The problem with an E34 is the high running costs. Stuff *will* break, becuase they are old, and it will be expensive to fix, becuase it's a BMW.
Put simply, if you can afford to run an E34, you can afford to spend more than 500 quid on a car. If you can't afford to spend more than 500 quid on a car, you can't afford to run an E34.
Now, I dont want to sound like a stuck record here but I genuinelly think it's difficult to do better than an old Mondeo for this sort of money. Genuinelly capable car, comfortable, plenty of kit but crucially for cars of this money, it's actually reliable. They are dependable cars plus if the worst happens and something does break, as long as it isn't the clutch it's both cheap and easy to fix it.
Plus there are literally billions to chose from.
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How about a 205 XS? ;)
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I used to have an E30 BMW 3-series 318IS (16valve twin cam) and absolutely adored it. I ran it through uni and never had any major problems at all. Only things I had to change in two years were thermostat and starter motor (plus consumables).
Cracking car to drive (rear wheel drive), looked awesome in silver, quite fast, built like a tank and a bit different...Ford Mondeo = great car but yawn, yawn, yawn!
You can get one for around 700 quid no probs.
Go for the Beemer!
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I've had two E34, a 525 petrol and a 525 diesel both superb cars, and miss them, got rid of them because I wanted a smaller car. David, these cars in my experience are not much more expensive to maintain than any other car, if you find a decent independent, and lets face it, if something goes wrong and its not effecting the driving/braking or causing a danager then ignore the problem, the amount you are looking to spend wont justify fixing it anyway so take the bangernomics approach and run it into the ground. Things to look for, make sure the wheels are not metric, my diesel had metric tyres and were around £200 each to replace, the heater matrix ewnt on mine, this caused continually misting of the windscreen, but again it's something you could live with, I did for months because I didnt know what the problem was:-)) and thats about all the problems I had with mine. On some early models the water pump had a plastic impeller/impellar? and can disintegrate, the 525 engines are chain driven and the ones to go for. Good luck
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What sort of mileage/use are you expecting? Pick a car for the task. Long trips= Mondeo/Cavalier, perhaps, short, slow commute = Corsa/Fiesta.
I'm running a 405 TD - good long distance, economy great, even on short trips. Saloons are cheap, and good so long as they have not been mini-cabbed/taxied. Paid £600 for it.
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>>Now, I dont want to sound like a stuck record here but I genuinelly think it's difficult...<<
Lol - I knew what was coming just by reading that! ;-)
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and i totally agree with the man Adam as its the most sensible choice with proper reasoned argument.Who the heck wants an old bmw thats on its final journey...........
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Yes, sensible it may be...but he's going to be a student again so it's a chance to throw caution to the wind and have some fun.
Besides, none of us know if the BMW is on its last journey - mine did well over 150K miles before I sold it and had no major mechanical problems at all and my father has an E34 with 180K miles on it which he uses everyday with total reliability.
There's plenty of time left for him to be sensible later on in life!
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No need to spend as much as £500. Hunt around the classifieds for a Cavalier, similar qualities to the Mondeo in many respects. Not as much fun to drive but cheaper to replace a clutch on.
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I recently brought myself a 1996 N reg mondeo 1.8td glx as a cheap second car, it had 135k on the clock, came with a years mot and runs perfect, and best of all it only cost me £250, already done 3000 miles in it and it's not missed a beat. Bargain!
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I was thinking more in terms of corrosion in bodywork,suspension/brake parts all being at the end of their serviceable life rather than the actual engine /box Matt.
Old cars are a pig to work on with everything seized etc and unless you have a well equiped workshop then even mundane jobs become a chore on an old banger.
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I found my 1997 306 much more difficult to work on than my 1990 BMW due to the lower level of engineering employed in its manufacture and far lesser build quality throughout.
The BMW didn't have a spot of rust - ok a tiny bit on the surface of where the spare wheel was kept. Spare parts can be sourced very cheaply on German French Swedish website etc etc...
Sorry to bang on but I do genuinely believe that a high-mileage, older, quality German car can be bought with your head as well as your heart. That's why if you look at the Classifieds section you'll see my 150K mile Audi Cabriolet for sale. Never missed a beat! I'm off to look at adverts for E36 M3 convertibles...
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"How about a 205 XS?"
Good idea, haddock, but by now you won't find one in a decent enough state not to give problems, methinks.
