Hello everyone,

I realize this question depends on many variables, but I was wondering on average, how high is too high for an e34? I've been eying eBay and Craigslist for a while for a 94-95 e34 and I haven't seen anything below 120k on it.

Is this normal/average for the cars? I intend on using it daily, so I want something that will last. What are some trouble areas to watch out for when looking at these cars with that kind of mileage?

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

Mine has 209,000 miles on it and starts every day with no smoke, and shifts perfectly.

If you're interested in the car, drive the car. Most of the things that go wrong with E34s would pass the "tire kick" test with flying colors.

The front suspension bushings and control arms are a big one. They wobble at certain speeds and under braking at 50-60mph if they're bad, and cost upward of $600 to replace them all (if YOU do it).

Also test the heater and AC. The control valves on the heater system eventually fail and you might get neither to work right. Mine was stuck at full blast heat all the time.

The differential in mine for some reason has a bad bearing in it. That's something you can't hear unless you get it above neighborhood speeds. It didn't stop me from buying the car though.

250K on 91, awesome car. Cousin in Dallas with 448K on a 92 535i and not smoking. ( The car not him)

12k a year is about the avg. so a 12-13 year old car should be around 150k. mine has 160k on it and still runs as stong as ever

Mine just flipped the 200k mark and feels faster than it should...

Mine is in remarkable shape with 130k. Depends on maintenance though.

I paid $9,200 for my '95 540 with 129,000 on the clock one year ago. I didn't think twice. The drive train functions as good as new and i can drive the hell out of it with no sense of needing to baby her... Money answers all things though, right ? So anything that breaks can, for a while yet still to come, be replaced.

170k on mine and it runes beautifully. People don't believe me when I tell them how many miles on are it :)

Thank you all for your responses. I found one that looks great (online) with 153k on it, I'm planning on taking a closer look sometime this week.

This should probably be in it's own thread, but does anyone know of an independent mechanic shop in the Northern Virginia area where I can take it for an inspection?

250K on 91, awesome car. Cousin in Dallas with 448K on a 92 535i and not smoking. ( The car not him)

Thanks for motivating me to change my oil.

Here is a 250K Miles (400K KM) 1996 540iT/6 http://www.autoscout24.de/Details.aspx?id=3uglm2ogtd4 I have heard of E34 M60: s with 500-600K KM that's in working condition, it's not the mileage that kill, it's the owners, so don't worry about mileage, check the car through and find a god car:D

Stephan

I have 197,000 on mine. Still scorches the tires when I'm not even meaining too lol. As some motors loosen, they actually gain horsepower.

I have 197,000 on mine. Still scorches the tires when I'm not even meaining too lol. As some motors loosen, they actually gain horsepower.

:confused

Explain, please...

I have heard that an engine runs best right before it blows up. I have heard this from several sources. Strange though........

:confused

Explain, please...

Some engines with tight build tolerances from the factory loosen up over time during the wearing in process. Bearing clearances loosen to more optimal range, offering less drag, and piston/ring clearances cause less friction and seal better against cylinder walls that have been worn in over tens of thousands of miles.

More power at the 40,000 mile mark and beyond is pretty much the norm among well-built engines from companies like BMW, Volvo, Mercedes, etc. Just take a look at Car and Driver test results of their long term cars.

I thought it was funny that the last long term Land Rover I saw tested in there actually slowed half a second in the quarter mile after 40,000 miles, and had degraded notably in other ways as well.

Basically that tells me that a BMW will be upward of 5% faster and still just being broken in three years after you bought it, whereas a Land Rover will be three years from its grave.

Some engines with tight build tolerances from the factory loosen up over time during the wearing in process. Bearing clearances loosen to more optimal range, offering less drag, and piston/ring clearances cause less friction and seal better against cylinder walls that have been worn in over tens of thousands of miles.

More power at the 40,000 mile mark and beyond is pretty much the norm among well-built engines from companies like BMW, Volvo, Mercedes, etc. Just take a look at Car and Driver test results of their long term cars.

I thought it was funny that the last long term Land Rover I saw tested in there actually slowed half a second in the quarter mile after 40,000 miles, and had degraded notably in other ways as well.

Basically that tells me that a BMW will be upward of 5% faster and still just being broken in three years after you bought it, whereas a Land Rover will be three years from its grave.


