'93 5-series BMW

[racingdave]

hi everyone! been away from cars for the last 2 weeks or s since the datsun got snapped up by a japanese bloke and taken to milton keynes. anyway, have not had any success finding a decent useable classic for £500 quid so me and racingclaire decided to go blow the money on the biggest silliest car for no money we could find.

I present to you all, a 1993 BMW 518SE for £500!

found at a dealers in bedworth covered in slime and parked in a barn at the back, a brief test drive showed a knacked front shock being the only gripe. some deft haggling got the price down from £795 and off we went!





pics taken when we got it home and claire went for a spin. got a few jobs to do, fit a new shock (£29.50) and it could do with a set of tyres (£39.00 each) and a little tlc here and there.

photoshops please!!! ;D

[briandamaged]

Looks tidy, subtle drop wouldn't go amiss though.....are 518i's really a 1.8?? Would have to work pretty hard lugging that around I would imagine, but they are lovely to drive

[dollywobbler]

Yup. 1.8s really are 1.8s. The only four cylinder. Which is why they can be had cheap because everyone wants at least six cylinders. They aren't bad old barges though I don't think.

[racingdave]

aye 'tis sadly a weedy little four-pot under the bonnet, looks lost!! its not too bad, got a lot of torque for a small one. gets the back end drifting in the wet i nearly soiled myself the first time i did it as its not all light and controllable like a cortina or a shuvit its downright scary!

[grizz]

Think functionality Dave...... then you have a great car there.

[Thrasher]

slam it on some 540i or late m5 alloys then enjoy crusing around looking cool.

[maggot998turbo]

racing dave, i'm in cov, beduth end & can recommend 2 places that'll do you a decent deal on tyres, either very good part worns (they'll let you pick the best set) or an indian chap that does decent cheap new tyres, hard to understand but he'll do a good deal, they are the only places I go to now!

oh arrrrh, that looks a top buy there even if it is the 1.8, chop the springs if doing the shocks, job done!
satin black the wheels & it'll be loverly! i like this age of bm alot, great shape!

pm me for details on those tye places if you need them sorting

[Si]

E34 - good choice!

I can imagine the 1.8 would be a bit flat, but still alright for cruising around.. drop in a 3.5 M30 lump f.t.w.

As for photochop - can do better than that.. (Old pic, car still looks same just rougher :lol:)

Looked virtually identical to yours when I got it (yours has later mirrors than mine, being a '93) - even down to the half-missing broken lower drivers door trim!

Polish up the rims, paint centres black.. Colour key the bottoms of the bumpers & sills, and door handles white.. Do 'shadowline' trim (the silver trim around the windows - do it black with paint/black tape/fablon etc)
Oh, and a subtle hit with the lowering stick (as not seen on mine yet) will help the boateyness disappear!

[racingdave]

cheers guys. new cambelt going on this weekend, tidy a few body bits up and then drive the thing lots. sooooooooo smooth to drive!

[davemk1gti]

if it a rear shock you have to do its a pain the the backside, you get to the top nuts from under the speakers in the parcel shelf - its a bit of a tight fit. good luck with it though. ps I have 2 front bilstien shocks for one of them (it was a e34 535 manual) don't know if they will fit it but could post them up for you.