Older BMW thread

check for oil leaks.
check if transmission shifts smoothly etc.
prepare for shit MPGs

>>17207360
Just test drive and listen for funny noises, watch the temp guages and get it PPI'd. Remember too that this is a $100k car and the parts are priced as such. After that enjoy the fuck out of your classy NTY 7 series.

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>>17207360
Check if the rear end sags
Check if the car tries to pull forward in R, or stays in place and jerks backwards
Check if the trans fluid has been changed and if it has, with what and by whom.
Listen for the engine, does it rattle or have a dragging sound

T. Ökybemaristi aka. E38 mies

>>17207865
those are some damn hot BMW's, what model is the right one? Also, torilla tavataan.
What do you think about the one I linked? Too cheap to be good? How expensive are the 7 series to maintain? I don't have much money, do you think I should go for a 525 instead? This will be my first car.

>>17207929
>first car
Get the 525. Left one is a E32 750, my daily. Right one is a E38 750, my nice car.
They're expensive and quite hard to maintain, like 1950€ for rear shocks expensive.
The E32 is a bit cheaper to maintain, but still very expensive.
That aside, I think that's about average for a 4 litre E38 over here.

>>17207954
How much should I pay for a 525? I'd rather not go above 2500, but are the all the cheap ones beat to shit?
I think this one looks like a bargain except that it doesn't have leather interior.
https://www.nettiauto.com/en/bmw/525/8717666

>>17207954
Oh and what is preferable, E34 or E39?

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>>17208017
Steer clear of automatics, otherwise the E34's are invincible mechanically.
From 1988 to like 89 they had a M20 engine with timing by belt, there on onwards they got the DOHC chain driven M50, both are really sturdy engines.
T. Amisveekasi aka. E34 530 mies

>>17208031
Also, that is a matter of taste, both have their ups and downs

>>17208038
Well shit, it seems most of them are automatics. I'd prefer a manual myself but do the automatics have mechanical problems too or why should I avoid them?

>>17208066
Age is creeping up on them, can't comment on the M50 mated auto transmissions but the ones behind the M30 "big six" tended to slip on P and N, meaning they burned up when idling.
E34's in manual are brobably slightly more reliable as they have less going on, not like the E39 isn't reliable either

Also, M50 and M52 are the engines with the cooling issues. Haven't encountered any during my 2 years as a BMW tech, nor did my old 520 have any problems with cooling despite being hooned daily and 600k km on the clock.
The M20 radiator also tends to spring a leak from the expansion tank crimping, the radiator and tank are pressed together and tend to start leaking after age catches on them

>>17207360
check auto24.ee

>>17208196
Isn't import tax to Finland ridiculously high tho?

>>17208290
It tends to be

>>17207360
Well it's expensive as fuck to maintain,if you can do it then it's one of the clasiest cars on the road you're driving

>get facelift e38
>put in ls engine alongside its auto
>reupholster interior if needed
>get modernized replica headunit
>fix up little things here and there
first thing i'm doing after i move to a more car friendly country
how much would it all cost in the US?
never done anything extreme to a car to know desu

>>17208874
>put in ls
Stop, go ruin something less nice, like some American shitbox.

>>17208874
It doesnt need a shitbox for its motor. If you want an LS you are better off buying the 750 and just maintaining it.

>>17208918
>>17208928
it's just for reliabilitys sake

>>17208967
Then keep the stock engine. High sulfur fuel never was a problem in Europe nor is it in the US anymore.

So to sum up what I've got from this thread so far:
I shouldn't get a 7 series because they are hard/expensive to maintain.
525 is a better choice, but I should look for a manual one.
I'm kinda thinking I might want something that is a bit quicker tho.
What do you guys think of the bigger engined 5 series? Maybe a 535i or 540i?
https://www.nettiauto.com/en/bmw/535/8815903
I found this 535 for only 2100€
It's got 440 000 on the meter but it's an e34 so I guess it isn't a problem if it has been well maintained?
Or should I look for something with less mileage?

brb hijacking this thread
I want to get a 740i as first car, preferred manual
Budget: 12k
Plans: Buy one for 6-7k and have the rest of the money for repairs, do all labor myself
Country: Autobahn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqamiOVdh0Y

Good idea? Probably not, but is it doable?

>>17208990
the engine is the most reliable part of the 7 series :^(

>>17207360
>buying a car with 300k km
but why

>>17211536
Because it could easily go another 300 000km before it's dead

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reporting
runs like raped ape

>>17212585
Sexy, what engine is hiding under the hood?

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>>17212629
supercharged s52

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>want to buy an e30 and spaw an m50 into it
>hardfy any in ok condition for under a million euros
This seems ok tho
http://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=1&act=4&adv=11489341256099734&slink=38eqix
excuse the horrible site just click on the pictures

>>17212914
Looks fairly nice and unmolested. On a side note, my uncle who lives in Bulgaria is looking for a new car. If you ain't buying that, Imma go and grab it for him next month or so.

>>17212941
tell him to get a w203

>>17213111
He actually owns a Cosworth 190E at the moment and is looking on selling it, if he hasn't already, and buying a cheaper daily more suitable for an older person.

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>>17212914
Just make sure to check every inch for rust. Post '87 cars have some sort of corrosion protection and yet its 30 years old car.

Also E39 is god tier

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>>17207360

This is sort of BMW question..

What can you guys tell me, reliability and maintainance wise, about the M51D25 ? The 2.5L diesel used in the E34 and E39 525tds ?

I was in the market for an E34, but in the mean time the local Land Rover stealership got hands on a P38 Range Rover with the 2.5L diesel BMW engine, for a wonderful 4.500 euros ( needs some work done as with any old car )

From what I've read on the forums, a P38 Range Rover with the 2.5L BMW diesel, ZF autobox, coilovers and a large battery, is pretty much indestructible - and somehow it's pretty resistant to rust ( aside from wheel arches )... Slow af, but indestructible..

>>17213240
>tds
It can be reliable if you look after it. The engine head is a major point of failure. Revving it while cold can bent or crack the head, overheating it can fuck it up too (gaskets, water pump, thermostats). It isn't as fuel efficient as the newer m57d25.
On the plus side you can run it on oil from McDonalds and if the engine is serviced on time it can last 1000000 km with ease

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>>17213240

This model is a 2000, so the engine has Bosch electronics, and it's done 270.000km ( probably )...But I've heard many stories that the M51D25 can go way past the 500.000 mark, with proper care

Pic related : The slightly used interior - but there are 2 shops in my city that are specialized in reconditioning leather

>>17213272

so if I just drive it as the slow, dim-witted elephant that this car is, I shouldn't have to worry much about it ?

I'd go for a petrol but those taxes rape me, so the 14 sec 0-100 will do..

Also I don't care that much about fuel efficiency