Owning an E34 BMW 5 Series]
Clement Camilleri, SW London ‘I’ve owned countless E28s, E39s and E34s. At 16 I came across two E34s behind my local chip shop; one was a Sport. They looked great and when I got my licence, I persuaded the owner to sell me them both for £600. I got the 520 going and it became my first car; insurance was £1000. I love the engine and gearbox – the first time I went round a roundabout the rear end stepped out and I’ve been hooked ever since!
‘One day I was working on them on my driveway and a black Sport stopped – the owner introduced himself as a Park Lane BMW employee and offered advice and help with parts. We became friends and he was a huge help; I ended up buying his car. Over the last 2-3 years I’ve been doing up a 1990 535i Sport: I’ve taken off every part below the waistline and replaced everything I can buy with new parts. Last year I decided to look for an M5. I saw several but the engines sounded terrible so I walked away. Then I found the very original 1992 3.6 you see here, with the same owner for the last 10 years. It took me six months to persuade him to sell, but so far I’m delighted with it!’ Geoff Sutton, Oxfordshire ‘Seven years ago I was stuck in snow in a 3 Series and decided I had to have four-wheel drive, but didn’t want an SUV. I bought a 1992 E34 525ix Tourer for £500 with 200,000 miles on the clock. It had an MOT but after putting my finger through the sill, I decided to spend £3000 on the bodywork. It’s a rolling restoration – a few years ago I spent £1000 getting the automatic gearbox rebuilt and I’ll probably spend £3000 on the bodywork again this year.
‘I also have a 530i Tourer with very low mileage – I couldn’t resist it – I love the styling of the cars, and they’re big enough but not unwieldy. They’re of an age that is reasonably modern to drive yet easy to maintain, and most used parts are cheap and readily available.
‘I’ve driven most E34 engine types. The 518 is a lighter car, it rewards driver input and it’s economical. The 520 is a bit heavier but the M50 engine has a nice roar. The 525 has enough power to do everything well. The 530 is very oversquare and revvy for a V8, but thirsty if driven hard. The 540 is effortless and can seem dull in traffic, but when you put your foot down, you’re literally hanging on!’ Robert Connor, Herefordshire ‘In 2008 I was looking for a big, older estate. Mercs were more expensive, so I tried an E34. I’ve had four to date, all Tourings, as my everyday transport. My first was a 520i with quite high mileage – the water pump failed because the plastic impeller disintegrated, leading to overheating and then head gasket failure and warped head. I replaced it with another 520i, but despite only having 75k the same thing happened after six months; it’s down to age not mileage.
‘It cost quite a bit to get the head skimmed and repaired properly, but with a metal impeller it should last forever. In 2012 I bought the rare 525ix four-wheel drive and in 2015 a 1996 525i for more poke, and I use it in the summer and the ix primarily in the winter, averaging 10k-15k miles between the two. Over the nine years I’ve probably spent £5000-7000 on the four cars; there’s a great support network for the cars and it’s extraordinary how many parts are still available from BMW.’