What to look out for when buying a 5 series

[Mr.47]

I am planning to buy a 5 series bmw (1992-1995) anyways I was wanting to know what to look out for, maintance cost, diy friendly? Eletrical issues, common rust spot, and your experience, I used to own a W124 e320 until it was rear ended, so now I would to try (for many had said) a true german car. I am aware about the vanos rubber/taflon seal tend to wearout and make a diesel sound. For now I can only dream for one till next week :D

[Tourburgring]

Sorry to hear about your M-B W124 (although your picture shows an E30 & W123).
As for the E34 try this website as a starter: http://www.bmwe34.net/Wiki/tiki-index.php?page=What+will+break
General advice, buy the best you can afford, have it checked out by a knowledgeable BMW specialist if possible and buy a Bentley Manual. DIY is possible for most maintenance and repairs if you have some basic knowledge and a good set of metric tools, but some electrical issues can drive you nuts!:D Most common rust spot is the bottom of the doors.

[priceman14]

if considering a V8 e34, watch out for the Nakasil bore lining problem. more info can be found on BMWe34.net

[Mr.47]

Thx for the list great info, anyways looking from the list it dose not look too bad its manageable with my current job, the car in the back of the picture is a W126 300SD that's currently my back up car never dies on me (unless if it gets rear ended again :eek: ). I am avoiding the V8 because as priceman14 mention Nakasil bore lining problem (out of my fund range) and the fact that i cant afford the parts for the engine and the fuel... I ll see if there any 525i on this following wednesday auto auction. Last week at the auction, we saw a 1995 525i color blood red and only 130mi this car was in showroom condition, but unfortunatly we were out bidded but $250 (car went off for $2,600), i wish i have gotten a little more $$$ to buy it :mad:

[bam2002]

I have two e34s here and have had a few before. I dont like the Auto cars. Unless the owner has a recipt showing the trans was rebuilt its a time bomb for cars over 120 k.
A 91 with a 5 speed is plenty quick and you dont have any of the Vanos issues.

Here in FL they dont rust. But the interiors fall apart. Mainly door panels. Sunroog panel is plastic and breaks ( where the button is )

2 of the cars I have purchased had issued with the head. One had been overheated, claimed needed a head gasket. NOPE head was cracked. Lucky was a 91 and a Non vanos head was cheap off ebay.
The other one I just got for $600. Mainly for the intieror, I wanted a black one. It is a non running M20 5 speed. Timing belt broke. Head has 2 bent valves and a broken rocker. So its a parts car. Going to do a rebuild of the engine and put it in my Wifes e30 track car.

I also have had to replace the front suspension parts on every car I have purchased. They all were over 150k miles and pretty much needed everyting in the front end.

Since I have replaced all these parts I have been driving the car over a year now with no issues. I have only put about 5k miles on it though since when its cooler I have some other older non AC cars I like to drive.

A e30 is going to be cheaper to operate. The e34 is more comfortable and if you are traveling with 3 to 4 persons a better car. But a ETA e30 is going to get about 6 to10 more MPG under mixed driving. If you like to go Junkyard shopping there are more e30s in the yards. But the e34s are now starting to show up.

My 2 cents.

[Mr.47]

How do you think a tranny rebuild would run... My E320 was quoted $1750, i am wondering if the 5 series would be cheaper to rebuild :eeps:

[Tourburgring]

I would guess a tranny rebuild could be anywhere from $1500 to $2500 depending on who does it and what they actually change.

It is not all doom and gloom however. A tranny that has been properly serviced throughout its life (scheduled Fluid & Filter changes) and has not been abused with too many burn-out starts (has anybody actually ever managed a burn-out in an auto 525i? :D) then there is no reason why the transmission can't give reliable service to very high mileages. They are certainly not as robust as North American automatics, but I think a lot of the early failures are due to lack of maintenance and the 'urban myth' that changing your fluid and filter will cause premature failures.

BMW recommends Fluid & Filter changes every 40k at the Inspection II Service. I would recommend changing to a good Synthetic ATF (e.g. Mobil-1) and avoid Power Flush fluid changes (offered by some lube shops) as these can dislodge accumulated crud which could cause problems.

[nmp411]

This is a great thing to go over before a purchase. You can do it yourself or take it to a shop and they will do it usually for about $100

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1189126&page=0&highlight=E34+PPI

[Steven530v8]

I wouldn't buy a 530 with a V8 Nikasil engine at any price!

