Seller Submission: 1991 BMW M5 E34

The E34 generation BMW M5 has been a favorite around this site, mostly because it offers a level of speed and exclusivity that is hard to beat. And if you don't remember, DT's own CFlo owned an E34 M5 for a few years and loved every minute of the screaming inline-6 powered beast.  Today's E34M5 comes as a seller submission from our friend Jay who offers it somewhere in the mid range of what you'd expect for this car to bring at a BaT auction. Find this 1991 BMW M5 E34 offered for $21,500 in Los Angeles, CA via craigslist.

Bargain ///M: 2000 BMW M5

The original BMW M5 was released in 1986 as an obsidian autobahn cruiser and it only got better with age.  The next generation also featured another hot inline-6, but it wasn't until the 1999 release of the E39 generation M5 that it got an appropriately menacing V8 to tear up the streets.  This next example comes from a Sean S. Find this 2000 BMW M5 offered for $5,600 in Malibu, CA via craigslist.

Custom or Kuztom? 2000 BMW 540iT 6-Speed

There is an old Latin saying: de gustibus non est disputandum, which means "in matters of taste, there can be no disputes." Now, those old Latin dudes were good at building aqueducts, designing the calendar, and minting coins with their faces on them...but did they really expect us to believe that there isn't an objective perfect (a paradigm of beauty, perhaps) in this world? Ha!  And to prove it, I'm going to let you guys tell me if this next car is awesome or awful.  Find this 2000 BMW 540iT 6-Speed offered for an undisclosed chunk of cash somewhere near Chicago, IL via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

E39 M5 Power: 1995 BMW 540i E34 S52 Swap

The trick of doing a good engine swap is simple...just follow these two rules: (1) pick a sweet vehicle with plenty of street cred, but maybe down a few ponies on power & (2) juice it up with something that keeps alive the spirit of the original automobile, but turns the dial up to 11. (3...wait...3?) Bonus points if the swap involves complex alpha-numerics that nobody except real fanboys understand -- yo dawg, is that a Z15N? No quite, its a Z15N-GT...dude, straight GDM man. Hawt. I think that shoving an S62 V8 from a later M5 into a E34 5-series meets both of those rules. Find this 1995 BMW 540i E34 S52 Swap offered for $12000 in Fresno, CA via craigslist. Tip from Sean.

V10 SMG: 2006 BMW M5 E60

I know what you'll say. Another BMW...sheesh, you DT guys must have some kind of sponsorship from Bavaria.  Not quite (although we'd love to get some kick back from BMW if you guys are reading this...send unmarked cash in brown paper envelopes care of the crazy cat lady down the street)..but if you can find another company that sells nicely styled manual transmission equipped sports sedans and V10 powered hoonmobiles, I'll become a fan boy for that OE too.  Deal?  Anyway, BMW M division's first bruiser sedan was the 1988 BMW M5; they had previously dabbled in the M1 supercar and 4-cylinder powered E30 M3 but it was the E28 M5 that set the standard for a fast M-sedan.  Multiple generations later that formula had outgrown its inline-6 roots and by the E60 generation the M5 was powered by an F1 inspired V10 with a screaming high 8250 rpm redline.  Today these M5s are out of factory warranty and can be purchased for less than a new Honda Accord. Find this 2006 BMW M5 E60 starting bid at $1000 with estimated value $17k here on SecondDaily.com.

What's The Catch?: 2003 BMW M5

Probably all DT readers would love to have the funds to buy high performance machine like a BMW M5, but this usually requires a serious sum of coin which everyone does not have. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled on a future classic E39 chassis BMW M5 for under $10K. On first glance, the car appears to be pretty clean with no obvious signs of modification or neglect. Is an M5 with 297,000 miles a bridge too far for you to cross or just getting broken in at that point?  Find this 2003 BMW M5 for sale in Queens, NY for $8,300 via OfferUp.

Convincing Conversion: 2000 BMW M5 Touring

The E39 generation of BMW's M5 brought V8 power and much needed injection of torque to the big 5-series bruiser in 1998.  The M5 was available as a sedan, but BMW never released a properly awesome wagon version, so you had a settle for a 540i if you wanted the dog friendly rear space...however, somebody solved that problem with this next car. Find this 2000 BMW M5 Touring offered for $24999 in Costa Mesa, CA via craigslist. Tip from Sean S who asked if we can bend the $20k rule for once...yes!

E60 Blues:2006 BMW M5

Someone once told me that every Porsche 928 is a $25k car, its just that the $5k examples will cost you $20k in maintenance.  That might be true for those fancy-pants cars from Stuttgart, but what about a nice Bavarian family sedan? Will this M5 be the ultimate money eating machine? Or, as tipper Jeff S puts it: Is there such a thing as a cheap M5?  If so, how many arms and legs will it eventually cost you and your family? Find this E60 2006 BMW M5 offered for $12000 in Hagerstown, MD via craigslist.

DTM5 on BaT Auction

DT E-i-C Vince: Well...that's a first!!  The DTM5 didn't find any buyers over here, so CFlo submitted the 1993 BMW M5 for sale on Bringatrailer.com where it is currently bidding for $6,911 with 7 days to go.  I've personally driven/ridden in this car many times and can attest to the sheer brutality of its flagrant and unabridged awesomeness. 

The DTM5 is on the Market!