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As an advocate for all things BMW I would normally say yes, but I honestly wouldn't under these circumstances. You'd pay a grand for a good one and then it's still risky. Go for a Cavalier.....you can get agood one for £500.00 including performance versions that can still show a clean pair of heels to the saxo brigade.
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Try a E30 BMW: cheaper to run .. easier to work on. Bodies ok,.. lots dirt cheap . You can afford to be selective.
Otherwise search Autotrader..and see what you get for the price and a mileage limit.
madf
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i will probarbly get shot down in flames for this but my choices would be pug 306, renault megane or a later daewoo of some description ie nubira, leganza or lanos having owned a 306 a megane and two daewoos (nexia and leganza)all of which have been reliable cheap to run and in the case of the two french cars cheap to fix if they go wrong (daewoos are fairly expensive to fix if they go wrong )personally tho for a 500 quid banger i would go the french car route definatly not a ford and never ever a bmw ( i hate and detest fords and bmws)
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Cavalier SRI. £500 should get a mint one on a J plate (last year before the cat became compulsory).
Had one from new as a company car. In many ways the best car I have ever owned.
Goes like stink. Bulletproof and the hatchback can take two double basses. I was dating a member of the Philharmonic at the time.
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Thanks for the suggestions. Obviously at this money I can't rule anything out (except a Metro or a Cinquecento, probably).
Audi is a definite possibility - my dad had three and loved them in the late 80s/early 90s.
E30 - maybe but I still have this thing about the E34 (and E39 and E60 but they're not options of course...)
Citroën - again, I'd happily have a nice example. Slightly worried about hydraulic suspension but still worth thinking about.
Escort - thanks for the offer and I wouldn't exclude a post-facelift 95M on one... but the earlier ones were so godawful I don't think I could.
Mondeo - again a possibility but I have the feeling that the clutch is one thing that could go particularly easily on a well-maintained car at this sort of age.
205 XS - BH was suggesting that because I e-mailed him about one I saw at auction with a price of £100 to take it out of the auction. It was on 160k with 2 months' MOT and very clean although in need of a service. Decided against it, mainly because of the hassle of taxing/storing it whilst I kept another car although I've now decided to get rid of my own car ASAP (without rushing it that is).
306/405 - good 306s with any engine, let alone the XUDT are rare at this money although I would love one if I could find one. 405 would be ideal although finding *any* good one is tough. If I do, I'd be very tempted. I've also got a lead on a part-exed early 406 SRi.
Cavalier - a possibility as well. Saw a very clean N-reg one with the 2.0 16v Ecotec engine for £395. Decided against it (didn't test drive it at all) because it was an auto. Also, with the later engine it presumably needs the frequent belt change and I would imagine that it would be more difficult on this than on the earlier, 8v cars. Am I right in thinking that?
Finally, I've looked at the E34 and in some ways it makes sense. Parts prices are very little more than I've been used to with Peugeot, there might be a market for it in a year's time when I've finished with it, and it's chain driven with ABS and a good level of kit so feels pretty modern and safe for its age, all things considered. Yes, fuel and insurance might be a litlte more but insurance is only a couple of quid extra and fuel - well I won't be doing enough mileage to care, so this is an opportunity for me to be a little silly.
My major concerns would therefore be finding one that isn't a shed and finding someone who can work on it without too much difficulty. Of course with this budget, flexibility is important and I'd be quite happy to drive anything that is in good nick and does the job. Off hunting later.
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>>Also, with the later engine it presumably needs the frequent belt change and I would imagine that it would be more difficult on this than on the earlier, 8v cars. Am I right in thinking that?
Yes you are, it is a bit more of a fiddle on a 16v, plus there's the valve bending consequences of getting it wrong :-(. I'd suggest the same as Thommo, get a late pre-cat 2 litre. I only pensioned off my H plate 1.8 3 years ago because the coolant hoses were disintegrating, due to years of oil contamination, and the replacements were £££.
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It's funny, there's always people complaining that they get offered virtually nothing for perfectly good cars (anything older than about 1997 seems to be worthless to the trade) and they don't get sniff when they try to sell them privately.
Yet people looking for cheap cars say everything they go to look at is an absolute heap.
I wonder why these buyer and sellers rarely seem to meet each other?
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because if you are a buyer you want a new car for £500
and if you are a private seller you overprice your junk.
Ive just sold a p reg corsa "trade sale" to a lad for £795 and its taken him since 9.15 this morning to make his mind up to buy it and it was a peach with 10 months mot and i gave it a full safety check and new discs/pads.