[attack eagle]

I(has anybody actually ever managed a burn-out in an auto 525i? :D) then there is no reason why the transmission can't give reliable service to very high mileages. They are certainly not as robust as North American automatics, but I think a lot of the early failures are due to lack of maintenance and the 'urban myth' that changing your fluid and filter will cause premature failures.


no, it is impossible to do a burn out, even in the wet, with a 4l30e and an m50 at least with 245s and factory LSD.

the problem with them is the following.

one that are already at their max torque spec behind the m50... and were designed for 2000 lb economy cars with 90 hp engines.

two they have really poor atf cooling, both 92 radiator cooling and later engine side coolers suck

three BMW never recommended changing fluids on the automatics... and never did change them under warranty service intervals. Life time fill (though it wasn't)

Tip search also the 323 auto debacle, (5l30e), also read about hte 4l30e used in Isuzus and Cateras

four: almost every single auto as a result has been running around with the same overheated fluid in it since president Clinton played sax on the Arsenio Hall show.


5 they cost as much as the car is worth to rebuild... and more to hop up if you want to increase the power.

6: when they fail... well 70-80% of the time it is completely out of the blue and you just sit there with no forward impetus at all, the remaining time you get a couple weeks warning with some odd shifts or maybe a delay on engagement...

7; a manual costs the same amount... but is good for 600+ foot lbs, and 1/2 a million miles. unless you grind gears a lot... and when it fails it takes less than a day and under 300 to change the clutch out, or the entire tranny, and be good for another 200k+. it also is cheaper to replace the entire driveline with a manual one yourself than buy a rebuild kit for a 4l30e :).

BTW, the 4L30E was a Chevy Chevette 3spd with an auxilliary OD/4th gear casing and electronics added... it was used in MANY isuzu product s over the years with similar results, ie absolute and abrupt failure, as well as the caddy that zigs (ie catera) with the same result. nothing says heavy duty midsized luxury performance like

http://img.timeinc.net/time/2007/50_cars/chevy_chevette.jpg



the 310 in the bmw name is the torque acpacity... 310 nm = only 228 ftlb.

[Tourburgring]

three BMW never recommended changing fluids on the automatics... and never did change them under warranty service intervals. Life time fill (though it wasn't)

According to my Bentley Manual (Page 020-6), local BMW Dealer and Owners Service manual, The Inspection II Maintenance schedule lists "Change Automatic Transmission Fluid (except 540i models)" Only 540 models had the 'lifetime' fill ATF, which I agree is a joke. Changing the Fluid and Filter is no guarantee of transmission longevity, but it certainly can't hurt and switching to a Synthetic ATF provides much better protection against high temperatures.

[v8bimmer]

How do you think a tranny rebuild would run... My E320 was quoted $1750, i am wondering if the 5 series would be cheaper to rebuild :eeps:

Junk Yard!!!!!!!!!!

[attack eagle]

Yeah, the documentation says to do it... but in my experience and the experience of my customers at the time they did NOT... the interval for first atf change was after warranty was over anyway.
the life time fluid was a major selling point for ALL models... :) if you catch my drift.

Changing the fluid after 15-19 years is about 50/50 on killing the tranny.

If you want to change it it, you should drain a quart and add a quart... in a month drain 2 quarts and add two quarts, maybe change the filter at that point. after another month drain the 3.x quarts out of 7-9 total it is possible to drain and change the filter... that should minimize the amount of sludge dislodged

[rdc]

Yeah, the documentation says to do it... but in my experience and the experience of my customers at the time they did NOT... the interval for first atf change was after warranty was over anyway.
the life time fluid was a major selling point for ALL models... :) if you catch my drift.

Changing the fluid after 15-19 years is about 50/50 on killing the tranny.

If you want to change it it, you should drain a quart and add a quart... in a month drain 2 quarts and add two quarts, maybe change the filter at that point. after another month drain the 3.x quarts out of 7-9 total it is possible to drain and change the filter... that should minimize the amount of sludge dislodged

Interesting. So far mine had first fluid/filter change at 80,000 miles. Then changed every 35,000 miles every since. Last fill was with Castrol Dexron VI. Seems to work fine at about 170,000 miles.
Note the PO was a lady who well, drove like a little old lady. As the second owner, I still do not drive the car very hard. I hope the trany holds up.

[attack eagle]

I think my car's first was at 142k when the trans was rebuilt, and the second was at around 18xK... a week before it grenaded again.

[John Gutierrez]

I have a 1995 525i w/98k that will pass car fax report new tire radiator and breaks and some front end suspentionI've had the car for about 5years. having 3 other car never got to drive it as much. it a colipso red with tan interior. Paid 5 years ago $8600 and have invested 3k. The engine is a 6 cyl. no leak what so ever. good runing car lots of fun to drive. will part with it for no less then 5k buyer pays shipping. ( No Air)