Faults:

Buying a car with over 200,000 miles on it was a risk. But I ended up only having a few issues.

Mass Air flow sensor went out (Cost $300 to replace)

Multiple Coolant leaks (typical for age)

Power Steering leaks (again typical for age)

Other minor things like dashboard light bulbs etc burning out.

General Comments:

For a car approaching a quarter million miles and not being diesel, I have been very impressed with the reliability of this car!

It handles tight, and is very comfortable to drive.

It has plenty of power, although it's a bit slow right off the line.

Fuel efficiency is top notch for a V8 (about 19 city and 28 highway!)

This car is like a tank, it just doesn't break down.

Faults:

Water pump broke. Replaced by dealer under courtesy warranty.

Brake light switch broke. Replaced it myself.

Idle control issues, still troubleshooting.

Headrest electrical adjustment broke.

Replaced several lights and small mechanicals that would be expected to be bad at 100k miles.

Variable valve adjustment unit is noisy at idle (like a diesel). Looking into getting it replaced. $$$

General Comments:

Car still looks new. Beautiful!

Great BMW handling. A dream to drive.

Comfortable leather seats look new.

Decent fuel economy for a bigger car.

$50,000 less than new!

The newer BMW's have serious reliability issues now that they are getting some miles racked up. So I will continue to keep this car in good repair and expect to drive it for another 100,000 miles.

This is a great car to have at this mileage if you are good with a wrench and / or have a large wallet.

Faults:

There were some things wrong with the car when I purchased it.

There is shudder in the steering between 50-60 MPH. I understand this is a bushing problem. Dealer replaced these prior to my purchasing, along with front struts. Shock towers were reconditioned. I am going to rotate the left rear tire to the front, as the front tire was running on the old bushing/strut combination.

The BMW stereo bites. The amplifier behaves as if it were a tube amp, requiring significant time to warm up before the volume can be raised high enough to appreciate the music. When the headlights are on, the dimmer switch affects the volume: the dimmer I set the panel lights, the louder the volume. The volume control knob has static and the sound cuts out on rough roads.

General Comments:

This is a nine year old car. I was expecting some quirks when I bought it. Other than the two items mentioned above, everything on the car is as new.

I did my homework on the E34 before buying one. My dealer was forthright with me that the engine block was the newer Alusil and had no problem with my visually inspecting the casting number for myself.

That being said, this is a fantastic car. I travel quite a bit and needed something that would gobble up the miles in mountains and flats. The car cruises at 72 MPH and averages better than 26 MPG, which is better than rated.

I haven't owned an auto-box car in over 20 years. I was hesitant, but you don't find 540's with Alusil engines for sale very often; I spent over a year looking regionally for the right one. In "Sport" mode, the acceleration is great. The "Adaptive" mode is a bit on the lazy side, but I'm not complaining about it. Haven't really needed to play with the "Manual" mode.

Great ergonomics, comfort, firm ride. I actually look forward to my commute.