The Air Conditioning does not appear to be working at present. I can only seem to get hot air, and fiddling with the controls just makes it worse. I hear replacing a valve of some sorts and a filter should fix the problem.
Looking back in the service history, other than normal wear and tear items (brakes/clutch) nothing much seems to have gone wrong other than, again, the Air Conditioning.
Having solely had Volvos as my cars, I am fairly used to being in a large, safe and comfortable environment. My 340, 460 and S90 were all superbly comfortable and very reliable.
Having got bored with the automatic gearbox in the S90, I wanted to change back to manual. The straight six engine in the Volvo was truly excellent, and if they had done a full-powered version in manual form then I'd have bought that. I started to look at BMWs as they are renowned for their straight sixes and handling. After hunting around a bit and checking with insurance companies, I realised that despite my age I could afford a V8, which with a manual gearbox would be excellent, and it is!
I quickly (and luckily) found an E34 540i V8 with a 6 speed manual gearbox, with all the cream leather and wood that my Volvo had. Cruise Control, Dual Climate Control (which should be good once it's working) and most other little toys. It even has a keypad immobiliser which I've always wanted for some reason?!
Having driven it for a few days now, I can happily say it's the fastest road car I've ever been in. 0-60mph comes up in 6.2s, and as it's limited to 155mph, it doesn't slow up either, even when the speed gets into triple figures. It's truly exhilarating! The handling's spot on for a car that weighs about 1.7 tons, and the grip on 225/55/16 tyres is excellent, helped by the ASC+T no doubt!
Having been used to the 21mpg average of the S90, I am pleasantly surprised to see this 4.0 V8 getting nearly 40mpg on the motorway at 50mph (1500rpm) and about 20mpg round town. Obviously that's taking it rather steadily, put your foot down and it drops somewhat!
Having a manual back is excellent, especially now having 6 gears! The torque is so immense you can happily cruise about everywhere at 1000rpm. The torque figure at 1000rpm is just over 280Nm, which more than the Volvo had at 4500rpm?! It's going to take some getting used to, but I'm certainly enjoying. And at 22 years old, I consider myself pretty lucky to own one of these monsters.
If buying one, make sure it has Full BMW Service History. I have kept some money in reserve (from haggling down the purchase price) so that I may have the funds necessary to carry on servicing it properly.
If you are looking for an absolute monster of a car, with more torque than you would ever need, then I can highly recommend an E34 540i. Although the interior is not quite as nice as the Volvo S90, it is still very luxurious and quiet, and a very nice place to be when you want to go out for a drive!
As an update, having owned the car for nearly two years now, I am happy to say that I still own it and can't see myself selling it. This is the first car that I've had that I genuinely haven't got bored with nor wish to replace. I truly believe that the only possible way to upgrade from this model would be to buy a newer model of the same car - my personal choice would most likely be the E39 M5. But honestly: with a combined fuel consumption of 23mpg (which is what I've achieved over the 1.5 years of owning it), and with STILL more power than I really need, I feel absolutely no need to change it. And despite most of my colleagues owning far newer cars, which probably smell a little nicer, they are still all so envious of mine and love to be taken for a drive in it. Plus it always gets attention, as I believe these are getting rare these days.
It has covered just under 158k miles now, and is running better today than when I first got it. I have replaced a few things such as the PCV, Windscreen Wipers, Brakes, Auxiliary Water Pump (which sprung a leak which worried me at first!!), Petrol Flap Hinge, Door Brake (Check Strap thing), Gear Knob Plaque (I know, I know!!), Lambda Sensors, Drive Shaft Oil Seal (on differential) and then the usual things such as Coolant, Differential Oil, Gearbox Oil, Engine Oil & Filter + Air Filter (when service indicator reaches two green lights, so well in advance!) and spark plugs, ALL with genuine BMW parts.
I am proud to say that I have spared no expense on this car, and to be fair, despite all the above, when I look back at the receipts I have in front of me, it really hasn't cost that much. Especially considering it has never broken down and I drive it at ridiculous speeds, especially on motorways when they're empty as it just feels so comfortable and able to do it (3500rpm ~ 100mph). Pay for the servicing and there will be little else to pay for. This year's MOT was a nice surprise as it passed first time with no advisories and my mechanic said it was perfect :)
I have decided this car is a keeper and I am hopefully picking up a slightly tatty 525TDS (looking at reviews, hence why I'm back on here!) at the weekend to use as a run around over the winter as I am going to look after this 540 and see how long I can keep it for as I really can't see me selling it! No more short trips, no more muddy roads and no more driving it to work down at the farm!!! I'll use the diesel for that and keep the 540 for my proper drives and maybe the money I save on fuel will pay for getting the arches sorted out as they're just starting to bubble and I want to catch that before they rot too badly!!
If you're reading this, then you want to know what E34 540's are like. I feel myself a seasoned owner now, and so am confident enough to say GET ONE and you will never regret it. I personally had to have a manual, but I reckon either would be good ;)
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