Would you rescue this car?

It's languishing in a mechanic's lot, extremely worn but not rusty. Yes, it's a manual. And there's something else: it appears to be an "M-Sport" model. When I was shopping for E36s, I found several M-Sport examples and it seems to be an anomaly of the Canadian market but I'm not certain. If anyone has any insight, please enlighten me but as far as I can gather, the package involves a rear wing, an interior riddled with little Ms and a stiffer suspension. It also increases the likelihood of a limited-slip diff.

When it comes to sedans, E34s really tent my trousers and other than the M5 and M540i, a 535i in red with three pedals on the floor is the ultimate crotch-ripper. It's the worst time to be dragging home an expensive, semi-quick fuel guzzling project but every time I look at this picture, I can hear it whimpering, begging me to nurse it back to health. Not that I have the time, money or space to do so. It just seems a shame to let it fade into the pavement.

I realize I'd be far better off waiting for a good example to come along and ponying up for it but just for giggles, what's it worth and what's involved in taking on a neglected, aging 5-series? I know nothing of it's mechanical condition, so let's assume it doesn't run.

Why have you not already started on the resto on this sweetheart...dude you're lagging

Heck yeah I'd rescue it. Some people would say an e34 5 series with an M30 big six engine and a manual transmission is the pinnacle of BMW quality.

Looks like it needs love, but from that angle, it's straight and not rusty. Make a lowball offer and see what happens!

DO IT.

I agree with Duke. Lowball the hell out of it, and if the seller doesn't accept..wait for a minute or two. BMWs will "nickle & dime" you to death if you try to keep them rattle-free (and the interiors pretty), but if you can put up with the small stuff, they're great rides once you get all the mechanical stuff set up right.

A real transmission is a boost for you when you're bargaining..I wonder if it's been sitting up that long simply because most folks look for a shushbox.

Explore the mechanic's lien, especially if it's at an indie shop. You could steal it if the shop owner just wants to get some iron out of the lot.

If its free, it might be interesting. Beyond that, it would probably be cheaper starting with a better car. The dead paint alone will make it more expensive than its worth to bring back.

I would rescue that.

But based on past experience, I also have terrible judgment on starting projects.

A 5 with a 5 spd, get on it man.

lesabre400 wrote: It's languishing in a mechanic's lot, extremely worn but not rusty. Yes, it's a manual. And there's something else: it appears to be what us Canadians know as an "M-Sport" model. When I was shopping for E36s, I found several M-Sport examples and it seems to be an anomaly of the Canadian market. If anyone has any insight, please enlighten me but as far as I can gather, the package involves an interior riddled with little Ms and a stiffer suspension. It also increases the likelihood of a limited-slip diff. When it comes to sedans, E34s really tent my trousers and other than the M5, a 535i in red with three pedals on the floor is pretty much the ultimate crotch-ripper. It's the worst time to be dragging home an expensive, semi-quick fuel guzzling project but every time I look at this picture, I can hear it whimpering to me, begging me to nurse it back to health. Not that I have the time, money or space to do so. It just seems a shame to let it fade. I realize I'd be far better off waiting for a good example to come along and ponying up for it but just for giggles, what's it worth and what's involved in taking on a neglected, aging 5-series? I know nothing of it's mechanical condition, so let's assume it doesn't run.

I drove one exactly like that once, except in black. Buy it, fix it, you will NOT regret it. It was an absolute BLAST to drive.

the e34 and e39 were the prettiest of 5ers.. if I had to choose between the two models.. I doubt I could.

three pedals?!? do it! There is an E39 540 for sale locally to me with the 6 speed.. but I do not want to drop 7grand on it

If you can tow it off for $500 and are willing to deal with a good running but worn car, do it.

All I hear is "JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!"

I should mention my soul-crushing budget and the presence of two small children in my house. The best I could do is fix enough to pass safety inspection, paint it flat black and bolt on some 18" M-Parallels.

amg_rx7 wrote: If its free, it might be interesting. Beyond that, it would probably be cheaper starting with a better car. The dead paint alone will make it more expensive than its worth to bring back.

Who cares about the paint? It's called patina. Just throw a good coat of wax over the top of it.

lesabre400 wrote: All I hear is "JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!" I should mention my soul-crushingly low budget and the presence of two small children in my house. The best I could do would be to fix enough to get it to pass safety inspection, paint it flat black and bolt on some 18" M-Parallels.

I fail to see the problem here? That sounds awesome to me.

The M30 is a stout engine, but there must be some reason it was parked up in the first place. Hopefully not, but possibly due to a broken timing chain?

Not sure how stringent your safety inspections are, but I'd expect to have to go right through the steering, to bring it up to roadworthy condition. Steering 'box, tie rods, ball joints etc. All those parts start to add up...but I guess that's the same with any old car that's been sitting.

I'd still jump on it, though. You'd likely profit just by parting it out, especially if it has a LSD and decent interior.

lesabre400 wrote: All I hear is "JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!" I should mention my soul-crushing budget and the presence of two small children in my house. The best I could do is fix enough to pass safety inspection, paint it flat black and bolt on some 18" M-Parallels.

The experience your children will have being able to ride around in something that is not soul crushing like a Camry or an Accord will be worth the effort.

You will have to redo cooling system because it is a BMW. More then likely for less money you can get something better.

The older cooling systems are pretty robust, generally. M30's are cheap motors to buy. I'll bet that paint buffs out. (Not a lame attempt at humour - I really think it will). They REALLY are great cars. After a similar internal struggle, I bought an abandoned non-running M5 last Sept, and got to hear it run last night for the first time - it cost me ~$17 to hear that wonderful sound. I expect getting it on the road will cost me a lot more: the detail parts can add up if the car isn't complete. On the other hand, there are LOTS of good sources for used BMW parts, since they have a strong following.

I may have just torpedoed this whole idea and all it took was a quick search on Kijiji, revealing not one but two local, beautiful (at least in the pictures) 1995 E34s, both 540 / 6-speeds. $5000 each. I'd love the v8 noise but I'd probably rather have the big-6 reliability. Regardless, if a good E34 can be had for $5000, I'd have to be out of my mind to drag home a dead one, right? Right?

93EXCivic wrote: You will have to redo cooling system because it is a BMW. More then likely for less money you can get something better.

Older cars like this one didn't have the cooling system issues like newer BMWs.

maybe as a parts car to go with a better one

http://newlondon.craigslist.org/cto/2326625923.html

in a new york minute! thats a good traveling car right there..

Can you add boost? I remember riding in one when they were new but now it seems like it might feel slow.

The least you can do is part it out!