Beschreibung
Hello and welcome to the advert for my very well-loved personal E34 Individual Manual.
This is an exceptional little car, perhaps one of the best driving examples in the UK. It has brought me great joy, and I am sad to be parting ways with it. I bought her a few months ago as a fast luxury saloon to supplement my E38 while it had an engine rebuild, and to have a blast up to Glasgow in her (all on B-Roads, as a manual of course!) for a holiday. I cannot stress enough how good fun this thing was on that trip, it absolutely * eats* B-Roads, and the manual gearbox mated with that gorgeous engine was an absolute pleasure.
If you're new to E34s, then you're in for a treat. The E34 is well loved in cult circles for its handling, straight line speed, sound, and sheer prowess. It's spacious, quick, handsome, and well appointed. But don't just take it from me: Andreas Bovensiepen (The CEO of Alpina), once described the E34 BMW as the "Greatest BMW ever produced". Yes, even better than the E36.
So what can I tell you about the car?
This is quite a late E34. By this stage of the production run BMW had managed to iron out (the surprisingly few) creases that had been a little bit annoying with the earlier cars, they’d also managed to fit a much better straight-six (The aged M20 was replaced by the much better M50) and also a smoother gearbox.
This particular variant is in Samoa Blue Metallic, which is an individual spec colour. This is indeed an individual spec car- with several options specified. Samoa Blue as a colour is remarkably appealing; all blue BMWs seem to look good - but this particular colour was one of the best they ever made. In terms of wheels, she’s sitting on period-correct “cup” alloys, which were new for the 1996 model year, and some reasonably new tyres.
Internally, the car is extremely well appointed, featuring grey plush leather seats (not quite Connolly, but a significant cut above standard E34 leather). I’m not entirely au-fait with the E34 options catalogue, but it seems that the options at the very least for this vehicle include:
- Individual leather “comfort” seats with extra padding in the bolsters
-Tilt function on seats.
-Armrests on seats
-5 speed manual gearbox
-Smokers pack
-Door cubby bins
-Leather Sun visors
-Front Airbags
-Tri-spoke steering wheel
-Front Fog Lights
-M50 Engine
-Digital Odometer
-Four electric windows
-Electric door mirrors
-Valvona wood pack
-Rear centre armrest cubby
But please check out the photos, because you will probably know a little more than me.
Speaking of the interior - it’s in * really* good condition. The seats aren’t showing their age at all, and they are phenomenally comfortable. I didn’t believe the previous owner when he said they hold you better than seats from a Silver Spirit Rolls Royce, but he is entirely correct - because they do. They’re almost as good as “Lagerfeld” E38 seats. Everything inside the cabin works, even the stereo is shockingly good (I’m sure it’s had a speaker upgrade!)
So what’s the mechanical condition like? Well, mechanically it’s 10/ 10. These E34s can sometimes fall into the wrong hands, and therefore often suffer from ruined clutches and crap oil pressure, but these are not the case here. I am a self-confessed BMW enthusiast. If there was a problem, I would’ve found it on day 1. There are no problems mechanically at all. M50 engines aren’t just bombproof, they’re nearly nuke-proof provided they aren't abused, and are serviced regularly. They are, in my view, also the best-sounding straight six ever made.
Speaking of engines, this car is * badged* and * registered* as a 520i. However; this car is * quick*, and I mean * really* quick. I, therefore, assume it’s had a block swap with a 525, or possibly a 528i. This is just a hunch - the blocks look identical, and this would be an easily done job - but I can find no evidence in the service history to confirm or disprove it.
All I know is that it’s significantly faster than my previous E34 520i, and if you've had a 520i before, I suspect it's significantly faster than yours too!
Looking under the bonnet and hearing her running will tell you that this has been a “no expense spared” approach to maintenance. Everything that ever needed to be done has been done. The magical straight six engine isn't just smooth, it's exceptionally smooth. The mileage is approx 144100 and going up by the way, as it’s being used!
You will see on the recent MOT history that it received a couple of advisories. They were as follows:
1. All four tyres worn
2. Brake disc/ pads worn
3. Trailing arms in front have slight movement.
To explain these:
1. I accidentally put the car through its MOT with the spare set of wheels that I use for rolling cars around my workshop (whoops).
2. The brake * pads* on the rear are beginning to wear thin. I believe I have some spare somewhere, and I will fit these if I can find them. I can, however, find no evidence of either disc wearing, and I believe this to be an error.
3. Agree, some slight movement is present when pried with a bar, but nothing you can feel when driving. I would roll this over to next year and replace them at the next MOT - as the movement is * very* minor.
The only other thing to mention with the car is the small amount of rust on the bottom of both front doors. If you’re reading this, you’ll already know that door rust is what lets most E34s down (as indeed it does E38s). However, on this car it’s not too bad. The drivers door has a single blemish, and the passenger door has 3. Both rear doors have been replaced by me and are rust free. The corrosion on the front doors is not serious, and a body shop quoted me £400 to resolve both sides including labour.
Structurally, this car is superb. E34s are commonly known for going on the sills, subframes, and arches - but this is a peach - and has absolutely no rust underneath, as proven by zero advisories for rust in the MOT history. Again, this point is best appreciated in person - so come and see for yourself just how good it is! Any independent inspection is also welcomed! ????
So, what have I done under my ownership?
1. Four new front headlight bulbs
2. Rebuilt the boot locking mechanism
3. New wing valances from BMW
4. Brand New OEM interior clock to solve the battery drain that plagues these. (No battery drain now!)
5. New battery
6. New rear doors x2
7. Valet
8. Interior mats from an M-Sport 530i E39
9. MOT
10. Pinned headlining up
So, is there anything wrong with it?
Well, not really, just these:
1. The OSR rear window doesn’t go down either from the switch on the door or the centre console. It has become stuck, and the motor just clicks - it needs greasing.
2. The aforementioned rust at the bottom of two of the doors.
3. The headlining has sagged and been pinned. It’s not annoying, but you may choose to repair it.
That’s it! There are no other issues I can see. Come and see it for yourself to confirm!
So why am I selling her then?
Well, I simply have too many cars and too little space. I bought this car as a bit of fun to drive up to Scotland and back, which I did. I have too many cars now (nearly 30, including another E34 which I've got to weld up and get running), and I need to free up some space and some cash.
This car is a * really* good survivor, drives better than any other E34 I've known, probably better than 99% of the cars that you pass on the road; I would sincerely love it to go to a really good home.
Now, I know buying a car can be a bit of a minefield online, but I'm fairly well known on most BMW groups and forums, which should go some way to an assurance that I am trustworthy. Please feel free to ask me any questions too - as I’ve probably missed something out.
Test drives and viewing greatly encouraged in Radlett, Herts (WD7) - or if you really want the car, I’ll deliver it anywhere in the UK for petrol money and a return train ticket.
I strongly believe this is one of the best E34s in the UK, and I've priced it extremely competitively. Please come and see her - as the first to view and drive will likely buy.
Thanks for reading
-Ben!
