Someone offered me this car...what would you do?
 

My brother and I are planning to change our beloved Citroën AX and we are looking for a new car, probably a second hand, as the new ones are too expensive for us.
Yesterday, my father phoned me and told that a friend of him were selling his car. It is a BMW E34 525i with 120.000 km and he offered it for 6.000 euros. The car is in very good conditions, my father has checked it, and it seems that the engine has no problems at all.
What do you think? The problem is that, even if it is a bargain, we thought it has a lot of kilometers, and that is not the sort of car we need. We are interested in a different type of car like a Focus, an Astra or something like that and an E34 525i seems too big for us.
Then, there is the problem of the maintenance: fuel, tyres, mechanic...well, you can imagine...
On the other hand, what other car can we find for "just" 6.000 euros in such good conditions?
Well, I don't want to extend more. Please, just tell me what do you think. I would be pleased to read your opinions.
Thanks!

hehe, 120,000 KM is beans for cars over here in the states; besides that car isnt that old. heck, i have nearly dubble that on my car, ive not once needed a major engine/trans (not that i have a BMW, but modern BMW's ought to last equally as long, or longer) service; and only a 4x4 linkage problem.

always, the price of maintaining a BMW is higher then a focus. i would suggest that is a good deal, and it will pay dividends in ride compfort and quality compared to a focus, or astra.

i've come across two E34 525's with over 200,000 miles on them. One needed a valve adjustment, the other a fuel pump. I came across another one with 350,000+ miles on it. THe only reason it's trans was replaces was because BMW didn't have the valavebody in stock 8) You've got a hell of a deal in front of you.

If $6,000 Euros is a good price, grab it mate! The trusty 5 series are bulletproof and will go forever. We had two E34's and an E39 without a problem.
Let us know of your choice! :D

Also consider that the current owner is a friend of ur father so if something goes wrong with the car then you can just tell ur father and he can tell his friend. Seems a bargain and even though you are not into big cars, having a BMW, 5 series... has to be appealing.

I think the BMW E34 525i is to old nowdays, because of the more expensive insurance you must pay and more petrol you must use...IMO you should take astra or focus instead, cause those cars are cheaper to maintain, But here the E34 525i that I found on cars showrooms usually sells around 6.000 euros...but the odo still around 60k and 80k KM...

You should definitely check out from what year the car is. If it's pre 1992 it has the old 170bhp engine if it's from 1992 or newer it has the 192bhp engine. Still 6000 euro for a E34 isn't exactly a bargain but not very expensive either.

I would go for something else, not that its a bad car, its a great car but I think you'll regret it, it seems you have set your mind on something smaller, I would go for that.

I think the only reason you are interested in this one, is because its a bargain, well if that's so, don't buy it, you'll only regret it I think.

And think about costs you'll have to make if something happened to the car...

Keep us in touch.

The reason why we have in mind something smaller is because it will mainly have a city use...one of the problems we see is that a serie 5 is far from being the best and the cheapest car in these conditions... :?
However, we make, at least, a long journey with the car each year ( about 1.000 km or more) so we want a car reliable and comfortable enough to do that...

^^^^ Well a smaller car is capable of doing that aswell, a good engine is important.


btw are you looking for a diesel engine or petrol...

Our first option is a petrol engine...we don't like diesels... :wink:
However, if the price was good and we liked the car, we could think in buying a diesel car. But definitely it's not our first option.

Yeah, I know what you mean, well you have to consider that for long distances diesels are much better, and nowadays modern diesel engines are really good.

Maybe a Ford Focus tdci,...

Before you go for anything else, consider the dealership(s) as well. The last thing you would want is to buy a Ford/Vauxhall/VW and then find out that everytime you need them, they simply can't help you out.

Ford UK for example, are completely shit. I would never buy a Ford simply because of the headaches I would have to go through with the dealers. I would rather buy a Seat or a Citroen, or go for the Japanese brands, like Honda or Nissan.

But if you ask me... if you're looking for a good city car, and a comfortable long distance cruiser, go for a hatchback. I would normally recommend a Mini Cooper, but if you don't think you'll fit everything you need in it everyday, then maybe a Seat Leon or a Citroen C4 or a Honda Civic or even a choice between the Mazda 3 or Mazda 6 will suit you.

Don't buy the Vauxhall Astra. I've driven the new one, and personally, I would rather buy a Honda Civic.

6000€ bargain? 120.000 is alot of km? I think price here is good for km's, and its a good choice of car.

Buy it.. use it for a while and sell it for a higher price.. :mrgreen: