I have seen a few last of the line 530 V8's advertised and selling for around £3k. These cars have the M60 Nikasil lined V8, which can lead to bore wear. How much of a concern should this be when contemplating a purchase? Will all those likely to fail have done so by now, and are problem cars easy to spot-how? I onlt intend to keep for about 6 months if i buy, and wondered what people here thought about the idea.
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Hi,
The 530 V8 is certainly one of the best E34 models available.
My dad has owned several bmw's over the last 10 years, including: 1X E30 318, an E34 520i, an E34 525i sport, E36 328i sport, and currently an E36 M3 Evo (selling if your interested!).
We had absolutely no problems with our E34's and they were not brand new vehicles or anything. We sold the 525i when it was 9 years old and had it for 2.5 years. In that time we covered around about 30k miles. Both of the E34's were great cars and were totally bullet proof.
With regard to the engine problem, our E36's 2.8 was supposed to of suffered from the same problem. We had no problems with the car and it had covered 90k miles when we sold it. TBH i think the problem has been blown out of perspective a bit, but if it concerns you, get the car checked by your bmw outlet. Also, i believe bmw have a warranty system with their engines but i doubt an E34 would be within range of that.
Personally, I would risk it for £3k. Maybe you can buy an extended warranty on the car - i know there are some independent companies on the net that do this sort of thing.
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Cant answer all your questions but might be worth checking where the car has been for most of it's life (geographically speaking) As far as I know the nikasil issue was a particular concern up north as that's where a lot of the high sulphur petrol was supposedly distributed.
You have to be realistic with this kind of motor - big bills are always a possibility but if you want one bad enough then that wont stop you!
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As ever, it\'s all about the history of the car and the bona fides of the seller.
Big parts go bang at this age so you need to know that it\'s been fettled in line with the schedule. These are quite lightly stressed cars and even with a busy life 150-200k isn\'t difficult.
However, the back end goes saggy eventually and you can get some rust around the rear arches.
See the stamps, check the bills, ask every question under the sun about the seller and the car\'s history. And remember that £3k is only the start!
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A compression check before purchase would be a good idea, beyond that engine the car should be trouble free and relatively cheap to service. A good place to go for E34 info is www.bmwe34.net they have a very active and helpful forum there, and luckily for you the US market V8 cars also had the same bore lining probs so they may be able to offer you some more advice on it.
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You are not being silly, please read the following link regarding nikasil and then get the vin from the car and check with BMW UK, IF it has been looked after BMW will have a history of any remedial work done, if this hasn't been done, I wouldn't touch it with a very very long stick, or offer them a fiver for it:-)
www.lestac.co.uk/bmw/nikasil.htm
Contact your local BMW garage for the telephone number of BMW UK customer service.
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BMW UK Cutomer services telephone number - 01344 426565, give them a ring and they will be able to tell you (a) If the car is effected by Nicasil and (b) If the liners have been replaced. I have called them about an e34 I bought a year ago and they were very helpful, they even send me a BMW magazine now, whooo?
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Thanks to all those above. Doesnt sound like it will be a good purchase from auction then, unless i can get the vin and ring BMW before it goes in the ring.
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From auction?! I didn't realise that was where you were intending to buy one. Not unless it's going for banger money then. Better still, get a 525 with the M50 engine
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Actually, i bid on a 95N 525i touring at blackbushe on monday, but the private money in the hall that day took it way past what i wanted to pay. Smartdealer, what year/plate were M50 525 produced? Thanks for the reccommendation. Sounds like an auction is not the best place to get one then!
Where does one find the VIN number on an E34?
I do like the sound of that 2.5 24v engine. I think i might be a bit silly going for a 530- just for that extra power i probably don't really need- over a 525. But if i see one with proof of a new engine....218bhp V8.... could i resist it. Hmm. Doubt it!
A month ago i was offered an old 89G 535i SE manual. Bodywork was good but it had done nearly 170k miles (albeit with history), and hence drivers seat worn etc. And budget champero or something tyres. Guy sold it in the end for £850. Ithought i might as well spend up to 3k and get a decent one. Has anyone here owned an old 535- i wondered how horrendous the fuel consumption really is?
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My hazy memory tells me that the Nickasil problem was only usual in cars used by old tossers who did short runs at very low speeds,living in Cornwall I can readily beleive this.
You can be held up behind Astons puffing black smoke down here.
But they only burn oil,which is cheap,although it doesnt do the catalyst any good.
The catalyst doesnt do any good anyway,but some cars will fail an MOT if the cat is a bit tired,and BMW cats are probably not cheap wherever you source them.
I had a Mazda once whose cat had probably not worked for years,so you just drove the pants off the thing on the way to the MOT centre and it (Just) passed.
My chum who did the testing thought it would probably pass easier if the cat was removed altogether.
For three grand,and with a long ticket,why worry?
In terms of car for the money,with a bit of (slightly drug dealer) prestige lobbed in,its a steal.
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Ben, I believe the M50 525 was introduced around 1991. I wouldn't necessarily rule out buying this particular model from auction if it was going cheap and looked straight. Theres always a few knocking around on autotrader as well though.
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When i attended the BMW sale at blackbushe as detailed in Honest's auction report- i (my dad) bought the 530D (which was actually under book if you take into account all the extras it had)- I really liked the look of the 95n 530 auto with 83k miles that sold for 2700. Its now on autotrader, guy is asking £5k. I really wanted a manual though. I shouldnt be so picky.
(dodgy english- its been a long day!)
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The Nikasil issue is really a petrol issue as in the Nikasil lining didn't play well with the sulphur in certain petrol supplies. In locations that had petrol with high concentrations of sulphur you had a "Nikasil issue", in other areas things were just fine. As high sulphur petrol is all but non-existant now, chances are that a Nikasil engine that is fine now, will continue to be fine. Having said that I still wouldn't gamble with one unless I was getting the car so cheap that the cost of a replacement engine would already be "factored in".
Older 535s had a 12v M20 engines with belt driven cam, the M50 engine was 24v with chain driven cams.I don't know if having a belt or chain driven cam matters to you, but it certainly does to me as such I wouldn't be interested in a 535 even though from a driver's POV many BMW fanatics still consider it the better engine to the newer chain cam M50.
As for fuel consumption, I have a 520 with the 2.0 litre M50 engine and I average about 23-25 MPG which is actually quite good for that car from what I have heard. Many 520 owners struggle to get 20 MPG, though they probably have a heavier right foot than I do. The bigger 2.5l gets better fuel economy than the 2.0l, but not enough to make fuel economy the reason for getting one. These are big, heavy cars, you just have to accept that you will be spending quite a bit on fuel.
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