The E34 generation BMW is an example of when styling wasn’t run by actual lunatics. The grotesque predator mouth-shaped grills that adorn modern BMWs make me wonder how the design team concluded their work and said, “Yup, we are finished.” It boggles the mind that they were not immediately fired and replaced with drunk monkeys. […]
The next E34 5-series looks decent from a distance, but isn’t the minty classic you might have hoped once you get close. The seller admits that the clear coat is starting to fade (when did BMW change to 2-stage paint, must have been around this time, and it is shame this doesn’t have buffable single […]
This next car comes as a tip from Matt V who writes: European wannabe 6MT 2011 5 series. Probably an exceedingly rare spec in the US. As base model as they come (which is to say – not very). Find this 2011 BMW 535i F10 offered for $12,000 in Cupertino, CA via craigslist. From the […]
With the current rise in prices for “cool” cars, I wonder how many more years will the E28 generation BMW 5-series be as affordable? The E28 (1981-1998) offers a purity of driving experience undulled by electronic power steering, stability control, traction control or any number of electronic nannies found in modern cars…and they have a […]
As a self-proclaimed connoisseur of 90s junk, I find myself oddly attracted to the E34 (1988-1995) generation of BMW’s 5-series sedan. A quick trip to BMW’s USA sales website makes me pine for a time when a “kidney grill” wasn’t a grotesque polygonal shaped icon that exemplifies the corpulence of the modern era. The twin […]
This next BMW won’t win best of show at the next Concours D’Alphonse, but it should get you from point-a to point-b without too much fuss. The seller picked it up as a project car and it still needs some additional sorting, but a 535i with a manual box and an LSD is not a […]
A quick trip to BMW’s USA sales website makes me pine for a time when a “kidney grill” wasn’t a grotesque polygonal shaped icon that exemplifies the corpulence of the modern era. The twin kidney shape was a decorative throwback to first BMW grill and not a predator mouth shaped abomination. There was a time […]
u won’t have automatic lane departure warning buzzards (I’m not sure why you’d want a buzzard to peck at your neck when you change lanes without a blinker, but I hear they are friendly birds if treated properly and only molt twice a year) and self aspirating seats (“You can’t never take wound care too seriously” — said the spokeswoman from Toyota at the last year’s Detroit Auto Show) but imagine driving a 30 year old car in 1970. That would have been a 1940 car. Or even driving a 30 year old car in the year 2000 — a 1970 Torino would have been nuts to daily drive in 1999…but you could easily drive this next car every day and not have people calling the cops on you. Find this 1990 BMW 535i offered for $6,000 in Los Angeles, CA via craigslist.
This next car is a real unicorn and is probably the last chance to drive a manual gearbox wagon if you believe all the Voltswagon hype these days. Electric SUVs and dual-clutch-17 speed transmissions might be the future, but BMW sent the 5-series wagon off with a bang with the E61 generation (2003-2010). They put the twin turbocharged N54 inline-6 attached to a 6-speed manual and sold a car that was a few turbocharger upgrades away from being as fast as the European M5 wagon. The only thing they forgot to include was a set of rear facing jump seats. Find this 2010 BMW 535i XDrive offered for $11,000 in Dover, MA via craigslist.
In the Nick Cage classic “Gone in 60 Seconds”, the protagonist (and car thief) hunts his white whale — Eleanor. She is a unicorn, an elusive 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 that is impossible to capture. No matter how many times he tried, Memphis could not capture it…and I’ve got a similar car. Not one I’m planning on stealing for the Ukrainian mafia, but one I’d like to have in my garage. The E28 BMW 5-series. Sure, I’ve driven a few. I even took one to the top of the podium at the 24 Hrs of LeMons in 2007 (and another to the scrap heap after the first race in 2006, training wheels welded on as penalty, People’s Choice award…good times)…but I’ve never owned or daily driven an E28 535i. I still have the itch and someday I’ll get a manual version before they are all crushed or become victim of hipster price bloat. Find this 1988 BMW 535i E28 offered for $2850 in Petaluma, CA via craigslist.