RE: PH Carpool: BMW M5 (E34) Touring

[toxicfrog]

E24man said:

You've had that a good few years then with many an attempt to part with it, what stopped you?

Sentiment I guess.

I did actually spend about a year with it sold to another collector, but bought it back about 4 years ago.

Absolutely fantastic car - my 2nd favourite in my collection.

[E24man]

toxicfrog said:

Sentiment I guess.

I did actually spend about a year with it sold to another collector, but bought it back about 4 years ago.

Absolutely fantastic car - my 2nd favourite in my collection.

Cool . They are, as the article suggests, addictive and fabulous - and in rhd, very rare

[gt69]

toxicfrog said:

Sentiment I guess.

I did actually spend about a year with it sold to another collector, but bought it back about 4 years ago.

Absolutely fantastic car - my 2nd favourite in my collection.

Interesting set of cars - many I have owned/considered. How does the RS2 compare with the M5? Particularly curious as RS2 is my family wagon and E34 M5 Touring the obvious alternative

[Total loss]

E24man, I am guessing this is your B10 ?

[Total loss]

A very versatile vehicle the M5 touring

[singh350i]

loved the article and i would love a touring, i have 2 3.8 saloons and just cant get myself to part with them, the best cars iv ever owned, these cars will go down in the history books as one of the all time greats....

[E24man]

gt69 said:

Interesting set of cars - many I have owned/considered. How does the RS2 compare with the M5? Particularly curious as RS2 is my family wagon and E34 M5 Touring the obvious alternative

Hmmm, I would be curious about that comparison too - I used to have an old BMW Car magazine somewhere with those exact cars compared.

Total loss said:

E24man, I am guessing this is your B10 ?

Yep, pic taken by a good friend on the way back from an E34 M5 meet.

[Total loss]

E24man said:

gt69 said:

Interesting set of cars - many I have owned/considered. How does the RS2 compare with the M5? Particularly curious as RS2 is my family wagon and E34 M5 Touring the obvious alternative

Hmmm, I would be curious about that comparison too - I used to have an old BMW Car magazine somewhere with those exact cars compared.

I read that article before I bought mine, IIRC the RS2 came out just on top & I was tempted by the AWD, but I still bought an M5.
found said article http://forums.audiworld.com/showthread.php?t=21692...

[E24man]

toxicfrog said:

Absolutely fantastic car - my 2nd favourite in my collection.

So what's your favourite?

[toxicfrog]

E24man said:

So what's your favourite?

Lotus Carlton.

[g3org3y]

Total loss said:

A very versatile vehicle the M5 touring

Minor bugbear of mine.

Clear front/side indicators, but orange on the back. All or nothing imo.

[toxicfrog]

g3org3y said:

Minor bugbear of mine.

Clear front/side indicators, but orange on the back. All or nothing imo.

Clear rears were hard to get when I looked for them but that was many years back.

[toxicfrog]

gt69 said:

Interesting set of cars - many I have owned/considered. How does the RS2 compare with the M5? Particularly curious as RS2 is my family wagon and E34 M5 Touring the obvious alternative

My opinions based on ownership of both vehicles:

M5 feels more driverish, more involving, more willing to take a ringing of the neck..... - if that makes sense. Plus Im not a fan of the massive lag on the RS2.

RS2 more comfortable.

RS2 stops better.

Both about as fast as each other but in a different way.

Love the heritage/pedigree/rarity of both.

RS2 gets more attention

Parts easier to get for BMW

[Total loss]

g3org3y said:

Total loss said:

A very versatile vehicle the M5 touring

Minor bugbear of mine.

Clear front/side indicators, but orange on the back. All or nothing imo.

I know, I will get some some day, but I'd rather spend the £140 on other things first.

[E24man]

AFAIK Hella/BMW only made clear rears for the E34 saloon and not the Touring - the Touring ones had to be made up using fairly flimsy indicator sections from a Swedish company called Klearz and then you had to chop the amber out and glue the clear in DIY style. Klearz no longer make the E34 clear sections.

Ginger looks good on most E34's anyway.

Thanks for your impressions on RS2 vs M5; I hadn't realised that RS2's are prone to significant turbo lag and curiously enough I've been eyeing up LC's just recently - there are three for sale with a few miles of me so I may have to go and have a look. I'll have to find a buyers guide to peruse first though as I know precious little of the pitfalls.

Edited by E24man on Sunday 13th January 18:45

[gt69]

toxicfrog said:

My opinions based on ownership of both vehicles:

M5 feels more driverish, more involving, more willing to take a ringing of the neck..... - if that makes sense. Plus Im not a fan of the massive lag on the RS2.

RS2 more comfortable.

RS2 stops better.

Both about as fast as each other but in a different way.

Love the heritage/pedigree/rarity of both.

RS2 gets more attention

Parts easier to get for BMW

Thank you; interesting to hear your views. For my part, I love the turbo lag on the RS2, as it just feels preposterous, but I would like to try the M5. I suspect it's a more complete car, as the Audi can feel like a one-trick pony sometimes, such is the dominance of the power-rush. Insofar as a 315BHP, 4WD, warbly-engined estate car can be a one-trick pony. And I know what you mean about parts for the RS2: lower door trims - ouch!

