Would you daily drive an E34 M5 Touring?

[wintershade]

Babies are in my future. Once they're born, both my M235 convertible will get sold and wife said I can get any car I want on one condition: it has to be a station wagon. So, I was pretty set on ordering an E63S AMG Wagon. What could be cooler, and more unique than that, I thought?

Then I found an e34 M5 Wagon for sale. Now THAT'S cool. I realize it probably depends on the specific car and how it's maintained, but would it make a good daily driver? I could live without GPS (in car nav always sucks anyhow), but 1) is it crazy to drive something as rare as this into the ground, get baby puke in the back seat, etc. and 2) how livable is it, really?

My other concern is safety. The modern E63 can basically drive itself, has more airbags than seat belts, which for a family car (thinking unselfishly) is a consideration. But I don't know, does that stuff really make a difference?

[XAlt]

Honestly, why not? The car was meant to be driven by a well-to-do family, presumably with kids and a couple dogs and then was to be sold to many different owners. Seat wear, scratches, dents chips, it's all irrelevant when you're having fun and you love the car. As for your other concerns, the E34 is probably the last reliable BMW chassis, but remember that the little Corolla is always going to hold up better in a crash. Billions of dollars spent on crash safety does indeed pay off.

Sure, it's a handbuilt M5 with pedigree, but giving it a purpose in life will probably make you satisfied, even if everybody else looks down on it. Even the Elekta on sale has 80k miles.



https://youtu.be/2SDzLVMuxZo

[BleedsBlue]

I consider that one of my ideal daily drivers, at least in terms of classic cars. I had an M5, traded it for a 540i touring; now all I want out of an E34 someday is an M5 touring, to combine the best of both (the S38, and the wagon practicality).

Few would argue that the V8 is a better daily/traffic powerplant, but the S38 is surprisingly durable for daily duties if properly maintained (ie, miles of vacuum tubing, oil leaks, etc).

I think it's pretty tough to get a factor E34 M5 touring registered here in the States (CA no less) for under $30k, though.

[GregT53]

I'd drive it without reservation!

Now, is the M5 wagon for you and the kids or will your wife be driving it also, because if she is a driver you'd have to factor in the manual shift learning curve. You'd also have to be comfortable with her piloting, meaning paying strict attention to fluid temperatures and know what to do if readings are not normal.

On the safety front, a quarter century old vehicle cannot hold a candle to that E63 AMG you mentioned. But, the E34 wagon isn't exactly like driving a death trap Ford Pinto, either. So, it boils down to assessing relative safety in typical, family type driving. For me, I'd go for the E34 M5 wagon on this count because it's not like there is a 10X safety factor difference between the the E34 and the E63 AMG.

One other thing to consider is the potential frustration factor that I believe comes with owning newer vehicles as they are essentially computers on wheels.

Go for the one with no cup holders!

[stilljester]

I'd drive it without reservation!


Same here but if values keep going up I might have to rethink doing so. It's a fantastic car, the perfect balance of analog in a digital world. If you can buy on I say go for it. My only word of caution would be around the maintenance. As they age they can be quite expensive to keep perfect.

[XAlt]

Same here but if values keep going up I might have to rethink doing so. It's a fantastic car, the perfect balance of analog in a digital world. If you can buy on I say go for it. My only word of caution would be around the maintenance. As they age they can be quite expensive to keep perfect.It can't be that bad, hasn't suffered from NLA syndrome too much as compared to E31 owners checking ebay every 5 seconds for sunroof panels.

[moroza]

Cars are meant to be driven. (https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1486364-E34-in-the-Arctic-(56k-no-way))

A car that has good visibility and handling is safer than one full of gadgets. As for crashworthiness, search for a thread on here a few years ago about a (Hawaiian?) member's car that got t-boned by a Yukon XL doing 50+.

[mottati]

i drive mine regularly, but not daily. (drive my sedan more) The values have gone up a lot in the past year, and i just can't justify having it sit in my office parking lot every day exposed. It certainly goes out on weekend, any club event, drives up and down the coast, and a few times a month as the daily just to keep thinks working.

any 20+ year old car isn't going to be as safe as a new car, but i think the e34 is a pretty solid car, and i've taken my family all over the state in mine.

But back to your original question, they're very usable cars. Practical, comfortable, the 3.8 is a nicer drive vs the US 3.6 due to its extra torque. I see you're relatively local to me, if you'd ever like to give one a road test, i'm in the east bay area.

The car you have in question wouldn't happen to be the Elekta on BaT is it?

[wintershade]

A car that has good visibility and handling is safer than one full of gadgets.

You actually make a great point here. Despite the rise of driving nannies on new cars, highway fatalities continue to rise, in large part to all those fancy touchscreens in cars and in our pockets.


The car you have in question wouldn't happen to be the Elekta on BaT is it?

Yeah, I was thinking about bidding on the Elekta on BaT. If you're the seller, we spoke ;-). That's really what got me thinking about this -- prior to seeing that listing I had lumped M5 wagons in the realm of unobtanium. That Elekta is truly a unicorn.

