Finding BMWs is a special skill of mine

And this V12 example is no exception. I caught wind of this car by reaching out about another one that someone else had for sale — then when going to view it, I met the owner of this particular car, who had pulled up in a black e34 530i. His enthusiasm was obvious, so we connected online where I saw him post this car in the background of another one. I reached out about it and after some time, I brought it home.

After I got it home, per usual, the first thing to do was clean it to see what we were dealing with.

Front end was looking sad so I made it happy with restored trim and new lights.

Then replaced the spark plugs and started cleaning up in the engine bay. While I was in here I also took the liberty of changing the “Squirrel fan” or the HVAC fan which had seized.

The car had a god-awful squeak coming from the rear when it was driven. The previous owner knew it was a bushing of some sort, but unsure which. So, I replaced most of them including the top mounts for the shock absorbers, pitman arms, and swaybar links. I also painted the swaybar itself and the brackets that hold it on just to freshen it up a bit with the new pieces.

The last thing I did to this car was to get the rust on the bottom of the doors sorted, as that tends to be a problem area in both the e32 and e34 models from BMW. The rust was blasted out; and from there I used a rust inhibitor and then a fiberglass-reinforced filler over that. Then the door bottoms (inside and out) were painted with fresh Alpine White to bring them back to the original look. The doors were then reassembled and reinstalled.

Took final photos of it…

And now that brings this car to a close, at least for me. It is now for sale at $7,000 or best offer.

Below is a list of what I know the car needs:

Factory radio wired in

• Speed sensor(likely on differential - speedometer doesn’t move)

• Door seals have shrunk (common issue)

• “Mustard Relay” - causes intermittent function of a few things like one of the tail lights

• A/C system checked for leaks/recharged

• Headliner has sagging

• Passenger doors have typical rust on the INSIDE but none on the outside.

• Rear shade needs rewound on the roller in order to hold tension, or just have it up all the time like I do in my e38.

• Front seats could use leather repair but its not 100% necessary.

• Rear trunk struts.

Most of that is relatively simple and easy for the common enthusiast that wants to boast about in what was once voted as the best luxury car in the world — against Mercedes-Benz, Bentley, and Lexus. I have a tiny bit of wiggle room on it, but these cars are only getting more rare and sought after, especially in decent working order as this example is. As someone who daily drives this car’s v12 successor, I can tell you from personal experience that there is nothing like driving one of these cars; its truly an exceptional experience, more especially when it can be had at a bargain. Give me a shout if you’re interested in purchasing this car.

I look forward to hearing from you at 573-521-7235.

Best,

Derrick D. Bundy

M&B Detailing & Ceramic Coatings