The BMW 5 Series is a 4-door saloon / 5-door estate (Touring) from Bmw, built from 1987 to 1996, in the age of turbocharging and the first electronic engine management. Under the bonnet: Internal combustion engine. Ercole Spada and J Mays under Claus Luthe drew it.
The story
The BMW E34 is the third generation of the BMW 5 Series, which was produced from 2 November 1987, until 1996. Initially launched as a saloon in January 1988, the E34 also saw a "Touring" station wagon (estate) body style added in September 1992, a first for the 5 Series. BMW replaced the E34 with the E39 5 Series in December 1995, although E34 Touring models remained in production until June 1996. The E34 generation marked the first time all-wheel drive was incorporated into the 5 Series with the 525iX, and the first V8 engine to be used in a 5 Series.
The E34 also saw the introduction of stability control (ASC), traction control (ASC+T), a 6-speed manual transmission and adjustable damping (EDC) to the 5 Series range. There was an unusually large range of engines fitted over its lifetime as nine different engine families were used. These consisted of straight-four, straight-six and V8 engines. The E34 M5 is powered by the S38 straight-six engine and was produced in saloon and wagon body styles.
What is underneath
Power comes from Internal combustion engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. It weighs 1440 -. The wheelbase is 2760 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Its family tree is legible: it took over from the BMW 5 Series (E28); its successor was the BMW 5 Series (E39); assembly was at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Ferrari F40, the Jeep Wrangler, the Subaru Legacy — show what else the money bought that year. Nearby in the Bmw catalogue sit the BMW 116 and the BMW 269.
What it costs now
The money question first: $13,300–$70,800 is the typical asking range today, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $2,855–$8,187 a year. Insurance sits around $1,490–$3,420 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.