Looking back, I think the 1990s were the golden era for the combustion engine car. Well engineered with good build quality and an absence of complex electronics to go wrong.
Back then the marketing vehicle--pardon the pun--was how the car felt and drove since the only real tech was the radio and climate control. Back then you sold premium cars by having them drive better.
I watched his vid on the ISO Grifo (about 1965); a car I really wanted as a kid, but in his review, he pointed out the heavy steering, the offset gear stick, the heavy clutch, and the heavy brakes; a lovely car, but a pain to drive. He's done vids of 1980s big performance cars, and they're so much better, cars that you could actually live with today. They kept getting better until, perhaps the 2000s
This is the ultimate way for environmentally responsible driving. Buying, driving and properly maintaining an older good quality is easily the greenest way to drive. Still got my 95 525iT, has 260k km on it. Hasn’t survived the elements as well as this car or previous owner’s stupidity but it’ll keep going.
That owner deserves a ton of praise for keeping his car in such an amazing condition! It would still look remarkable for its mileage if it had 100K on the odometer. He's done a fantastic job. ..and: Seeing such a beautiful car from back when BMW built cars i lusted after, does my heart good ❤
@@wokeybrokey8006 I LOVED the Z3's, especially the phat a$$ed Z3M roadsters. The coupes are legend and all, and I love them too, but something about the roadsters really floated my boat aesthetically.
@@wokeybrokey8006 A coworker drives an older Z4, when he tested a newer Z4 he was dissappointed how "bad" the car drove. No more sports car feeling, but rather a grand tourer.
We had the 535 saloon. Straight six, over 200 horses but it liked a drink! They built the interiors really well. How well it's handled rhe mileage ia impressive. However what impresses me most is how handsome it is especially in comparison to the current BMW range. They used to be able to make handsome cars. I'd forgotten that.
Was the 535i a 6 cylinder? I thought it was a V8.... I had one of these - a dark metallic blue 1994 525i SE with silver leather, wood inserts and air con. The dealer actually had a nice 1994 535i that I was there to see and, oddly for a dealer, he advised me to go to the 525i instead as the insurance on the V8 for a 27 year old would have been massive. So that's how I ended up in a 525i and not a 535i. These cars had one really bad flaw though. The air conditioning radiator was sat very low and was prone to puncturing. Regularly. Alarmingly regularly in fact. In the 8 years I had the car I had to replace that radiator 4 (yes 4, as in one more than 3!!) times. Each time my eyes watered at the cost. Even the dealer said the location of that radiator is very poor and it's a common problem. I sold the car because of that constant issue. Had it fixed before summer and sold it straight after summer was over.
During this era, BMW had arguably one of the greatest engine designers in history in Paul Rosche aka CamShaft Paul. He did the 4 cylinder F1 turbo engine (M12) that put out as much as 1400 bhp. He also worked on the amazing aspirated (non-turbo) V-12 (S70/2) used in the McLaren F1. There was a endurance race car series plus LeMans where the McLaren F1's raced in and the cars could do an season of probably 6 to 8 races without a rebuild. Paul was also there during this straight 6 era as this straight 6's are among the most reliable engines ever made. Obviously, Paul worked with his team and BMW and M division.
Come back down to earth Frank ! I totally respect the rally version of M3,or other hand made BMW that cost over 1 million US per car. We are talking about mass produced BMW cars and all of em known as Terrible ,Horrible Money Pits.There is no way out of it ! So Admit it ,it is non reliable JUNK ! BMW World knows it. I been to that world two times.Never again ! Stay away from it as far as you can !
My Dad owned one of these between 96 and 98 as a company car. He still speaks of it as the best car he ever had. It was a metallic green / blue with 5 spoke alloys, larger kidney grill and a grey leather interior. As a 19 year old when he took ownership, I was allowed to drive it on the company's insurance and the feeling on the occasions when Dad gave me the keys to let me drive was just awesome! He used to encourage me to accelerate hard out of dual carriageway roundabouts and burn off Shoguns / Discoveries. A cool Dad and a brilliant car 🙂
M50B25 engine is among the most reliable engines ever made - not only for BMW. I know people having this engine in their track cars who have been trying to kill them for years without success.
@@tiredtrailer Yeah, the 80's E34 had M20 which was another indestructible engine, but had 12 valves (1 camshaft) and timing belt instead of chain (which in no way made it less reliable). And yeah, M50 had no vanos until 1992
My e30 is turning 40 this December. Trany, diff...etc have been replaced but will say this. In the 30 years with me it has started & moved with no drama even though I leave it sitting for a week to 10 days straight. During covid lockdown the battery died so it didn't start for 6 months - restrictions in our country were insane. Finally got a replacement, was expecting problems IF it even started but no. I just pressed the gas pedal while starting to pump fuel in and voilà! She just up & went as usual.
Outstanding review! Great respect for Big David who owns this car. It's probably down to his driving style and good maintenance that this 525i Touring has done so well. During your test drive, I could not notice any wind noise or rattles - after 500,000 miles in the UK, that's actually a miracle!
A new set of valvestem seals will stop the smoking, had mine done after almost 8 years of hearing all my friends say the engine is done (only smoked on overrun and after idling for more than a minute, only on the takeoff) Lovely cars, lovely engine
just a waste of money , better to find a mechanic willing to do the job without pulling the head off ( not arguing, this is the best, refresh of the head, new guides, maybe porting it etc, but the expence is not for everyone ) and risk it beeng worn valve guids but given that most additives are 10-20 bucks ... might try it ... but in my experience all of them (except ZDDP and other friction modifiers ) are just pointles
It’s not normally the engine and gearbox that kills these. It’s the constant repairs of everything else that tends to make these uneconomic to keep. If you haven’t had that experience, fantastic, but you have done way better than average.
This is one of my favourite BMW's. I have always liked the touring spec rather than the sedan. Another great video, thanks. There is the thought that if you keep the vehicle and look after it for a long time, that is the best green way of motoring.
I used to have a 1995 E34 540i which was very well put together. I kept it for 10 years and drove only 120 000 miles, but the guy that bought it from me, kept calling for the remainder of his ownership, updating me on what a great car it remained being. He just handed it off to his daughter, and she's planning to restore it to as new condition and keep it "forever". During my ownership I only did regular maintenance, although at a higher frequency than BIG Dave obviously, engine oil, plugs, filters, gearbox flushing, batteries, lightbulbs and other consumables. The only items I had fail, was the water pump (a piss poor plastic impeller was replaced with upgraded aluminium), and the aftermarket engine block heater (I live in Norway, and this increases longevity of the oil and engine during winter operation where we regularly see -15C. I upgraded the suspension as well to Alpina B8 spec, which is still on there to date.) The key to keeping them is to avoid rust. Tuff Kote Dinol, Tectyl, or even Sheep Grease (yes thats right, fat from sheep, the product is called Fluid Film, and doesn't harden or evaporate and might be the cheapest or sheepest product out there as well as the best to prevent rust). It's now 28 years and has been in the hands of people who care about their cars, which is also an issue. I currently have a 24 year old E39 520i, but it has only 68000 miles on it, no rust, engine runs like new, uses no oil, and has had no other faults than the steering wheel locking cylinder/mechanism. I know some people replace it with a button as an upgrade, I just changed the locking cylinder. Other than upgrading to Xenon lamps/angel eyes style, it's standard. It feels a bit dated compared to modern cars, but drives better than 95% of them. These are great cars, and that era might have been BMW's finest. The E91 touring I have is still a very fine drivers car too, but has had more niggles than the E34 and E39. And I've had the E91 (320Xd) only since new in 2009 and only 65000 miles so far, although I must admit it's holding up real well due to its high quality interior. The e34 interior didn't have the same quality interior except the seats that was the Buffalo leather which has aged better than anything I've seen. The Cloth upholstry in the e39 is still as pristine as when new. The ultimate driving machine? well if Volvo had the same wheel geometry and underpinnings, the same quality engine feel, they might have a competitor, but hardly anything comes close. Toyota's seem to live forever, but has no roadholding. Mercedes were really good up until Chrysler bought them, but are now left dead in the water, Saab no longer exist, anything British? meh. The only other manufacturer that seems to build better cars by the years are Porsche. Only time will tell if they push the Bayerische Middelklasse Wagen off the top pedestal when it comes to quality ans longevity (lol)
I owned a 94 525i sport with a Manual, during the early 90's, one of the best cars i ever owned, absolutely loved it. 192bhp from standard, however when i put mine a rolling road, it showed a very healthy 201bhp, with 125,000 miles on the clock
Loved that Jack. One of my favourite cars ever! I had a 525i touring too. Bought it in 2003 (11 years old) for £2750 for a euro camping trip. We did 3,500 miles in 3 weeks. It just touched 140mph, managed 43 deg in Spain (with no AC) and used 1/8th L of oil and averaged 28mpg. I loved it so much I kept it for 2 years by which time it had 140k miles and I thought it was getting on a bit!!! 😂 don't think I spent a penny on it and traded it in for £1500 (big mistake). Lovely pan roof too and split tailgate. I would have another in a heart beat as a daily if it wasn't for pesky ulez. The e34 M5 staring in Ronin makes it peak BMW for me. I wish you could still buy new cars like these. Awesome video thanks 😎
A bygone era when the two big German manufacturer's actually made cars to last. My biggest regret was selling my M535i (E28) for a paltry £500 in 2001.......DOH!
