A cheap E34 M5...
Discussion
..are you just buying into a money pit? I have the new car itch again already and was set on an Impreza, but the insurance to fun ratio is way off the mark at the minute.
So I found myself flicking through the classifieds this evening, weighing up a gender realignment in order to insure an E39 M5, when I spotted a '91 E34 M5 with 140,000 miles (not high for the year I guess). I honestly didn't know some were so cheap, even the lower mileage examples are very reasonable for what you get in my naive, uneducated opinion.
I've always loved that era of BMW and to own a hand built M car from that time would be fantastic surely. I'd probably be happy to sit in it each day and make BRRRRRRRMMMMMMMM sounds with my mouth. For the money of the two below, even if they blew up not long after it's not the end of the world. Am I in dreamland here? Would it be a terrible idea to have one as a daily? I'm not doing huge miles any more and I'll be commuting by bicycle most days anyway hopefully. So I guess it would really be for mainly weekends and the odd jaunt across the country if I need to visit a site.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4181651.htm
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1990-BMW-E34-M5-3-6-BLAC...
So I found myself flicking through the classifieds this evening, weighing up a gender realignment in order to insure an E39 M5, when I spotted a '91 E34 M5 with 140,000 miles (not high for the year I guess). I honestly didn't know some were so cheap, even the lower mileage examples are very reasonable for what you get in my naive, uneducated opinion.
I've always loved that era of BMW and to own a hand built M car from that time would be fantastic surely. I'd probably be happy to sit in it each day and make BRRRRRRRMMMMMMMM sounds with my mouth. For the money of the two below, even if they blew up not long after it's not the end of the world. Am I in dreamland here? Would it be a terrible idea to have one as a daily? I'm not doing huge miles any more and I'll be commuting by bicycle most days anyway hopefully. So I guess it would really be for mainly weekends and the odd jaunt across the country if I need to visit a site.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4181651.htm
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1990-BMW-E34-M5-3-6-BLAC...
Edited by Art0ir on Friday 31st August 00:57
I would buy if its as described, enjoy it for a year, don't worry about the little things going wrong (cos they will) then punt out again for minimal loss. Yes they are a money pit to get back to perfect, original shocks are like a bajillion pounds per corner and that very hand built quality means that no two are exactly the same.
Enjoy it for what it is and you really can't go wrong.
For someone with vastly more knowledge than me and an E34 emptied wallet speak to Great Pretender on here. He'll love reminding I'm sure
Enjoy it for what it is and you really can't go wrong.
For someone with vastly more knowledge than me and an E34 emptied wallet speak to Great Pretender on here. He'll love reminding I'm sure
jontysafe said:
I would buy if its as described, enjoy it for a year, don't worry about the little things going wrong (cos they will) then punt out again for minimal loss. Yes they are a money pit to get back to perfect, original shocks are like a bajillion pounds per corner and that very hand built quality means that no two are exactly the same.
Enjoy it for what it is and you really can't go wrong.
For someone with vastly more knowledge than me and an E34 emptied wallet speak to Great Pretender on here. He'll love reminding I'm sure
I spent a bit of time reading up last night after posting and it seems the older 3.6 models have a lot less to go wrong, including the fancy suspension that came with the later models. I read a thread on the e34 Forums and owners seemed to agree if nothing goes wrong you're looking at £1500 a year excluding petrol, tyres & insurance.Enjoy it for what it is and you really can't go wrong.
For someone with vastly more knowledge than me and an E34 emptied wallet speak to Great Pretender on here. He'll love reminding I'm sure
Frik said:
You can only enjoy it if it's still able to move under its own power.
Don't get me wrong I'd rather get a few thousands miles out of it before I was reduced to sitting in a carpark making driving sounds.hoppo4.2 said:
do it! much more class than a scooby. iv just got a e39 as a daily runner project. just be prepaired for the cost of parts!
Yes I keep hearing this. Seems to depend what parts you're talking about though, service parts such as filters seem very reasonable compared to my 330ci and even brake parts don't seem excessive.I'm not afraid to lift the spanners either and spend the day getting covered in grease and oil. So if there's a thread on some obscure E34 forum out there somewhere on some maintenance job, I'll always give it a go myself before calling the mechanic.
