1994 BMW 530i Touring

Towards the end of the BMW E34’s lifespan, a new V8 engine debuted, first as a 4.0 liter in 1993 followed by a smaller 3.0 liter version in 1994. A little over 60,000 examples of both 530i and 540i V8 engined E34s were manufactured in both sedan and touring configuration. For 1994, under 1,000 examples of the 530i Touring emerged from the factory, which makes this two owner example particularly rare before taking into account its low mileage and condition. The 3.0 liter V8 was the largest engine on offer in the Touring for the US market and with 215 horsepower and 214 lb ft. of torque, it wasn’t as aggressive as one would assume. It was, however, a smooth engine which provided adequate pulling power for this hauler, being able to reach 60 mph in around 8.5 seconds.

1994 BMW 530i Touring on eBay

We are the 2nd owners of this car. I bought the car from the 87 year old lady who bought it new off the lot from BMW Beverly Hills and doesn’t drive anymore. The car is “USC colors because that is my alma mater.” We have every receipt from anything ever performed on the car. Until we bought the car a few years ago, nearly all receipts came from Beverly Hills BMW or Palm Springs BMW. The car is very very well cared for. We had the car serviced at Long Beach Autohaus, using all BMW parts and cutting no corners. Recently we had all the rubber bushings and sway bar bushing replaced, valve cover gaskets, full clay bar and 7 stage polish approx 4 months ago, new radiator, passenger seat motor replaced and a number of other items. The car also has a new alpine stereo that is very minimal and doesn’t look out of place, with an ipod control in the glove box.

Not pictured is the rear pull out cover that will cover the storage behind the seats if you want, in very good condition. Also the car has a double sun roof that can open for the rear seats and or the front seats at the same time, in perfect working order. The tires are very new, less than 2000 miles on them. The car drives as new, lots of power and very quiet and smooth, the freeway is very comfortable as you would expect with a luxury car like this. This car was the top of the line for BMW at the time, every option. There are signs of wear, nothing unusual for a 18 year old car. Some of the paint on the roof is faded, select rubber around door handles has dried and cracked, and the interior headliner is starting to separate around the speakers in the ceiling above the rear storage (pictured), paint is in good original condition for the age. The car has been in southern California its whole life, there no rust or anything of that nature – zero rust. I would not hesitate to take this car on a road trip across the country and back through Canada, very reliable.

The best example of a 530i Touring might fetch in the $5,000 to $7,000 range. Anything under $8,000 I’d probably consider reasonable, given the specifics on this car. I would have second thoughts about modifying such a nice original example of a not so common BMW, but I can’t help but have visions of an M5 Touring clone, right down to the M-system II “throwing star” wheels. Once again, with a car like this, we have a nice, soothing cure for the common SUV.

-Paul