Considering a 94 530it, questions first

[blkspruce]

I went and looked at a 530it today and the body is in great shape, the interior sucks and it makes some odd noises. I have a 95 525i that was totalled out and runs like a dream now, but I am not too familiar with the 535

The car does drives nice but it sounds like the power steering whines from the beginning at idle and gets louder through turns. The lady said it was fixed last march (along with $2700 of other maintenance) and now makes noise again. Also, it has over 130,000 miles on it so I assume the block either way is a non-issue, correct? One more thing that concerns me, when I reve the engine up, it takes quite a long time for it to drop back to the idle range. Should I be concerned? Is there anything else that I should check from other members 530 knowledge?

Thank you

[ThoreauHD]

The lady... I would assume that no fluids have been changed. Power steering, brakes, differential, transmission/trans pan, oil, oil filter, fuel filters, spark plugs, 02 sensors, Idle control valve, and possible vacuum leak in the engine itself- if it's not the ICV. Prepare to spend about 1K over what she's offering it for. And that's conservative.

Just don't go into this thinking it's not gonna take alot of work. You have no reason to be suprised considering the situation.

[wingman]

Shouldn't these things be general considerations? I look for service history as much as rust, dints, and overspray. How much are you considering to spend to get this car 'right'? This should be your major consideration. Personally with those kind of issues I would look at another car. There are plenty of E34s out there that do not behave the same way.

[Paul in NZ]

dont buy any old 530it,buy one that has been well looked after upgraded nicely and very possibly will be for sale soon......I have no direct affiliation with the seller,apart from the fact that he is regular on this forum

[Ross]

Sounds like a neglected car. $2700 isn't maintenance, it's repairs.
The idle issue could be ICV or vac leaks. The whine means the pump is or has been run dry, not good.
Why buy a car with a **** interior? The materials the interior is made from are very durable, it takes a real pig to ruin it.

[attack eagle]

not to mention the difficulty in finding a Touring interior. B pillar back, it is all touring specific

[Elekta]

I've spent 3.5 years sorting this one out, and now it's ready for a nice home. I replaced both of my power steering hoses in the first year to eliminate a tiny leak and the steering noise.

I only sell this car because I am getting another touring...because I absolutely love my car and have had a ball driving it and making it special. It is the rarest of rare 530iT's, probably the only one like it in the US.

here is the last thread I posted about it with pics and info

email ggil@texas.net for pricing and timing for pickup.

[brosher]

Yeh power steering leaks are common on the V8's. Sometimes it's the soft line right below the reservoir which is easy to replace. The hard lines however are major work.