Having had both an e34 and an e39, I always felt my e34 handled better, mainly because it held its line through a corner more neatly whereas the e39 always needed some mid corner corrections. Also, its true about these engines, a colleague of mine had a 525i and with no special treatment apart from normal servicing, he clocked up 375,000 miles in it before trading it for a newer e39 5 series. He put a ton of miles on that one too and his wife still uses it these days. For his use, he replaced that one with an e60 530d but it kept breaking down so now he has a Volvo... kinda tells a story about BMW from the 90's to the end of the noughties.
Nothing stays the same. Toyota seldom had recalls. When it became an imperative to dominate global production, recalls became more frequent. /// I don't know how BMW developes, builds, tests, & tear down evaluates its vehicles. Some Porsches & Nissan GTRs get Dyno-ed in the production process. Data analytics from overall dealer service & warrenty repair can be used to determine a "Good-Enough" vertical time line or # of units, especially on established product. That said variables can creep in from vendor changes, weight & cost reductions, etc. This is before another new model / version of it begins.
Maybe the E39's stiffer body is to blame for the mid corner corrections. I too find myself nudging the wheel when I turn driving moderately fast. Now is the perfect time for your friend to hop back into E39s and stock up. They're a dime a dozen in the west, and plentiful at auctions/classifieds. Sure they're in a wide range of conditions but a 525i can be had for cheap and with his luck he can push it another 200k. And if he needs donors, E60s can also be had for cheap to scavenge good engines/trans off of.
@@vittoriostoraro I am a former owner of two BMW cars ,i been driving both cars for over 7 years in total. So what i say is honest true ! Its not only my personal experience with these two cars ; both cars driven over 200000 terrible km ,both cars were professionally well maintained by BMW dealers.Both cars failed about every two weeks and needed to be repaired no matter how they were driven.I feel sorry for any one that drives a BMW ! Its endless money pit ,every BMW part will fail way sooner then you would imagine.Its important to know that BMW wants you to by the car then to by more parts very,very often ! Every part will fail all the time,all electronics,its terrible computer ,ignition coils need replacing every 2 to 3 months,steering,heads ,clutch will come appart and shutter,breaks will wear out years ahead of time,oil leaks from every gasket possible.I have a lot more to tell here but this should be enough.
@@marksphotoperry356 *Ouch!!* - That does sound like a miserable ownership experience. What models and series (or year) did you have? Did you buy them new, or used? Was it the same BMW dealer you were always going back to, or did you try a different dealer or private mechanic. In the world of Hi-Fi / Home Theatre, I've had a similarly awful run with Marantz gear - a brand that has a very decent reputation (and I personally know people who've had excellent reliability from their - admittedly older - Marantz stuff). The failures I had would be disappointing enough, but what really made my experience "awful" was the fact that the one and only warranty service place in my city was useless and would have my amplifier or DVD player for multiple weeks, give it back to me "fixed" and it would break again with the exact same problem a couple of weeks or months later. The importance of a good dealer/mechanic as part of the overall experience of owning a car can't be understated!
@@danielscott4514 Hi Daniel,so it was two models one 535i 1986 this was the ''better car'' Then 18 years after that 325i 2004 ,both cars new ,Two dealers ,and 3 more BMW garages did not help ! Stay away from this brand !
I would agree with you about the quality of the 525s. Until recently there were many 1980s 525s still in use in the USA. In the last 5 years they are slowly disappearing.
Hi Jack. I had an Alpine white 2002 E39 525i Msport optioned station wagon for a couple of a year's which I sold 6 months ago. I was the second owner and it 310,000km on it when sold but I can truly say it was one of best cars I have driven in 40 odd years. It was built like a brick but was so smooth and quiet yet when needed it would pickup skirts and fly! It cornered like it was on rails and is one of only 2 cars that I miss out the many I've owned (the other was a 928 S4!) Keep up the awesome reviews!
I've had a E34 and a E46 with 400000km and 500000km respectively, the E46 is currently in my brother's ownership as i passed it on to him and it's still going, a 330d with the M57 engine, completely unkillable, regular maintenance done, and had the turbo replaced around 350000km.
330d maybe, but otherwise the E46 is where things started to go downhill as far as reliability goes, at least for the 3 series (more electronics, more plastics, etc. and they weren't notably more rustproof than the E36 beforehand)
@@Tc4ify I didn't have any problems with rust or any quality issues with the E46, it was much better built than the E90's, which I had as well before moving to the F10, and I live in Cape Town near the ocean and I've pretty much had no issues. BMW has always been my go to as we manufacture them here so build quality is very good.
I had a 2001 1800 TE. Loved it. The 1 Series I have now is nothing in comparison. That 525i is lovely. Round head lights, wheel arches. nice. Cool vid, dude. Cheers.
My brother had a 2002 in the early 1980s. He bought it with 150K miles on it and ran it for a few years (not 31) and put an additional 300K miles on it. I don' remember having to replace anything. He upgraded it. My house had the garage with a facility to pull engines, etc. so most of the work was done there. He did put in Recaro seats, upgraded the camshaft, installed a Weber carburetor, and put some nice wheels and tires on it (we had a friend who had a tire distributorship who would also get parts for us) just for the fun of it. We grew up with small English sports cars and motorcycles (Triumph, MG, Austin-Healey) and all were heavily tuned. It was our hobby at the time. By the way, he still has first car, a 1968 Triumph GT6. He recently took it apart and totally redid it. He also has a 1964 Alfa Romeo Giuletta which he totally restored and rebuilt (a friend of ours had trashed it, like he did everything). Might those be cars you might want to do a video on?
Loved this video! Awesome car! Thirty thousand over 31 years is less than a thousand per year. Divide that by 365 days and you get £2.65 per day. I think by anyone's standard that's an exceptional deal! Keep the great content coming! Cheers!
Hi Jack. I drive an '89 e34 525i every day. These are a great car (we had a 535 as well) and the only real issues are usually with the cooling system. M20 motor. With only 170000klms on mine.....I fully expect to be buried in it! Cheers.!
Lovely car - my favourite iteration of the 5 series, in the very desirable estate form. I always thought the styling made a subtle nod at the Triumph 2500 estate too……best BMW interiors - much nicer than today’s screen-fest and LCD instruments!
Jack, what stood out to me was how quiet it was inside the cabin while you were "giving it the beans". Too often now a car's engine, exhaust, tyre and lack of suspension isolation noises seems to be very intrusive in many, this one was so silent.
Although , not a fan of German cars, I love hearing reports of long ownership/ high mileages of cars . Well done to the owner keeping this car to the standard it is . The surprise of this report though, was the Austin Allegro with 300,000 miles , good on them too!. This is greener for the planet, keeping older cars going , not bringing newer cars , particularly electric ones to our roads.
