Ah yes the "which is better Question". The e30, the e28, or the e34.
Each car in this category is a champion in it's own right.
You have the iconic e30. The father of the M5, the e28.
And the legacy of the e34.
Well Junebug you've opened up a Pandora's box of sorts. For you will see, read and hear
different accounts depicting the passionate love affair of all three.
The problem with this query is truthfully... you have to open the door, sit down, turn the
roundel crested key, and have a go at it to get the full picture.
So it would definitely be a personal description your looking for.
In my case, I've owned a e30 and currently on my forth e34.
To be honest I love(d) both.
However my love for BMW began in high school some 2 1/2 decades ago.
My passion for e34s began out of necessity but grew into an enthusiast infatuation.
My first BMW was a 1986 e30 325es. I loved it's simplicity, its command of the road,
it's beauty. It was a car if I saw it again for sale I'd drop coin on the spot to bring it home again.
It was a car that introduced me to the mechanical side of german engineering.
I've had german cars previously but that e30 was the first german bred car I ever truly tinkered with.
In the same respect I didn't truly get the chance to appreciate it as much as I do my e34s.
Fortunately but unfortunate all things come to an end. My need for a larger car outweighed my love for the e30 so I jumped in my first example of a e34 which was a 535i 5spd manual.
It was a great car. Very clean, engine and suspension was solid. But it was taken from me quickly due to a freak ice storm.
So I never got the opportunity to get the most out of it.
Then I bought my longest bmw companion which was Zaraki. A well driven, multi owner,
m30 powered 5spd manual e34 that I basically rebuilt from the ground up.
Never a night passed that I didn't find myself staring at it for less than 15 minutes.
how zaraki looked at time of purchase
5 years later
My current e34: 1995 bmw 525 OBDI s52 swap
I guess that's what your searching for. What would drive a human being to have such a
relationship with a car that it would place the owner in a semi trance state just admiring the
body lines and perfect imperfections.
Accomplishment, maybe. Thrill of the road, possible. The classic lines, subtle curves
and perfect imperfections, very well could be.
My definition would be it's a car which is rewarding and adapts to the driver.
It is the last of the old world notion of man's connection to the road.
One that looks graceful in motion and stunning in park.
From the M5 to the 520, it is truly the last drivers car BMW produced.
It's predecessor the e28 is also held in a somewhat cult following. For it truly was
the father of the modern day M5. It was raw, held in prestige at it's time.
It held on to the more simple engineering also seen in the e30.
I have a high respect for the e28.
However my car of choice is the e34. It fits my personality and lifestyle.
In it's base it's not as powerful as the later 5 series models.
But the innovations in engine swaps and force induction changes all that.
The interiors and electronics aren't as complex as a e60. Yet the majority of the
basic functions transcend throughout the 5 series year models.
Once you open that door, turn that key, it comes to life without much computer
calibrated sensory assistance.
Or better said you feel it's "soul" pulsating in unison with your own.
That said and long winded...
Don't just respect your elders.... Know your place.