Pop over to the m5board.com and spend some time looking at threads. I ran a 3.8 M5 for six years, not as a daily driver and averaged well over £2,000 per annum on repairs etc without any EDC damper issues. The newest of these cars is now seventeen years old and although bodywork is simple to repair, finding somebody who understands the mechanicals is not so simple. The 3.6's are easier to live with, the 3.8's a more full fat experience. beautiful when working but not as quick as one would imagine in 2012!!
ok, I'll rephrase.. is E34 M5 ownership worth piling money into a pit for?Water pumps are a weakness, radiators too. Fuel lines go rusty, clutches. With the 3.8's valve clearances are a must every year, done from cold. This is a pretty serious must do and most BMW specialists just don"t have the tools nor the shims. Suspension parts wear, ie bushes, links etc...lights are rubbish, the man beam is dreadful.....rust, rust and more rust. I would not buy one for under £6,000 unless you want to move into the restoration game and get it checked over both for underside rust and mechanicals.
I think I'm glad of this topic...
A 91 M5 is on my list of potential cars and I've looked at a couple but not sure I'll be able to keep one going. Limited use, about 8000kms a year, but still sounds like a very enticing money pit. Not easy to sell on quick over here, so need to be a bit sure.
A 91 M5 is on my list of potential cars and I've looked at a couple but not sure I'll be able to keep one going. Limited use, about 8000kms a year, but still sounds like a very enticing money pit. Not easy to sell on quick over here, so need to be a bit sure.
Art0ir said:
The M635 is a great car, but DON'T BUY THAT ONE!!! It's been for sale for over two years and seems (from those that know on the BigCoupe forum) to be a pup. A sorted one is upwards of £13k these days.The e24 isn't as chuckable as the e28, so if you want a car with that engine, I'd recommend the latter.
I've had my e28 M5 for about 6 weeks now. I'm 1,000 miles into a driving holiday and loving every moment (except for snow up the Nufenen pass yesterday...
). There's not many around though - only 187 in rhd of which only about half are thought to be still in one piece and only half of those (approx 45 cars) are understood to be taxed.Gruber said:
The M635 is a great car, but DON'T BUY THAT ONE!!! It's been for sale for over two years and seems (from those that know on the BigCoupe forum) to be a pup. A sorted one is upwards of £13k these days.
The e24 isn't as chuckable as the e28, so if you want a car with that engine, I'd recommend the latter.
I've had my e28 M5 for about 6 weeks now. I'm 1,000 miles into a driving holiday and loving every moment (except for snow up the Nufenen pass yesterday... ). There's not many around though - only 187 in rhd of which only about half are thought to be still in one piece and only half of those (approx 45 cars) are understood to be taxed.
Good information thanks, that's why I love forums!The e24 isn't as chuckable as the e28, so if you want a car with that engine, I'd recommend the latter.
I've had my e28 M5 for about 6 weeks now. I'm 1,000 miles into a driving holiday and loving every moment (except for snow up the Nufenen pass yesterday...
). There's not many around though - only 187 in rhd of which only about half are thought to be still in one piece and only half of those (approx 45 cars) are understood to be taxed.I think that you'd have to {i]really[/i] want an E34 M5 to justify the expense as performance cars have moved on considerably and there are far better options to get the most bang for your buck (even from BMW themselves). That said, they are a great drive and will bring a big smile to your face when they are running. Got to the stage now where they need to be considered resto/classics and labour of love (getting a return on your investment very much secondary).
bloody hell, thought that was my old one, same colour, wheels and lights, but mine was a 94
best car i've ever owned and seriously regret selling, once i'm back earning proper money on the tours i'll be getting another. as mentioned, not cheap to run, but i didn't do much mileage so it was fine.
stupidly let mine go for £3800, but neeed the cash at the time
it had full service history, 20k in receipts and every m.o.t. it was in great condition inside and out, i'd love to know if its still out there?
best car i've ever owned and seriously regret selling, once i'm back earning proper money on the tours i'll be getting another. as mentioned, not cheap to run, but i didn't do much mileage so it was fine.
stupidly let mine go for £3800, but neeed the cash at the time
it had full service history, 20k in receipts and every m.o.t. it was in great condition inside and out, i'd love to know if its still out there?
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