Comfort and sport to a decent price
To be honest nothing, I just had to replace some spare-parts (brakes, suspension etc).
Very good and reliable car, with a lot of space and comfort. This car fits me very well, being a student having a desire of a great car to a very low price.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 10th August, 2006
Wahrer Fahrvergnuegen!
Overheating problem when I bought it. Needed lots of work, was worth the trouble though!
Terribly neglected by a barbarian, but despite all, I restored it back to its original conditions.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 20th November, 2005
A really wonderful grown-up motor car
Head gasket went about 3 months after I got the car. The dealer paid half the cost of the repair! Interestingly the mechanic commented that when he had the head off there was no sign of wear (on an engine that had done well over 200,000 miles!).
Apart from that just the usual servicing and running repairs (bulbs, pads, etc.
This is a fantastic car! It is ultra reliable, very comfortable and looks great in it's glossy black paintwork. I can't believe a car that's worth only £800 could be this good! It gets envious looks from drivers of Ford Mondeos that cost ten times that.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 18th July, 2005
Absolutly superb
I had the head gasket go at 170k miles, it caused the head and exhaust manifold to warp and therefore they needed to be skimmed, and more recently it developed a huge oil leak, this turned out to be the sump gasket, the car now runs just as smoothly as it did when I bought it and is a credit to BMW engineering, that's why I will be changing it later this year for the newer series 5 model.
The car has always started on the button, and gives very good miles per gallon, the interior has also stood up very well with just the drivers seat showing signs of wear.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 22nd February, 2004
Prestige, but at a heavy price
Oil leak from cylinder head gasket.
Battery failed.
Very squeaky brakes.
A very expensive car at the time (£31,000) so was disappointed that anything went wrong.
Very expensive dealer servicing (£150 for an oil change!). "Service Indicator" prevented me from servicing the car myself (£15 oil change!).
Not the car's fault of course, but at one year old, someone with a grudge against my employer jumped up and down all over it causing £10,000 damage. Repaired by dealer, but was never the same again.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 6th December, 2003
Fast, reliable and a joy to drive
Water-pump needed replacing when I bought it - car dealer got it done. Unfortunately he took it to a Ford dealer and they replaced the faulty pump with another faulty one, and put the radiator hose back in the wrong way. This resulted in a tear developing in the pipe, which caused the car to suddenly dump its coolant on the way home one day. I took it to the local BMW service centre and got a bill of NZ$487 for the repairs. I have gotten a sizable reimbursement from Ford for the trouble!
Apparently quite a few E34 5 series have water-pump problems, but they are not expensive parts to replace - generally!
The glovebox was very loose - but that was easily repaired.
The front seats are getting a few tears in them that I'll have to sort out.
The idle is very rough - another common problem with the E34 - but as this does not affect performance, I'm ignoring it.
I was a little worried that this car might be a little underpowered when I first looked at it. It does weigh 1530kg and a 2.5 litre engine is not huge - but I was very wrong! It is not a sports car - but you can make it feel like one! If you have the switchable auto, putting it in sports makes for some serious fun. NZ isn't the best place to go fast - not just because of our 100kph speed limit - but also because the roads are generally uneven and twisty. However when I was on a nice straight, I took it to 180kph easy before running out of room. At 160 I kicked it down again and it responded immediately. I think it would get to 220kph easily - and in NZ you don't need more than that.
There is also plenty of power for overtaking, and the engine sounds beautiful screaming towards the red line.
It handles like a car half its size, and the steering feels very alert.
It is not very cheap to run - unless you drive it on the motorway all the time - and the servicing is not cheap either if you go to BMW (which I think is worth it).
There is not a lot of leg room in the back seat for a car this size - but it is all very comfortable.
My last car was a BMW 320i, and it was the car that really got me stuck on BMWs. This 5 Series has certainly consolidated my opinion that BMW's are possibly the best cars in the world, and I can't really imagine driving a Japanese car again!
They are not expensive to buy nowadays, and they are very reliable cars that will do twice as many miles as Japanese cars half their age!
You can drive them like a boy racer or like an old gentlemen, and it will oblige you either way. All in all - an ultimate driving machine!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 5th August, 2003
10th Apr 2006, 05:20
Happy man... do you drive a big car to help out your ego by any chance?
Congratulations to the original poster. The more 5 series e34's we can keep on the road the better!