E34 Touring- how good as a load lugger (esp mountain bikes)
Discussion
Really hoping to get some input from people who use an E34 as a bike hauler... I've a hankering for one and it's definitely not a small car but shape is pretty important for bikes!
At the moment I have a 2004 subaru legacy jdm, which is a brilliant thing- comfy, fast and spacious. With the seats down I can <just barely> fit one of my bikes with both wheels on in the back, or 2 bikes with 1 wheel off each and luggage for a few days. Being able to just load in and out with no faff, wheel removing etc is a big deal for me, it's just so quick and easy especially when you're cold and wet. If it was an inch smaller it wouldn't work out, modern mountain bikes are gigantic tbh.Its main drawback is that the boot's not very tall- it's good as far as encroachment goes but largely because it has a pretty high floor to hide suspension etc under. So it's pretty long and wide but not tall.
According to the wikis the E34 is a little bit longer, but otherwise pretty similiar. If I remember rightly the rear seats have a 60/40 fold but don't quite go flat, and while it has a proper flat boot entry and a good wide main boot it's quite encroached around the rear seats for the wheels etc. Which might not be a problem, since bikes tend to go in pretty diagonal. I suspect the boot is a little taller.
Basically I don't think there's any substitute for real world experience on this, some big cars are rubbish at this and some small cars amazingly good. So in an ideal world someone's going to go "Oh yeah I also have a medium/long Bird AM9 and a medium Titus Loco Moto and they both fit dead easily" or similiar
But any experience of big enduro bikes would be useful.
Basically the job of my big car is to haul bikes around in the boot, if it can't do it well it's just a nonstarter. I suspect an E39 might be slightly better for this but this is mostly about the looks, I'm old enough that the E34 is almost my definition of what a BMW should look like, that gorgeous face and tail combo.
Any advice much appreciated!
At the moment I have a 2004 subaru legacy jdm, which is a brilliant thing- comfy, fast and spacious. With the seats down I can <just barely> fit one of my bikes with both wheels on in the back, or 2 bikes with 1 wheel off each and luggage for a few days. Being able to just load in and out with no faff, wheel removing etc is a big deal for me, it's just so quick and easy especially when you're cold and wet. If it was an inch smaller it wouldn't work out, modern mountain bikes are gigantic tbh.Its main drawback is that the boot's not very tall- it's good as far as encroachment goes but largely because it has a pretty high floor to hide suspension etc under. So it's pretty long and wide but not tall.
According to the wikis the E34 is a little bit longer, but otherwise pretty similiar. If I remember rightly the rear seats have a 60/40 fold but don't quite go flat, and while it has a proper flat boot entry and a good wide main boot it's quite encroached around the rear seats for the wheels etc. Which might not be a problem, since bikes tend to go in pretty diagonal. I suspect the boot is a little taller.
Basically I don't think there's any substitute for real world experience on this, some big cars are rubbish at this and some small cars amazingly good. So in an ideal world someone's going to go "Oh yeah I also have a medium/long Bird AM9 and a medium Titus Loco Moto and they both fit dead easily" or similiar
But any experience of big enduro bikes would be useful. Basically the job of my big car is to haul bikes around in the boot, if it can't do it well it's just a nonstarter. I suspect an E39 might be slightly better for this but this is mostly about the looks, I'm old enough that the E34 is almost my definition of what a BMW should look like, that gorgeous face and tail combo.
Any advice much appreciated!
Nice idea, but 20 years too late.
The biggest issue is sheer age as the majority of these 30+ year old cars will either be pretty rusty or will have already seen the welder. 518i and 520i Tourings have standard rear coils but are slow (518i) or less slow but heavy on fuel (520i). 525i etc cars have rear self levelling as std which in 2025 is a collection of very rusty hydraulic pipes and hoses.
They were nice but unless you can find a really good garaged example, most of what you will encounter will be shagged out rusty baggy old relics. Properly good ones aren't cheap. E39's are much worse for potential rust and aggro. Just awful.
