Don't Sweat the Small Stuff: 1994 530i 5-Speed Wagon

If we're being picky, there are lots of red flags here. 215,000 miles, rust bubbles, plenty of overspray from a "four stage paint job" that photos seem to show was applied in a warehouse. We could go on, but it's a 5-speed V8 BMW wagon. We're happy to at least pretend those red flags don't exist for a bit.

We've been watching this eBay auction for a few days now and it seems as though would-be buyers are seeing the same issues that we are because bidding has stalled at around $2,000.

The E34 wagon is one of our favorite bodies styles that the boys in Munich have ever produced. We can see the seller's vision of a pseudo-M5 wagon here: blacked out chrome, M Parallel (inspired wheels) wheels, some suede bits on the inside, and of course 3 pedals.

The execution leaves a bit to be desired with silver paint that looks to have been applied over an improperly prepared base and some slightly sloppy stitching on the "custom" shifter and brake boots. The interior looks worn but in decent shape given over 200,000 miles of service and we like the M tech wheel.

We admire the seller's gumption to go through with the 5-speed swap, but we worry that it too falls a bit flat. The 3 liter M60 V8 is an extremely competent engine, but that’s not exactly what we’re looking for in a hot rod wagon. Putting out about 215 HP, it's not going to do a lot off the line even when paired with the 5-speed transmission.

We don't mean to be critical of this one. If it were something that rolled out of our garage after many nights of beer-fueled wrenching we'd have a huge grin on our faces every time we coaxed some wheel spin out of it. We'll see where the bidding ends on this one, but we get the feeling that it's not going to hit reserve. If it does go for a low amount, it could deliver a huge value to a buyer with the right attitude. That attitude being grocery store parking lot burnouts.

Find this 3-pedal 5-speed on eBay in Uniondale, NY.