Hello guys, This is my first post in this forum, but I have been reading it for some time. I am willing to buy my first drift car and I am thinking of e34. I know its quite easy to learn to drift it compared to lets say e30, but I cant find one with proper engine and manual gearbox in it. All are automatic or with lpg. And now i found e39 535i for about a grand. It has fews dents and scratches on it and all interior except driver seat stripped out so thats why it is so cheap, and thats perfect, because i would be stripping interior out anyway. So is e39 any good for drifting? I know a lot of people are drifting e34 but how does it compare to e39. Lets say e34 530i or 535i vs e39 535i. e39 weighs a bit more but it has more bhp and nm, so this should be fine. But how does it handle and how's maintainance for it? I know I have to do some mods for drifting like weld the diff, hydro ebrake, stiffer bushes, stiffer springs etc. I will definatelly do those on any car I buy for drift.
you wont find cheap 540s tbh, but if your going for an e39 get the 540 as the 535 is a bit slow/rubbish. otherwise get a e34 535 they go well and have better lock
I like my e39 535 its hardly slow yes its slower than a 540 but its quicker than a 328 and people use them fine manual ones are pretty rare and are a lot livelier than autos, me personally its cheap it has a reliable engine, deck it, strip it, weld the diff and have fun. Btw on 535s the diff ratio is 2.93 so if you want it to be quicker put a lower ratio diff in if its a sport the diff will be a slightly lower ratio anyway.
I loooooove the e34 (prefer the e32) but I'd say e39 purely as you can get coilovers for £200 whereas e34/32 are £600 cheapest. Also e39s breaking are everywhere but e34 parts can be more of a pain to get hold of
I ran low profile 15 inch tyres on an e34 530 V8 and it was fine on a tight track. Thats the other way of changing gear ratios. I used the big balloon type tyres on the fronts, and 185/55/15's on the back to lower the gearing. Worst thing about E34's are coilovers are really expencive compared to E39's. You can pick up a set of coilovers for an E39 for less than 200 quid. E34's ones cost more than the cars worth! Saying that, even on standard springs, with a locked diff, they drift well, and have good standard lock. Ive just got an E39 540 Manual but havent drifted it yet so cant comment on the difference on the track, but it does feel a more responsive drive on the road, even in standard form, so even though they are heavier, probably handle better. E34's are cheaper to buy and insure tho, but as with alot of big luxury cars, alot of them are auto's. Early manual E39 540's usually go for around the 2 grand mark. Thats what I found when I was looking for one a few months ago, I managed to pick one up abit cheaper than that, but it had leaking clutch hydraulics!
Thanks for advice guys. I will have a look and try to test drive it a bit if owner lets Shoudl be a good deal for begginer. It is not a looker, but who cares. Because where i live for that price i can only find e30 or e34 with 3.5 with lpg in it and with 200+k miles on the clock
It turns out those same £150-200 e39 coilovers fit e34s with some easy grinding and welding. I'll be trying this on my e34 v8 530i missile! See the link below my stormtrooper- e34 build - Bimmerforums - The Ultimate BMW Forum
e34 and e39 both cars has good points and bad points, but you need to compare e34 540i or e39 540i dont bother with anything else as they heavy cars to start with and you need some grunt to shift, e34 will be cheaper on normal parts e39 may be cheaper with coilovers but e39 may have problems with rear alloy subframe when e34 is non breakable one and list goes on....its all about what you want from car etc etc
If your only starting out just get an e36 328, cheap as chips and better for learning. plus parts are cheap and readily available.
I hear what everyone is saying about the 540 but I learnt to drift in an E34 525 manual with welded diff on stock suspension and you would be amazed what you can pull off with enough aggression lol. I would say a 525 is good enough to learn in and if you want to progress and wanna stick with the BMs then go for a V8 one later
As for spare parts I dont think it is an issue, there are plenty being dissasembled over there. But what about their reliabillity. And what is the quality of stuff like bushes etc? Would I have to put poly bushes in it?