Best all round estate is a Volvo. The 2000's D5 and 2.4D's are great, the 1990's box 850 shape cars also - and far better built and rust protected than a BMW. A mid to late nineties 850 or V70 with the five cylinder engine and manual box.......that's a proper car.
The biggest issue is sheer age as the majority of these 30+ year old cars will either be pretty rusty or will have already seen the welder. 518i and 520i Tourings have standard rear coils but are slow (518i) or less slow but heavy on fuel (520i). 525i etc cars have rear self levelling as std which in 2025 is a collection of very rusty hydraulic pipes and hoses.
They were nice but unless you can find a really good garaged example, most of what you will encounter will be shagged out rusty baggy old relics. Properly good ones aren't cheap. E39's are much worse for potential rust and aggro. Just awful.
Best all round estate is a Volvo. The 2000's D5 and 2.4D's are great, the 1990's box 850 shape cars also - and far better built and rust protected than a BMW. A mid to late nineties 850 or V70 with the five cylinder engine and manual box.......that's a proper car.
ElNorthwind said:
Really hoping to get some input from people who use an E34 as a bike hauler... I've a hankering for one and it's definitely not a small car but shape is pretty important for bikes!
At the moment I have a 2004 subaru legacy jdm, which is a brilliant thing- comfy, fast and spacious. With the seats down I can <just barely> fit one of my bikes with both wheels on in the back, or 2 bikes with 1 wheel off each and luggage for a few days. Being able to just load in and out with no faff, wheel removing etc is a big deal for me, it's just so quick and easy especially when you're cold and wet. If it was an inch smaller it wouldn't work out, modern mountain bikes are gigantic tbh.Its main drawback is that the boot's not very tall- it's good as far as encroachment goes but largely because it has a pretty high floor to hide suspension etc under. So it's pretty long and wide but not tall.
According to the wikis the E34 is a little bit longer, but otherwise pretty similiar. If I remember rightly the rear seats have a 60/40 fold but don't quite go flat, and while it has a proper flat boot entry and a good wide main boot it's quite encroached around the rear seats for the wheels etc. Which might not be a problem, since bikes tend to go in pretty diagonal. I suspect the boot is a little taller.
Basically I don't think there's any substitute for real world experience on this, some big cars are rubbish at this and some small cars amazingly good. So in an ideal world someone's going to go "Oh yeah I also have a medium/long Bird AM9 and a medium Titus Loco Moto and they both fit dead easily" or similiar But any experience of big enduro bikes would be useful.
Basically the job of my big car is to haul bikes around in the boot, if it can't do it well it's just a nonstarter. I suspect an E39 might be slightly better for this but this is mostly about the looks, I'm old enough that the E34 is almost my definition of what a BMW should look like, that gorgeous face and tail combo.
Any advice much appreciated!
Epic lurking! At the moment I have a 2004 subaru legacy jdm, which is a brilliant thing- comfy, fast and spacious. With the seats down I can <just barely> fit one of my bikes with both wheels on in the back, or 2 bikes with 1 wheel off each and luggage for a few days. Being able to just load in and out with no faff, wheel removing etc is a big deal for me, it's just so quick and easy especially when you're cold and wet. If it was an inch smaller it wouldn't work out, modern mountain bikes are gigantic tbh.Its main drawback is that the boot's not very tall- it's good as far as encroachment goes but largely because it has a pretty high floor to hide suspension etc under. So it's pretty long and wide but not tall.
According to the wikis the E34 is a little bit longer, but otherwise pretty similiar. If I remember rightly the rear seats have a 60/40 fold but don't quite go flat, and while it has a proper flat boot entry and a good wide main boot it's quite encroached around the rear seats for the wheels etc. Which might not be a problem, since bikes tend to go in pretty diagonal. I suspect the boot is a little taller.