[gt69]

E24man said:

AFAIK Hella/BMW only made clear rears for the E34 saloon and not the Touring - the Touring ones had to be made up using fairly flimsy indicator sections from a Swedish company called Klearz and then you had to chop the amber out and glue the clear in DIY style. Klearz no longer make the E34 clear sections.

Ginger looks good on most E34's anyway.

Thanks for your impressions on RS2 vs M5; I hadn't realised that RS2's are prone to significant turbo lag and curiously enough I've been eyeing up LC's just recently - there are three for sale with a few miles of me so I may have to go and have a look. I'll have to find a buyers guide to peruse first though as I know precious little of the pitfalls.

Edited by E24man on Sunday 13th January 18:45

In the RS2, below 3,300 RPM nothing much happens; at that point, all hell breaks loose, but in an utterly unruffled manner (apart from the passengers). Keep it above 3,300 RPM and it is phenomenally fast, pretty much as fast as the latest RS4 (from experience); below that, and it's utterly docile. This binary nature appeals to me, as drivers intimidated by the performance (one's mother, for example) will be driving a pussycat as they never rev it much above 3k. You can also modulate the savagery of the boost through throttle application, of course. Grip is astonishing, on the latest tyres (PS3s) the ride is much better (and quieter), and it feels indestructible. Brakes are very strong, and progressive. And did I mention the grip? The seats are also fabulous, and look great with blue alcantara inserts in the RS Blue examples. Around town it's docile, and the 5-cylinder warble is lovely especially at low speeds, and on open roads it's a monster. I also like its relatively compact size, and that it has great visibility and no annoying seatbelt chimes, superfluous warning lights or any intervention beyond ABS. I rather like mine, and I'm not sure what I would replace it with

[toxicfrog]

E24man said:

AFAIK Hella/BMW only made clear rears for the E34 saloon and not the Touring - the Touring ones had to be made up using fairly flimsy indicator sections from a Swedish company called Klearz and then you had to chop the amber out and glue the clear in DIY style. Klearz no longer make the E34 clear sections.

Ginger looks good on most E34's anyway.

Thanks for your impressions on RS2 vs M5; I hadn't realised that RS2's are prone to significant turbo lag and curiously enough I've been eyeing up LC's just recently - there are three for sale with a few miles of me so I may have to go and have a look. I'll have to find a buyers guide to peruse first though as I know precious little of the pitfalls.

Edited by E24man on Sunday 13th January 18:45

Yes thats as I remember it....

Get an LC! - but make sure its a good one.

Parts are difficult to get, but if you know the right people its not a drama.

Main problems are Clutch actuation mechanism/bell housing cracks. Make sure these have been addressed. Make sure its also had timing chains.

On the 25th of this month, Ive had mine 10 years and its been totally sublime and totally reliable (save for 1 incident of the aforementioned broken clutch mech)

I can put you in touch with a friend of mine who's a genius with the things if you get one.

[toxicfrog]

gt69 said:

E24man said:

AFAIK Hella/BMW only made clear rears for the E34 saloon and not the Touring - the Touring ones had to be made up using fairly flimsy indicator sections from a Swedish company called Klearz and then you had to chop the amber out and glue the clear in DIY style. Klearz no longer make the E34 clear sections.

Ginger looks good on most E34's anyway.

Thanks for your impressions on RS2 vs M5; I hadn't realised that RS2's are prone to significant turbo lag and curiously enough I've been eyeing up LC's just recently - there are three for sale with a few miles of me so I may have to go and have a look. I'll have to find a buyers guide to peruse first though as I know precious little of the pitfalls.

Edited by E24man on Sunday 13th January 18:45

In the RS2, below 3,300 RPM nothing much happens; at that point, all hell breaks loose, but in an utterly unruffled manner (apart from the passengers). Keep it above 3,300 RPM and it is phenomenally fast, pretty much as fast as the latest RS4 (from experience); below that, and it's utterly docile. This binary nature appeals to me, as drivers intimidated by the performance (one's mother, for example) will be driving a pussycat as they never rev it much above 3k. You can also modulate the savagery of the boost through throttle application, of course. Grip is astonishing, on the latest tyres (PS3s) the ride is much better (and quieter), and it feels indestructible. Brakes are very strong, and progressive. And did I mention the grip? The seats are also fabulous, and look great with blue alcantara inserts in the RS Blue examples. Around town it's docile, and the 5-cylinder warble is lovely especially at low speeds, and on open roads it's a monster. I also like its relatively compact size, and that it has great visibility and no annoying seatbelt chimes, superfluous warning lights or any intervention beyond ABS. I rather like mine, and I'm not sure what I would replace it with

Yes, pretty much my thinking.....

My daily hack is an B5 RS4 and performance is similar again, but far less refined in the RS2. Raucous is the word!

Oh yes I forgot the noise - its as nice as the M5 but again completely different. M5 sounds nice screaming, RS2 sounds nice throttle open at 2k rpm.

RS4 doesn't sound nice at all.....boring by comparison.

[Total loss]

E24man said:

AFAIK Hella/BMW only made clear rears for the E34 saloon and not the Touring - the Touring ones had to be made up using fairly flimsy indicator sections from a Swedish company called Klearz and then you had to chop the amber out and glue the clear in DIY style. Klearz no longer make the E34 clear sections.

I'm sure I've seen complete units for the tourers available, I think it was on German ebay.