E34 535i Should I?

[Jb325is]

Yeah just watch out for front end shimmies, other than that there isn't much to worry about with the m30. That said, I parted out my reeaaallly nice e34 to use the drivetrain in my e30. They are good cars but if you are looking for a fun drivers car, it doesn't really fit the bill. Comfortable daily driver? Yes. E34 interiors also hold up really well, just watch out for shrinking door panels. If you end up needing anything for it I have a ton of e34 parts sitting in my basement.

Oh and my best advice when chasing the front end shimmy: Replace EVERYTHING, DO NOT GUESS and only use Lemforder/TRW parts! Make sure you get the pittman and idler arm also, these are parts that are often forgotten and can be the culprit.

Here's my 535i that I parted for the e30 (still brings a tear to my eye):

[VacMan]

That's a very desirable E34. I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Head over to bimmerforums in the E34 section, it's the best English E34 forum around. I love my E34 and don't have any of the shimmies.

[naplesE30]

I just bought a 92 525it auto. Talk about a slow car. It was low mileage and I needed a car that could haul stuff (new house and didnt want a truck). It is a nice car for cruising but the fun factor of driving is not there. The m30 and 5spd should help you in that department. Headliner, door shrinkage, and if it has a dual panel sunroof can all be problematic. Also make sure you do a cluster check to make sure the cluster has not been switched from a lower mileage car. Hold in the right button while turning ignition to run position. It will go through fault codes and the vin#

[VacMan]

I just bought a 92 525it auto. Talk about a slow car.

That's why mine has an S50/ZF310. :)

[naplesE30]

Hows about we make a trade,,,, its only got 68k and 2 owners. Tempting I know.


I am used to slow cars, comming from a 318is though

That's why mine has an S50/ZF310. :)

[quickervicar]

I am used to slow cars, comming from a 318is though

I'm coming from an '81 Rabbit diesel. I know slow.

[naplesE30]

I think my riding mower might be quicker then that rabbit.

[Trevi]

I have one of the E34 540i six speed cars and it is a great all around driver. The 540i is just as good a DD as it is a long distance cruiser.

[TDE30]

Well, I guess a few members have either a.) never had the shimmy problem, or b.) have found a quick fix to the shimmy problem for their E34's. For us though, we've put well over a grand into diagnosing the front end shimmy issue and we still have a trace of it at 55-60mph in my mother's 540i M-Sport. The only qualm I have with it is the premature wear it puts on the front tires. But other issues to look out for in any E34 would be:

- Interior quirks (delaminating door panels, delaminating headliner, sticky glovebox latch)
- Seat cables which will eventually go out and leave either front seat stuck in position
- Lamp Control Module (LKM) which upon expiration will compromise interior and exterior lighting
- Steering box which sometimes has excessive levels of play
- Cooling components (could be a hose or two, could be a radiator, could be the heater core that is a royal bitch to remove from any E34)
- Suspension components (bushings, control arms, etc.)
- Engine/transmission leaks (many G265 leak a bit, also check that the coolant and oil have been replaced at proper intervals)
- Get a leakdown test performed and make sure there is no oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil.
- Apparently E34 535i's had an oil filter canister/housing issue; having only been around M60 and S38-powered E34's, I am not sure about this but I recommend reading up on it as it could prove costly.

Good luck with it, that is arguably the most fun non-M variant of any E34.

[quickervicar]

I think my riding mower might be quicker then that rabbit.

It probably was....until I turbocharged it. :pimp:

[bimmer_E30]

Was it ever resolved? This one does have a bit of a shimmy under braking. I've read about the steering box & column adjustments, but don't know if they've been tried on this one yet. (I doubt it)

No.....i replaced every single thing....everything. but my front tires were really worn-out so that might of been it?

[quickervicar]

Tires can do weird things. I had a Yamaha Radian that would track straight & true with a new front tire. At 500 miles (almost exactly) it would start to tankslap if I ever took both hands off the bars. Four different tires, same result.

I do know that the door panels are delaminating, but there is a cheap (if not quick) fix for that. It was owned by a BMW tech from Philly until about 3 years ago, then by a woman who garaged it during the winter (had an SUV).

[James]

I'd go for it assuming you had the money to spend to get on top of maintenance and stay on top of things.

[naplesE30]

Narrow grill FTW:

[marcreid]

Yeah you should absolutely buy it if it's a good deal... I had a 535i 5 speed and it was just an excellent car all around. Fortunately I never had the front end shimmies, but the steering box was so worn that it could be downright spooky on the highway. Other than that, I just had the shrinking door panel problem, not too big a deal. Really awesome cars though, the M30 is great and with some basic mods you can wake the car up pretty nicely. I would love another one.