My mechanic said dont buy cars later then 2010 models because thats when the car manufactures put way too much electronics technology into cars and much more can go wrong with them.
This is gorgeous. Theres a 1990 E34 520 around the corner from me, daily driven by its first owner, still has its original dealer number plates! They really don't make them like they used to. I'd run a mile from a modern BMW, but I'd have one of these any day
Well done on this one Jack, they are great cars, I have an E36 that next year will be thirty years old, only two owners including myself and just over 170,500 on clock. Bodywork OK but paint not in as good nick as the one you are demonstrating here, still on original clutch (it's auto) the exhaust never been touched in over twenty five years that I have owned it so possibly replaced by previous owner with stainless. I may have said before, runs like a dream and is the same engine as you have there 2.5i. No idea of parting with it and owned other cars at the same time, had pads and tyres a couple of discs and one suspension spring, would recommend these cars to anyone who wants a keeper, serviced annually and rarely driven over 60mph for last five years, but if she needs to go, it's there.
My dad had an E34 518i for years, and then got a very late facelifted 1995 525i auto Saloon in oxford green, and that started my passion for straight six Beemers. Wish he kept A9 RSU...
good when running well,but a nightmare otherwise.I was in the market for e46 318I'S this time two years ago and If i HAD THE chance would have haggled for one plus found me a local specialist for services.problems my neighbours daughter had with one forced me into a younger Mazda 3.
Agreed. I had an E34 520i SE (1992 model year). Solidly built and very reliable. It was incredibly easy to self-service and work on too. Mine was running well having completed over 255k miles but was written off when parked up and hit by a bus.
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525 i Was always a dream... It was the series 5 when I was about 20 years old...in Budapest.
Cool car and story! I have always been fond of this BMW design. It looks really good. The mileage is impressive!! I did buy a similar case myself some years ago, but the car was rusted through. One owner '85 Sierra XR4x4. He drove it 450 000 km before the gearbox had enough. The clutch was replaced, but didn't need to. The rust issues gave it only 30 000 more km. Stories like these are not about the car it's about the owners! So unlike 'everybody else' and doesn't care, they care about that particular car, truly fascinating! It becomes like a family member :)
They sure don't make them like that anymore! I've owned the 525i and a w124 300E Mercedes. Both are remarkable and if serviced properly they will eat up the miles with no issues. But if I had to pick one I would go with the beamer, it has a more exciting and balanced drive! A remarkable car indeed Jack Sir, one of BMws best!👍
W124 is the bigger, better laid car I think. It’s the one I wish I’d bought. I love my e34 touring and won’t sell it. I remember driving a 300TE a long while back. Agree that it was a bit dull.
It is a lovely elegant car. Most modern cars go through the doldrums at 10 years old when they are worth little and don’t get serviced or looked after properly. Mondeos were often reported as being capable of stellar mileages but rust and poor residual values usually took their toll.
I remember being driven around in one of these in 1993. I felt like a king. A 525i saloon in white with cream leather and brown dash ( chocolate brown dash ) very 90s. In fact I remember the interior was 2 tone. The cream leather with the brown dash and door sills. Gorgeous car
Volvo could be a contender. The record holder for mileage according to Guinness (and Volvo) is a '66 P1800 with a verified 3.2 _million_ miles on the odometer. That said, this is still a great example of what you can have if you just look after things as they happen instead of neglecting issues until they snowball.
I had an e34 535 sport on a 89 G plate G282 ECK, great car apart from it having the 12 valve instead of the newer 24 valve, great car anyway, solid built, and great for kicking the back end out, I only sold it as i picked up an e36 m3 evolution on a 97 P plate, private plate on it B17 PSP another great car but engines are more fickle with the high tuning, tremendous torque right through the mid range with the m3, I spent a fortune on the M3, sold it and sat my bike test and ended up with a 929 fireblade on a 51 plate, I still miss the old bimmers though
When a care is taken care properly, it lasts for a long time. I had a 1985 BMW323i, that i bought second hand over 20 years ago, and it pulled strong and drove nicely. It had the previous engine, without vanos and older injection. It used oil and had some body work in need, but it was oh so much fun to drive! Sometimes I wish i had kept it, but then again i would need to do a lot of work in it over all these years! In my opinion is better to keep a good old car in good working order than get a lesser quality newer model only to trade it again and again.
The moment you turned the ignition key and that engine burst into life the exhaust note sounded better than some newer cars. All that praise on a car that’s been around the world 20 times.
Amazing, they had so much mystique about them back then too. I had an E39 528i for 20 years. It had 236,000 miles on it when I sold it. Rocker cover gasket replacement was the nearest thing to opening up the engine internals. Loved that car, I had an Xbox in it and screens in the back 😀
I have a 1999 528iT Estate that I drive almost every day. It has 257K miles. I starts instantly, quietly and runs whisper quite. 24 mpg. I have owned it for 20 years. I bought it with 80K miles. I change the oil three times a year. The only wear is on the driver's seat. It is Vermillion (dark red), a rare color and I regularly find notes under the wipers left buy admirers and those wishing to purchase it. The ergonomics are the best. Trying adjusting the radio or anything else in a new car while looking out the window. It feels so solid and safe. I don't see why it wouldn't last another 10 years.
I wholeheartedly agree. I owned three E30 BMW's in the '80s and '90s. A 1985 323i, a 1986 325i and a 1987 325i. Between 1985 and 2001 when I sold my '87 325i I had kept a log book on everything I'd done at what mileage. ( I was a bit of a geek). Apart from normal servicing which I did myself. the 323i had a cracked exhaust manifold which was a simple repair with a welding shop. And a leaking oil pressure switch (the oil was seeping through the sensor and slowly dripping from the electrical connector on one of the 325's, all they needed were tyres, wiper blades and a couple of headlights which were broken by road repairs where they sprayed tar and then a layer of loose stones which were often prone to be thrown up by passing cars. No exhaust systems were replaced and the total mileage was 330,000 miles. I loved them, they were cheaper to run and maintain than my wife's Ford Mondeo 1.6. The best cars I've ever owned. The average fuel consumption was 24 (I lived in the country in North East Scotland where all the roads were full of corners and were single carriageway).
It would be amazing if 90's manufacturers were to do another long line of these motors so people like myself born in 85 could have the opportunity to own a brand new one. I still remember my old 328i coupe E36 in midnight blue with the white leather interior very fondly. These cars have hit and bounced back from their depreciation curve and a good one costs a good few grand and will need more spending on it to get it tip top. Glad I got in there when they were still a grand or less.
I bought one of these that had been a BMW service Centre manager’s company car. It was a 525iM. Manual, apparently just a sports exhaust & it sat 2cms lower. Truly by any measure a superb car. Gorgeous note, I thrashed it & it never missed a beat and cost me nothing. It was in a blue/purple with 5 spoke 17’s, large for the time. Sat so well on the road.. miss it for sure..
Jack, so glad you had friends in high school. LOLOL I'm still daily driving my '07 B6 Passat with a 2.0T and 6MT. Now over 300,000km with year round driving in Canadian, salty winters. Still on the original clutch, I had the cams replaced under warranty, have replaced the electric steering rack, brake module, dampers, drive shafts twice, brakes twice, rad fan, and have had a few body panels replaced under the rust warranty... oh and had the even gear shift cable replaced last summer and just had the second timing belt kit done. Otherwise, gas, oil and tires. Great car... hauls a LOT of stuff, and still hauls ass.
I own an E34 535i with 255,000 miles on it. I compression tested it, 108-112 across all 6, it's still got more than half its life in it, and it's previous owner was a teenaged drug dealer. I'm planning on pulling the drivetrain out for a locost build, but I would love to pick up a clean one someday, one of the best looking sedans ever built.
