E34 535i manual for a week :D

[pistonheader]

car is down at fritz having a little work done (mainly cleaning the underside and undersealing it with some bilt hamber stuff i've given them, among things like sorting a minor electrical fault with the lights, changing gearbox and diff oil etc) and they've given me a 535i 5 speed manual for a week.

must say it's a really lovely and relaxing car to drive. the M30 pulls really strongly in any gear from any rpm (sure, it's not quick quick, but it's certainly brisk) and makes a lovely noise. pulls extremely well up to, err, high rpm yet it's got over 224k miles on the clock. by the sounds of it, you could tell people it had under 50k miles on the clock and they'd believe you. didn't miss a beat on the way back either.

such a relaxing motorway drive. it did the trip back really quite quickly :hehe:

i'm in love with it they've offered it to me to buy, but not sure if i fancy a car with 224k miles on the clock. it's tatty round the edges, but seems tight as a nut mechanically. all the electrics work (windows, cruise control, seats, radio, trip computer etc etc - didn't try the sun roof!).

[arshad76]

You know I've had my eyes on an E34 M5. Wouldn't mind driving it around before the it's engine goes in a BMW CS. Nas doesn't know it yet, but he could well be taking it on for me! 525i are a fine car, but from my own experiences Fritz aren't exactly into giving bargains away and there are plenty about.
Mind telling me the best place to buy the Bilt Hamber stuff from? My cars booked in for some rustproofing soon and I said I'd rather use that stuff than waxoyl after reading your previous posts

[pistonheader]

buy directly from http://bilthamber.com/

there is no comparison between waxoly and bilt hamber. if your car is pretty solid underneath then get yourself some surfex HD (if you don't already have a degreaser), some dynax S50 and some dynax UB, and get yourself a paint brush. for some reason, the dynax UB isn't listed under the corrosion prevention section yet, probably because it's quite new and they haven't updated the site

http://bilthamber.com/bilthamber-specia ... hp#dynaxub

1 litre should be enough to cover your underside. the dynax S50 is very similar but where it can be sprayed it's easier to apply to hard-to-reach areas and cavities.

apply it right, and it'll last several years. if you have rust to remove, buy some deox gel and some electrox. the electrox is over 90% zinc and is essentially galvanizing bare steel.

lot of products i know, but it's by far the best. if you're just getting the dynax, it's better than waxoyl not only because it lasts longer, but because it stops existing corrosion, not just the start of new stuff. waxoyl applied onto rust will allow the rust to spread further.

[arshad76]

That;s great pistonheader. This guys going to do it http://jrclassics.co.uk/ He's asked me to get Bilt Hamber Cavity Wax 5 Liters for £40.

He said Bilt Hamber do an underseal, but only brush on and their aerosols are on the small side so he'd go through quite a few and the finish wouldn't be as good as through a compressor? He's suggested 6-7 litres of Dinitrol underseal 4941. If you're saying the Dynax UB is better, will 1 liter, or two aerosols be enough to cover the undercarruage and arches?

P.S Sorry to hijack your thread!

[pistonheader]

i doubt 1 litre will be enough to do the whole underside to way they do it, but it'll go a long way. dinitrol is very good stuff, much better than waxoyl but not as good as bilt hamber. if you're worried about finish then go for dinitrol, but if you want the best protection then go for the dynax UB. best to ring up bilt hamber themselves and ask how much you'll need as i'm not entirely sure to be honest.

sorry i can't help any more.

[arshad76]

You've helped a lot actually that's great, thanks.

[e21-Mark]

Getting my orange car treated next week.

http://www.rustmaster.co.uk/index_26.htm

If you're serious about buying a 535 I would shop around as there are some proper bargains to be had with way less miles.

[pistonheader]

mark - think if i were to get an E34 it'd be the 525i, it seems the best all rounder. hardly any slower than the 535i with much, much better economy. they've offered me the 535i for £600 i think it was. as nice as it is, i wouldn't want one with almost quarter of a million miles on it.

must get through uni first

[pistonheader]

sorry, another post.

thing is....there is a good condition 535i with about 140k on the clock going for about 1200quid. this one has 224k which is quite a lot more! the service history is in the glovebox, and it's complete, which is quite remarkable for a 20 year old car with such high miles. as i've said, mechanics are spot on and sweet as a nut, so are electrics. only let down in the paint work and interior is a bit tatty.

any idea on value, if it had 12months MOT on it? i don't think it'll realistically be worth any more than £5-600 tbh. but i may be wrong.