[mottati]

nope mine is not the elekta, and not looking to sell mine at this point. mine is Madeiraschwarz individual, none of this '1 of 10' stuff.... :)

[XAlt]

You actually make a great point here. Despite the rise of driving nannies on new cars, highway fatalities continue to rise, in large part to all those fancy touchscreens in cars and in our pockets.



Yeah, I was thinking about bidding on the Elekta on BaT. If you're the seller, we spoke ;-). That's really what got me thinking about this -- prior to seeing that listing I had lumped M5 wagons in the realm of unobtanium. That Elekta is truly a unicorn.You must give in and bid, the current one is on a mission to create an M5 touring family, and already has an Avus Blue.

Remember to leave a big note on the rear window to tell the world you don't want to be the reason as to why E34 M5 prices hit the roof.

[Layne]

Mechanically speaking, I definitely would. They're as solid as can be and great to drive.

But putting that much value at risk on the street every day? I probably wouldn't. Texting and driving is an outright epidemic. I personally witnessed two rear-endings in a week recently. I'm actually nervous to drive my much cheaper cars on a daily basis. I keep thinking I should get something I really don't care about to drive. Plus the fact that you don't actually need the M5 value to get the M5 experience. You can swap an S38 into a touring (3.8 is hard to find, but possible) or the M60B40 (what I have) is at least 80% as good for a tiny fraction of the cost. Basically for what this Elekta is going to sell for, you could build ANYTHING you ever wanted. And then if it gets wrecked, you can do it again. Many times. I dig the rarity and all, and it would be a great car to 'collect' if you're into collecting E34's (my collection would have to be pretty big already before I got to E34's). But for me to just drive it, I'd much rather have a fake one for way less money.

[cddallara]

Yes.

[XAlt]

Did you commit financial suicide?

[moroza]

the M60B40 (what I have) is at least 80% as good

By the numbers - torque, power, fuel economy, failure rate, MTBO, parts costs, engine availability and cost - yes, a B40 or B44 is comparable or superior to an S38. But I wound out 4/5 gears in an 88 M5 last night, and can tell you that as far as sound, feel, and general character - the unquantifiable - the M6x doesn't hold a candle.

[e39Omar]

I daily drove my M50 swapped drop top e30 that was a hacked swap with no brake booster, AC, leaky roof, aftermarket seats, and a confused speedometer for 5 months and it saw redline at least every day with no problem. If I can daily drive that then an M5 should be solid XD

[Kannackas]

the M6x doesn't hold a candle.

Race cats and an Eisenmann muffler will fix this imo. Sound at least

[BleedsBlue]

Race cats and an Eisenmann muffler will fix this imo. Sound at least

Not even close, imo. (I have a 540 with race cats and Supersprint, it's loud).

No matter what you put behind an M60, it's a highly sophisticated, smooth operator. You can get a louder burble, but it's always smoother than an S38, which has an unmatchable (from the factory) race motor feel.

[Layne]

By the numbers - torque, power, fuel economy, failure rate, MTBO, parts costs, engine availability and cost - yes, a B40 or B44 is comparable or superior to an S38. But I wound out 4/5 gears in an 88 M5 last night, and can tell you that as far as sound, feel, and general character - the unquantifiable - the M6x doesn't hold a candle.

For sure, and the 88 only has 256HP. The S38 certainly has a thirst for going fast that the M60 completely lacks, even though it can go fast-ish. I've wondered though besides the obvious sound, how much of that is the diff ratio. If you put a 3.91 behind an M60 it would certainly wind out faster. Would take a lot more gas than an M5 does though.

[BleedsBlue]

There's a 3.46 behind the 5 speed auto in mine (it still does better MPG than the M5, LOL) and it certainly moves. But I don't think moroza and I are even talking about straight line performance, it's just the subjective qualities of the S38: the raunch, the volume (how the engine/intakes sound, etc), the maddening rush to redline, how it runs better after Italian tune-ups, the history, blah blah blah.

Last night my 540iT certainly did not let my M5 walk away, but in the 5k RPM and up range it's game over. I'd like to try the wagon against an equivalent 540i6 sedan, for sure--I'm not forgetting it's enormous and auto.

[moroza]

Yes, I'm referring to the song it sings and its willingness to rev; with a stock flywheel the S38B35 felt livelier on the power (though not during shifts) than my M62 with a LWFW. It also felt rather high-strung with its final drive, which I'm sure is a big part of its overall character. I drove an S62 with a LWFW and Supersprint headers once. While it made me tingle and drop my jaw like an idiot every time I blipped the throttle, it still didn't dance like the S38.

The downside to the S38's song - on this E28, that is - is that it doesn't go away when you just want the car to get you somewhere in quiet comfort. The car I drove was bone stock; 90% of the noise was intake, not exhaust. An S62 is much more civilized in this regard, as are its lesser siblings.