M5s are a favorite of ours here at GCFSB. Whether it’s the basic black original owned by my fellow contributor Nate or the most recent F10 series twin turbo V8 monster, there is no denying BMW’s mastery of the sports sedan formula. I’m rather partial to the E34 series, as these super sedans’ looks have aged well and have that legendary Motorsports 3.5 liter straight six engine under the hood. This M5 is owned by our reader Gary in Missouri is presented to a very high standard and has been owned by a string of careful BMW enthusiasts.
1991 BMW M5 on M5Board.com
$22,500; mileage=75,300. Sterling silver/silver leather interior. VIN=WBSHD9316MBK05440
This car has seen light but steady use; I am the fourth owner. Spent 99.9% of the time with the first owner in California. 2nd and 3rd owners: both BMW folks who turn over cars often; combined time they owned this car is ~ one year and car never has seen snow or salt. Under my watch the car has never even seen wet weather, period. The second owner had the hood, front fenders, front valence painted to eliminate rock chips; there are only a couple tiny rock chips on the car currently. All of the door cards look perfect–no evidence of deterioration so commonly seen. Due to California living, this car is absolutely rust free. The car lives in my private heated garage space when not in use—which is most of the time. I will obtain additional images of the undercarriage, engine compartment and trunk, but for now, the web page listed below is all that I have at the time of this posting. This car is truly a time capsule with obsessive/compulsive maintenance.
I have brought her up to current on all the maintenance issues and potential trouble prone areas. Maintenance procedures performed in St. Louis by Tom Bradley (Bradley Motor Werke) using only OEM BMW M5 specific parts. I also had the spare wheel polished out to perfection to match the others. I found a fella here in St. Louis who does stellar work on wheels. Since the headliner has been totally replaced, the weird scent of old headliner is gone and is now replaced by the aroma of high quality leather. I had the transmission and differential fluids changed out, too with the recommended fluids. I replaced the front bumper license plate area impact strip with the embossed BMW letters–so no holes in that piece now. I replaced the rubber gaskets in all the doors with new ones (the old ones were deteriorated from heat and pressure)-now, with new rubber, all the doors close with a nice solid thunk, like a bank vault. There are no squeaks, rattles or other distracting sounds in the passenger cabin.
This car has literally had every conceivable base covered on service (brand new water pump, for example though the old one never failed, upgraded timing chain tensioner and associated seal, rear cam seal replaced, new coolant overflow tank and BMW blue coolant, brake fluids flushed, new headliner, all issues with suspension fixed (replaced accumulators/no leaks from SLS related parts), new bushings everywhere (plus new control arms, rear Pitman arms), new fuel filter canister, coolant hoses, trunk lift shocks and so much more). I also upgraded all the headlight bulbs, a real pain, but worth it. I made a loose leaf folder with all the receipts (including the ones from the first California owner) put in clear jackets. Most recent receipts total over $5K.
The car has seen no rain, snow, and sits with a trickle charger and car cover when not in use in my private garage at work. All of the annoying issues that the car had when I bought it are all solved. The car rides, handles, and runs like it should. The only modifications performed are easily reversible (the Jim Conforti eprom chip and clear turn signals). Additionally, there are 3 sets of floor mats: the original carpeted factory mats, gray rubber mats (pictured), and recently purchased gray Cocomats. This M5 also has the staggered 17×8, 17×9 forged polished lip wheels ; the throwing star portion of the wheel has the factory finish paint. The Michelin Pilot tires are 80% of new. There is truly nothing left to do. This car is so clean it is ridiculous. Contact info: this web site, my email — cathealer@gmail.com or my cell: 314-369-4639. For questions about the car’s condition or servicing, you can also email Tom Bradley at Bradley Motor Werke — tpbradley333@yahoo.com
The asking price of this E34 M5 is well into the territory that some higher mileage E39 M5s are changing hands for these days. Given that, it should be noted that any E34 that is advertised at $20,000 or above has to be the best of the best, as average examples tend to sell in the low to mid teens. Even though I’m not a fan of silver, it certainly looks sharp on this car, especially with the clear corner lamps and pristine gray leather interior. The level of care lavished on this car is quite impressive and unlike some super low mileage examples, you wouldn’t be afraid to use this car. Here’s hoping it goes to a good home, because good E34s are getting harder and harder to come by.
-Paul
Clean, beautiful, fast, well-cared-for, and…a bit expensive, I think.
If I was in the market, I’d might be inclined to pursue a decade newer E39 M5 for only a bit more investment.
There are a lot of guys that swear by these E34 M5s though.