Something I've never understood about modern-ish cars that are mainly built by robots on a production line is that its still possible to get good and bad ones when they really should all be the same. I had an e34 535i sport about 20 years ago with really low miles and sold it cos I was fed up fixing the bloody thing. There was always something. From memory the issues included heating that stuck on high temp (no fun in summer) central locking that didn't work, a misfire that had to be fixed twice, starter motor failure, electric sunroof motor failure, broken exhaust manifold studs resulting in a nasty spitfire like noise, i can't remember what else off hand but I only had it about 6 months and it put me off beemers for years. Had a z4 more recently and it was more of the same, whenever you fixed one thing Something else would go wrong. I drive a mercedes now, funnily enough they have a poor reputation too but touch wood I've had a year so far of no issues but somebody somewhere will no doubt have the same model as me and a pile of repair bills. Good on him for keeping it though the period when it was worth peanuts, it will no doubt go up in value now in spite of the mileage. Another great video too mr Jack 👍
Sadly I had to give up my 1992 e34 525i at about 444 000 kms for lack of funds to have it fixed. I trusted that thing so much, so well balanced, so elegant and well planted, and fun to drive even for lack of some power especially at the low end on a heavy sedan frame. Yes, a true good car.
@@olifs8083 The valves were ticking which meant possibly a lot of work on the engine. It was also getting pretty rusty. Kept it for 9 years. I worked on the interior and some of the electronics like I replaced capacitors in the instrument cluster and changed the head unit and modified the audio filters while adding a small subwoofer and 90W amplifier.
I had an E34 525i saloon, also in archetypical 1980s white, from new in 1989. It looked so stylish, and I think they still do today. As an earlier car it had only 170 BHP but was still quick enough in period and that engine was turbine smooth. It was pretty smooth riding on the original 16" (?) alloys too. But I wasn't driving it enough so I swapped it for a 308gt4 because, well, why not. It may be picky but I'm surprised the owner has put his car up on RUclips with numberplate screws placed to make the 6s look like Gs. If the rozzers stop you for some reason and aren't feeling generous that is technically an excuse for 3 points and a fine.
I had a 520 e34… Sold it with 320,000 on the clock - still driving fine - but insurance went mental. Only wear was the steering box was going to need looking at to get it back to tip top… Shout out to Baymow and Rockvale for their engineering.
A lovely, lovely car. Ageless. Gorgeous. I'm not sure the R/B steering system has a rack or anything that looks much like a rack... But I think I get what you're saying. These seemed always to come with a Golden Retriever when new.... But with or without a dog, they are just lovely. A nice video and some pleasing praise for a thorough design. 😊😊😊
My mother had an E30 318i for about ten years. In that time the only thing that broke was the air-con. Pity it was an automatic and unbelievably gutless. She got it new and got a very good trade in price on it when my parents replaced it with a new car.
I had an E34 V8 and while my car the steering box I understood the straight 6's had more engine bay space and so were rack and pinion and better for it. Personally I think Bosch and their fuel injection is a large part of why a lot of engines work so well after a lot of miles. My 530i was as crisp as new when I sold it at just under 200k miles.
I own two 88' E34 M20 sedans. One of them had stood 10 years, did full service and fixed some rust then drove it without a issue for 2 years straight, then cam started nocking a bit and diff a bit worn from loads of stop and go daily diving. The other I found in a barn, owner had it since the 90s, mint paint and needs no body work, will get started on oem restoration when I get the time in a couple years. Safe inside untill then
I was a salesman for BMW in that era and got to drive a lot of nice cars. While the 525 was comfortable and roomy, my favourite to drive was the 325is coupé. That car fit like a glove.
My E36 325 Coupe was a 92 model. Bulletproof engine and clutch, gearbox. Can't say the same for interior quality. Wiith factory LSD and the sound it made, it was a great car to drive.
In my opinion (although biased, because I owned a 1989 E34 535i saloon from 2000 to 2007), the best-looking 5-series ever. My gosh, how I do regret selling that thing... It was just marvelous to look at and to drive.
Came to your channel from JayEmm, and it does not disappoint! Just the same problem as with JayEmm: Your tiny English roads give me the chills... Would not want to test the cornering ability of a car only to wake up in the front end of a tractor.. ;) Cheers from Germany :)
I had a e34 M5 in gangster black and it had a story Couldn’t believe it was only 1/524 uk original M5 E34’s and mine was 1/11 in that particular solid black
We bought our E34 touring used with just over 90,000 miles. It looked and ran like a new car though and immediately impressed with its quality build. We had other quality cars but this one became the favorite and we felt supremely safe and secure inside. Unfortunately the automatic transmission failed (suddenly and utterly) at 113,000 miles while on vacation far from a BMW dealer. On the next vacation we had the engine thermostat fail, precipitating a tense return home. When the dual sunroof failed the dealer's best technician said he couldn't guaranty the factory sunroof kit would fix it, and when the hydraulic load-leveling rear suspension failed the repair estimate was astronomical. We were sad we had to replace the car but as much as we loved it the reality of relying on an "old" and complex BMW was too painful. The E34 was a car I wanted to drive to the end but more important was being able to drive home from a trip without incident. As safe as it felt the the risk of being stranded was too great.
I drove one in its day, and it was very good, but would not want a newer BM these days. Yes it has done well, congrats to the owner. We had commercial HGVs and it was easy to get 500,000 miles out of the engine as long as it was well maintained.
Looking back, I think the 1990s were the golden era for the combustion engine car. Well engineered with good build quality and an absence of complex electronics to go wrong.
Totaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy 100%%%%%% agreeddddddddddddddddd!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Back then the marketing vehicle--pardon the pun--was how the car felt and drove since the only real tech was the radio and climate control. Back then you sold premium cars by having them drive better.
These were 1980’s cars 😝👍
I watched his vid on the ISO Grifo (about 1965); a car I really wanted as a kid, but in his review, he pointed out the heavy steering, the offset gear stick, the heavy clutch, and the heavy brakes; a lovely car, but a pain to drive. He's done vids of 1980s big performance cars, and they're so much better, cars that you could actually live with today. They kept getting better until, perhaps the 2000s
The E39 is alright
This is the ultimate way for environmentally responsible driving.
Buying, driving and properly maintaining an older good quality is easily the greenest way to drive.
Still got my 95 525iT, has 260k km on it. Hasn’t survived the elements as well as this car or previous owner’s stupidity but it’ll keep going.
That owner deserves a ton of praise for keeping his car in such an amazing condition! It would still look remarkable for its mileage if it had 100K on the odometer. He's done a fantastic job. ..and: Seeing such a beautiful car from back when BMW built cars i lusted after, does my heart good ❤
Such a timeless design. So much nicer than new bimmers
so right, designs now so ugly. I have a 1997 Z3 an love it, would never buy a new BMW
@@wokeybrokey8006 I LOVED the Z3's, especially the phat a$$ed Z3M roadsters. The coupes are legend and all, and I love them too, but something about the roadsters really floated my boat aesthetically.
this and the E39 were the best bimmers imo looks wise
@@wokeybrokey8006 A coworker drives an older Z4, when he tested a newer Z4 he was dissappointed how "bad" the car drove. No more sports car feeling, but rather a grand tourer.
@@wokeybrokey8006i also never sell my Z3 1.8 L ,what happened to the 007 car the Z8 ,rare because no one would buy a Z8 having a 850 as option
We had the 535 saloon. Straight six, over 200 horses but it liked a drink! They built the interiors really well. How well it's handled rhe mileage ia impressive. However what impresses me most is how handsome it is especially in comparison to the current BMW range. They used to be able to make handsome cars. I'd forgotten that.
Yeah, it's difficult to wrap your head around just how much better these old ones look.
Was the 535i a 6 cylinder? I thought it was a V8....
I had one of these - a dark metallic blue 1994 525i SE with silver leather, wood inserts and air con. The dealer actually had a nice 1994 535i that I was there to see and, oddly for a dealer, he advised me to go to the 525i instead as the insurance on the V8 for a 27 year old would have been massive. So that's how I ended up in a 525i and not a 535i.
These cars had one really bad flaw though. The air conditioning radiator was sat very low and was prone to puncturing. Regularly. Alarmingly regularly in fact. In the 8 years I had the car I had to replace that radiator 4 (yes 4, as in one more than 3!!) times. Each time my eyes watered at the cost. Even the dealer said the location of that radiator is very poor and it's a common problem.
I sold the car because of that constant issue. Had it fixed before summer and sold it straight after summer was over.