1993 BMW M5

The DTM5 - Daily Turismo Project Car

Budget M5: 1992 BMW 525i S52 Swap

Modifying cars is a tricky business.  A similar comparison would be a chef adding just the right amount of seasoning to your dinner- too much or too little does nothing good for the food.  DT often pokes fun at dinners where the chef has had a heavy hand with the seasoning.  Today's E34 5 series strikes just the right balance and looks to be delicious meal.  The late model M3 S52 in the engine bay makes makes 50+ horsepower more than stock 525i engine and the M5 spec alcantara euro interior is off the charts cool.  Find this 1992 BMW 525i for sale in Darien, CT for $7,500 via craigslist.

DT Gets Rad @RadWood2

This Saturday morning, we'll be firing up our DTM5 E34 project car and heading down to RadWood2, the show for '80s and '90s enthusiast machines at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim, CA. If Jalopnik's coverage of the inaugural RadWood in the Bay Area is any indication, this show is gonna be...rad.

Feel like you just can't wear enough hairspray on the weekend anymore? Looking for a chance to dust off that denim jacket and your best pair of jorts? Want to ogle a big variety of awesome and DT-worthy depreciated rides? Then this show might be a decent way to waste a Saturday.

You Want A Puffer?: 1998 BMW 540i DINAN

Nearly every car brand has a few independent tuners that work their magic modifying their cars.  Dinan has carved out a strong reputation in the USA BMW universe.  Today's modified Dinan 540i poses a strong argument against BMW's highest performing in house car the M5. With E39 M5 prices climbing by the day, the price disparity between the two cars is literally huge.  The stock 540i makes nearly 300 horsepower and is a bargain performer in it's own right.  Find this 1998 BMW 540i for sale in Newtown, CT for $9,650 via craigslist.

DT Driving from Monterey to Bremerton with the Lemons "Hell on Wheels" Rally

What could be more fun than 1,900 miles in some crummy old car in the middle of August? Doing it with a bunch of other weirdos you just met...and aren't quite sure about yet. Last year I had the opportunity - uh, the failure of judgment - to participate in part of the very first Lemons Rally, the so called "Hell on Wheels" drive from Monterey to Reno, down to Vegas, Death Valley, Bakersfield, and then back up the California coast. I wasn't able to run the full length last year so for 2017 we are going for broke. My E34 M5 was the conveyance of choice in 2016; this year my Dad and I cruising in something simultaneously newer but somehow more Lemony - a Ford P71 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. All the way up to Seattle-ish and back. What could possibly go wrong! That isn't a question.

Vee Ten: 2008 Audi S6

A huge engine in a medium size car is a formula that never seems to get tired.  With the advent of modern turbo set ups, the old adage of there is no replacement for displacement is being put to the real test though.  Back in the mid 2000s, Audi and BMW both deemed that a V8 engine wasn't enough cylinders for their highest performing mid side sedans.  The Audi S6 and BMW M5 changed course and went to V10 engines for this generation of cars.  The magic power of depreciation brings us a Lambo derived and glorious sounding V10 German super sedan for under 10 grand!  Find this 2008 Audi S6 for sale in Prospect, CT for $8,700 via craigslist. 

Weißer Ritter: 1991 BMW M5 E34

The E34 generation M5 was the last of the hand-built BMW M-cars...but I probably didn't need to tell you that if you are remotely an ///M-car fanboy or fangirl.  It was also the last BMW M-car to feature an engine that had even the remotest link to a BMW Motorsports racing engine....but I probably didn't need to tell you that anyway...why do I even bother to write this stuff?  Find this 1991 BMW M5 E34 offered for $10,500 near Las Vegas, NV. Tip from FuelTruck.

Mid Week Match-Up: Rob's Daily

Today we've got a special Mid Week Match-Up request from friend of DT Rob who is relocating to the Carolinas (from sunny SoCal) and is looking for a story manual transmission daily driver for under $25k.

DTM5 Update: Hydraulic Losses

Some astute readers may remember that we do occasionally write about our own project cars around here! We started with a neglected refrigerator-white Volvo 242 in 2012, did some refurbishment, and sold to our friend Alex who went Full Swede on the car - it now sports a Volvo inline six swap, custom made wheels, luxed-out interior, mondo brakes, and has been detailed to the hilt. Vince and I went our separate ways into various other projects; the E-i-C chose to devote his spare 15 minutes every Saturday afternoon to a Saab 99 and then a Buick Roadmaster, while yours truly has delved into other Volvos and NA Miatae and BMWs more extensively, including a 1973 2002 and this black-on-black 1993 E34 M5. You haven't heard much about the M5 lately (since my trackday writeup) but rest assured it is still rumbling around the mean streets of the South Bay Los Angeles area. For a while it was also barfing hydraulic fluid all over those same streets, forcing me to face grim reality and address some necessary repairs in the power steering / self-leveling suspension system.

Red Flags: 1991 BMW M5

 I know, I know.  Another E34 M5?  Getting a bit predictable, huh Daily Turismo?  An E34 M5, then an 1800S, then a ratty 911, soon we will win a game of tractor chicken, then eventually convince an old man to burn some books and then cancel the town's longstanding anti-dancing laws...so predictable.  Find this 1991 BMW M5 offered for $5,500 in Los Angeles area, CA via craigslist.  Thanks to Sean S for the tip!