Basically I don't think there's any substitute for real world experience on this, some big cars are rubbish at this and some small cars amazingly good. So in an ideal world someone's going to go "Oh yeah I also have a medium/long Bird AM9 and a medium Titus Loco Moto and they both fit dead easily" or similiar
But any experience of big enduro bikes would be useful. Basically the job of my big car is to haul bikes around in the boot, if it can't do it well it's just a nonstarter. I suspect an E39 might be slightly better for this but this is mostly about the looks, I'm old enough that the E34 is almost my definition of what a BMW should look like, that gorgeous face and tail combo.
Any advice much appreciated!
E34’s a bit too long in the tooth for reliability, but I agree they are still a great looking thing.
I got given a 200,000 mile E39 2.0 diesel estate while my van was having some work done and it was extremely quiet, smooth and a delight to drive even at that mileage.
They're a great car (if very well looked after); but they're old and mainly fizzing in the rain now
My pal Chris had one, an auto 525i that he used to lug his work equipment and bikes to Germany and back; all year round. Rust killed it in the end
He got an E39 530i touring after that; got the rust sorted and that did him for over 100k miles with zero issues bar one dead rad on the Autobahn
The E39 touring would be the one to go for if you can / if you like them; unless you have an E34 in mind that's in good nice and not dying from tin worm etc
My pal Chris had one, an auto 525i that he used to lug his work equipment and bikes to Germany and back; all year round. Rust killed it in the end
He got an E39 530i touring after that; got the rust sorted and that did him for over 100k miles with zero issues bar one dead rad on the Autobahn
The E39 touring would be the one to go for if you can / if you like them; unless you have an E34 in mind that's in good nice and not dying from tin worm etc
Yeah not too worried about that side of thing overall, I'm looking for a project as much as anything else having just finished- don't laugh- removing every bit of rust from a s
tbox mx5, I am a masochist unfortunately. I'd be shooting for it to be reliable as a daily in the longterm but I'm not afraid of having to make that happen rather than just buying it. Which I'm pretty comfortable I can do,and even enjoy, but I'm just not certain it can actually be the car I need it to be.
@conflatedoutlier, I just can't feel any love for anything except a rwd, perfectly rectangular volvo... I mean I know the newer ones are better cars in most ways, but that counts for nothing in this sort of terrible decision making. I mean if I was going to be sensible, I'd keep the Legacy til the death of petrol, and buy myself a little stupid toy instead. Or a new kitchen.
tbox mx5, I am a masochist unfortunately. I'd be shooting for it to be reliable as a daily in the longterm but I'm not afraid of having to make that happen rather than just buying it. Which I'm pretty comfortable I can do,and even enjoy, but I'm just not certain it can actually be the car I need it to be. @conflatedoutlier, I just can't feel any love for anything except a rwd, perfectly rectangular volvo... I mean I know the newer ones are better cars in most ways, but that counts for nothing in this sort of terrible decision making. I mean if I was going to be sensible, I'd keep the Legacy til the death of petrol, and buy myself a little stupid toy instead. Or a new kitchen.
That's OK.
Look then for a 740 or 760 Estate.....or even the oddball 960 which was the last of them with a straight six and IRS.
An E34 Touring is a great car but you'll spend the bones of £5000 to get a really good one - even then it will need lots of care to keep it good. Old Mercs are just the same - the much vaunted W124 is not as great as you might think. I never particularly liked or wanted to own a Volvo, but Christ they were properly made, far better than anything German.
Look then for a 740 or 760 Estate.....or even the oddball 960 which was the last of them with a straight six and IRS.
An E34 Touring is a great car but you'll spend the bones of £5000 to get a really good one - even then it will need lots of care to keep it good. Old Mercs are just the same - the much vaunted W124 is not as great as you might think. I never particularly liked or wanted to own a Volvo, but Christ they were properly made, far better than anything German.