@@jp6975 early ones were 6 cylinders before they replaced it with a v8 later on near the end of its life.
@@paultasker7788 Aha, didn't know that.👍
My dad had one. A manual. Computer said 13mpg
During this era, BMW had arguably one of the greatest engine designers in history in Paul Rosche aka CamShaft Paul. He did the 4 cylinder F1 turbo engine (M12) that put out as much as 1400 bhp. He also worked on the amazing aspirated (non-turbo) V-12 (S70/2) used in the McLaren F1. There was a endurance race car series plus LeMans where the McLaren F1's raced in and the cars could do an season of probably 6 to 8 races without a rebuild.
Paul was also there during this straight 6 era as this straight 6's are among the most reliable engines ever made. Obviously, Paul worked with his team and BMW and M division.
Come back down to earth Frank ! I totally respect the rally version of M3,or other hand made BMW that cost over 1 million US per car. We are talking about mass produced BMW cars and all of em known as Terrible ,Horrible Money Pits.There is no way out of it ! So Admit it ,it is non reliable JUNK ! BMW World knows it. I been to that world two times.Never again ! Stay away from it as far as you can !
My Dad owned one of these between 96 and 98 as a company car. He still speaks of it as the best car he ever had. It was a metallic green / blue with 5 spoke alloys, larger kidney grill and a grey leather interior. As a 19 year old when he took ownership, I was allowed to drive it on the company's insurance and the feeling on the occasions when Dad gave me the keys to let me drive was just awesome! He used to encourage me to accelerate hard out of dual carriageway roundabouts and burn off Shoguns / Discoveries. A cool Dad and a brilliant car 🙂
M50B25 engine is among the most reliable engines ever made - not only for BMW. I know people having this engine in their track cars who have been trying to kill them for years without success.
True. A great engine. Vividly remember my E36 320i with 325i lump. Brilliant car!
I didn't think the e34 got the 24v engine until 1993 when the e34 gained the smaller more aerodynamic door mirrors. I could be wrong.
@@tiredtrailer 1990 was the first of the 24 valve engines I believe.
@@tiredtrailer It was 1990, you might be mixing it up with the engine gaining VANOS in an update?
@@tiredtrailer Yeah, the 80's E34 had M20 which was another indestructible engine, but had 12 valves (1 camshaft) and timing belt instead of chain (which in no way made it less reliable). And yeah, M50 had no vanos until 1992
My e30 is turning 40 this December. Trany, diff...etc have been replaced but will say this. In the 30 years with me it has started & moved with no drama even though I leave it sitting for a week to 10 days straight. During covid lockdown the battery died so it didn't start for 6 months - restrictions in our country were insane. Finally got a replacement, was expecting problems IF it even started but no. I just pressed the gas pedal while starting to pump fuel in and voilà! She just up & went as usual.
Outstanding review! Great respect for Big David who owns this car. It's probably down to his driving style and good maintenance that this 525i Touring has done so well. During your test drive, I could not notice any wind noise or rattles - after 500,000 miles in the UK, that's actually a miracle!
A new set of valvestem seals will stop the smoking, had mine done after almost 8 years of hearing all my friends say the engine is done (only smoked on overrun and after idling for more than a minute, only on the takeoff)
Lovely cars, lovely engine
Seal conditioner would be my first move but I agree!
just a waste of money , better to find a mechanic willing to do the job without pulling the head off ( not arguing, this is the best, refresh of the head, new guides, maybe porting it etc, but the expence is not for everyone ) and risk it beeng worn valve guids
but given that most additives are 10-20 bucks ... might try it ... but in my experience all of them (except ZDDP and other friction modifiers ) are just pointles
More chance of seeing god than a modern Beemer doing that without biblical expense.
My F11 is on 302k original engine and box so quite far and away proportionately more than this car.
It’s not normally the engine and gearbox that kills these. It’s the constant repairs of everything else that tends to make these uneconomic to keep. If you haven’t had that experience, fantastic, but you have done way better than average.
@@davog1946 gearbox will go soon if it’s not had it’s 5 oil changes
She’s smooth as silk, old ZF 8 speeds are pretty decent.
This is one of my favourite BMW's. I have always liked the touring spec rather than the sedan. Another great video, thanks. There is the thought that if you keep the vehicle and look after it for a long time, that is the best green way of motoring.
it's a family car, LOL !
I used to have a 1995 E34 540i which was very well put together. I kept it for 10 years and drove only 120 000 miles, but the guy that bought it from me, kept calling for the remainder of his ownership, updating me on what a great car it remained being. He just handed it off to his daughter, and she's planning to restore it to as new condition and keep it "forever". During my ownership I only did regular maintenance, although at a higher frequency than BIG Dave obviously, engine oil, plugs, filters, gearbox flushing, batteries, lightbulbs and other consumables. The only items I had fail, was the water pump (a piss poor plastic impeller was replaced with upgraded aluminium), and the aftermarket engine block heater (I live in Norway, and this increases longevity of the oil and engine during winter operation where we regularly see -15C. I upgraded the suspension as well to Alpina B8 spec, which is still on there to date.) The key to keeping them is to avoid rust. Tuff Kote Dinol, Tectyl, or even Sheep Grease (yes thats right, fat from sheep, the product is called Fluid Film, and doesn't harden or evaporate and might be the cheapest or sheepest product out there as well as the best to prevent rust). It's now 28 years and has been in the hands of people who care about their cars, which is also an issue. I currently have a 24 year old E39 520i, but it has only 68000 miles on it, no rust, engine runs like new, uses no oil, and has had no other faults than the steering wheel locking cylinder/mechanism. I know some people replace it with a button as an upgrade, I just changed the locking cylinder. Other than upgrading to Xenon lamps/angel eyes style, it's standard. It feels a bit dated compared to modern cars, but drives better than 95% of them. These are great cars, and that era might have been BMW's finest. The E91 touring I have is still a very fine drivers car too, but has had more niggles than the E34 and E39. And I've had the E91 (320Xd) only since new in 2009 and only 65000 miles so far, although I must admit it's holding up real well due to its high quality interior. The e34 interior didn't have the same quality interior except the seats that was the Buffalo leather which has aged better than anything I've seen. The Cloth upholstry in the e39 is still as pristine as when new. The ultimate driving machine? well if Volvo had the same wheel geometry and underpinnings, the same quality engine feel, they might have a competitor, but hardly anything comes close. Toyota's seem to live forever, but has no roadholding. Mercedes were really good up until Chrysler bought them, but are now left dead in the water, Saab no longer exist, anything British? meh. The only other manufacturer that seems to build better cars by the years are Porsche. Only time will tell if they push the Bayerische Middelklasse Wagen off the top pedestal when it comes to quality ans longevity (lol)
Damn it!
Every time you do a video like this, I can count on my entire morning lost to auction websites in the search for one.
Cheers mate.
I owned a 94 525i sport with a Manual, during the early 90's, one of the best cars i ever owned, absolutely loved it.
192bhp from standard, however when i put mine a rolling road, it showed a very healthy 201bhp, with 125,000 miles on the clock
Loved that Jack. One of my favourite cars ever! I had a 525i touring too. Bought it in 2003 (11 years old) for £2750 for a euro camping trip. We did 3,500 miles in 3 weeks. It just touched 140mph, managed 43 deg in Spain (with no AC) and used 1/8th L of oil and averaged 28mpg. I loved it so much I kept it for 2 years by which time it had 140k miles and I thought it was getting on a bit!!! 😂 don't think I spent a penny on it and traded it in for £1500 (big mistake). Lovely pan roof too and split tailgate. I would have another in a heart beat as a daily if it wasn't for pesky ulez. The e34 M5 staring in Ronin makes it peak BMW for me. I wish you could still buy new cars like these. Awesome video thanks 😎
A bygone era when the two big German manufacturer's actually made cars to last. My biggest regret was selling my M535i (E28) for a paltry £500 in 2001.......DOH!
Glad you enjoyed it Paul!!
@@Number27 although also gave me the scariest driving moment, a gentle curve on the autobhan flat out at 140mph instigated a weird cyclic bounce.
