BMW 525 TDS

[Ian_374307670]

I am thinking of buying a 1993 BMW TDS SE for towing my Elddis Gulfstream 2 berth, does anyone have any advice regarding this car? Thanks

 

[Dave Football]

hello. my brother has a 1994 model, with 200000 miles on the clock. The driver's seat looks very sad, but other than that, it's been completely reliable, drives really nicely and tows superbly. It's an automatic. the biggest criticism is that the back brakes need work at every service, the ignition barrels are very fragile (he's on his third in seven years) and it's very easy to break the wipers in frosty weather - don't turn the wipers on if it's icy - melt the ice first or it breaks the arm linking the wiper arms. Oh, and for a diesel, it's not super economical - better than a petrol though...

hope it helps

 

[Dave Football]

sorry i presumed you meant the 5-series too...

 

[Angus1]

The BMW would pull the Elddis , no problem.

Whilst the BM was something of a revelation when it came out, diesel technology has progressed by several generations since then,and I would personally go for something newer, more economical for the same money (I`m not into badges) which could pull the van.

Something like a Laguna,406,Vectra or Passat would more than do the job and would cost far less in fuel, and bits (if you need them) are plentiful and cheap.

Whatever, best of luck with your purchase.

 

[seth1]

hello Ian,with out dampening your spirits,make sure it has service history.timing chains stretch for fun,and even bmw recommend change at 100k.apart from that very capable and nice.

 

[Ian_374307670]

hello. my brother has a 1994 model, with 200000 miles on the clock. The driver's seat looks very sad, but other than that, it's been completely reliable, drives really nicely and tows superbly. It's an automatic. the biggest criticism is that the back brakes need work at every service, the ignition barrels are very fragile (he's on his third in seven years) and it's very easy to break the wipers in frosty weather - don't turn the wipers on if it's icy - melt the ice first or it breaks the arm linking the wiper arms. Oh, and for a diesel, it's not super economical - better than a petrol though...

hope it helps

Thanks for everyones advice

 

[rambler1]

I had a 525 tdse for 10 years it pulled much larger vans than yours and travelled all over France annually.It was safe,fast and a pleasure to drive.Fuel consumption 35-40 MPG solo,25-28MPG with van.the vehicle was ultra reliable and only let me down once and that was only a duff battery.I would not hesitate to recommend this vehicle (mine was a 1993) to anyone it drive well and tows like a dream.When I changed the car I gave it to my son,he is still using it and it is as good as when I originally bought it at 2 years old even though it has covered well over 1000,000 miles

 

[Angus1]

I that a misprint, john, or has it really done over a million miles?

If it has thats stunning.

If you mean 100,000 thats just loosening up for a decent diesel.

My other halfs Passat Sport has over 130k on and is better than ever (my last Company car). Wish the new one was as good.

 

[rambler1]

I that a misprint, john, or has it really done over a million miles?

If it has thats stunning.

If you mean 100,000 thats just loosening up for a decent diesel.

My other halfs Passat Sport has over 130k on and is better than ever (my last Company car). Wish the new one was as good.

You spotted the deliberate mistake!! it should read 100,000,however the rest of the message was correct and as you remark for a diesel its just about run in.Further to previous comments I have never had any trouble with the brakes in fact the pads have done 25,000 miles and are still ok