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Tag: E34 Touring

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1992 BMW 525i Touring

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:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1992 BMW 525i Touring on eBay

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1995 BMW 525i Touring

Want an E34 M5 Touring? Join the club.

1994 BMW M5 Touring

Short $50,000 or more? Join the club there, as well. But let’s say you just really like the look of the M5 Touring, and don’t care about its fantastic (and expensive) S38 motor or all the special hand-built details. Well, today’s car might be for you. Presented in Cashmere Beige Metallic, this 525i Touring has the look of its bad-boy brother with a set of fantastic M Parallels mounted up. Like Andrew said the other day in his E320 wagon post, it’s amazing what a set of wheels can do.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 BMW 525i Touring on eBay

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Tuner Tuesday: 1994 Alpina B10 4.6 Touring

While the B10 BiTurbo generated the headlines as the world’s fastest sedan, BMW’s replacement M60 V8 motor was making its way into production and the M30 inline-6 was on its way out. Of course that meant it wasn’t too long before Buchloe got their hands on one, and in turn it wasn’t too long before the B10 4.0 replaced the BiTurbo as the top offering. But a year later, Alpina had already punched out the block to 4.6 liters. Now generating 340 horsepower, the new B10 4.6 not only was as quick as the M5, it was considerably cheaper and less complicated than the BiTurbo had been too.

Like the 4.0 before it, the standard 17″ Alpina wheel treatment, upgraded suspension, larger and less restrictive exhaust, aerodynamic tweaks and unique interiors all made their way here. Also like the 4.0, the 4.6 was available as either a sedan or Touring, and as either a 6-speed manual or 5-speed Switch-Tronic automatic. A scant 46 were built before the end of E34 production, of which only 19 were Touring models – making this one of the most limited Alpinas produced:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1994 Alpina B10 4.6 Touring at Springbok.de

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