@@Number27 Paul? If that post was aimed at me? I'm not Paul.
To be honest really the car for the mileage is still in pretty good shape! Back then German made cars were built properly unlike modern ones!!!
Having had both an e34 and an e39, I always felt my e34 handled better, mainly because it held its line through a corner more neatly whereas the e39 always needed some mid corner corrections. Also, its true about these engines, a colleague of mine had a 525i and with no special treatment apart from normal servicing, he clocked up 375,000 miles in it before trading it for a newer e39 5 series. He put a ton of miles on that one too and his wife still uses it these days. For his use, he replaced that one with an e60 530d but it kept breaking down so now he has a Volvo... kinda tells a story about BMW from the 90's to the end of the noughties.
Nothing stays the same. Toyota seldom had recalls. When it became an imperative to dominate global production, recalls became more frequent.
///
I don't know how BMW developes, builds, tests, & tear down evaluates its vehicles. Some Porsches & Nissan GTRs get Dyno-ed in the production process. Data analytics from overall dealer service & warrenty repair can be used to determine a "Good-Enough" vertical time line or # of units, especially on established product. That said variables can creep in from vendor changes, weight & cost reductions, etc. This is before another new model / version of it begins.
Maybe the E39's stiffer body is to blame for the mid corner corrections. I too find myself nudging the wheel when I turn driving moderately fast.
Now is the perfect time for your friend to hop back into E39s and stock up. They're a dime a dozen in the west, and plentiful at auctions/classifieds. Sure they're in a wide range of conditions but a 525i can be had for cheap and with his luck he can push it another 200k. And if he needs donors, E60s can also be had for cheap to scavenge good engines/trans off of.
I've never been a BMW fan, but you make a great case for them deserving the respect they get. Thanks for the good video.
Looks a well made car, especially against some of it's competition. Anything that survives all those British winters has done well! Thanks Jack! 🙏🙏
Do not be a fool ! This Video lies a lot !
@@marksphotoperry356 Really? Evidence? And why aren’t you confronting Jack if you honestly believe this?
@@vittoriostoraro I am a former owner of two BMW cars ,i been driving both cars for over 7 years in total. So what i say is honest true ! Its not only my personal experience with these two cars ; both cars driven over 200000 terrible km ,both cars were professionally well maintained by BMW dealers.Both cars failed about every two weeks and needed to be repaired no matter how they were driven.I feel sorry for any one that drives a BMW ! Its endless money pit ,every BMW part will fail way sooner then you would imagine.Its important to know that BMW wants you to by the car then to by more parts very,very often ! Every part will fail all the time,all electronics,its terrible computer ,ignition coils need replacing every 2 to 3 months,steering,heads ,clutch will come appart and shutter,breaks will wear out years ahead of time,oil leaks from every gasket possible.I have a lot more to tell here but this should be enough.
@@marksphotoperry356 *Ouch!!* - That does sound like a miserable ownership experience. What models and series (or year) did you have? Did you buy them new, or used? Was it the same BMW dealer you were always going back to, or did you try a different dealer or private mechanic.
In the world of Hi-Fi / Home Theatre, I've had a similarly awful run with Marantz gear - a brand that has a very decent reputation (and I personally know people who've had excellent reliability from their - admittedly older - Marantz stuff). The failures I had would be disappointing enough, but what really made my experience "awful" was the fact that the one and only warranty service place in my city was useless and would have my amplifier or DVD player for multiple weeks, give it back to me "fixed" and it would break again with the exact same problem a couple of weeks or months later. The importance of a good dealer/mechanic as part of the overall experience of owning a car can't be understated!
@@danielscott4514 Hi Daniel,so it was two models one 535i 1986 this was the ''better car'' Then 18 years after that 325i 2004 ,both cars new ,Two dealers ,and 3 more BMW garages did not help ! Stay away from this brand !
I would agree with you about the quality of the 525s. Until recently there were many 1980s 525s still in use in the USA. In the last 5 years they are slowly disappearing.
Hi Jack. I had an Alpine white 2002 E39 525i Msport optioned station wagon for a couple of a year's which I sold 6 months ago. I was the second owner and it 310,000km on it when sold but I can truly say it was one of best cars I have driven in 40 odd years. It was built like a brick but was so smooth and quiet yet when needed it would pickup skirts and fly! It cornered like it was on rails and is one of only 2 cars that I miss out the many I've owned (the other was a 928 S4!) Keep up the awesome reviews!
Had two 518i's back in the day, slow as snails, but amazing comfort and great economy
I've had a E34 and a E46 with 400000km and 500000km respectively, the E46 is currently in my brother's ownership as i passed it on to him and it's still going, a 330d with the M57 engine, completely unkillable, regular maintenance done, and had the turbo replaced around 350000km.
330d maybe, but otherwise the E46 is where things started to go downhill as far as reliability goes, at least for the 3 series (more electronics, more plastics, etc. and they weren't notably more rustproof than the E36 beforehand)
@@Tc4ify I didn't have any problems with rust or any quality issues with the E46, it was much better built than the E90's, which I had as well before moving to the F10, and I live in Cape Town near the ocean and I've pretty much had no issues. BMW has always been my go to as we manufacture them here so build quality is very good.
I had a 2001 1800 TE. Loved it. The 1 Series I have now is nothing in comparison.
That 525i is lovely. Round head lights, wheel arches. nice.
Cool vid, dude. Cheers.
Its just gorgeous... older bmw design has never been beaten. Love it.😊
My brother had a 2002 in the early 1980s. He bought it with 150K miles on it and ran it for a few years (not 31) and put an additional 300K miles on it. I don' remember having to replace anything. He upgraded it. My house had the garage with a facility to pull engines, etc. so most of the work was done there. He did put in Recaro seats, upgraded the camshaft, installed a Weber carburetor, and put some nice wheels and tires on it (we had a friend who had a tire distributorship who would also get parts for us) just for the fun of it. We grew up with small English sports cars and motorcycles (Triumph, MG, Austin-Healey) and all were heavily tuned. It was our hobby at the time.
By the way, he still has first car, a 1968 Triumph GT6. He recently took it apart and totally redid it. He also has a 1964 Alfa Romeo Giuletta which he totally restored and rebuilt (a friend of ours had trashed it, like he did everything). Might those be cars you might want to do a video on?
Loved this video! Awesome car! Thirty thousand over 31 years is less than a thousand per year. Divide that by 365 days and you get £2.65 per day. I think by anyone's standard that's an exceptional deal! Keep the great content coming! Cheers!
He spent £18k at Birds most of which was cosmetic so in actuality it cost a lot less than 30k to run and maintain.
Hi Jack. I drive an '89 e34 525i every day. These are a great car (we had a 535 as well) and the only real issues are usually with the cooling system. M20 motor. With only 170000klms on mine.....I fully expect to be buried in it! Cheers.!
Lovely car - my favourite iteration of the 5 series, in the very desirable estate form. I always thought the styling made a subtle nod at the Triumph 2500 estate too……best BMW interiors - much nicer than today’s screen-fest and LCD instruments!
5:09 BANG "...and that is extremely tidy."
Great design by Italian Ercole Spada who penned also the BMW 7 Series E32 and Alfa Romeo 155.
Nice car. Thank you for show casing this car. It really does fit the era and is in immaculate condition. Nice video. Keep up the good work.
Jack, what stood out to me was how quiet it was inside the cabin while you were "giving it the beans". Too often now a car's engine, exhaust, tyre and lack of suspension isolation noises seems to be very intrusive in many, this one was so silent.
Although , not a fan of German cars, I love hearing reports of long ownership/ high mileages of cars . Well done to the owner keeping this car to the standard it is . The surprise of this report though, was the Austin Allegro with 300,000 miles , good on them too!. This is greener for the planet, keeping older cars going , not bringing newer cars , particularly electric ones to our roads.
You lost me at “not a fan of German cars” I’d hate to know what cars you ARE a fan of.
Dude: 4:45 - The E28 Recirc Ball and E10 Worm and Roller were exceptional feel. But yah I hear you.