Getting pretty off the topic now but yeah, that's nice. I almost bought a very late 940 hpt at one point, it's not just that they're iconic, good cars and coincidentally can do skidz, I love how good they look when they're faded and battered. Exactly like an old merc in fact. Was at a local car meet last night and honestly my favourite car there was a stbox volvo covered in dents with gaffer tape holding bits on.
tbox volvo covered in dents with gaffer tape holding bits on. Just do it! Don't let the naysayers put you off. Yes, an E34 might have some rust but go in eyes open and you'll be fine. Mechanically they are fairly simple and as everything underneath is cast iron rather than aluminium (bar a couple of suspension arms) you can merrily beat it with a hammer.
That's what I want to hear, some blind enthusiasm 
Nah really this'd be a mix of both, I'd be going into it expecting trouble and pretty much approaching it as a practical classic and happy to basically un**** a tired but not completely ruined one rather than trying to find a really good one, which realistically I think are not just scarce but also too much upfront cost for me, and not enough of a project to satisfy. Basically planning ahead for once the new garage is built and needs some long term disaster to go in it.
Nah really this'd be a mix of both, I'd be going into it expecting trouble and pretty much approaching it as a practical classic and happy to basically un**** a tired but not completely ruined one rather than trying to find a really good one, which realistically I think are not just scarce but also too much upfront cost for me, and not enough of a project to satisfy. Basically planning ahead for once the new garage is built and needs some long term disaster to go in it.
ElNorthwind said:
That's what I want to hear, some blind enthusiasm
Nah really this'd be a mix of both, I'd be going into it expecting trouble and pretty much approaching it as a practical classic and happy to basically un**** a tired but not completely ruined one rather than trying to find a really good one, which realistically I think are not just scarce but also too much upfront cost for me, and not enough of a project to satisfy. Basically planning ahead for once the new garage is built and needs some long term disaster to go in it.
How about a rust free shell inc glass, interior etc in Touring Green for the princely sum of £300? Everything bar engine and running gear.Nah really this'd be a mix of both, I'd be going into it expecting trouble and pretty much approaching it as a practical classic and happy to basically un**** a tired but not completely ruined one rather than trying to find a really good one, which realistically I think are not just scarce but also too much upfront cost for me, and not enough of a project to satisfy. Basically planning ahead for once the new garage is built and needs some long term disaster to go in it.
McGee_22 said:
Just do it...
<drools> That's what I'm talking about, what a profile. Best looking big estate ever made? @JQ, it's just better, literally just roll the bike in and out. No fannying around when you're cold and wet, no risk of losing or forgetting bits, just throw it in and done. I could live with it, if I had to but when you're choosing a car with this job in mind it just makes sense to have it be as good as it can be. Definitely not something I'd give up, especially since my current car does it so well.
(plus, it's a generally good metric- if you can put a whole bike into a car, then it has an excellent boot and will transport other massive awkward things well)
Mark-BMW-E30-318is said:
How about a rust free shell inc glass, interior etc in Touring Green for the princely sum of £300? Everything bar engine and running gear.
Oh I wish I could say yes! But the timing doesn't work, I'm basically planning ahead for late this year/into next year realistically. Like, I literally have to build a driveway first, and then sell another car, and finish another one and sell that too. But thank you for the offer! Touring green especially, perfect colour.If anyone else is interested please call James at JFi Classics...
https://www.jficlassiccars.co.uk/ContactUs/
James is a really nice chap and I can recommend his work should you have an older BMW.
https://www.jficlassiccars.co.uk/ContactUs/
James is a really nice chap and I can recommend his work should you have an older BMW.
Mark-BMW-E30-318is said:
If anyone else is interested please call James at JFi Classics...
https://www.jficlassiccars.co.uk/ContactUs/
James is a really nice chap and I can recommend his work should you have an older BMW.
That is exceptionally helpful - finally a specialist near me! I have emailed him this morning.https://www.jficlassiccars.co.uk/ContactUs/
James is a really nice chap and I can recommend his work should you have an older BMW.
Back to ropey old E34s - just do it. Mine is not a touring but as you can see, it takes a mountain bike...
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