Found a BMW that i may wanna buy but before i do. . .

[oldskoollove]

greetings,

i'm a newbie (groans heard all over the world) and i have read much of the archives pertaining to becoming a new bmw e34 owner. the information was helpful. here is my concern: i test drove a 1988 bmw 535i this weekend. it had 162,000 miles. i loved it. the engined pulled strong and with no hesitation or dips in power or torque as you approached the redline. the transmission shifted flawlessly. the car handled well, overall (car tracked straight, steering response did as instructed, etc). however, every time you would hit a bump or hole in the road it felt like there was no shock absorption going on. the car would transmit every nuisance, and not in away that helps a skilled driver track their course. in addition to this when you would break hard above 60mph the car would vibrate, not violently but shake none the less. i'm not a mechanic, i understand how a car works, how a combustion engine works and there were several mechanics in my family, i grew up around cars. so i'm not completely ignorant. and i remember my second car (1990 mazda protegé yuck) having similar symptoms that necessitated me doing things like replacing axles and cv boots and. . .

the seller has all the maintenance records for the time he's owned the vehicle (2000) and he's done some engine work, fixed a lot of the appointments, etc. about 2,000 ago he replaced the struts and related things in the car. . .yet i know what i felt. his asking price is $3,500 i looked at the black book value and they have it pegged closer to $3,000 if in good condition and after seeing the car i'm thinking $2,500 as it it closer to fair (worn leather on the interior, interior panels falling off and stuff nothing that 3 weekends i coudln't fix, although i think he wants to be compensated for his "premium" stereo). I would really like to offer him $2000-2250 but i'm still not 100% sure if even that is worth it. i would like to have a car sooner rather then later (moved from new york where you don't need one to dc where its a rather nice proposition). i wouldn't drive the car much during the week but i've been known to be pretty active in the weekend especially during the summer. . .and would like to have a car reliable enough to get me back and forth to new york and atlanta on a regular enough basis. . .i have about $4500 in the budget to play with (and that is just for the here and now. . .i am aware that these are not cheap cars to own and have built that in in the long term) but as a poor grad student obviously i would like to stay on the lower end of things.

any advise would be most appreciated.

blessings,

leon


ps. i would love for anyone to refer me to a mechanic in the area, i live in tacoma on the montgomery county line and would love to have someone close to my house, who is knowledgable, resonable and HONEST.

[Johntee540]

I live in Reston and use Gary Martin of Martin Motorsports in Alexandria. Not convenient but the best I have run into. He is also an enthusiast and loves these cars as all his guys do. He also runs a saturday "open shop" day for his customers who do work on their own cars and lets them use the lifts. Offers advice and help. He is honest to a fault. Call him - tell him JT told you about him.

[Kalevera]

Not that it matters, but are you sure that this is a US model car? '89 was the first model year of the E34.

Be sure to read:
http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Troubl...will_break.htm
http://www.bmw4life.com/buyingE34.htm

best, whit

greetings,

i'm a newbie (groans heard all over the world) and i have read much of the archives pertaining to becoming a new bmw e34 owner. the information was helpful. here is my concern: i test drove a 1988 bmw 535i this weekend. it had 162,000 miles. i loved it. the engined pulled strong and with no hesitation or dips in power or torque as you approached the redline. the transmission shifted flawlessly. the car handled well, overall (car tracked straight, steering response did as instructed, etc). however, every time you would hit a bump or hole in the road it felt like there was no shock absorption going on. the car would transmit every nuisance, and not in away that helps a skilled driver track their course. in addition to this when you would break hard above 60mph the car would vibrate, not violently but shake none the less. i'm not a mechanic, i understand how a car works, how a combustion engine works and there were several mechanics in my family, i grew up around cars. so i'm not completely ignorant. and i remember my second car (1990 mazda protegé yuck) having similar symptoms that necessitated me doing things like replacing axles and cv boots and. . .

the seller has all the maintenance records for the time he's owned the vehicle (2000) and he's done some engine work, fixed a lot of the appointments, etc. about 2,000 ago he replaced the struts and related things in the car. . .yet i know what i felt. his asking price is $3,500 i looked at the black book value and they have it pegged closer to $3,000 if in good condition and after seeing the car i'm thinking $2,500 as it it closer to fair (worn leather on the interior, interior panels falling off and stuff nothing that 3 weekends i coudln't fix, although i think he wants to be compensated for his "premium" stereo). I would really like to offer him $2000-2250 but i'm still not 100% sure if even that is worth it. i would like to have a car sooner rather then later (moved from new york where you don't need one to dc where its a rather nice proposition). i wouldn't drive the car much during the week but i've been known to be pretty active in the weekend especially during the summer. . .and would like to have a car reliable enough to get me back and forth to new york and atlanta on a regular enough basis. . .i have about $4500 in the budget to play with (and that is just for the here and now. . .i am aware that these are not cheap cars to own and have built that in in the long term) but as a poor grad student obviously i would like to stay on the lower end of things.