I had a E34 535i with well over 300kms and it was mechanically fantastic. I’m in Australia so it had zero rust but the interior was sun damaged
My uncle had one of these from new. He loved it. Never sold until after he passed away. 25 years of reliable and enjoyable motoring.
My mechanic said dont buy cars later then 2010 models because thats when the car manufactures put way too much electronics technology into cars and much more can go wrong with them.
This is gorgeous. Theres a 1990 E34 520 around the corner from me, daily driven by its first owner, still has its original dealer number plates! They really don't make them like they used to. I'd run a mile from a modern BMW, but I'd have one of these any day
Well done on this one Jack, they are great cars, I have an E36 that next year will be thirty years old, only two owners including myself and just over 170,500 on clock.
Bodywork OK but paint not in as good nick as the one you are demonstrating here, still on original clutch (it's auto) the exhaust never been touched in over twenty five years that I have owned it so possibly replaced by previous owner with stainless.
I may have said before, runs like a dream and is the same engine as you have there 2.5i.
No idea of parting with it and owned other cars at the same time, had pads and tyres a couple of discs and one suspension spring, would recommend these cars to anyone who wants a keeper, serviced annually and rarely driven over 60mph for last five years, but if she needs to go, it's there.
My dad had an E34 518i for years, and then got a very late facelifted 1995 525i auto Saloon in oxford green, and that started my passion for straight six Beemers. Wish he kept A9 RSU...
Golden Era for BMW. 80's up to E46/E39/E38
good when running well,but a nightmare otherwise.I was in the market for e46 318I'S this time two years ago and If i HAD THE chance would have haggled for one plus found me a local specialist for services.problems my neighbours daughter had with one forced me into a younger Mazda 3.
@franz chong in bmws you want atleast 6 pot. The 4 pot especially on the e46 were crap and unreliable apart from m47 320d engine.
Agreed. I had an E34 520i SE (1992 model year). Solidly built and very reliable. It was incredibly easy to self-service and work on too. Mine was running well having completed over 255k miles but was written off when parked up and hit by a bus.
525 i Was always a dream... It was the series 5 when I was about 20 years old...in Budapest.
Lovely cars. I had an E39 528, beautiful drive. I've got an F25 X3 30D now, also a straight 6. Such smooth delivery of power
Cool car and story! I have always been fond of this BMW design. It looks really good. The mileage is impressive!!
I did buy a similar case myself some years ago, but the car was rusted through. One owner '85 Sierra XR4x4. He drove it 450 000 km before the gearbox had enough. The clutch was replaced, but didn't need to. The rust issues gave it only 30 000 more km.
Stories like these are not about the car it's about the owners! So unlike 'everybody else' and doesn't care, they care about that particular car, truly fascinating! It becomes like a family member :)
They sure don't make them like that anymore! I've owned the 525i and a w124 300E Mercedes. Both are remarkable and if serviced properly they will eat up the miles with no issues. But if I had to pick one I would go with the beamer, it has a more exciting and balanced drive!
A remarkable car indeed Jack Sir, one of BMws best!👍
W124 is the bigger, better laid car I think. It’s the one I wish I’d bought. I love my e34 touring and won’t sell it. I remember driving a 300TE a long while back. Agree that it was a bit dull.
It is a lovely elegant car. Most modern cars go through the doldrums at 10 years old when they are worth little and don’t get serviced or looked after properly. Mondeos were often reported as being capable of stellar mileages but rust and poor residual values usually took their toll.
I remember being driven around in one of these in 1993.
I felt like a king.
A 525i saloon in white with cream leather and brown dash ( chocolate brown dash ) very 90s.
In fact I remember the interior was 2 tone. The cream leather with the brown dash and door sills.
Gorgeous car
Volvo could be a contender. The record holder for mileage according to Guinness (and Volvo) is a '66 P1800 with a verified 3.2 _million_ miles on the odometer.
That said, this is still a great example of what you can have if you just look after things as they happen instead of neglecting issues until they snowball.
But that Volvo has had numerous engine replacements.
@@FFM0594 Last I heard, it had one full rebuild, but it's still the original block and head.
@@aussiebloke609 Nope, it's on it's 3rd engine, which is still impressive.
I had an e34 535 sport on a 89 G plate G282 ECK, great car apart from it having the 12 valve instead of the newer 24 valve, great car anyway, solid built, and great for kicking the back end out, I only sold it as i picked up an e36 m3 evolution on a 97 P plate, private plate on it B17 PSP another great car but engines are more fickle with the high tuning, tremendous torque right through the mid range with the m3, I spent a fortune on the M3, sold it and sat my bike test and ended up with a 929 fireblade on a 51 plate, I still miss the old bimmers though
When a care is taken care properly, it lasts for a long time. I had a 1985 BMW323i, that i bought second hand over 20 years ago, and it pulled strong and drove nicely. It had the previous engine, without vanos and older injection. It used oil and had some body work in need, but it was oh so much fun to drive! Sometimes I wish i had kept it, but then again i would need to do a lot of work in it over all these years! In my opinion is better to keep a good old car in good working order than get a lesser quality newer model only to trade it again and again.
The moment you turned the ignition key and that engine burst into life the exhaust note sounded better than some newer cars. All that praise on a car that’s been around the world 20 times.
Love it. Best era BMW for me.
Used to drive its little brother e30 touring
Amazing, they had so much mystique about them back then too. I had an E39 528i for 20 years. It had 236,000 miles on it when I sold it. Rocker cover gasket replacement was the nearest thing to opening up the engine internals. Loved that car, I had an Xbox in it and screens in the back 😀
I have a 1999 528iT Estate that I drive almost every day. It has 257K miles. I starts instantly, quietly and runs whisper quite. 24 mpg. I have owned it for 20 years. I bought it with 80K miles. I change the oil three times a year. The only wear is on the driver's seat. It is Vermillion (dark red), a rare color and I regularly find notes under the wipers left buy admirers and those wishing to purchase it. The ergonomics are the best. Trying adjusting the radio or anything else in a new car while looking out the window. It feels so solid and safe. I don't see why it wouldn't last another 10 years.
I wholeheartedly agree. I owned three E30 BMW's in the '80s and '90s. A 1985 323i, a 1986 325i and a 1987 325i. Between 1985 and 2001 when I sold my '87 325i I had kept a log book on everything I'd done at what mileage. ( I was a bit of a geek).
Apart from normal servicing which I did myself. the 323i had a cracked exhaust manifold which was a simple repair with a welding shop. And a leaking oil pressure switch (the oil was seeping through the sensor and slowly dripping from the electrical connector on one of the 325's, all they needed were tyres, wiper blades and a couple of headlights which were broken by road repairs where they sprayed tar and then a layer of loose stones which were often prone to be thrown up by passing cars. No exhaust systems were replaced and the total mileage was 330,000 miles. I loved them, they were cheaper to run and maintain than my wife's Ford Mondeo 1.6. The best cars I've ever owned.
The average fuel consumption was 24 (I lived in the country in North East Scotland where all the roads were full of corners and were single carriageway).
It would be amazing if 90's manufacturers were to do another long line of these motors so people like myself born in 85 could have the opportunity to own a brand new one. I still remember my old 328i coupe E36 in midnight blue with the white leather interior very fondly. These cars have hit and bounced back from their depreciation curve and a good one costs a good few grand and will need more spending on it to get it tip top. Glad I got in there when they were still a grand or less.
I bought one of these that had been a BMW service Centre manager’s company car. It was a 525iM. Manual, apparently just a sports exhaust & it sat 2cms lower. Truly by any measure a superb car. Gorgeous note, I thrashed it & it never missed a beat and cost me nothing. It was in a blue/purple with 5 spoke 17’s, large for the time. Sat so well on the road.. miss it for sure..
Jack, so glad you had friends in high school. LOLOL I'm still daily driving my '07 B6 Passat with a 2.0T and 6MT. Now over 300,000km with year round driving in Canadian, salty winters. Still on the original clutch, I had the cams replaced under warranty, have replaced the electric steering rack, brake module, dampers, drive shafts twice, brakes twice, rad fan, and have had a few body panels replaced under the rust warranty... oh and had the even gear shift cable replaced last summer and just had the second timing belt kit done. Otherwise, gas, oil and tires. Great car... hauls a LOT of stuff, and still hauls ass.
