We’ve featured a few cars with engine swaps over the last few weeks with BMWs seeming to be particularly suited to this modification, given a healthy variety of motors enthusiasts have to choose from. Carter highlighted a 1986 325es with an M60 swap last month. An E30 with eight cylinders? Surely a recipe for a good time. But if you need to haul a bit more cargo or passengers, the E34 5 series Touring is a supremely wise choice. This final year E34 Touring has received a heart transplant by way of a 4.4 liter V8 and 6-speed manual gearbox. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a sleeper in Imola Red, but you are sure to catch a few unsuspecting people off guard with this Touring.
Tag: 5 series
As I picked up the M5 from the shop today (finally), they were still working on a woman’s beat E12, into which she was dumping $5k so that her daughter could inherit it as a daily driver. Despite admittedly being the pot calling Mrs. Kettle black, it seemed silly to drop that kind of coin on a car that seemed unspecial to me. Today’s E28 adds an interesting juxtaposition to her and my situations; advertised as “lady owned,” this 535i is rough on the top, but the sides through the interior are commensurate with the nice 115k mileage.
Yes, it’s an automatic. Yes, the up-facing surfaces look like the skin of someone who has been retired and at the beach since 1985… but it’s not too far from being a 30 year-old sugar momma in a beach house.
Click for more details: 1985 BMW 535i on eBay
1 CommentThe 540i M-Sport we posted this week posed some interesting questions in regards to the E39s available on the market. The 540i has a good engine and lots of choice bits, but the E39 M5 has the engine and even more choice performance parts. I asked why you wouldn’t just spend a little more to get the Big Daddy, and today we have an example of just how attainable the E39 M5 is these days. Originally owned by the CEO of the Tire Rack, this M5 has just about everything you’d want when looking for a used car – huge Autocheck score, not that many miles (but enough to bring the price down a little), well-informed owners, and overall great condition. Is it worth $16,500? In my eyes, hell yes.
Click for more details: 2001 BMW M5 on eBay
2 Comments
The E39 M5 gets all the press as the best E39, and often as the best M5 ever. Sitting in its shadows is the highly capable 540i. The M-sport came with 6 speeds, M Suspension, and the desirable Style 37 M-Parallels. Today’s has been further upgraded with an M5’s LSD and Dinan chip, helping to up performance levels a little more. Ideally this would be a less-expensive alternative to the king of all supersedans, but the price is dangerously close to decent E39 M5 money. Can the low mileage and choice add-ons make up for missing 100 horsepower and ///M cachet?
Click for more details: 2003 BMW 540i M-Sport on Southern California’s Craigslist
3 CommentsSo you like the E55 wagon we featured yesterday but need something a bit more practical to deal with harsh winters? This BMW 535xi Touring would be a nice substitute and gives the serious driver the added benefit of a third pedal. Yes, this 2006 example for sale in Tennessee is one of a few that came with the 6-speed manual mated to the 3.0 liter inline-6.