SOLD!
What: Up for sale is my 1995 540i M-Sport.
Why: I bought this car locally about a month ago. I have a lovely E30 that I wanted to take off of daily driving status and came across this E34. An E34 540i M-Sport was always on my list of reasonable daily drivers so when I saw it I contacted the seller, test drove it and later purchased it. Since purchasing it I've registered it in CT, cleaned it weekly, filled it with gas (93) and drove. I've driven it for several weeks and have determined I do not want it.
Pros: The previous owner was a doctor and the car was used by him and his son. In the years that they owned it, if something went wrong it went to a professional. They had the ability to spend money on it and as such cut no corners in their upkeep and maintenance of it. The car comes as I bought it. Aside from what I noted above, all modifications were performed by the good doctor and son. I did not get any records from them when I purchased it but I've reached out to see if they have any I can provide with this sale. If I hear back/receive anything I will update this. The following is what I was told by them and judging by the 850csi and the corvette powered Mercedes in their driveway I have no qualms believing them.
Neutral
Cons
Bottom Line: I've endeavored to be as thorough, forthright and painfully honest as possible. The car is in great shape for a 17 year old vehicle. That said, it is not a concours piece, but a well sorted driver's car that you don't have to feel bad about using for what it was made for: going fast while being comfortable and looking boss. All major aspects have been addressed, leaving you miles and miles of worry free driving.
I'm looking for $9.5k.
If you've read this entire ad and looked at the pictures below, come at me with a reasonable offer and let's talk. No trades please. PM, colinpwalker at gmail, or two zero three-five five nine-nine zero seven seven.
Tire marks on concrete were present when I got there. People hold meets there all the time.
Area where I was "hit" that will be repaired before sale. I had to look hard to find it after I pulled over:
Driver's door chip:
Missing paint spot on front bumper:
Chipping on front lip corners:
What: Up for sale is my 1995 540i M-Sport.
- Cosmoschwarz Metallic on black heated leather
- Approx. 145,000 on chassis/Dealer swapped Alusil M60 at 60,000
- 1 of 135 imported to the US
- 11/95 production date
Why: I bought this car locally about a month ago. I have a lovely E30 that I wanted to take off of daily driving status and came across this E34. An E34 540i M-Sport was always on my list of reasonable daily drivers so when I saw it I contacted the seller, test drove it and later purchased it. Since purchasing it I've registered it in CT, cleaned it weekly, filled it with gas (93) and drove. I've driven it for several weeks and have determined I do not want it.
- It's too comfortable for me. I prefer my E30 and plan to pursue getting a second for daily driving.
- I realized if something were to go wrong with the engine I do not have the expertise, time, patience or money to fix it. I enjoy working on my E30 and have done quite a bit of work on it. The E34 540i M60 is quite different from an E30 325i M20.
- The power is too alluring and I love driving. If I'm going to buy gas every 6 days I'd rather lose two cylinders and fill an E30's tank instead of the 540's ~21 gallon monstrosity. 93 is expensive in Fairfield County and it's only going up as summer approaches.
Pros: The previous owner was a doctor and the car was used by him and his son. In the years that they owned it, if something went wrong it went to a professional. They had the ability to spend money on it and as such cut no corners in their upkeep and maintenance of it. The car comes as I bought it. Aside from what I noted above, all modifications were performed by the good doctor and son. I did not get any records from them when I purchased it but I've reached out to see if they have any I can provide with this sale. If I hear back/receive anything I will update this. The following is what I was told by them and judging by the 850csi and the corvette powered Mercedes in their driveway I have no qualms believing them.
- Clutch replaced with BMW parts, including flywheel ($$$). Grips well and I've experienced no slipping.
- Transmission replaced with a lower mileage unit, from a well known place in (I think) NH? Shifts fine, I get the feeling that the shifter was rebuilt when it was replaced and a short shift kit was installed. Shifts are sharp and authoritative.
- Regular oil changes with Mobil 1, 15w50 if I recall from the sticker on the windshield.
- Brakes serviced. The pre-purchase inspection I had done said there was 50% life on the front/60% rear. It stops with the same authority it accelerates and that's saying something. Made me realize how badly I need to overhaul my E30.
- EDC delete (see neutral below) with Koni yellow adjustables and H&R springs. I don't know the E34 scene, but the springs are black I believe, if that tells you if they're race or sport or something. The car rides well, I could immediately feel the difference of there being "more car" than my E30 when going over road imperfections and it absorbs them well.
- Recently replaced radiator
- Driver's door brake repaired by a shop. I was told this is a common E34 problem.
- Freezing cold A/C, heat blows hot, heated seats work very well. All power seat adjustments work on both sides except for passenger headrest height.
- Factory sound system is pretty capable in my opinion; you can certainly enjoy it while cruising around without your only thought being how badly you need to upgrade it. Maybe I'm just not used to a discreet system. The rear speakers were blown and I replaced them with a couple of working Sonys I had lying around
- Front strut bar; no branding
- I was told they had replaced many of the bushings. When looking under the car I could see a BMW dealer label on one of the rear sway brackets.
- I haven't come across a dead pixel on the cluster
- No rips or tears on the seats or door cards. Driver's seat door side bolster has typical wear, but no holes yet
- Stainless Stebro exhaust. From looking under the car it appears to be their full system, which is listed at $1500 on their site. It has an exceptional sound – cruise around daily and let people know you're packing, without having the cops up your ass. At higher RPMs it screams. Definitely a mature, expensive sounding system
- Rare Hella factory smoked tails. I also have the stockers and some red/clear eBay looking units the PO had installed when I bought it. Clear corners on it now, but I have the stock units as well.
- Body is straight and clean, with a few small imperfections. Cosmoschwarz is a beautiful and complex color and anyone calling it black is doing it a disservice. When washing it for the pictures I was reminded how nicely it can clean up. More details in the appropriate sections below
- Dash is crack free, no stains on carpet
- Replaced tri-color steering wheel
- Euro bumper trim, M5 plate filler
Neutral
- Throwing stars are in respectable condition, and the covers are in great shape. There is some curbing present (see pictures). Someone had stick-on weights mounted to the lips, multiple times. There are weights there now, as well as what looks like foam residue from the tape of previous weights. With some time and goo-gone I'm sure you could get it off but I've simply not had the time to try
- The car is currently wearing 225/45/17 Vredstein snow tires. I was told these are very expensive, no longer available, and very capable. Save them for winter or a spare set of wheels when you take them off, or drive on them until they wear out. Your prerogative
- EDC delete. I've read EDC is supposed to be a great system, but it's super expensive to repair/replace parts and if they go bad it can ride like a rock. I do not have information on how the the delete was gone about nor how easily one could restore the EDC on this car. It came to me with an EDC error in the check control, which is typical, but pulling the EDC fuse alleviated this
- Headliner could be cleaned but has no damage. I was planning to dye it black
- Diff weeps a couple of drops of fluid overnight. The pre-purchase suggested that the gasket could be replaced. Diff seems to be functioning correctly regardless
- Wouldn't you know, someone swerved into my lane hours before I took my for sale pictures. They chipped some paint, left a smudge of their own paint and wrinkled the fender lip a hair. There is a picture of this below.
- Sunroof doesn't leak but if you're anal about aesthetics it could be adjusted to sit more flush with the roof
- Paint shines but could due with a few hours spent on a once over with compound/polish/clay/wax/what have you. Again, I simply haven't had the time to put into such an endeavor due to my work schedule
- Clean title but I haven't had the car emissions tested yet. I may or may not have time to get this done before sale
Cons
- Passenger front window switch does not illuminate
- Central locking is not operational. All locks work flawlessly and I haven't had the desire or time to begin troubleshooting it. Car does come with keyless entry key
- Driver rear window works intermittently. With two working front windows, sunroof and A/C I haven't given it a second though. Again, have not even tried to troubleshoot due to time/desire
- Pre-purchase inspection noted minor wear on front sway links
- Pre-purchase inspection noted a valve cover leak
- Pre-purchase inspection noted a minor PS leak
- Coolant level message in check control upon starting/turning car off. Message disappears immediately upon the car moving. I've checked the coolant multiple times and it is not low and is not diminishing. Cooling system is rock solid and temperature gauge lives on the middle line so it hasn't concerned me
- Pinky nail sized chip on driver's door, corners of front lip chipped. Spot on bumper has paintles half-dollar spot in inconspicuous area. Specific pictures below
Bottom Line: I've endeavored to be as thorough, forthright and painfully honest as possible. The car is in great shape for a 17 year old vehicle. That said, it is not a concours piece, but a well sorted driver's car that you don't have to feel bad about using for what it was made for: going fast while being comfortable and looking boss. All major aspects have been addressed, leaving you miles and miles of worry free driving.
I'm looking for $9.5k.
If you've read this entire ad and looked at the pictures below, come at me with a reasonable offer and let's talk. No trades please. PM, colinpwalker at gmail, or two zero three-five five nine-nine zero seven seven.
Tire marks on concrete were present when I got there. People hold meets there all the time.
Area where I was "hit" that will be repaired before sale. I had to look hard to find it after I pulled over:
Driver's door chip:
Missing paint spot on front bumper:
Chipping on front lip corners:
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