So today the smallest E34...1995 518i

so last week I needed to wait for the tires of my Volvo…..now they are on the Volvo 2 brand new. in the front. So in between I used my moms car as a daily…. there are plenty of cars in the family car pool at disposal so I got myself the smallest and fuel efficient car for my daily commute.

This car found its way into the family about 8 years ago…. it had only 110.000 km on it, but paint was scrap and it had rust issues, so after 3 months of testing it my Dad decided it is worth replacing everything rusted and repaint basically the whole car…. cost way more than the car, but technical this thing was exactly on point and exact in the cheap E34 spec which goes as far as this:

1.8l M43B18 115hp

The 4 cylinder is really economical my record was 6.7l/100km on a 1200km roadrip with 4 people and luggage on board. But that was only Autobahn with 110-130km/h with relative ease. And it is the M43 engine which is important. Pre 06/1994 E34s 518i and 318i E36s are sh!t. The reason is the M40…. camshafts are failing timing belts in a BMW. That M40 engine is a problem case… that is why they made a major update to M43 after the last E30 rolled out of the factory. The M43 has a timing chain, a camshaft that does not roll in so easy (rolling camshaft if that is the right word, english not my first language). and and and….

see that space?

biggest advantage of a car that has a small engine but also fits V8s and I6s from factory (some maniacs put the V12 in it but that must be impossible to work on I assume)? You got space… tons pf Space…there are 2 cylinders missing =).

even the interior is in the Facelift models pretty decent with the piano paint fake wood panels (fake because it is still just the 518i). Got no aircon but a manual

and at least electric windows and an electric sunroof in the summer. Ohh and sexy Foglights and the V8 bonnet since it is a facelift model.

So this is the cheapest to run E34 you can own. It is not fast and the suspension has tons of travel from factory since there is no weight in the front, but for cruising… that thing is supreme. If you get an 518i Touring with M43 in relative good condition, you got more or less the perfect car for long road trips. I was hunting for a while for them but not a good one for a decent price was out there.
Cheers FLB