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 […]
Another day, another 80s/90s BWM featured on the front page. Why so many BMWs? The answer is simple. Find another manufacturer that built a bunch of manual transmission cars with rear-wheel-drive that were more rugged than reliable. Reliable is a Toyota Civic- rugged is a Toyota Hilux. But the E28 generation of BMW is not […]
I was never of fan of the “slow cars are cool” theory that entered into the classic car paradigm a few years ago. Diesels started getting serious love, the Porsche 912 became extremely expensive, and now people want serious cash for the eta-powered BMWs of the 1980s. Uggg. What is this world coming to. And […]
I love E28s so much that I drove two of them to their destruction at 24 Hrs of LeMons events…but maybe I shouldn’t admit that to the president of the BMW E28 Fanboi Club (TM). This next E28 looks like the slow 528e. The e was short for eta or the Greek symbol engineers and […]
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 […]
I love it when an old friend shows up at the right time. And the E28 generation 5-series is a friend..even if I’ve drive a few into the oblivion. I guess it is only two of them…and a proper funeral for any car is a 24 Hrs of LeMons race and that’s me in an […]
Back in the 1980s when Mercedes-Benz was shoving their super reliable 4-and 5-cylinder diesel engines into everything with the tri-star logo, the guys over at BMW decided they wanted to get into the fun. But instead of starting with a simple and rugged engine like the OM61X-Benz diesel, they converted the M20 gasoline engine into something they called the M21 and added a turbocharger and gave it a high redline of 5350 rpm and 114 horsepower. The result was an engine that wasn’t as pokey as similar era oil burning Benz, but it didn’t last the decades without problems, and the 3-series, 5-series, and Lincoln Continentals (yes, Lincolns) that got the engine have all but vanished from the road. But today’s example is low in miles, but high in quality and price. Find this 1985 BMW 524TD offered for $13,500 in Burlingame, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
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.
Ohh…this is one is so tempting. Seriously, please buy this car before I do. It combines the sweet styling of an E28 with the inevitable torque of a small block Ford V8. Just need to change the plan from the current AOD/C4 to a T5 and we’re in business. Oh yeah, you’ll also need to assemble everything yourself because it comes like a Lego kit. Find this 1984 BMW 524TD Ford V8 Ready offered for $2850 in Santa Rosa, CA via craigslist.
Welcome to Leap Day on DT, where we look at cars ready to take the Leap from depreciated crap to appreciating classic: I’ve got to admit that I have a soft spot for the E28 generation BMW 5-series…particularly the zippy 535i with a manual gearbox. I’ve personally driven 2 of them to their unfortunate death […]