Ross.

[rob0r]

Buy it on condition, not how many miles it's got, it's just a number after all. My white E32 735i has 185k miles, it feels like a quarter of that figure. The M30 is hard as nails, so if it drives ok and does as expected I really wouldn't worry about it. E34 parts are easy to get, I have 3 or so E34s for breaking, so you can always make it smarter.

My E32 735i manual was £400, but it was sold CHEAP. If I sold the car I would be asking £1K+. I'm picking up an 535i manual this weeked for £200, it's been off the road for a few years and no T&T. £600 sounds quite reasonable.

[pistonheader]

thanks rob.

i'm going to wait until i've finished my 3rd year exams (4yr course) and so i'll have a bit more time, i'll then sell the E21 after 3 years of ownership and hunt for a 525i manual, preferably sport.

as you guys know, i've been pondering about an E34 for quite a few months now. but i didn't because i didn't want to sell the E21 and find i didn't like the E34 for some reason. now i've been fortunate to drive one and i really like it. it's so much more refined than the E21 and much more practical. it's just the fuel economy of the M30 puts me off. going steady i can get high 20's, but around town it's absolutely dreadful cold start and pootering around town earlier quite slowly was about 11mpg. wonderful engine and so smooth. i know the 525i is a tiny bit slower and revs a bit higher, but it's still going to be a lot more relaxed than my E21.

i know i'll be in no hurry to sell, so i'll probs put it up around april time, and i wouldn't want anything less than £1500. that should buy me a decent 525i.

honestly, i can't tell you how much i love the E34.

another major influence is how easy the parts will be to get hold of, E21 bits are becoming a bit of a pain now in some cases. i can imagine E34's, being the best part of 12+ years younger, will be much better.

[rob0r]

If you're not commuting in it I wouldn't worry about the fuel consumption - I don't. My 735i auto on cruise control at 80mph over 200miles averaged 37mpg... I was gobsmacked how little fuel I put in it when I filled it up! Normally I get 21-22MPG out of my M30s. If fuel consumption isn't a factor it would be 535i every time, 535i sports are lovely!

Personally I'd be after an E34 540i 6 speed manual touring.... drool. Or a 530i manual V8 touring and fit a 4L... I will have a V8 touring in the near future!

Have you had insurance quotes for a 535i?

[pistonheader]

hi rob,

i think it would be a 525i i'd get, not sure if i could live with the fuel consumption of an M30. it's worse than my dads V8 M3!!! having said that, cruising along a constant speed isn't that bad, 70mph was getting 27-28mpg in the 535i. 95 was about 21mpg. i could live with that i reckon. but as soon as you put your foot down just a little bit, it drops well under 20. insurance quote for a 525i is also a couple of hundred quid less so that sways it another way. have you driven a 525i vanos rob? what's it like compared to the 535i in how you have to rev the engine (the M30 pulls from very low down!). i know the 535i revs lower on the motorway but is the 525i still pretty comfortable doing 90-100? as for my motorway trips at night that's what i'd ideally like to be doing. in my E21 i daren't go much above 80 for extended periods, i usually sit at about 80.

sure the 535i isn't the fastest car i've been in by a long way, but boy it does feel pretty quick. it's just so relaxed on the motorway and that's what i'm after these days. if the 525i vanos is as relaxed at 90 as the 535i is at 100 i'd take one.

thanks again rob, really helpful

[e21-Mark]

Take a look in Murrans drifter thread and there's a link I posted to a really nice e34 525i sport in black, with black leather Recaros, 5 spokes etc and all for under £1 200! Very little rust and no intergalactic mileage. Just goes to show what's out there.

[Jason_323i]

I got my 540 touring six speed for £1200 200k miles but an new engine 70k ago which a custom stainless exhaust, air box mods and a chip sees over 300bhp, runs great fuel economy on the motorway is better than the 36m3 but around town at the weekend shifting bits it's murder on fuel.

Also e34 same to age better and rust less than e36 from the same period

Jason