1991 BMW 5 Series 525i 2.5 gas from North America

Summary:

Comfortable with excellent reliability

Faults:

O2 Sensor needed replaced

Sun visor spring broke

Lower door trim rusted

General Comments:

Best car I have ever owned and much cheaper then my last car to keep on the road. Car handles excellent and is and decent in the snow. The automatic transmission has been flawless and never hunts for gears. Very comfortable for long trips; I was driving 4 hours one way every weekend without fatigue.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th January, 2004

1991 BMW 5 Series 525i 2.5 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Understated bargain

Faults:

The radiator leaked.

Seats have started to wear badly.

Sunroof can sometimes stick.

Rear windows tend to stick as well.

General Comments:

Great cruising car, especially on long trips from Kerry to Dublin.

This car is seriously quick and handles like it's on rails, especially since it came with 17" 235 tires.

Its true what the sales person said to me "This car has a great set of lungs!", just gently touch the accelerator and it takes off.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th October, 2003

1991 BMW 5 Series 520 i 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A real Bobby Dazzler

Faults:

So far nothing has "Gone wrong" with the car, although since owning it, I have found some problems that will need to be remedied.

Firstly, there is an apparent, albeit, intermittent, smell of petrol, I suspect from the fuel lines.

Second, after the first few minutes, when the car reaches "normal" driving temperature, when stationery, the engine idle speed rises and then drops of it's own volition, (any ideas?)

Thirdly, the car "judders" at 90 Miles per hour. And the car judders under braking, suspect warped brake disks.

The interior, apart from the drivers seat is in very good condition, and have been offered a complete interior for £100, cheap as chips.

General Comments:

Although it would appear that there are some problems with the car, as above, you would expect some problems buying a used car of that year, so I was not daunted by the prospect of getting them fixed.

The car is a pleasure to drive, the body work is solid black, which when polished looks stunning, the car is lowered, probably a little too much, as certain speed ramps have caused concern for the exhaust system, but handles well both in the dry and the wet, although it can still slip out when driven hard, so ignore this at your peril.

I looked long and hard for this car, and paid less than £1000 for it, and am thoroughly pleased with it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th June, 2003

16th Jun 2003, 12:43

I have a 1992 BMW 520i, I had the petrol odour problem, I remedied this by removing all the rubber petrol hoses and soaking them overnight in WD40. It worked a treat, although wait until they dry out before reinstalling the hoses. Hope this helps.

17th Jun 2003, 07:12

The E34 5 series is a great car. Try http://www.bimmernut.com/forum/5-series-bmw/ for great advice and support.

Don

95 520iA.

17th Jun 2003, 11:22

Thanks guys for your help and advice. Took the Bimmer in today to have a diagnostic on it, seems it may well be the exhaust temperature sensor? a NEW one on me. We will wait and see. Once again thanks.

21st Jun 2003, 12:39

Seems it was something called the Lamda sensor, now going in for a clutch replacement.

22nd Jun 2003, 19:57

Well it seems it was something called the "Lamda" sensor, £155.00 later it seems to have done the trick, now for a replacement clutch £300, we will see what next, still a great car.

30th Jun 2003, 06:47

Well, the clutch cost a little under £400. A little more than I had expected, but hey, you have to expect it with a quality car.

1991 BMW 5 Series 518i 1.8 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A mellow executive saloon with aggressive shell

Faults:

-Noisy tappets, replaced camshaft

-Steering links needed replacement

-Fuel lines rusted

-Gear lever gets a bit loose and wobbly with age

-Throttle position switch soaked in oil prevented idling correctly

-Fan clutch failed, caused overheating

-Coolant reservoir cap failed, overheating.

General Comments:

I've done all repairs on this car myself, otherwise I couldn't afford to keep it. With insurance costs so high in this country too a 1.8 engine is even expensive to run. But If you love tinkering with real cars this is a good introduction. It hasn't missed a Monday morning yet.

To drive, it's cozy yet it rolls and handles solidly. The chassis is quite wide and you can feel this in the stability when turning, along with the anti roll bar keeping you level.

The engine is a bit small for the size, but cruises gloriously.

If you find one of these without a rattling diesel sounding engine, you're very lucky, change of camshaft and tappets sorts this out though.

When I can afford the running costs I would love to get into a 525 or 535 but I'm loving this car for now.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd May, 2003