That car looks, drives, and sounds amazing. Looking forward to keeping my BMW E46 ZHP on the road just as long as well.
Great video! Just bought a Granite Silver 525i A Touring, and its wonderful.
I own an E34 535i with 255,000 miles on it. I compression tested it, 108-112 across all 6, it's still got more than half its life in it, and it's previous owner was a teenaged drug dealer. I'm planning on pulling the drivetrain out for a locost build, but I would love to pick up a clean one someday, one of the best looking sedans ever built.
Something I've never understood about modern-ish cars that are mainly built by robots on a production line is that its still possible to get good and bad ones when they really should all be the same. I had an e34 535i sport about 20 years ago with really low miles and sold it cos I was fed up fixing the bloody thing. There was always something. From memory the issues included heating that stuck on high temp (no fun in summer) central locking that didn't work, a misfire that had to be fixed twice, starter motor failure, electric sunroof motor failure, broken exhaust manifold studs resulting in a nasty spitfire like noise, i can't remember what else off hand but I only had it about 6 months and it put me off beemers for years. Had a z4 more recently and it was more of the same, whenever you fixed one thing Something else would go wrong.
I drive a mercedes now, funnily enough they have a poor reputation too but touch wood I've had a year so far of no issues but somebody somewhere will no doubt have the same model as me and a pile of repair bills.
Good on him for keeping it though the period when it was worth peanuts, it will no doubt go up in value now in spite of the mileage.
Another great video too mr Jack 👍
I owned an alpina b10 e34 once, that thing drove so nice.
Amazing touring. Love it
Sadly I had to give up my 1992 e34 525i at about 444 000 kms for lack of funds to have it fixed. I trusted that thing so much, so well balanced, so elegant and well planted, and fun to drive even for lack of some power especially at the low end on a heavy sedan frame. Yes, a true good car.
@@olifs8083 The valves were ticking which meant possibly a lot of work on the engine. It was also getting pretty rusty. Kept it for 9 years. I worked on the interior and some of the electronics like I replaced capacitors in the instrument cluster and changed the head unit and modified the audio filters while adding a small subwoofer and 90W amplifier.
Great cars. Had two 525's, one with the M20 & one with M50. The M20 was sold with 180k miles, only major item replaced was the diff.
E34 is beauty I have a 535 and only thing I’ve changed is a steering hose, and clutch slave cylinder
I had an E34 525i saloon, also in archetypical 1980s white, from new in 1989. It looked so stylish, and I think they still do today. As an earlier car it had only 170 BHP but was still quick enough in period and that engine was turbine smooth. It was pretty smooth riding on the original 16" (?) alloys too. But I wasn't driving it enough so I swapped it for a 308gt4 because, well, why not. It may be picky but I'm surprised the owner has put his car up on RUclips with numberplate screws placed to make the 6s look like Gs. If the rozzers stop you for some reason and aren't feeling generous that is technically an excuse for 3 points and a fine.
Your enthusiasm is inspiring
Thanks for watching and for the support. Enjoy the summer!!
Worked for BMW when the E34 was new,my favourite 5 series of them all. 525i and 530i were sweet,535i rapid and M5....well
I had a 520 e34…
Sold it with 320,000 on the clock - still driving fine - but insurance went mental.
Only wear was the steering box was going to need looking at to get it back to tip top…
Shout out to Baymow and Rockvale for their engineering.
A lovely, lovely car.
Ageless. Gorgeous.
I'm not sure the R/B steering system has a rack or anything that looks much like a rack... But I think I get what you're saying.
These seemed always to come with a Golden Retriever when new.... But with or without a dog, they are just lovely.
A nice video and some pleasing praise for a thorough design. 😊😊😊
My mother had an E30 318i for about ten years. In that time the only thing that broke was the air-con. Pity it was an automatic and unbelievably gutless. She got it new and got a very good trade in price on it when my parents replaced it with a new car.
I'd add 1980-95 Audis to the list of well made, long lasting cars, particularly their 5 cylinder models.
Yeah those engines where legendary and the 90s and 100s where built like tanks. Top cars in the day.
@@xmaniac99 had an 84 100 quattro that i commuted between sf and La 2x/month back in the day. that 5 cyl was indistructable
Yep, I worked for Audi back in the late 80's/90's and have owned a good few type 44 quattro Avants, great cars.
Loved this! Very fair and accurate assessment. If you want to have some fun, do an e34 vs e39 comparison.
I think the Triumph 2000/2500/PI need to be considered in the same way
I had the 518 touring in techno violet ....hands down the best car I had ....never had a problem with it
I had an E34 V8 and while my car the steering box I understood the straight 6's had more engine bay space and so were rack and pinion and better for it. Personally I think Bosch and their fuel injection is a large part of why a lot of engines work so well after a lot of miles. My 530i was as crisp as new when I sold it at just under 200k miles.
That was only E39 that had the rack and pinion on the straight 6's.
I own two 88' E34 M20 sedans. One of them had stood 10 years, did full service and fixed some rust then drove it without a issue for 2 years straight, then cam started nocking a bit and diff a bit worn from loads of stop and go daily diving. The other I found in a barn, owner had it since the 90s, mint paint and needs no body work, will get started on oem restoration when I get the time in a couple years. Safe inside untill then
I was a salesman for BMW in that era and got to drive a lot of nice cars. While the 525 was comfortable and roomy, my favourite to drive was the 325is coupé. That car fit like a glove.
out of all the reviewers in the UK, you are my favorite!
My E36 325 Coupe was a 92 model. Bulletproof engine and clutch, gearbox. Can't say the same for interior quality. Wiith factory LSD and the sound it made, it was a great car to drive.
In my opinion (although biased, because I owned a 1989 E34 535i saloon from 2000 to 2007), the best-looking 5-series ever. My gosh, how I do regret selling that thing... It was just marvelous to look at and to drive.
That car in distance drove to the moon and back,loved that era of bmw delicate grills and pretty looks 💕
Came to your channel from JayEmm, and it does not disappoint! Just the same problem as with JayEmm: Your tiny English roads give me the chills... Would not want to test the cornering ability of a car only to wake up in the front end of a tractor.. ;) Cheers from Germany :)
I had a e34 M5 in gangster black and it had a story
Couldn’t believe it was only 1/524 uk original M5 E34’s and mine was 1/11 in that particular solid black
Still looks beautiful too and would fit nicely in any posh setting.
Mine, also a 92, non vanos, manual, has 400 thousand kilometres and I thought that was high, this is on a whole different level
5:09, is that the same stretch of road Harry Metcalf uses to test cars on Harrys Garage?
We bought our E34 touring used with just over 90,000 miles. It looked and ran like a new car though and immediately impressed with its quality build. We had other quality cars but this one became the favorite and we felt supremely safe and secure inside. Unfortunately the automatic transmission failed (suddenly and utterly) at 113,000 miles while on vacation far from a BMW dealer. On the next vacation we had the engine thermostat fail, precipitating a tense return home. When the dual sunroof failed the dealer's best technician said he couldn't guaranty the factory sunroof kit would fix it, and when the hydraulic load-leveling rear suspension failed the repair estimate was astronomical. We were sad we had to replace the car but as much as we loved it the reality of relying on an "old" and complex BMW was too painful. The E34 was a car I wanted to drive to the end but more important was being able to drive home from a trip without incident. As safe as it felt the the risk of being stranded was too great.
This is my dream classic daily driver 😀
I would think the doors would have been replaced since they're so prone to rust on the lower door trim.
M50B25!!!! Such a dream especially in E36 chassis!!!!
I had one of these cars 4-door saloon in metallic green Grey 100000 miles on the clock and it drove nice and it was a manual car I wish I still had it
Thank you for making this video.😊
I drove one in its day, and it was very good, but would not want a newer BM these days.
Yes it has done well, congrats to the owner. We had commercial HGVs and it was easy to get 500,000 miles out of the engine as long as it was well maintained.