Well, today has been enlightening. Very enlightening. Been round to look at a handful of 5 series beemers around G-J reg all described as mint. All I can say is that the owners must be blind and deaf.We have glaringly obvious bodywork issues to a top end rattling so bad even my missus noticed.
Best one was a guy trying to convince me the car had just passed an MOT as I'm showing him the slicks purporting to be legal tread depth tyres on the rear axle. AND HE WANTED £1200!!!! He was trying to look genuinely shocked when I said the MOT certificate wasn't even worth wiping my arse with.
There are some well tatty ones about, but also some absolutely immaculate ones. Trouble is (I know this would probably be the case with me) - they're such good cars, that if they're still in really nice condition now, the owners would probably want to hang on to them for a fair bit longer yet.
Bought a 200SX for parts yesterday. G reg with engine noise (described as noisy cam but actually big ends), the owner had said on phone it was so good I would want to just drop my engine straight in it. Had a hole in the offside rear sill over a 1ft long (kindly marked out with yellow paint pen), holes in the tail gate big enough to put a hand in, bash on rear quarter at hub height, rust round both nearside wheel arches, though in one place. At least one silicon filled pineapple bush on the rear subframe was leaking - found a new one in the boot! Rad not quite completely full of mud - took 1 liter of water to dilute, well the expansion tank level was up to the top mark.
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Well , I nearly had a new 2 door 330 at a snip yesterday. Owner had carefully locked it, and walked off - leaving the passenger door wide open ......... people like this just don't deserve such cars
My Mondeo will refuse to lock the doors if either of the front two are open, and if any of the others are open, the deadlock won't give a double flash, so you know the back door/boot is open.
Dave Plowman waffled on in a quite bewildering manner to produce...
Can be easily done.95 N reg, dark metallic green, company owned and maintained 525i went through Mannheim auctions in Manchester on Tuesday night for 1550ukp. Looked immaculate to me, leather slightly creased, unkerbed alloys, nice quiet engine, 140000 miles. 10 months MOT and taxed til the end of November.
Was followed through by a gorgeous W124 280TE estate on an M that fetched
1500ukp, dark metallic blue, tan leather, 7 seater, Sony stereo, 2 former keepers, 112000 miles, quiet as a church mouse with traditional Merc good oil pressure.
I'd have bought either of these cars happily, the Merc more than the BMW, because I don't really rate the E34 (M5 apart) as being that good a car.
E34s in decent condition can be *easily* bought for £1200.
1600+ including premium isn't 1200. And looking immaculate as it goes through an auction when you aren't really interested isn't quite the same either.
I had a 525 for years and it was a super car - apart from the obvious lack of space both inside and the boot. But other than that I rated it highly.
I don't dispute that. But mint to me means perfect. What does it mean to you?
With something like an E34, a set of brakes complete, decent new tyres and a new exhaust - all of which one could easily need - could cost you the price of the car. Then there's the various suspension bushes...
Dave Plowman waffled on in a quite bewildering manner to produce...
agreed, but the example I gave was a N registered car, in what certainly seemed to be immaculate condition. So to get an E34 on a G plate in the same condition for £1200 is by no means beyond anyone.
As for not being interested, I was there with a friend in an advisory role. I've had years in the motor trade, either in a car sales, bodyshop, or mechanical role, and I advised him to buy it. I also advised him to go for the Merc. Instead, he bought a shabby £590 Honda Accord on an L plate that I told him not to even contemplate. Some people, eh?
I had a 3 year old 520iSE (24v) and I didn't rate it at all. Nice to look at, but nothing special to drive. Underpowered, not particularly well built, and expensive to maintain.
Mint to me means perfect, as in "just minted" like a brand new pound coin. Shining, no dents, scratches, no apparant signs of wear, as in showroom condition. Like the N reg 525 mentioned above.
Agreed. The 525 I mentioned above looked perfect, and for £1600 + commission, so probably £1700 tops, I'd have no problem buying it.
Mine was an early 24 valve 525 auto, and sluggish until you revved it, when it then went very well indeed. So I can imagine the 2 litre being much worse. The build quality was fine, and maintenance ok with bits bought from Eurocarparts etc. Dealer servicing is expensive, but then it's an expensive car new regardless of the actual cost secondhand. Overall running costs were good, IMHO, for a car of this size and performance.
