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E34 M5's On the rise.

25K views 120 replies 43 participants last post by  mottati 
#1 · (Edited)
I remember back in the early 2000-2003ish when e30 m3s were goin for around anywhere betweeen 4.5k to 9k for the best examples, now i cannot believe some of the prices of these cars.
I have always wanted to own one but with the way they are now in the uk i dont think i ever will.
This was part of the reason i bought my e34 M5 as i feel that it is as much an Mpower icon as the e30, if not more!
So my question is will we start to see a rise in value of our m5s soon?

Seeing that they are the godfather of the supersaloons!!! :dunno:
 
#2 ·
IMO there will never be a car with the same CULT status as M-car as the E30 M3,,

ok M1 is mighty but they are rarely used ,, and more as a showcar vs other M car,,

I have had a 3.6 M5 and i liked the car a lot,, but i would prefer the 3.8

both S38 engines ar far behind the pull of the BT ,, so thats the end of it,, but as a daily car the M5 ANYDAY vs BT

The E34 M5 have as the E30 M3 ,, a number of special version,,, Ceccotto ,, Winkelhock.. Naghi,, 20 jahre Motorsport,, limited Edition ,, etc

nothing like this is in the E39 or E60,, The E34 is the last handmade ,, and will as i think when the years go on be more valuable vs E39 ..

I think the E34 M5 will never get close to E30 M3,, as a collectors car ,, THE E30 M3 was raced ,, and is as i speak,,and if i am not wrong, the car that holds the record for most earnd trophy of all cars,, STUNNING result

An E30 M3 EVO 2.5 will keep up with a healthy E34 M5 ,, in straightline,, not sure when the cars get close to top-speed
 
#6 ·
An E30 M3 EVO 2.5 will keep up with a healthy E34 M5 ,, in straightline,, not sure when the cars get close to top-speed
Maybe picking hairs here but this is simply not true. Several E34 m5s have done the 0-100 sprint in far below 6 seconds and have a top speed above 250km/h, some including myself seeing 270 on the odometer. No E30 M3 will keep up with this...if the road gets twisty though we could be in trouble :wroom:

However, I do agree with you that the E34 M5 will never IMHO have the status of the E30 M3, and I would love to own one in the future...even if they are not exactly fast by modern standards. The TV show fifth gear did a few laps of their circuit in both an E30 M3 and a Lancia Delta Integrale. The Lancia beat the BMW and they were both beaten by a modern hatchback. Amazing how far we have come in 20 years...

Lantz
 
#3 · (Edited)
I don't know the answer to that question unfortunately.
So long as there are more people wanting to sell them than own them, we'll be undergoing a downtrend.
However, nice examples are getting harder to come by, caring owners are not as inclined to let them go for so cheap.
It may be early signs of a reverse trend.

All I can say is that at the price that they are going for now, it's a lot of car for the money.
Lots of people view the E30 as a toy and are more likely to acquire it as a second car,
maybe not so much for the E34 (too much of a car in itself? and too old to be a daily?).

Regardless of what everyone thinks, I am enjoying my car more and more as time goes by :M5thumbs: and always
wonder what pushes current owners to put theirs for sale??? hmmm ??????
 
#5 · (Edited)
be patienced, I bought my first E34 M5 Touring 3 years ago for as little as 8.000,- (first owner, 145k km, immaculate) and my third E34 M5 Touring 6-speed model for 'only' 15.000,- (second owner, 106k km, immaculate), see also my blog www.supersaloons.nl for the cars... The saloon version will follow, I just know they do! It's still a fantastic supersaloon and a hell of a daily driver!
 
#7 ·
I think it depends on the area. In B.C these cars sell for 10-15k for a nice low mileage version. The car is more common in other markets, and there are plenty of BMW enthusiasts that give this car a second look. At 2500 or so built by hand, the prices will rise IMO....
 
#8 ·
Basic economic theory dictates that price determination is based upon the interaction of supply and demand .

There are currently only 5 E34 M5s listed for sale on the U.K.'s largest car sales website ( Autotrader ) , 3 x 3.6's and 2 x 3.8 !

Pistonhead's website only lists another 2 x 3.6's for sale and the recent , relatively low mileage ( 53t mile ) 1993 Lagoon Green 3.8 sold within days at a GBP 8500 asking price !

In conclusion , there seem to be only 2 UK RHD 3.8 M5s and 5 UK RHD 3.6 M5s currently on the open market at this moment in the U.K. and no later 6 speed examples .

My advice to potential buyers would be , if you see a relatively decent example , don't mess about ........ buy a good one , while you can .....

Procrastination is the enemy of time and time waits for no man !

D
 
#9 ·
I think that we are at a stage where many of these cars are needing restoration or at least refurbishment. Because of the relativley low value of them at the moment it makes it a bitter pill to swallow, meaning cars are sold cheaply with problems to sort out.

