays I guess. :D


I think the 3 Series has always been more pure and sporty, whereas the 5er and 7er are more refined and comfort oriented. You feel a bigger gap between a 3er and 5er than between the 5er and 7er wich are closer.

[Layne]

The car above has 200k miles, Is that toward the end of the engines life? Or are these engines known to last much longer?

That depends on how it was cared for, and luck. In general though, you should not be cruising around in a 20+ year old car unless you have the money and the means to replace the engine at a moment's notice. Things happen. Many an enthusiastic young person on this forum has had to scrap their dream car because they didn't plan ahead.