Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
The 1994 BMW 530i we featured last October is back up for the sale at the same ask of $9,900. If you’ve hankered after the chance at a clean example of one of the most handsome 5 series to date with an eight cylinder engine under the hood, you’ll want to take a second look at this sedan.
Can the relatively-unloved E34 M5 start reaching towards the $20ks now that pretty much every other generation regularly commands more than that? We’re at a funny point in the market for every model number of M5. The E28, E39, and E62 are all fetching mid-$20ks for solid examples, with outliers entering the surrounding price decades. The E34 stands alone, seemingly stuck in the teens for anything decent, from 245k-mile survivors to examples like today’s 93k-mile, black-on-black business machine.
I’ve talked about opportunity costs before, and when considering a car such as yesterday’s 320is it bears reminding. There are plenty of people, myself included, that spend a fair chunk of the day dreaming about what super rare car they’d import from Europe if given the chance. And we’ve be Mr. Feelgood for you, supplying a steady stream of somewhat attainable European market goodies over the past few weeks. But does all this dreaming overlook something that’s right at your fingertips? In the case of the E34 M5, I think that might be true. This chassis is still generally overlooked compared to the E28 and E39 models, but those that have spent some time behind the wheel of these well engineered, hand built Q-Ships proclaim they’re one of the best BMW products made. They’ve got plenty of the right ingredients – the last of the S38 motors producing 315 horsepower, Motorsport details throughout, a great subtle look which still is commanding of respect, and limited numbers – only 1,678 were imported. It’s the right recipe for a future classic:
The BMW E34 M5 is a perfect follow on to the Opel Lotus Omega we featured yesterday. These two cars were contemporaries, fulfilling the need for speed in the executive sedan segment in a seemingly similar way on the surface, but, with key differences. While both of these cars have twin cam, 24 valve inline-six engines under the bonnet, the M5 makes due without the turbochargers strapped to the Lotus Omega but still produces a respectable 307 horsepower by way of some clever tuning, most notably the individual throttle bodies. In addition, the M5 is lacking the 6th gear of the Lotus Omega but makes up for it with a more linear power delivery and the free-revving spirit we’ve come to known from the engines of the house of Motorsport. This 1991 M5 for sale in California has made it well past 200,000 miles, with a few battle scars to tell its tale.
As Santa streaked across the sky last night, so too this 535i sailed from Germany to America, ready to bestow a lovely present upon some good boy or girl. It’s a nice early example of the E34 with the 3.4 liter M30B35, updated from the E28 generation with newer fuel injection an a higher compression ratio to yield 208hp, a 26hp improvement over the B34. This example appears to have been a continuing project for its owners and now sports additions on the exterior, interior, and engine bay to make it more than your average E34. An M5’s steering wheel and leather seats look great and are complimented by Schmidmann bit and short shifter, while the same company provided a subtly aggressive bodykit and racing headers. Classic 3-piece, 17″ BBS Style 5s bring the Motorsports feel as well. It’s no M5 or M540i, but it is a nicely-styled and unique European E34.
