Current E34 540i market question

[Twistee 461]

What is the current reasonable sale price for an E34 540i , I know it's condition dependent. I was leading the auction on one a week ago that closed for just over $2k , in the final hour I had a work issue to deal with and completely forgot about it. So now I'm back browsing around and at present there doesn't seem to be anything under 8k available. Assume that I'm looking for something that is not a complete basket case but it certainly doesn't need to be a show car either.

At present I'm torn between an E34 or an E46 as a run around, and until something turns up that ticks the boxes I may as well keep exploring options.

Cheers.

 

[Kees 598]

I've watched the E34 market quite closely especially since I was making an NZ E34 540i registry. 

Two wof and reg examples that sold in the last few months were:

 

An alpine white car with 400,000km on it, interior was very worn as a result of what I can only guess were dogs climbing over the seats. Exterior was in reasonable condition given the mileage.

Was listed for 3K ONO on trademe and sold quite quickly. Saw it on the shore recently. 

 

The second was a silver one with around 260,000km (was in the 200s but can't remember exactly). Was originally Diamond black but had been resprayed. Interior was below average and respray was far from a professional job, but much like the other car, it had good bones. 

It was $1 reserve and sold for $3070. 

 

I bought mine for $2.5K in November 2020 with 367,000km with wof and reg, but have spent thousands making it nice again lol. 

 

And that's honestly why I do not understand the E34 market, particularly with 540s. Although I've formed a bit of a bond with my car now, if I was going to rewind time I would have spent the extra and got a nicer one for 6-8K because it is expensive to get them back to spec if you are a bit OCD about having a tidy car. 

The one on trademe for 8K, while it isn't to my taste with the brown interior and gold wheels, the paint looks mint and someone has clearly spent a decent amount on the certified adjustable suspension. 

Considering what 540s offer (and E34s in general) I really do not understand their low values relative to what they offer compared with the values of E30s. People would jump at a tidy automatic 318i for 8K but there seems to be little interest in that 540 for sale at the moment. 

The M60 B40 is one of the most reliable V8s BMW ever made, and offer decent power especially for an early 90s car. 

E34s have that classic classy BMW look that everyone seems to appreciate, regardless of whether they are a car enthusiast or not, and still feel like a modern car to drive. 

5 Speed automatic is a very nice gearbox relative to it being 30 years old, and it does suit the cruiser nature of a 540. 

And since 540s were at the top of the tree, they have enough technology to make them easily daily driveable (if you can afford the fuel lol). 

Plus 540s are pretty rare, when I was making my registry I found that many had cancelled registrations, or on-hold registrations. 

Like if you think about it objectively, what other fast, classic V8 European car can you get for 3-8K. 

They are extremely good value in my eyes and are absolutely under-rated. 

 

But anyway, hope you find this helpful. 

Edited October 20, 2021 by Kees

[Eagle 1679]

Most of the ones seen this year on facebook were asking 4-6k. They were what id class as average examples. Hard to find ones that dont drive and handle sloppy, most need a lot of suspension and steering work to get them to some sort of standard. I think owners generally tend to hold onto the actual good examples these days.

Unless your run is lots of highway then imo a E46 is the better choice for run around, much more availability and easier to get bits for.

 

[Twistee 461]

Thanks @Kees and @Eagle , the red and gold 540 on trademe is interesting and with a rim change could be a tad more acceptable. I hear what you're saying about the cost of bringing an average one up to a good standard. And yes I'll keep looking for an E46.

cheers

[Michael. 2313]

E46 would be easier for a run around. Lots of parts and models to choose from

An E34 might soldier on but they need a fair bit of TLC now that they are mostly 30 years old to be a nice enjoyable car. A rough or average E34 is not what I would call enjoyable haha. 

I used to own the one that sold for 2k, was reasonable enough when I had it 12 years ago. I remember the driveshaft center bearing was possibly shot, and power steering would get heavy when accelerating so there were a few things that needed doing back then, not sure if those details were looked into. It was a crashed damaged re-registered car. I did change the front end suspension arms but didnt use Lemforder. Seems it was parked up around 2015. 

Edited October 20, 2021 by Michael.

[Twistee 461]

Thanks @Michael. I think the rose tinted glasses are coming off on old 540 ownership. I need a low maintenance machine, so an E46 or newer 3 series is definitely the place I'll keep looking. 

Cheers.

 

[Driftit 2093]

Every E34 I have driven in NZ has long worn out suspension.

Going to sell my E34 525td soon.  Great commuter.

[Herbmiester 931]

On 10/21/2021 at 4:01 PM, Driftit said:

Every E34 I have driven in NZ has long worn out suspension.

Going to sell my E34 525td soon.  Great commuter.

Ah yes, my one is now on the way to becoming good again. 

[BreakMyWindow 1878]

On 10/21/2021 at 3:03 PM, Twistee said:

I need a low maintenance machine

You may want to re-consider an older bmw then!

[qube 3570]

 

[BMTHUG 1064]

2 hours ago, qube said:

 

sad to have to sell this. but I have no where to park it

[Deffed 10]

E46