So why the e34 M5?? - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

Steve Mac · 11th July 2008, 20:42

Hi Guys

I remember bringing my e34 520i to the dealer for a service years ago (11) and seeing a rosso red LE there and just walking around it and admiring all the time, I was talking to a service advisor at the time and he was telling me all about the car. I was smitten

Years went by and the 540iA came and entertained (sport kit on except the signature front bumper lip) even a trip to the ring 8 or 9 years ago was great but still the heart wanted more.

Funds arrived so i sold the 540iA and started to search for a "fast car" the subaru tempted but it felt too flimsy, Supra, 300zx, cosworth and a few different ones including a LHD mustang tempting. None were as satisfying asthe 540iA in drive and build quality, so i looked at the M5, they were a little more than i could afford at the time so tapered off then while in a friends wrx i saw the rear of one dissapear away from a 300zx(dont know if it was a turbo) and i got more money and searched,

I was looking in the autotrader, ex&mart, loot and Top Marques. Top Marques was the finding place

I still smile when i think of the drive to exmouth to buy mine and the drive home was slow, studious and i couldn't stop grinning

still do

I got close to home and was behind a ditherer, i dropped to second and blasted by snaking while passing and then i realised how much of a jump from the 540iA it was, ABSOLUTELY SMITTEN

So My question after all the babbling is Why the e34 M5??

I know my answer, whats yours?

Alan Archer · 11th July 2008, 21:09

Have always loved the German way....
Graduated from Opels, had a W116 350SE Merc,
a brief fling with a Lancia...

When I started my Job in the west end (London) some 16 years ago
I used to walk past a perfect RHD E28 M5.
Diamond black/black leather...beautiful

I often used to leave my business card under the wiper in the hope he would
sell up..but never did !

At that time (1988-89) the E34 was THE executive sporting saloon...
they appeared EVERYWHERE in the business quarter of London....

I used to love them, appreciate how right the lines were, the subtle differences...(like how a 520 & 525 would share the same trim)
So I could tell a de-badged 525 from a 530 a mile away.....(*)

Yes...I adored the E34 and still do....

Made my way through the ranks...
525i SE
535i Sport,
M5. STOP.

It was a special drive home 9 years ago, and I've never regretted anything less !!!!

Awesome model of an awesome model.

I look at E39's now with a wry smile....because like 9 years ago you can now
buy a cheap one (E39 M5)for £7000GBP or the best ones for £20000GBP.

So 9 years ago I bought one of the best E34's I could afford (£18000GBP ! )

No regrets, just pure joy.
Still makes me smile having it on the drive

Alan.

*...........(both had twin pipes but a 530i has cloth rear seat panels not vinyl..)

Lantz · 11th July 2008, 23:02

Was a big Benz fan, still am truth be told, and was out for a 500E. I couldnt find one that I liked ( some have very odd interiors ). I finally found one that ticked all the boxes but the dealer and the car were dodgy so I never bought it, later found out that it was a good decision.

I stumbled accross a very nice 3.8, took it for a very gentle test drive, bought it, drove it home carefully wondering if I had just done something stupid. Took it out the next day after the insurance was sorted, slotted in 3rd, floored the throttle....and voila, pure ecstasy. I can still remember the feeling some two years after.

Potent and elegant cars!

Lantz

legacy260 · 12th July 2008, 01:09

Started off in Peugeot 205 GTi's back in the early 1990's, had 3 and always admired the E30 M3. Moved onto a Subary Legacy....this the handle and turned my Turbo saloon into a Gp B Rally Car...just wonderful noises and performance for no money. Imported a Legacy GTB Twin Turbo into the UK, was stolen by some criminal scum for ram raiding and so collected the insurance money.

In 2001 was at a wedding in Knaresborough (Yorkshire) Grooms parents had an M5 and thought

one day. At the time was enjoying an Audi RS 2...very quick and excellent fun when on boost. Sold that and had a Porsche 993 and bought my luxo barge Lexus LS 400. Three years ago started looking at something fun, fast and unusual. The Porsche was fun but just too small for longer journeys and too common. Toyed with an E39 but the shape doesn't do it for me....E31 840 CI sport maybe and E30's just too small. Saw a couple of M5's, liked the E28's but went for a blast in my 3.8 LE, what a sound, beautifully made, last true hand build BMW and bough the car after a thorough going over. 14,000 miles later am a very happy owner and cannot see myself selling anytime soon. Will this winter respray the car and will still be smiling in 100,000 miles time. May even make some money on it by 2020!!

