As big garish SUVs have taken over the market the love for fast estates has intensified amongst the car community. This E34 540i ticks all of the boxes, it has a great service record, an interior overhaul, and a big V8 up front.
With space for all the family, the dog, and your luggage, this’ll be a wonderfully practical addition to your fleet. This really is a great example so don’t miss out on this one.
Stepping into the interior of an E34 5 Series is like stepping back in time, with a lack of modern screens and silly menus you can get on with the most important part of this estate, the driving.
When the current owner acquired the car a couple of years ago the interior did not look this good. It definitely required a bit of work, but luckily for you, all of the hard work has been done. The car was sent away and it returned in this stunning interior condition. Along with a new headliner, the seats were repaired leaving them in near perfect condition today. The door cards are perfect which is seldom the case with the e34s. These large seats cradle you well on a long journey and should grip you well by the bolsters should you wish to use all of the V8’s grunt down some twisty lanes.
The place to be is upfront, behind the three-spoke steering wheel, from here you get a commanding view over the long bonnet. This is where you’ll be able to keep an eye on your speed, and rpms as the latter rise producing a lovely low burble from the V8. This car was photographed running so you can see that there are no warning lights on the dash, there was only one message to fill up the washer bottle but that was all.
To the left of the steering wheel is the wonderfully original centre console. Here you’ll find all of the controls to make your journeys even more comfortable, the radio and climate control still work as they should.
Below the centre console, you’ll find the gear selector. This is surrounded by a lovely dark wooden panel, this wood can also be found on the door cards and below the steering wheel. In all these areas the wood is presented in very good condition.
Throughout the interior you’ll be shocked that it is nearly 30 years old, it looks amazing for sure. This great condition continues into the large boot, the carpet looking almost new. Under this carpeted section you’ll find the matching full sized spare and tool kit. The original features don’t stop with the breakdown kit, it also still has the original pull up dog guards and the load cover.
Whether you need to haul around the whole family and the dog, or maybe you need to lug around a lot of kit in a fun way, in any case look no further than this beautifully presented E34 5 series.
The 5 series saloon is a good car, but the touring edition is uber cool. Its boxier lines and rear split tailgate design make for a car that enthusiasts can’t help but drool over. This example is presented in lovely exterior condition.
Finished in an appealing deep Petrol Mica Metallic blue paint, people notice this when it passes by. If you know BMWs of this age, then you’ll know of their tendency to return to the earth rather quickly. This E34 does have some slight bubbling around the offside rear wheel arch, but this is minor for a car of this age. However, it shouldn’t be too much of a job to get this rectified and at this point, you’ll have an excellent example of an ever rarer E34 540i Touring.
On all four corners, there are some fetching and original 15 inch five spoke wheels. These are presented well for their age, if you look closely, you may find a few marks on the faces but nothing that should put you off at all. These days alloy wheels can be repaired easily by mobile specialists.
There are probably only a handful of E34 540i’s on the UK roads today, so when you turn up to a car show you may well be the owner with the rarest car. This car will look amazing sitting within your collection.
Now, we have finally made it to the section where this car stands out from other E34 Touring’s. Under your right foot, you’ll have just under 300hp to play with, even better, this power goes to the rear wheels! All of this power and torque goes through the five speed automatic gearbox which behaves well out on the road. The car was taken out on a little drive after the photoshoot where it performed effortlessly.
As you can see from the photo gallery this car has been serviced very well from the day it left BMW Park Lane. This has protected the running gear from undue wear over the years and is undoubtedly why it runs well today.
Get behind the wheel of this great tourer and you will understand why you should have this car in your life, but you already know that! Its powerful V8 provides lots of power and the smooth automatic gearbox makes driving a joy and not a task. For those wondering, the rear self-levelling shock absorbers has been converted to traditional E34 items as BMW no longer manufactures them. Finally, the automatic transmission fluid was recently checked and looked very fresh, the gearbox in fact operates very smoothly according to the owner.
Bundle all your family in and go on your next adventure, you won’t regret this purchase.
This E34 will offer you a wonderful and exciting platform to perform some of those more mundane everyday tasks. Its rarity should add to its value proposition over the next few years, as modern manufacturers are forced to consign the internal combustion engine to the history books this is a great chance to get behind the wheel of a well-maintained wonderful modern classic.
Notice to bidders
This item is sold on an ‘As is Where is’ basis. The condition of this item is the opinion of the seller and may differ from your own opinion. Photos and listing descriptions are for guidance purposes only*.** Car & Classic do not warrant listing accuracy. Full inspection is recommended. Viewings are at the seller’s discretion. Buyer is responsible for delivery and collection of any item purchased.
A non-refundable buyer’s deposit is payable on this item, refer to FAQs and T&Cs for the applicable percentage.
Car & Classic's secure payment system protects buyers and sellers. At the end of the auction, the winning bidder transfers payment into a third-party escrow account. Once the transfer of the vehicle is complete, both parties confirm they are happy with the sale and the money is released to the seller.
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1996 BMW 540i Touring (E34)
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