[AfricaOffroad]

Whether tis nobler ......

Sorry got a bit carried away therekinggf

Anyway, the 55 000miler 1991 E34 I just purchased is completely stock, exactly as it rolled out the factory 17 years ago. My intention is to keep this vehicle a long time.

Do you think its worth keeping it absolutely stock, down to the finest detail (As an example , you can still see the original BMW PDI sticker in the engine bay). Would this add to its "collector status" in years to come? I know vintage car restorers get quite anal about the details, but I'm off to a good start here and in 10 years time it could mean something:dunno:

From a pure drivers/petrolhead perspective I'd enjoy fitting an aftermarket exhaust, rims, clear indicators F&R, Xenons, maybe tinted windows, even a decent stereo system (no trunk filling subs for me, just a decent head, amp and speaker system that can play DVD/CDs.).

Sure all these things are reversible, but why mess with a good thing?
FWIW, I bought this thing to drive weekly, no garage queen for me.

Your opinions are appreciated:noSMG:

 

[mottati]

i'd say any mod that can be put back to stock is ok. Clear lamps, head unit (assuming no hacking of the dash or wiring harnesses), exhaust etc. Keep the old stuff though!

 

[davidoli]

+1 .......although a well kept / fettled totally stock car would be the most special of the two possibilities imo !

 

[Cyrus]

A good HID conversion is only a good thing - you can see so much better!

 

[jack880]

i'd say any mod that can be put back to stock is ok. Clear lamps, head unit (assuming no hacking of the dash or wiring harnesses), exhaust etc. Keep the old stuff though!

I agree with that. I personally HATE things like single wiper conversions, carbon fibre curvy mirrors, huge shiny 19" alloys with ridiculously low suspension and steep camber, big non-standard exhausts, body kits etc. M5s are supposed to be subtle and understated. Personal taste though I guess. I've got orange indicators, but quite fancy some clear ones.... I think that (and a new head unit) are the only mods i'd do....

If you care about the value of it in 10 years though, as mottati says, make sure you can put it back to standard - I reckon it'll be worth the most as standard as possible.

Well done on getting your hands on a 55k miler! Must be like gold dust these days - mine has done 178k! The 3.6s are rarer than the 3.8s anyway i think... (might have got that wrong though)?

 

[davidoli]

Well done on getting your hands on a 55k miler! Must be like gold dust these days - mine has done 178k! The 3.6s are rarer than the 3.8s anyway i think... (might have got that wrong though)?

jack880 , I hate trivia geeks but the numbers are quite significant in this case :

Production numbers of E34 M5 3.6 = 8079 between 1988 and 93 plus 265 CKD cars assembled outside of Germany .

However only 524 were RHD .

Numbers of E34 M5 3.8 = 3014 between 1991 and 95 plus 891 Tourings .

Only 343 were RHD .

Source bmwe34m5.com .

 

[raymondw]

jack880 , I hate trivia geeks but the numbers are quite significant in this case :

Production numbers of E34 M5 3.6 = 8079 between 1988 and 93 plus 265 CKD cars assembled outside of Germany .

However only 524 were RHD .

Numbers of E34 M5 3.8 = 3014 between 1991 and 95 plus 891 Tourings .

Only 343 were RHD .

Source bmwe34m5.com .

David,

From a production number perspective, you are right. But if this still counts today with many cars wrecked or parted out ?

Especially between 2000-2002, many HD9x versions (3.6ltr) that suffered engine damage or otherwise needed costly repairs were not repaired because this didn't make much sense from an economic perspective concidering the many HC9x versions (3.8ltr) that were available on the market back then, many of which still with extended waranty. This meant that very much early HD9x, especially the HD91 (ECE) version, which was the bulk of the E34S production were parted out and do not exist anymore. Even good HD9x's were parted out to fullfill the demand of the E30 community who desperatelly needed a quarter mile performer.

Add to that the many HD9x and HC9x cars that were wrecked. Also here the balance would be towards the HD9x as these were already rather cheap in the 2001-2003 era whereas a decent HC9x version costed between two and three times as much and thus attracted owners with different profiles.

It is safe to assume that much more HD9x versions have disappeared for various reasons. Already in 2001 german records show an equal number of registered HD91 and HC91 still being registered (~1500 of each back then). The last time I have read the new records was some time ago, but the total number of registered cars had declined to ~700 of each. Although the German records are not that accurate from an absolute perspective for some reasons, they may be used for statistics to determine the cross section of surviving cars. With other words, I tend to say that at least in Germany, the total number of surviving HD91 and HC91 cars is about equal. Other countries may vary though, but given the fact that most cars are written off for economic reasons instead of technical and this applies for the rest of the world as well, I assume that the variance is not more then ten, maybe fifteen percent which is a lot less if one concider the difference in sheer production numbers alone.

 

[HD91]

I think raymondw is on to something here. At least I can verify that the situation is similar here in Sweden, with about 240 HC91s and about 280 HD91s. The amount of HD91s are decreasing a lot quicker than the HC91. Most of the true BMW-enthusiats here in Sweden seem to be more in to the 3.8s (HC91) and therefore leaving many of the cheaper 3.6s in the hands of people who really don't have the knowledge or money to own such a car.

As for a 55k mile M5, I would always keep it as BMW built it. Congratulations on the mileage, VERY rare.

 

[erikm54life]

I tend to tow Mottati's line on this one.

But at the same time I love modifying cars...its just plain fun and once you're bitten by the bug the effects are irreversible !!

I don't think i'll modify my own Touring though....other than the head unit....I stopped playing cd's years ago.....all i'll do is get a decent and aesthetically pleasing unit that I can connect my Ipod to....if I could get my hands on a BMW unit all the better.

As Mottati states I too would keep the original one...heck I think I'll just throw it in the closet when I get the new unit cause this car is with me for life !!!!

Cheers

Erik

 

[mottati]

as you can see in my sig, i have no fear of modifications. I did it on the e39 over the course of a few years, and it was a relatively new car (and not rare, at least in the san francisco bay area, you can't cross a street without getting hit by an e39 m5).
If i came across a pristine 55k mile e34, i'd tread carefully though. Heck, i'm even cautious with my 150k mile e34 as far as mods go. CD43, decat, euro lights and bumper trim, and little odds and ends.

Mike