I cant be doing with that everyday.
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You sold someone a P reg Corsa??? Now that's just nasty! ;)
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I have got a '92 Honda Civic 1.5 Vtec saloon that i just keep and use whenever.It was imported from Japan 2 years ago and i ended up with it for virtually nothing.I have done about 20,000 miles with it since.
The car is very bland to look at,has a rear spoiler,a/c,pas,etc and revs to the moon and back and really does show up a lot of performance cars.
I doubt that anyone would give me more than £500 for it,but i will not sell it.Point is if you look around you can find some very good imported Civics and Corollas with some intresting engines that will be totally reliable for shillings.
They are overlooked by many.
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Car hunt found three vague possibilities:-
1. A 1992 K Peugeot 405 STDT that was immaculate inside, a bit rough cosmetically, but which apparently "drives very well." £350 before haggling with four months' MoT but it was too difficult to get out today - will bring a more mechanically knowledgeable friend tomorrow.
2. The above-mentioned 406 2.0 SRi - basically clean although a few minor scars and a little rust and a scrape on the rear sill. No MoT and the brakes need attention but £250 so plenty of money to fix it up. With no history and 161k (although the engine and box were sweet) it's also going to need a timing belt.
3. A BMW 518i. 94 on an M, mileage unknown, but bodily excellent and four newish tyres. Post-facelift model, and the alarm works because I opened the door and it went off. Other than that I know nothing about it because I couldn't find a salesman (presumably popped out from the back-street garage). £695 before haggling. Of course it could have no engine or brakes whatsoever and at that price an MoT would be an unexpected bonus but I'll still go back and find out more.
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205 STDT, hens teeth, but great.
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1-2-3 all scrap yard fodder,if you really want to buy a banger like any of these 3 why not go to your local auction and find death row ?there will be lots of stuff like these awaiting the crusher man as vendors buyers and auction have abandoned them as no wanters
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1. and 2. I think you're right.
1. almost certainly; 2. is heading that way too to be honest.
3. was superficially in really nice nick - but I had no chance at all to assess it properly.
Certainly I saw lots of cars that were worse and should have been in the scrappy. I think auction is probably the way to go though unless I could find something really sweet privately.
On the other hand, what is not "death row" material at this end of the market?
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David - I hesitate to say this as i'm sure you've thought this through carefully - but this is going to ba a gamble whatever you choose. You could so easily end up paying more in repairs (especially if you chance a BMW and are less lucky that BMDubya has been) than the £1500-odd that you hope to gain by chopping in your 406.
OK, the 406 may need repairs too but you know it well and have presumably looked after it: and you're going to do fewer miles, you say. Could there be any other sources of income (e.g. part-time bar work) which could keep you going, while you hang on to the Peugeot?
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Avant - I agree with you entirely and if it were simply a question of having paid off less debt or having less in savings, I'd carry on with my car and wouldn't even contemplate a change down.
Unfortunately I need £x by day y for the fees and as it stands I'm already chucking every spare penny at it.
I'm already in debt from doing it last time round and so I won't have borrowed any money to do it this time. I'll also be working part time (probably with my current firm, if not in the bar where I've just come back from my second job tonight) and so there's no realistic prospect of increasing my income without burning out.
Borrowing more money (which I would have to do if I were to keep my current car) would therefore be an absolute last resort, especially as my income after the year is up would be slightly uncertain and therefore I want my finances to be as clean as possible.
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Anyway, I've gone ahead and done it, six weeks before my insurance is up on the current red V-reg 406, by which time it would have to go.
I've got myself a blue, 1994M 306 SRDT sedan (Peugeot's Ford Orion) which needs minor cosmetics (a grille and a mirror), a damn good clean, probably a couple of tyres if you're being fussy and maybe a look at the brakes. Other than that it drives very well indeed and is quicker and handles better than the 406.
Mileage is er... low at 118k (1,500 less than the V-reg) and the price was decent at £495.
So overall, I'm happy.
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Ive just sold a p reg corsa "trade sale" to a lad for £795 and its taken him since 9.15 this morning to make his mind up to buy it and it was a peach with 10 months mot and i gave it a full safety check and new discs/pads. I cant be doing with that everyday.
Me, I've just sold a 1999 T Primera 2.0SX with fsh and 83k, 2 owner car and absolutely mint, for £800 with a brand new test - and still made a profit. So I can see why it took him a while to nbite on yours! What was it standing you? £400 tops?
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