I recently got a job that has me commuting by car with my wife and two kids in on surface streets in city traffic about 5-10 miles a day. As much as it will break my heart to get rid of it (and absolutely crush my 4 year), the E34 isn't the best car for this job. Around town it's charms are wasted. It doesn't start to feel lively until you give it some room to run.
I'm not interested in selling this car because it's worthless. Selling it for $3K to some kid who wants a baller old BMW cheap is a death sentence. I want to trade for something Miata-esque with room for the kids..ie, an E36 with a 5-speed. Rust free and non-embarassing cosmetics a must. Ultimately, it'll wind up with some basic mods to wake it up, so anything down that road is nice.
This particular E34 is one of the nicest examples of one of the best all-round cars BMW ever made. End of the line for the classic big six drivetrain, first of the 5's with modern creature comforts, first bimmer with a 50/50 weight split, low parts cost and easy availability, lots of room to work in the engine bay, etc. The car lived in Texas until it about 3 years ago. It was resprayed (good quality) after some paint was thrown on it by a vandal a few years ago and is in good cosmetic shape. No rust whatsoever.
There's just shy of 230K on the clock, but that's not bad for the M30B35/Getrag 260 combo. My dad has the same car pushing 300K on the original drivetrain and they've been known to go waaaay over that. Maintenance is what matters.
Performance upgrades include a Jim C chip, Koni yellows, H&R springs, E28 M5 clutch w/ lightweight flywheel from an E9, shorter shifter and what I think is a ZHP knob, 3.64 LSD, Bridgestone RE-01R's on 16" Mille Miglia wheels. Enough to wake it up and make it handle without killing the ride. It's also got a set of snows mounted on 15" stock basketweaves that may come with it.
Just prior to buying the car the head was replaced (~210K miles) with a low mile one out of a 735i and when checked at that time the compression was great all across. Lots of other little stuff was taken care of then but I don't have a real list. I know at least the radiator was done by the PO.
I personally put ~$5K in parts into the car within the last 2 years/10K miles (see list) because I wanted a perfect car, and it's gotten pretty close. I didn't half ass anything.
The full list of new or slightly used parts I installed is as follows: Shocks (used Koni Yellow), Springs (new H&R), Bump stops, dust caps, rear strut mounts, exhaust hangers, Crank pos'n sensor, Fuel filter, Dogbones, front License plate delete, Fuel pressure regulator, upper radiator hose, valve cover gasket, Air Flow Meter, Control arms, sway links, tie rods, steering center link, idler arm (all Meyle), Door seals, trunk shocks, Oxygen sensor, Tires (225/50/16 RE-01R's) now about half worn, Plug wires, Clutch Slave Cylinder, Transmission Mounts, Belts, Shift boot and bushings, Receiver Drier, R-134a retrofit kit, A/C Safety pressure switch, Differential (3.64 LSD to replace 3.46 Open), Distributor/Rotor, Front engine seals, Spark Plugs, power steering lines/o-rings/reservoir, Air filter, Guibo, trans seals, assorted nuts and bots, bitch clip, 330i Shift lever, Diff seals, mount, bolts, Oil pan gasket + bolts, water valves, E28 M5 Clutch, all new trans mounting hardware, trans seals, Rear main seal cover plate, portland reman. driveshaft, lightweight E9 flywheel, water pump. Needless to say, good synthetic fluids across the board and all the adjustments are up to date (valves, steering box lash, etc).
I've been over almost everything. I spent a few months trying to track down some weird hesitation above ~5500 RPM (eventually turned out to be a timing chain installed one tooth off). During that time is when I replaced a lot of that stuff and bench tested anything I didn't replace.
It's 20 years old so there are a few trouble spots. Cosmetics are good overall. A very solid 8/10 all around but it's not a show car. There are a few little stone chips on the leading edge of the hood and a 2-3 inch crack in the lower part of the bumper cover next to the exhaust that should be plastic welded. It has a couple faint scratches here and there that would come out with some work, some typical shrinkage in the rear door cards, one broken plastic trim bit around the center seat belt (replacement included), some wear on the seats, a few missing plastic bits (water valve cosmetic cover, engine power terminal cosmetic cover and alternator fresh air snorkle)
Mechanically, the punch list is:
Bad LKM pooping up complaints about the brake lights. Used spare included if I don't get it installed before.
The fog lights don't work because someone installed an incorrect light w/ a different wiring pigtail. Needs to be rewired at the light.
The door locks aren't working due to busted metal mounting tab inside the driver's handle. I JB welded it in-situ before, but it broke again. Spare handle included so you can do it right.
There's a slight oil leak from the valve cover gasket. A spare gasket is included with the car.
It has a quiet, low pitched hum at extralegal speed (>90 mph). You can't feel it, just hear it. It's almost like a quieter version of the resonant thrumming you get at some speeds when the sunroof is open. I don't know what it is, just that it isn't anything in the driveline itself since that stuff all newer or doesn't make noise when the car is jacked up and run to 100 mph while sitting on jack stands. Maybe it's just air making one of the head shields thrum against the body of the car.
The first time you turn on the heater after it hasn't been used in a few weeks you smell some coolant. It's been like that for 2 years without getting any worse. No dampness or staining on the carpet or anything. Just some fleeting seconds of sweet smells a few times a year.
The AC is weak sauce this summer. I converted to R-134a the first summer I had it (2009) the right way...even bought a vacuum pump to properly purge it. It seems like it's leaked out slowly since I did it two years ago. It took two years to leak, so it's still close enough to sealing that I'm going to refill it this weekend before driving it in 90 degree heat, but it'd be dishonest to say it's a flawless AC system.
I could address almost all of that in a couple weekends of work, but right now I'm automotively pooped out from parting out a wrecked miata and getting its replacement squared away. I know the car inside out, so email me (grendel@gmail.com) with questions. I'm willing to travel a bit to trade for the right car, but only on the east side of the country. More photos here.
