Six Used BMW Touring Wagons For Every Pocket And Taste

Before SUVs took over as regular family cars, the station wagon was king, especially in places such as Europe where there weren’t as many offroaders as there were in North America, especially in the 1990s and even the early 2000s.

As a European automaker, BMW has been quite adept at making station wagons ever since the mid 1980s, and it all started with the E30 3-Series Touring, the first ever Bimmer to be available as a sedan and a wagon.

So if you’re a fan, and you’re actually looking to buy yourself something practical, fun to drive and 100% Bavarian, we’ve put together a shortlist of cars from the used market here in the States for you to choose from, depending how much you’re willing to spend.

For Low Manual Budgets: 2002 BMW 325xi Touring ($5,000)

We found this all-wheel drive beauty on Autotrader, with a 6-cylinder engine and 207,000 miles (333,134 km) on the clock. The price is just $5,000 and if you read the ad, you’ll see that it comes with leather seats, power windows, CD player, air conditioning, power locks and new tires.

It may not blow you away in a straight line, but it looks well kept and you can use it in both good and bad weather conditions – a plus for any family car.

For Low Automatic Budgets: 2002 BMW 540i Touring ($8,000)

This 16-year old 5-Series Touring is equipped with a sport package, not to mention a 4.4-liter V8 unit, multi-function steering wheel, air conditioning, cruise control, genuine wood trim, CD player, stability control, front power memory seat, rain sensing wipers, a sunroof and a great deal more.

The seller is asking for $8,000 on Cars.com, which is no small price, although when you consider the performance, you might be tempted to call it a bargain. When new, the E39 540i was good for 286 PS and 325 lb-ft (440 Nm) of torque and could cruise the Autobahn at 155 mph (250 km/h).

For Discrete Enthusiasts: 2002 BMW 330i ZHP Touring ($13,500)

Here’s another 3-Series wagon you buy as a driving enthusiast. It’s listed for sale on eBay and for your hard-earned $13,500 you get a ZHP Performance Pack conversion, rear-wheel drive, an Alpine White exterior over Beige leather interior, 6-speed manual, xenon headlights, heated front seats and more.

This BMW was actually put together using a clean title 2002 325iT Sport Touring and a 2004 330i ZHP sedan as a donor car. Overall, it looks really good and the interior seems genuinely spotless.

For ‘M’ Purists: 1992 BMW M5 Touring ($42,500)

If you happen to stumble upon an early 90s BMW M5 Touring, know that you’re looking at what could be considered a collectible, with only 891 units ever produced. This was also the M-Division’s first ever wagon, which makes for great dinner table conversation among purists.

The one we found on eBay appears to be in good condition, and the 3.8-liter inline-six engine is said to run “very well”. Speaking of which, when it was new, a 1992 E34 M5 Touring would put down 335 HP (340 PS) and hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in around 6 seconds.

For Bragging Rights: 2003 Alpina B10 V8S Touring ($60,000)

Only 43 units of this 2003 Alpina B10 V8S Touring were ever produced, and this just happens to be the only one painted Dakar Yellow. That’s precisely the type of thing collectors like to hear.

We reckon this car, currently for sale on eBay, isn’t just for collectors, though, but for enthusiasts as well. It’s powered by a 4.8-liter V8 engine, producing 375 HP and 376 lb-ft (510 Nm) of torque. Back in the day, it could get all the way up to 170 mph (274 km/h), and hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.6 seconds.

For The Fast & Furious: 2000 BMW 540i Touring w/ Boxed Fenders

This heavily modified BMW 528i Touring is being auctioned off after it went through a 4.4-liter M62 V8 engine swap, with the new lump said to have just 50,000 miles (80,467 km) on the clock.

Features include the custom wide body kit with E30 M3-style boxed fenders,  20-inch wheels, climate control, leather-wrapped steering wheel and plenty more. In fact, the cabin looks clean, although if that’s not enough for you, consider the fact that unlike that 2002 540i Touring you just read about a minute ago, this one has a 6-speed manual transmission. The highest bid last we checked stood at $10,900.