Since I’m apparently on a bit of a wagon kick as of late, let’s look at the last US “Touring” car offered by BMW. “Ah!”, but you’ll say, “BMW offered wagons after the BMW E34!” True, I owned one. But the nameplate Touring was discontinued by BMW in the US, as they switched to either Sport Wagon or Sports Wagon (depending on year and line). Semantic, maybe, but nevertheless true. This was semi-ironic, as well, since it was also the first Touring model BMW offered here officially. So what was special about the E34 version? Well, not a ton; the M5 was not offered as a wagon here, and most are the smaller-displacement motors with automatics. That’s what we have today – the bottom of the lineup 525i with a four-speed automatic. But look at it! Like the classic Mercedes-Benz wagons, this was not about speed – it was about carrying all your hunting gear, golf clubs, high-end luggage, or children to boarding school. It was a solidly built, good-looking car that was never pretentious but definitely underscored that you had deeper pockets than most. The E34 came from a different time, where easy credit didn’t exist – nor did 7-year balloon-payment car loans. This was the 90s recession, car loans were hovering around 10% interest, and this car cost nearly $40,000 – inflation corrected, about $85,000. It’s no wonder that they’re rare to see.
So what did you get for your luxurious outlay? To be honest, not much – the 525i kicked out 189 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque from the M50, which wasn’t bad – but it also wasn’t a 535i. You could also get the two V8s in 92 – the 530i and 540i, though long-term the six was probably a smarter choice. This was hooked to a slightly weird choice in the automatic form – the US market got a GM 460LE four-speed automatic instead of the five-speed ZF gearbox Europeans got. While this ultimately sounds like the low man on the totem pole, this particular E34 is pretty nice to see in period-correct Island Green Metallic:
