My latest( my 4th) BMW is an 1989 530i. I love the car almost as much as I loved my old M3 or my first BMW a 1979 320i. I am having the darnedest time finding out information ( besides WIKI) on it.I had a bit of trouble getting insurance for her due to the EURO VIN #.Was wondering if any one else has one or has good information on her.Even anything on what other E34 parts are interchangeable with it. Thank you for your time Tony
What kind of information are you looking for? I know of some websites that can pull up the production date for your car using the last 7 digits of your VIN number. I also have a link that can pull up your car's original option list (which options were ordered with your specific car). What would you like to know? Getting insurance shouldn't be a problem. You COULD just tell the insurance agent that it's similar to the 535i of the same year. Your car has the exact same M30 inline-six engine, just a slightly smaller displacement than the North American cars came over with. Nearly all other parts from a North American 1989 - 1992 535i should interchange to some degree. If the car has not been "federalized" to US equipment, main differences are going to be with the exhaust system, lighting, and some differences in the gauges (speedometer face will be in km) etc. Some E32 (second generation 7-series, 1988 to 1994) parts will also interchange with your E34. In your pictures, I noticed the taillights are different in the third pic than from the first and second. I like those better. Can you tell me anything about the taillights on your car?
Thank yoy BCweir. I have used a few VIn searchs from post at the bimmerfest forum.Found a letal plate that had fallen by the dash when I had the windshield replaced. had a supstitute for US VIN..was neat finding it. Getting the insurance was not too bad. took a few companies but finally found one.I beleive the agent decided to use the 535i as its model. thanks you for the information on the parts.has been a concern of mine in case of any issues that may come up( so far so good). Thank you.The tails lights i just got and put in this past week. I purchased them from customblvd. 88 plus shipping came to 140 and change. Anything you can dig up i would greatly appreciate thank you again. Cheers Tony
If you're looking for maintenance information, by all means buy a Bentley manual. It's available from Bentley Publishing here http://www.bentleypublishing.com. Take it from me. It's one of the best investments you can make in your vehicle. If you do a search for BMW E34 in Google, you will find a whole lot of information there. I am also a member of another BMW community that's very open and helpful, as well as very informative. Try http://www.bimmerboard.com then select E34 (5 series 1989 to 1996) or E32 (7 series 1988 to 1994). http://www.penskeparts.com is also very helpful. http://www.autohausaz.com is a reliable and inexpensive parts vendor, often beating the dealer significantly on parts for these cars.
Thanks for all the information!. I just pciked up a Bentley came in hand today as a matter of fact. this what was on teh brass plate i found and it does match the vin by the window. "Substitute For US VIN WBAHC610803532586 SEE 49 CFR 565" has the "0" in the tenth spot.that is what gave the insurance company a fit. I will check out the links for sure.. Thank you. Tony
The E34 M5 BMW never made The BMW E34 M5 convertible http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/29/bmw-builds-e34-m5-convertible-keeps-it-secret-for-20-long-years/