The sounds captivate me, the car has spirit, looks thuggish yet sexy, is so fast, does not attract unwanted attention, great to drive and with a limited supply and being handbuilt wins at pub top trumps every time!!

What else would I buy.....have my eye on an Alpina B5, would love a new M6 and would like a E46 CSL...maybe.

camlob · 12th July 2008, 01:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by legacy260

Sold that and had a Porsche 993 and bought my luxo barge Lexus LS 400. Three years ago started looking at something fun, fast and unusual. The Porsche was fun but just too small for longer journeys and too common.

What else would I buy.....have my eye on an Alpina B5, would love a new M6 and would like a E46 CSL...maybe.

Really interesting to know that you had a 993 and still opted for the M5. To be honest, I yearn to own a 993. But then again maybe the M5 is more than adequate.

Sebring NL · 12th July 2008, 05:16

I always owned BMW's next to other cars since I was 19 and bought my first E34 ( 520i 12V in Lachssilber)

I had several cars from Japs to Italians to virtually all German brands, lots of Alfa's for winter cars and had one Renault Clio 16V and a Renault 19 diesel ( sold recently)

At a certain point I changed jobs and drove an E39 followed by an E38 for a company car. At that time, I had a few E30's on the side ( ETA, 318IS) and I always had my Ascona 16V ( bought at age 17) .

At some point, I owned an E38 privately and had spent so much money on that that I had a higher discount at BMW than my employer, which was a reasonably sized car shop. I then decided that if I was going to pay that kind of money on a car, I might aswell buy an M. After having had several E34's and loving the raw and pure character of the S38, it had to be an E34 M5 sedan without the silver contrast ,5-seater, with cruise/climatecontrol , light color manual leather, non-smoker , non-rear spoiler and sub 200k km's. I found the Sebring after some search, which had quite a few flaws but I like the color combo ( no I don't care if someone disagrees ). I think everybody by now has seen the overhaul I gave the car over the past 2 years, deleting the SLS etc.

Still love the car and despite being able to drive modern BMW's of virtually every model and engine spec, I am always happy to get back into the M5 without having seatbelt gongs etc.

I have the car off the registration now , fitting the Carrera GT brakes and thinking of preparing it for a full respray. Starting next week, I'm using the E34 525TDS I bought 6 weeks ago .

Comparing the car to the predecessor and the successor, I am still right on the money in my mind. The E28 is fantastic, but the chassis is 70's derived and much much weaker. The E34 is BMW's first car to use chassis techniques used up untill the E60 arrived. The E39 M5 is also great, but lacks that M-feeling IMO, lacking serious suspension upgrades and brakes, and having an engine that is more of a high-power normal BMW engine than an M-engine. The E60 sets it all right again, being a brutal,sharp , wonderfully sounding hammer of a car with much more character.

If I ever was to replace the car (in my heart, because there is no point in selling for current prices) it would be for a grey on cognac manual E46 M3 or for a grey on white E60 M5 sdn. ( only with full BMW warranty

)

There's just something about the looks of the car ( especially 3/4 from the back) and the build quality that keeps me coming back to this model. It may not be considered a fast sedan anymore by today's standards, but as I said before, the car is like Sean Connery. All the later James Bonds' have yet to prove to stand the test of time and remain as cool as the E34.

Baddie · 12th July 2008, 10:08

The E34 M5 came out when I was in my early teens, and I used to love its rarity, the clarity and simplicity of the M5 badge, the fact that no one else in the street realised this was a car with the dynamics of a Porsche or Fezza. My mum couldn't see the point.

