Regardful
02-15-2007, 09:04 PM
I've always liked the styling of the early 90's 5 series, and now have a opportunity to pick one up for what appears to be a bargain price, $1500. The particular vehicle I'm considering is a 5 speed 1991 525i with 198k. It's a one owner vehicle, which comes with a hefty folder full of receipts for everything ever done to the car. Recent work has included new clutch, water pump, new front suspension, O2 sensor, rear differential seal, brakes, and new tires. According to the owner, who's wife drove the car, everytime the car made a "funny noise" his wife had him take it to the shop for repairs, and the receipts certainly validate everything he has told me.
Overall the car appears to be in reasonable shape for a 16+ year old car. The body has some dings and scratches, but no major accidents or bodywork are evident. The interior is also in relatively good shape, with a few trim pieces coming loose here and there. The leather seats are actually in very good condition, but the drivers seat has a small hole on top where a seat spring wire has managed to wear thru.
Mechanically, the car seems incredibly responsive for a vehicle with almost 200k, and I was amazed, having never driven a BMW before, how smooth and linear the power was. During the test drive I accelerated, and looked down to see the tach at almost 7000rpms, with little apparent effort. Having built GM V8 motors in the past to hold up to that kind of strain, I couldn't believe how well balanced the inline 6 motor was. The handling also seemed to be very responsive and with the exception of a coolant level warning light (I'm guessing sensor based on what I found here), and a oil leak(perhaps a valve cover gasket?), which appears to be coming from the front, the car seems in very good shape.
OK, after a long-winded introduction, here are my questions:
- First, are there specific things I need to look for with regard to the 525i?
- Second, I'm having a little trouble validating the motor for the 1991. Some sights say the 1991 525i's came with the M50, some say M20, while others say there were some of both for 1991. The best I can tell thus far is that the M20 intake runners are a semi-circle or "C" shaped, while the runners on the M50 appear to be straight. Since I really want the M50 (189hp) version, is this a good way to tell the difference between the two motors?
The car seems like a really good deal, and I don't want to pass it up if it is a M50! Many thanks in advance for reading, and responding to, the "newbie" post!
Overall the car appears to be in reasonable shape for a 16+ year old car. The body has some dings and scratches, but no major accidents or bodywork are evident. The interior is also in relatively good shape, with a few trim pieces coming loose here and there. The leather seats are actually in very good condition, but the drivers seat has a small hole on top where a seat spring wire has managed to wear thru.
Mechanically, the car seems incredibly responsive for a vehicle with almost 200k, and I was amazed, having never driven a BMW before, how smooth and linear the power was. During the test drive I accelerated, and looked down to see the tach at almost 7000rpms, with little apparent effort. Having built GM V8 motors in the past to hold up to that kind of strain, I couldn't believe how well balanced the inline 6 motor was. The handling also seemed to be very responsive and with the exception of a coolant level warning light (I'm guessing sensor based on what I found here), and a oil leak(perhaps a valve cover gasket?), which appears to be coming from the front, the car seems in very good shape.
OK, after a long-winded introduction, here are my questions:
- First, are there specific things I need to look for with regard to the 525i?
- Second, I'm having a little trouble validating the motor for the 1991. Some sights say the 1991 525i's came with the M50, some say M20, while others say there were some of both for 1991. The best I can tell thus far is that the M20 intake runners are a semi-circle or "C" shaped, while the runners on the M50 appear to be straight. Since I really want the M50 (189hp) version, is this a good way to tell the difference between the two motors?
The car seems like a really good deal, and I don't want to pass it up if it is a M50! Many thanks in advance for reading, and responding to, the "newbie" post!