1994 BMW 5 Series 525it Touring 2.5L V6

Summary:

Timeless Design, Reliable BMW

Faults:

Had to replace:

Battery ($120)

Brakes ($600)

Valve cover gasket ($250)

Inspection II ($600)

Other misc. preventive maintenance along the way.

General Comments:

Bought this 525 Touring wagon used in 2005 for $6000. Transmission was replaced prior to my ownership at 112K miles and came with 3 yr warranty. E34 wagons are a bit rare and only built from 1992-1995 but can be found. So far this wagon has been the best vehicle I have ever owned. The E34 Vanos engine is so smooth. Timeless design, looks and handles like a much newer car. I am a musician and this wagon hauls quite a bit of gear thanks to the fold flat rear seats. Stereo is only so-so and being a 1994 car there are no cupholders, although lots of 3rd party options here. The V6 is a little sluggish off the line but it's a smooth powerband with plenty of passing power. AC blows nice and cold. Seats are so comfortable, especially on long trips. E34 BMWs reliability record is well documented. If you do the preventive maintenance and budget $1000-$1500 a year this car will keep going and going.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th August, 2008

14th Jan 2009, 15:01

Um, it's not a "V" 6.

1994 BMW 5 Series 530i

Summary:

A mechanical nightmare

Faults:

The cylinder is losing compression badly. Problem was with the BMW design. Engine block made from Nikisil which reacts poorly with US gasoline. Scars the inside of the cylinder and causes leak down. BMW replaces engines if less than 100,000 miles or 6 years. They would not repair this model.

General Comments:

For a $50,000 car, this car is a piece of junk. Poor reliability, engine that blows up at 83,000 miles.

Poor acceleration. Reasonable handling, but rather heavy and clumsy.

Seats are completely worn out and hurt my back.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 8th July, 2003

16th Nov 2003, 11:40

You paid $50,000 Dollars for a 1994 BMW 530i in this year??? I don't think so.

If you take a look at http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/, you will see that your car in good condition costs about $11,000-$12,000. In average condition it costs about $9,900-$10,800, and in poor condition it costs about $5,900-6,500. And without a doubt you bought a BMW in pretty bad shape once you had a problem with the cylinders with only thousand miles. So I don't think you really paid all that price, for a used car in pretty bad shape. In fact, I don't think that you really own a BMW 5-Series, and you are just another American and jealous Ford Taurus owner, that still cannot accept the fact that the German cars are the best.

That's right bud! I own a 1994 BMW 530i Sedan metallic silver that my wife gently calls "German Silver Arrow", which I bought in July of this year as a replacement for an old, expensive, overrated and unreliable 1993 Ford Tempo GL 3.0 V6 sedan 4-door.

My Bimmer has never let me down so far. It's one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned, although I have known that German cars are generally expensive to maintain, but they never break down. I hope I will never have any kind of serious problem with my BMW, despite its age.

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1994 BMW 5 Series 530i 3.0 32 valve V8

Summary:

This car is a money pit

Faults:

Engine block losing compression.

DME blown.

All brakes.

All ignition coils.

Valve cover gaskets.

Intake gaskets.

Thermostat housing.

Power seats.

Heated seats.

General Comments:

This car has way too many things that can go wrong with it.

Everything is ridiculously expensive to fix.

The engine in this car is make of a compound called nikosil. The compound is affected by a high sulfur count in American gasoline, which causes the cylinders to be eaten away. BMW knows about the problem with the engine block and only fixed it (under warranty) if it happened within 5 years or 100,000 miles. This is over a 4000 dollar repair to change the short block if you have to pay it yourself. I bought this car without knowing this and my car had just gone out of the warranty from BMW to fix it. So now I have this to worry about plus the 4000 dollars it cost me to fix the rest of the stuff.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 10th December, 2001

27th May 2003, 01:14

I too had a 530 and was fortunate to have my BMW dealer replace the block while the car was under extended warranty (replaced at 73,00 miles). You may try to call BMW corporate offices and notify them of your problem. There have been cases where they will cover the cost. Once you get the new block in, you will indeed enjoy the smooth and fairly responsive acceleration.

18th Feb 2005, 00:51

Money pit is right. You would think that for the kind of money these cars command that the quality would be better.. much better. The power steering hoses leaked, the trunk leaked, a wiper rubbed against the rim of the hood, the plastic cover on the driver seat belt cracked off, the hood opening lever snapped off... the up-down mechanism on the headrests froze up, and a water pump failure at about 55K miles...

All this stuff cost a fortune to fix, so I ditched it...

I must say in its defense that it was a blast to drive, fast smooth and handled beautifully. I just wish the other parts were built better. When it was new, it was at the dealer a LOT for warranty fixes... Fun to drive, but a pain in the butt...