Or maybe the driver of the Land Rover couldn't do a proper brake stand?

Paid $6,800 Oct. 2006 for my PRISTINE 102k mile 525i.

Ebay has some nice cars, if you're comfortable with that. A PPI by a good Euro mechanic is a MUST.

My previous '91 525i M50 5spd had 208,000 when I bought it. I put about 10 on and sold it to a friend who has had it for 2 years now.
My current '92 525i has 143k and and runs just the same as the '91.

Turned 17 last November, hit 170k last week. Still runs beautifully.

When I was first looking at E34's, I noticed that later ones (93-95) seemed to have more problems than older ones.

When I was first looking at E34's, I noticed that later ones (93-95) seemed to have more problems than older ones.

They don't. That's something old E34 owners like to tell themselves. :rofl

251K. I can see no reason why it can't go another 100K.

210,000 and still running strong.

Some engines with tight build tolerances from the factory loosen up over time during the wearing in process. Bearing clearances loosen to more optimal range, offering less drag, and piston/ring clearances cause less friction and seal better against cylinder walls that have been worn in over tens of thousands of miles.

More power at the 40,000 mile mark and beyond is pretty much the norm among well-built engines from companies like BMW, Volvo, Mercedes, etc. Just take a look at Car and Driver test results of their long term cars.

I thought it was funny that the last long term Land Rover I saw tested in there actually slowed half a second in the quarter mile after 40,000 miles, and had degraded notably in other ways as well.

Basically that tells me that a BMW will be upward of 5% faster and still just being broken in three years after you bought it, whereas a Land Rover will be three years from its grave.

Sounds like the M20 complex if you ask me. :devillook

Nick

BMW E30s, E32s and E34s are generally very stout cars. With the general exception of auto trannys, they go real long miles as long as they are maintained to a moderate degree.

Some of my prior BMWs are still running in the hands of other owners.

85 318 - I heard its on its 4th owner and has over 250k on the original motor
89 325i - parents saw it last year and we think its well past 225k
93 318is - sold to my cousin to take to college 3 years ago with 179k now has 240k

I would say that as long as you cover the Insp II items every other year and refresh the suspension, bushings and brakes regulary, an E34 will still feel as tight as a new car with over 200k miles on it. There was a recent thread on the yahoo M5 group talking about S38 M5s that are well past 200k and see the high side of the tach frequently. Now thats cool!

Get a PPI on one you like to help ensure you are getting one thats been maintained and then buy it and enjoy it. :D

Currently at 181,000 on the AW M5. Did a front teardown this past weekend, replacing the leaking timing chain cover gasket. The guides looked beautiful and the duplex chain is ready for another 200,000 miles.

Currently at 181,000 on the AW M5. Did a front teardown this past weekend, replacing the leaking timing chain cover gasket. The guides looked beautiful and the duplex chain is ready for another 200,000 miles.

Not to hijack but de Witt, how long did that take you? I was thinking about doing chain and guides on mine later this year as a precautionary measure. Just curious.

Back on topic.

A high mileage can be any number. To me, mileage really does not matter, as long as the car is cared for properly. Any car can turn into a POS at 100k miles, just ask oh noes :)

The person I work with thinks 75k is a lot of miles. I guess it really depends person to person.

i hope i get alot of milage from mine, im at 217k i blv, tranny went out about 1000 miles ago, but i wasnt finished with her so i did a rebuild. hope she keeps running for another long while.

to answer the initial question....over 250k you can start to call high mileage on these cars. someone earlier said that there's more probs with the 93-95's ?!!...maybe he meant the V8's?....otherwise he needs to put down his hookah pipe during posting cuz thats bs! the newer the better. in fact, many believe that the 95's were (obviously) the most refined mechanically and cosmetically.
Many also believe (myself included) that the Alpine white e34's drive faster because they have cooler engines as the white color reflects the suns rays. In addition, the Alpines are known to have the smartest drivers. now you know everything that i know. :D :stickoutt :D

Not to hijack but de Witt, how long did that take you? I was thinking about doing chain and guides on mine later this year as a precautionary measure. Just curious.

Back on topic.

About 10 hours. Yeah, a long time, but I had to take off the hood, remove the radiator, take off all the belts n' such, etc.

