1991 BMW 5 Series 518i review from UK and Ireland
"A mellow executive saloon with aggressive shell"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
-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.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1991 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 Manual |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 6 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 135 miles |
| Most recent distance | 141 miles |
| Previous car | Mitsubishi Mirage |
| Date of Entry | 2nd May, 2003 |