Hi, My name is Mark and I work for a company that maintains communications for the emergency service...
Hi, My name is Mark and I work for a company that maintains communications for the emergency services I have a wide range of interests, gaming nut and car freak, and dont seem to have the time for them but do like to share my experiences & Opinions
Member since:02.03.2005
Reviews:11
I have owned a few BMWs in my time but the 525i SE, E34 model I feel has been the best so far. I always said to myself, I would not have a 5 series as they were too big and clumsy but age has matured this opinion as I now own one and love it to bits.
I bought this 1993 K registered Model for a mere £1800 in October last year and it has a hidden extra which I will talk about shortly. I cant believe how much car you can get for so little money. I seem to remember that 11 years ago when this model was launched it cost in excess of £24000.00.
The car had 125000 miles on the clock and had a full service history. It is equiped with electric everything, airconditioning, Cdsound system and the onboard computer. The interior was immaculate with the wood trim and unmarked grey Velour seats(although I paid £250.00 and bought a grey leather intereior to fit instead which really finished the car off). The only let down of this car is the legroom in the back is not massive if you are tall and long legged like me but for most, it is ok.
On the mechanical side of things, the car is fitted with the 2.5 litre 24 valve staight six engine which in my previous experience is bombproof. Bolted to this is a 5 speed automatic gearbox which combined with the 24 valve engine and the comfortable suspension gives an incredibly smooth ride. I find I can drive for 3 hours and arrive at my destination feeling like I had just left home. It really is armchair driving. Servicing is expensive if you go to a main dealer but if you use a good local garage, servicing costs are around £70 for a 6000 mile service and £100 for a more major one.
As I mentioned earlier, my car is fitted with a hidden secret. It has a gas conversion fitted to it which means my car can run on normal unleaded petrol giving me about 27 miles to the gallon or I can switch over and use Liquid Petroleum Gas at a cost of 37pence per litre and get the equivalent of almost 40 miles to the gallon. I lose the spare wheel well in the boot which is where the tank is fitted for the gas and I do not carry a spare wheel as this takes up boot space. As an alternative I carry a canister of tyre-weld in case of getting a puncture which inflates and temporarily repairs the tyre.
Having the gas Conversion makes this car very affordable to run. I do quite a lot of miles each year (about 35000) and this enables me to run a prestige car for the same cost of running an average hatchback car and running my car on gas is also very environmentally friendly as there are virtually no emissions coming from the exhaust. I am also told that engine wear is drastically reduced so hopefully this car will last me for a long long time. I would recommend buying one of these vehicles to anyone who is looking for a cheap presige car. Once you have had one you probably wont want to part with it - I dont!!!!
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BMW 3 Series - Saloon - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Manual, 6 Speed Automatic - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 130 mph - 143 bhp - Petrol - Available Trims: M Sport, Sport, SE, ES
BMW 3 Series - Saloon - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Manual, 6 Speed Automatic - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 140, 143 mph - 163, 177 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: ES, SE, Sport, M Sport
A great review! We bought an F Reg 520ise in April last year for £500 (third owners), had a few problems after (new head, new radiator, etc.) but it runs like a bomb! Often on the big roads, we look at the speedometer to realise in absolute horror we're travelling at about 100 miles per hour, without realising it! True armchair comfort!!
Yaakov 05.03.2005 14:26
This car sounds excellent. I didn't know you could get something like this so cheaply! I wonder what the insurance is like? I'm not really into these kind of cars, but for the price- I'm tempted now!
tel1 04.03.2005 14:50
Good to see a review on a second-hand BM (as opposed to a new one) for a change. Conversion well worth the spare wheel space - a lot of new cars only have a puncture repair can installed.
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Advantages: Quiet, spacious, large boot, nice look with the front 'ring' lamps, meaty sounding engine, handling Disadvantages: thirsty, unweildy around town,
mproudfoot 28.11.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of BMW 525i
Advantages: Quiet, spacious, large boot, nice look with the front 'ring' lamps, meaty sounding engine, handling Disadvantages: thirsty, unweildy around town,
mproudfoot 28.11.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of BMW 525i
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