HOWEVER, if you do guides, you will have to take off the head and that adds a lot of time. I just did a gasket replacement, no chain guide RR, though I did inspect them.

someone earlier said that there's more probs with the 93-95's ?!!...maybe he meant the V8's?....otherwise he needs to put down his hookah pipe during posting cuz thats bs!

I wish I had a hooka pipe...:(. This was what I remember when doing research back when I didn't know much about E34's, so it's possible that the only reason for more problems reported with later ones is because a lot of them had V8's. From what I read on this board, they do seem to have more issues than the I6's.

Until you get to the point of the body getting weakened via metal fatigue, which I've never heard happen on a car but suppose it's possible, it seems to me that the age of a car (in years or miles) might as well be the age and condition of its repairable/replacable components. If the engine is sludge-free, still holds its original compression, is running like it should and has been maintained properly, who cares how many miles are on it? If the suspension was rebuilt 5k miles ago, what's it matter if that's how much the car drove in an average month of its life?

wow im only at 117000 so hopefully i will have more to go, my last car my a 92 525 w/145,000 and my brother had a 94 525w/ 160,000

Mine just flipped the 200k mark and feels faster than it should...

I have heard that an engine runs best right before it blows up. I have heard this from several sources. Strange though........

i hate you...




j/k :lol

Hey all. I am considering as a 2nd car a one owner 1995 525i manual with 256K. He's had it serviced at the dealer for most of its life and the interior is pristine. Some cosmetic flaws but I am not hung up on that. I am going to drive it Thurs. This thread has been really helpful as far as what to look for.
Anyone have thoughts on this high mileage? All I plan on doing with it is driving it 40 miles RT each day to work and the gym.
ALL comments welcome. Thanks in advance. Its a pleasure to be in the forum.

Hey all. I am considering as a 2nd car a one owner 1995 525i manual with 256K. He's had it serviced at the dealer for most of its life and the interior is pristine. Some cosmetic flaws but I am not hung up on that. I am going to drive it Thurs. This thread has been really helpful as far as what to look for.
Anyone have thoughts on this high mileage? All I plan on doing with it is driving it 40 miles RT each day to work and the gym.
ALL comments welcome. Thanks in advance. Its a pleasure to be in the forum.

I'd pay about $2.5k if I felt comfortable with the records and the car itself.

I was thinking about that $2.5K range. Dont know if he's going to come down that much. Without seeing it in person I can't tell too much about it. However, it appears he cared very well for it. Last clutch was at 130K miles which worries me a little.

Any other comments on where I should be with an offer?

I was thinking about that $2.5K range. Dont know if he's going to come down that much. Without seeing it in person I can't tell too much about it. However, it appears he cared very well for it. Last clutch was at 130K miles which worries me a little.

Any other comments on where I should be with an offer?

How much is he asking? $4k would be a bit much...if your serious, get a PPI and point out how much everything costs to fix. You've got to see how much he wants to sell the car...a few hundred $$$ isn't that much.

He's asking a shade under $4K and I'm thinking of going in with a max of around $3K. The hood is slightly damaged and I am going to want to have that repaired (I draw the line at body work!). Once I drive it I'll have a good idea about the suspension and brakes. I also hope he has his service records.
All that in place and a good feeling I will spend the 3K. I think thats fair.

to answer the initial question....over 250k you can start to call high mileage on these cars. someone earlier said that there's more probs with the 93-95's ?!!...maybe he meant the V8's?....otherwise he needs to put down his hookah pipe during posting cuz thats bs! the newer the better. in fact, many believe that the 95's were (obviously) the most refined mechanically and cosmetically.
Many also believe (myself included) that the Alpine white e34's drive faster because they have cooler engines as the white color reflects the suns rays. In addition, the Alpines are known to have the smartest drivers. now you know everything that i know. :D :stickoutt :D

I second that! Well except for the 95' part. 94' is not a bad year.
I have 196k on the clock and it still drives excatly like it did when I bought it with 105K.
I love these cars.

It's not really a question of miles so much as dollars.. you hit a point at about 100k when a lot of stuff needs to be replaced, and this seems to happen about every 50-75k miles or so thereafter - it just depends on how you maintain the car.

It's not really a question of miles so much as dollars.. you hit a point at about 100k when a lot of stuff needs to be replaced, and this seems to happen about every 50-75k miles or so thereafter - it just depends on how you maintain the car.

That's a great point. Much of it revolves around the cooling system/suspenion.