Many cars, espescially the 3.6's are going to get scrapped. This will leave us with a few really good examples and values will inevitably rise.

If you have a good example, hold on to it. If you don't have the money to spend on it, put it in storage until you do. They will be worth money in time.

Until then enjoy them for what they are, one of the best drivers cars out there, with classic looks to die for.
 
#10 ·
I think the values will raise over time - but, it's not the reason I bought mine

1, always wanted one when younger (or mid life crisis car as my wife refers to it :lol: ),
2, it's a superb car to drive for my regular chores (not daily though)

I could store it and hope for some financial compensation in the long term, but, I prefer to use it.
 
#17 ·
Well dug out Eero. In 2010 those that posted were completely correct in predicting what would happen. When I bought by first M5 just after 2010 I recall regularly seeing a handful of 3.8s for sale, in a range of conditions. Now it strikes me that one might only see a handful adbvertised *all year*, and as such prices have risen. Of course, this is alongside something of a bubbkle in classic car prices generally - so whilst good E34 M5s will (by definition) keep getting rarer I think the overall shape of the classic car market is a big unknown.

But I still feel like buying !
 
#18 ·
Are they one the price rise? Certainly in the UK there just aren't enough examples on the open market to guage this. I'm sure there are cars chaning hands behind closed doors as such. I'd wager the ones that are forsale are priced too highly as they have been around for a long long time.

The survival rate in our country has been relatively poor i'd say and at a guess i'd say a 3rd of the number of cars supplied here are still in existance.
 
#19 ·
I think if there are very few on open sale then the market becomes illiquid and sellers are quite right to wait for the right buyer at a high price, if they can afford to wait. And I noticed a couple disappear from the ads quite quickly last year when advertised at strong money. My assumption is that they achieved close to asking.
 
#23 ·
I think if there are very few on open sale then the market becomes illiquid and sellers are quite right to wait for the right buyer at a high price, if they can afford to wait. And I noticed a couple disappear from the ads quite quickly last year when advertised at strong money. My assumption is that they achieved close to asking.
I got asking for mine, we should be asking more for nice cars, they are selling

I may be looking at E39s and I've noticed that they have increased in price over the last 3 years, certainly more so than the E34
 
#21 · (Edited)
The other factor we're seeing is the surviving good M5s have had a lot of money spent on them and the sale prices are reflecting that

Most of the asking prices are probably equal to the maintenance spend over the last 5 years.

The beaten up M5s have been broken up for spares now so the average asking price has risen which will affect the underlying data of these types of analysis.
 
#22 ·
The other factor we're seeing is the surviving good M5s have had a lot of money spent on them and the sale prices are reflecting that

Most of the asking prices are probably equal to the maintenance spend over the last 5 years.

The beaten up M5s have been broken up for spares now so the average asking price has risen which will affect the underlying data of these types of analysis.
This is true, I came out flat after 3 years, couldn't have asked for more than that. I think good cars are still woefully undervalued though. I think my car should have been an £18k plus car in the context of the broader market. Having said that I think I paid less than it was worth, it really is/was a very nice car and I got very lucky and am grateful for such a positive experience.

I think the main reasons for the suppressed prices are are: 1. There hasn't been enough interest from journalists i.e. Chris Harris, Petrolicious and other respected car guys and 2. the perception that the car is a money pit.....

For point 2, the E34 M5 community are there own worst enemy I feel. That and so called 'specialists' have done a very good job of making it seem like they are the only people the world to whom God has bestowed some special kind of E34-understanding power.
 
#26 ·
I agree that E34 M5 have been overlooked over the years comparing to E30 M3, possibly because of E34's look which is more like an ordinary sedan, plus it wasn't as actively used as touring race car officially. Yet, it should stop us from paying attention to E34 M5 as it is basically a more user friendly car for daily use or even a family car. Now possibly still good time to get one.
 
#47 ·
I agree that E34 M5 have been overlooked over the years comparing to E30 M3, possibly because of E34's look which is more like an ordinary sedan, plus it wasn't as actively used as touring race car officially.
Actually this isn't entirely accurate. Yes it wasn't as prominent as the E30, but BMW Motorsport was directly involved w/ Ed Arnold Racing in the IMSA Bridgestone Supercar Series from '93-95 in North America. They were surprisingly successful in direct competition w/ Porsches, Corvettes, Lotus' and such. In fact they even won the Championship in 1994 w/ David Donahue at the wheel. "Bimmer" (Feb 2014) magazine had a full article on the car/team.

Another post in the forums w/ the car. http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e34-m5-discussion/409409-imsa-m5-e34-racecar-track-large-pics.html
 
#36 ·
I have my trusty old 1995 E34 M60B30 5 speed as a DD , it's not an M5 but it's still nice to drive , doesn't depreciate and I don't get too upset when I have to drive through 20cm of flooded jakarta road or when it gets scratched by a motorbike.

If I bought a new BMW as a DD it would probably be a turbo diesel.
 
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