About 7 years ago I had an E36 328i Coupe which was an excellent car really but just a little dull. I was in the market for something naughtier and was thinking TVR Cerbera til one owner told me to budget up to £8-9k maintenance pa! So a quicker BM it was, which turned out to be an M5 LE 44/50 in Orinocco. The second day I had it it was sideways at 50-60 mph

, and I can't think of any other car that has given me so much confidence in its chassis. The fourth day I had it broke down twice....

Over two years the bills piled up but so did the smiles - the racous bassy idle that would set off car alarms (VW Passats were especially afraid of it), the fact that it's so communicative traction control is completely unnecessary, the linear accelerator response, the noise in a tunnel at 6000 rpm, the never-ending acceleration - which is what did for it in the end when I got banned

. I'd also changed jobs and couldn't afford the maintenance bills, but the idiot I sold it to wrote it off ten days later. It was not the quickest but was the best car I had ever driven by far, and even after an 850 mile journey the worst part was having to turn it off at the end. Even my mum loved it (she was very excited to reach 140)!

I trundled around in a Landcruiser for a year to rest the licence, then bought a RAW Striker for some thrills which was an education in what appeals about cars. It was quicker to 90 mph than the M5 and had similarly dependable handling but didn't turn me on the same way, I missed the S6 howl, well positioned and well weighted pedals that made me feel in control, the comfort.

I tried an E39 530i Sport in a last bid to be sensible. I don't know if it was the Continental tyres (I've never liked a set yet) but the handling (as on the E36 with its Z-axle) was not as friendly in the wet, the absence of feedback meant it didn't feel great until you were driving fit to s*** yourself, and the electronic throttle drove me mad

, and gadgets like rain-sensing wipers really did nothing at all for me. I could still see why the E39 is so highly rated, but I was personally v disappointed.

So back to the E34 M5, the only car I've bonded with more than my old SIII Land Rover (!). There is nothing else with it's character, it's instant obedience, the confidence it gives you in all weather, its sheer naughtiness of looking so quiet

but being soooo bad. Yes the maintenance and fuel bills are already stacking up, but at least I'm no longer losing money searching for a replacement. It can't be replaced.

farrell · 12th July 2008, 11:00

What else is there ?
Performance car magazines "Performance car of the year" twice within 5 a year period.

A car from a time before electronic nannying, when some thought was required to get the best
( & worst) from the powertrain & chasis.

Its been nearly 20 years since the first E34 //M5 hit the streets.
It's been eclipsed by many cooking model BMW & other marques.
Long after they have come & gone, the E34 M5 will be remembered as the
saloon car package for the enthusiast.

2008.
There will always be faster cars.
Cars with better steering.

As an alround package that can seat 4 with luggage, cross a continent &
still provide that tingle that you are driving something that has always been
more than just the sum of it's parts

The E34 //M5 is all this & more imho.
Cheers

davidoli · 12th July 2008, 11:14

I was the mildly bored owner of an E39 B10 Alpina 4.6 V8 that , whilst capable of high speeds and possessing an abundance of toys ( sat nav , tv , paddle shift gearchange , heated electric seats , black nappa leather etc etc etc ) didn't come anywhere near to lighting my fire as my first E34 M5 3.8 which was purchased on a whim .

It emerges that M5 was the former car of board member FinalEdition and had an impeccable service history .

Avus Annie was driven to Bexley Motor Works and JAGS worked a bit of his magic , resulting in me becoming hooked on these wonderful cars .

The B10 was sold and I have owned in the region of 10 E34 M5s since .

In answer to the original question .......because these cars are so responsive to input from the driver , look brutish yet sultry , sound raw yet sexy , protest without rebelling and provide thrills that justify the bills !

I don't think that they'll ever be a time that I am willingly without one !

p.s. Great thread Stevey Mac !

nebpor · 12th July 2008, 15:43

As I think I've said before, I needed an economic 2nd car for running about Cheltenham, where I was working at the time.

I then decided it needed to be an M5, as
a) I'd always loved them
b) I needed to try out RWD after just having performance FWD
c) I fancied having 4 doors and seats to add to the other cars stripped buckets and
d) I wanted to test my resolve about buying a car that was "a nightmare in servicing costs", as a preclude to buying a sucession of ever madder cars