Heh heh - I'll take your word for it. But a 10 year old car in truly mint condition is as rare as hens teeth. Good condition with one of these - less of a problem.
Dave Plowman made the world a better place for us by saying..
yup, that's what I was thinking, but I suspect the 280TE was from the same source.. so maybe they keep 'em longer. Were quite low mileage for company jobs.
Ha!!! And to think, my mate has viewed one beemer per week for the last
5 years with the view to buying one. (I kid you not ... he likes his cars perfect). All i ever hear is: Top end rattly. Resprayed petrol flap. Can't tell if its had its block replaced (nicasil problem). Overpriced. Underpriced ... must be something wrong with it, Etc
And to top it off ... when he did finally find his ideal 540i v8, he returned a week later with money ... gave the car another road test when it promptly conked out on him!!! NO SALE!!!
I looked at 8 e32 seven series cars, settling for the one with a folder full of history receipts confirming the dealer stamps in the book, low miles (108k) for a 1987 car and mint bodywork as in "less" scratches than the average 1 year old bmw.
And yes, most bmw owners when selling their car do say "mint" .... until i arrive in my 525e asking them what they think of it (jaw hits floor when they realise i am not going to buy a bmtroubleyou worse looking than the one i have arrived in).
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Ahgowonwidya made the world a better place for us by saying..
he must be insane. 5 years?
No shit!
I use a 540i for work, rather nice ol' thing as well. Had a new gearbox at
50000 miles, at the moment needs a new trip computer display (£300) , the park radar fixing (£85), the headlamp height adjuster switch (16.50), and possibly an ABS sensor (£?). Lovely car, but not exactly cheap to keep perfect. It's only worth about £12500 an all. Cost £50k 5 years ago.
That's different then - you shouldn't have too much trouble. But if I were you I'd go for the 525 - it's a much better car and uses no more fuel in practice.
THanks for that Dave, I was wondering if it was worth looking at. The one with the rattly cam was a 525 and pulled like a train. Must admit I was impressed but was unsure about fuel as Parkers usual crappy consumption figures place it lower than a 535.
I had a J reg early 24 valve 525 auto for years. Traded it in at 135,000 and it was still as sweet as a nut. A noisy top end indicates huge mileage or poor maintenance.
The 24 valve auto is *very* economical on a run - I used to get in the upper 30s on a London - Aberdeen run cruising at just under ticket speed - it would do the journey on one tank of 95 octane.
Town use depended on traffic, naturally, but I reckoned on 18 in London rush hour driving.
If the engine is quiet, it'll be ok. I prefer the 24 valve and it has timing chains rather than a belt.
If an auto, check for smooth changes with no slip or delay both up and down, and the 5 speed (24 valve) won't get into top till about 50 mph. Get it into fourth at about 35, then use kickdown - it should drop to second smoothly and take off like a rocket.
The manual is pretty bomb proof, but of course clutches wear out. No more than other cars, though.
Check for wheel shimmy at about 50-70. Although this *might* be wheel balance, it can also be suspension bushes.
Check for noise from rear suspension on bumps. The large subframe bushes go and are a pig to change.
Check for warped discs. They're an easy DIY change.
Genuine exhausts last well, but are pricey to replace. They can go noisy without leaking years before they fail. Pattern ones last like pattern ones.
No common electric problems that aren't obvious.
Stone chipping on both windscreen and front of car is far too common. Respraying the bonnet and wings with two pack cures this. They're very susceptible to car park dings on the doors too.
No common rust spots - they're very good if not accident damaged and badly repaired.
Tyres have a good life, and they handle safely on any type.
Finally, make sure the driver's seat is secure - the frame can break.
Also, make sure the car is big enough for your needs. There's not much leg room in the back if the front seats are set for tall people. And the boot is tiny for a car this size.
It's a great car to own and drive, and easy enough to work on. Haynes do a manual that covers some of it but not the 24 valve engine. Just about useful for torque settings and brake changes etc - especially if you can pick one up for a fiver at a boot sale. Bentley do a good one but it costs. You can get the BMW one (TIS) on CD off Ebay etc and it's not bad.
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