YOUR ADVICE NEEDED, Should I Buy This 540i?

[e32 lover]

Well, i went today and had a look at a beutiful white '93 540i with 190,000 K's. I have to say it was a remarkable car. It was very nice in and out, with a very clean body, and the engine bay was very clean. I know this doesnt really mean much, as you can make even a shit car look good with a few products, but this car really did look good for the amount of K's.

I went for a ride in it, it of course is extremely fast, the gearbox seemed very nice, even at very slow acceleration it was extremely smooth, and there was no noticeable diff play or steering knocking.

The car has full service history and has only had 2 owners and the salesman was more then happy to take it to a mechanic of my choice for a pre purchase inspection.

The only noticeable things i thought were wrong with it was a very very slight rough idle, aswell as a slight sag in the rear suspension. (I am In Australia, and here Nikasil blocks where not an issue at all, the petrol had no negative effect whatsoever on these engines)

My main concern is if it has LAD or not, is there any easy way to tell? Also, is the rough idle a big problem?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[sdwhitney]

If the salesman was up for the pre-inspection, then I would take him up on it.
It seems you are excited about the car, and the pre-inspection should be able to tell you what you need to know about the rough idle and the LAD.

There are guys on this board with way over 200K on their E34's, so you know what it is capable of. I don't know about how things are down under, but when I bought my 95 540 with 107K on it, I carfaxed to ensure the dealer was giving me the straight skinny. BMW dealers report mileage and major service so I was able to see that history, title history and potential damage history as well as odometer history.

Good luck!

[Dan]

(I am In Australia, and here Nikasil blocks where not an issue at all, the petrol had no negative effect whatsoever on these engines)

regardless, get a leak down test.

since the car has so many miles, i would just go ahead and replace/upgrade the suspension anyways.

[e32 lover]

thanks, will do

[xatlas0]

Is that the manufacuring year, or the model year? I ask because the first year 540 was 94. If they are trying to sell you one and claim it's a 93 540, something is wrong. At least, that's what the bently manual says, so i may be wrong.

[e32 lover]

I believe you are wrong. The 540i was introduced in 93, or maybe even late 92, i am not sure.

I ran the VIN number, and the manafacturing date is 06/1993

[italpasta]

540's were introduced in 93 however it was considered a 94 model. Like mine I bought it in summer of 1993, but it's considered a 94.

mmmmkay

[e32 lover]

Well, back to my original question, I was hopeing to get a car with less than 150000 K's, but Do you think I should get this one with 195 If an independant BMW specialist give is the all clear?

I did notice a rough idle in the car and sagging rear suspension, Is the rough idle cause by a fault in the engine?

Also, the one thing I need to know, how can I tell if the car has LAD? Because by the sounds of things, in an older car that is an option to avoid at all costs.

Thanks.

[KarlSpackler]

regardless, get a leak down test.

since the car has so many miles, i would just go ahead and replace/upgrade the suspension anyways.

what he said