E34's: 530 or 535 or 540

Militant-Grunt · Apr 11, 2005

Which would you choose and why? and What year?

foomonkey525i · Apr 13, 2005

I suppose I would choose one that, not on the list, 525, '92, since that what I kind of did choose.

Militant-Grunt · Apr 13, 2005

Im asking because when fall comes around I want to buy a E34. Eric and Bahn both say go for the 535i, Id want to get a 540i, but the nikosil problem is bugging me, and a 530 just seems a little under powered? So im just wondering.. What are your experiances with the E34, I cant pay for repairs that will break the bank..

bahnstormer · Apr 13, 2005

teh v8 is rough on gas...also more expensive..
nikasil is ALWAYS a concern

the 530 is meh...

the 535i has *some* aftermarket parts
and it is known for the motors strength

teh 525 is a p.o.s.
that motor belongs in a 3 series =\

MrElussive · Apr 13, 2005

What are the 0-60 times? You need a car that does 0-60 between 7 and 8 seconds. This way you can have fun without killing yourself. My friend has an E34 540i w/M Sport Package (those rare ones) and you can get that car into triple-digit speeds very quickly.

Chesty Bonds · Apr 14, 2005

Well we've had an E34 530i and i have to say that it was a great car. It has the same power as the 535i (160kw) and revs like a banshee. The fuel consumption is great and the engine note superb.

They're both fine cars (the 530 and 535) but the 530i's are younger so that is important IMO.

And Elussive, are you referring to the 540i Limited? Because that is one AWESOME car. Adjustable suspension, stonking engine, and the six-speed 'box from the E34 M5! My dad's mate has one and, well, I like it better than his Ferrari 348! Need I say any more?

foomonkey525i · Apr 14, 2005

The 525 isn't a really quick car, but it's still a BMW and still fun to drive. It may be underpowered compared to other BMWs, but not when compared to most other cars on the road. I personally wouldn't go for a 540 because of the gas. I think I'd probably go with the 530.

Repairs, off the top of my head, that my dad or I have done recently:
replaced radiator
he rebuilt the front end suspension, not sure how necessary this was
replaced alternator (I think)
replaced some pullies
paint--not sure if what happened with mine is a common problem

MrElussive · Apr 14, 2005

Chesty Bonds said:

It is a 540i w/M Sport Package, but it is a limited-edition model. It has the M5 suspension, M5 brakes, Sport steering wheel, Recaro leather seats up front, and probably other shit I don't know about. The vehicle is an autotragic though but my friend likes it that way. He came from a 2000 Audi S4 6-speed manual and he likes the auto better because he goes into NYC every day of the week for school (99.9% of the cars in this area are automatic...yeah I know, it's mad gay). Personally, I would rather go with the manual, but the auto is actually really aggressive when it comes to being in the "right" gear and the cars are so limited, it's not like he really had a choice. He just looked in the paper one day and saw the advertisement for it and he jumped on it.