any advise would be most appreciated.

blessings,

leon


ps. i would love for anyone to refer me to a mechanic in the area, i live in tacoma on the montgomery county line and would love to have someone close to my house, who is knowledgable, resonable and HONEST.

[oldskoollove]

it is indeed a 1989 model, i made a mistake on the year. thanks for the reply, both of them. . .i was checking the bmw4life website and it spoke about the shimmy being related to bad bushing and balljoints, that is helpful. but would that explain the poor shock obsorbtion?

[Kalevera]

Well, a lot of people have different ideas on how a car should handle. Personally, I don't mind a bit of "harshness" for zero body roll and good control in corners.

I'd find out what kind of strut inserts the current owner stuck on, or had installed, when the front end was rebuilt. Specifically, I've heard that bilstein sports are particularly rough for the front of an E34 (but I've never driven a car with them installed, so take it FWIW).

best, whit

[oldskoollove]

Well, a lot of people have different ideas on how a car should handle. Personally, I don't mind a bit of "harshness" for zero body roll and good control in corners.

I'd find out what kind of strut inserts the current owner stuck on, or had installed, when the front end was rebuilt. Specifically, I've heard that bilstein sports are particularly rough for the front of an E34 (but I've never driven a car with them installed, so take it FWIW).

best, whit

its not the type of tauntness that comes from zero body roll, i've driven a whole lot of bmws particulary late 80's varities. . .it was more like curplunk splat flatness. . .i'm trying to find a mechanic to come with me to take a second look at the car the more i read the more convinced i am that i will make an offer, this would just be that last piece that will give me piece of mind.

thanks brethren.

[632 Regal]

without knowing what strut inserts were added...it just drives like **** for the time being. the issue at hand is the vibration at braking and handling. the vibration at that speed upon braking is usually from worn 'thrust' arm bushings. altho any play in the front can cause the same juddering. It isn't life threatening and you can replace the parts at home if semi talanted in a few hours mattering how deep you want to go and get into the thing. If you plan on replacing bad parts yourself plan on about 250-500 dollard mattering on the extent of wear on everything. If you dont plan on doing work yourself....bail on the car, dealer prices for labor is what seperates 'owners' from 'drivers' with too much money.
hope this somehow help you in your decision.

[oldskoollove]

without knowing what strut inserts were added...it just drives like **** for the time being. the issue at hand is the vibration at braking and handling. the vibration at that speed upon braking is usually from worn 'thrust' arm bushings. altho any play in the front can cause the same juddering. It isn't life threatening and you can replace the parts at home if semi talanted in a few hours mattering how deep you want to go and get into the thing. If you plan on replacing bad parts yourself plan on about 250-500 dollard mattering on the extent of wear on everything. If you dont plan on doing work yourself....bail on the car, dealer prices for labor is what seperates 'owners' from 'drivers' with too much money.
hope this somehow help you in your decision.

thanks this was most helpful. i have been thinking of doing what i can on my own. my father has tools and a nice slab of concrete drive way, my 2 uncles and a cousin are mechanics. i however, don't realistically see myself rebuidling an engine or some other major project so that is my MAJOR concern. i've downloaded a copy of the bently manual. . .gonna check in with my cus one more time and i think i'm going to make an offer and let the universe work it out cause i'm not paying more then $2,750. wish me luck.

[Qube]

Take a good long look at it. Don't overpay just because of...

1) the stereo
2) it's a coveted e34

[BobHarris]

thanks this was most helpful. i have been thinking of doing what i can on my own. my father has tools and a nice slab of concrete drive way, my 2 uncles and a cousin are mechanics. i however, don't realistically see myself rebuidling an engine or some other major project so that is my MAJOR concern. i've downloaded a copy of the bently manual. . .gonna check in with my cus one more time and i think i'm going to make an offer and let the universe work it out cause i'm not paying more then $2,750. wish me luck.

Where did you download it from?

TIA

Bob