Is this a good deal? E34 520i 24v

[seech]

Guys,Looked at a E34 520i 24v today. 1992/93. Leather seats. 16" s/rims. M50 non-Vanos.Inspected the car and looked to be accident free. Exterior and interior looks pretty good. Test drive was ok but a bit sluggish (maybe due to the fact that its a 520 and not a 525). Gear shifts relatively smooth. Car reg. card indicates engine change in 04. 1st owner sold car in 2006. Now 2nd owner selling the car.Negotiated price RM 26,500. Is this reasonable?Exterior looks great but dunno about engine and gearbox. If price is right I'll pay the fella tomorrow. Already expecting to spend more $$$ in the coming months.Would appreciate any feedback.Thanks,seech25/01/2007BOUGHT A 520i 24v ALREADY. Thanks for all the feedback.

 

[GT-E39]

Bro ,the 520 24v under power,525 better ,but from your info ,the price consider ok !!!!

 

[seech]

Yalah. Test drive oso like got no power..... but I purposely want a slower car. ;-)

I tot price is ok. Car looks damn good but a bit worried about things you cannot see but what to do. That's the risk buying old car.... esp old bimmer.

 

[wan520i]

I will always recommend 2.5 if someone looking for E34..

Really enjoy driving my car ever since converted from 2.0 to 2.5...

For your info.., 520 24V has 150 hp, and 525 24V has 192 hp.

And if not mistaken, 525 has better fuel comsumption...

Cuma roadtax mahal sikit lah..RM889.00 per year..

Anyway, if you really like that car condition, body color, interior, and feel ok with the price..go ahead lah.

 

[seech]

Yeah. It does feel a bit down on power but I intentionally want to buy a slower car. My previous 230hp E30 too fast. Keep tekan only. I thought better get a slower one. 520i tekan kau kau oso cannot go...... perfect.

If later on gatal again maybe I'll do what you did and convert to 2.5. See how first. Drive slowly dulu.

 

[integramania]

Wah Seech...u also almost get the e34 liao hor....anyway wats the cost to get a M50B25 engine to plonk inside?

 

[Iqlima]

Drive the car within range 70km/h and 90km/h, any shimmy even little bit ,you should start think about change the entire front suspension link.

Cheers

 

[tongsatriani]

Things need to be worried:

1. Radiator
2. Water pump
3. Fuel pump
4. Entire cooling system
5. Undercarriage moveable parts/suspensions
6. Aircon systems
7. Erratic idling

Man! The above will give you h#ll of a nightmare, easily set up back 6k-7k. Been there, done that!

Trust me, it's not EASY to get hold on an old car unless you are sure of it's service history.

 

[seech]

Wah Seech...u also almost get the e34 liao hor....anyway wats the cost to get a M50B25 engine to plonk inside?

No idea man. Never bought E34 before. Should check with wan520i as he converted his.

 

[seech]

Things need to be worried:

1. Radiator
2. Water pump
3. Fuel pump
4. Entire cooling system
5. Undercarriage moveable parts/suspensions
6. Aircon systems
7. Erratic idling

Man! The above will give you h#ll of a nightmare, easily set up back 6k-7k. Been there, done that!

Trust me, it's not EASY to get hold on an old car unless you are sure of it's service history.

Yeah, I expect problems with some of the above sometime in the future but hopefully in the more distant future. Old car sure got problems but hopefully not too many problems..... That's why I also budget extra for repairs. Planned to spend $30k so wanted to look for a car below $25k. This car selling $26.5k but from what I can see it looks good but can never tell about things that cannot see. If confirm buying I'll probably take it over to MSpeed for Ah Meng to take a look. Can already feel the money flowing out of my pocket.

 

[integramania]

Want to get an opinion....is it more advisable to get a older 520i which has most of its parts already fixed up (most of the above changed) or go for a newer 520i that looks better but not sure if these parts are faulty?

 

[flash]

Want to get an opinion....is it more advisable to get a older 520i which has most of its parts already fixed up (most of the above changed) or go for a newer 520i that looks better but not sure if these parts are faulty?

Of course I would go with the former... provided parts have actually been changed (and the older car is cheaper than a newer one).

 

[integramania]

Sorry i forgot to add one is 12V and the newer one is 24V....

Will tat change your opinion?

 

[flash]

Sorry i forgot to add one is 12V and the newer one is 24V....

Will tat change your opinion?

Oh, if that is the case, I would go for the latter....

 

[integramania]

Cool....who u happen to know if the FC of a 525 be better than the 520?

Also heard that the 24V parts for the 520 is more exp then for the 12V...really?

Tx

 

[Zoggee]

Also heard that the 24V parts for the 520 is more exp then for the 12V...really?

Tx

yeah la..of course ma. Extra 12 pcs of valves.

 

[GT-E39]

Yeah. It does feel a bit down on power but I intentionally want to buy a slower car. My previous 230hp E30 too fast. Keep tekan only. I thought better get a slower one. 520i tekan kau kau oso cannot go...... perfect.

If later on gatal again maybe I'll do what you did and convert to 2.5. See how first. Drive slowly dulu.

From my experience ,last time I drive 520 24v M/T ,sure under power ,high fuel comsumption ,my left hand always touch on gear knob.now convert to 525 my hand always free ,drive like auto feel ,improve fuel comsumption .Bro ,many sifu here suggest you buy 525 better.dun forget 5 series body weight around 1500 kg ,high loading with 2 liter power plant .are you know?

 

[integramania]

Zoggee....hehe...thanks

GT-34 .... bro how much did u get the 525 engine for is it the M50B25? And also how much did the transplant cost? thanks

Yeah so many have suggested tat the 525 is better.

 

[teejay]

Want to get an opinion....is it more advisable to get a older 520i which has most of its parts already fixed up (most of the above changed) or go for a newer 520i that looks better but not sure if these parts are faulty?

i would go for the former even if it is the m20 engine, reason being, parts changed would have been the high wear and tear parts and should last another 5-6 years on an average use, there is also the possiblity that even after some heavy usage, it would be cheaper to change it to a higher capacity- you would have bought this at a much lower price than the 24v car

parts replacement is usually a package - i.e. water pmp,thermostat,sensor,etc and parts for the 24v are much much more expansive and more labour intensive too, so if you have a 24v that looks good, but unsure on the running parts, chances are they would need to be changed, unless you know the owner that fanatically keeps the car in a pristine condition even if he was gonna sell it......

other really thing that normally gets to e34 owners are the suspension bushes, you need to change about 99% of it in one go or else you will be changing them on a regular monthly basis

seech,
would also suggest you hook up with some e34 gurus to retest the car or future cars

 

[GT-E39]

Zoggee....hehe...thanks

GT-34 .... bro how much did u get the 525 engine for is it the M50B25? And also how much did the transplant cost? thanks

Yeah so many have suggested tat the 525 is better.

All the transplant cost arround 3.5 k with M50B25,if I know last time buy525!!!!!