The BMW 5-Series hovers on the cusp of collectability, but for the time being, that status is reserved for the Motorsports variant known as the M5. While sedans are generally less collectible than two doors, the 5-Series’ challenge is that it still makes for a superb daily driver – so owners may be less inclined to sock such a car away for long-term preservation. However, this European-market 520i has seemingly been lovingly preserved and is listed here on eBay with just 8,000 miles.
The E12 chassis 5-Series didn’t make much of a splash in the U.S., at least not in terms of raw sales volume. However, it was a precursor of what was to come as the model would mature into the E28 series that did blossom into a fan favorite with its robust inline-six and 5-speed manual gearbox. The earlier model shown here has a four-cylinder powerplant which is typical for entry-level European market cars. Power aside, this 520i has all the benefits of a gray market example, with the primary improvement being its slim, chrome bumpers.
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The other tell-tale sign of a car imported from overseas is cloth seats (along with the manual transmission). The American market seems to have a fascination with leather seats, and the unfortunate side effect is that the material looks used up after a few years of regular use. Even if this car had higher miles, I’ll bet that the cloth seating surfaces would still be in tidy shape. Mercedes-Benz models imported as gray market cars are often equipped the same way with the bare-bones interior that somehow, looks better than the high-zoot packaging of U.S. models.
This 520i offers an interesting mix of options, as it’s a base model with headlight washers. The latter often comes on the higher trimlines, so whoever the first owner was decided to ignore most of the available options for a 520i but still step up to the relatively complex (and in all fairness, somewhat unnecessary) headlight cleaning system. All in all, this is a beautifully-kept example with next to no miles on the clock, and given values will likely never rise exponentially, you can feel comfortable actually using it versus leaving it under a cover.
Such clean and handsome lines. Not much go with the 2 liter engine though. The headlight wipers may be unnecessary for a car that will not be driven in winter but they are really cool and will make all the BMW guys drool with envy at club gatherings. Euro bumpers turned my ugly ducking E28 into a pretty swan.
Very nice ride, the manual makes it for me. I always wonder about the super low mileage vehicles. I understand that some people have more than one vehicle to drive, keeping miles low. Especially living in the snow belt like I do really reduces the amount of miles you can rack up. But 7K since 1975? Best of luck with the auction.
Agreed, super low mileage rings alarm bells, without paper work to verify.
My spidey senses are tingling on this one. 1. Weirdass eBay username. 2. For such an amazing time capsule car, absolutely no description, just a copy/paste of why there’s no CarFax which would be useless for a euro import car anyway. I’d welcome someone to prove me wrong because this thing is a fantastic unicorn if it’s real. This just seems to have “scam” written all over it .
Correction o my above comment. It refers the the vehicles history report section of the listing. But I will stand by the fact that for such a beautiful showroom piece the description is super skinny. I hope I’m wrong
100% hinky ebay listing. Sold on BaT twice:
05/2020 https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1975-bmw-520i/
05/2021 https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1975-bmw-520i-2/
I can imagine a scenario where you have a nice car with no miles. I have a relative who bought a car about a month or so before he died. He still had his old car, and I think was still driving it because you get to a certain age, and the hell with it.
The family has the car in the garage, and no one seems too interested in using it or selling it. So there it will sit.
I know a similar story. Uncle loved his BMW 520 but he died, his wife rarely used it, his daughter the same, so i was sent to the mechanic to do the service because i was considered a car guy and in the end it was sold cheaply, a bargain, considering its age and km of use.
No photos of dash/instruments/steering wheel? Strange.
This is pretty amazing. With no reserve, someone is going to get a heck.of a deal. And a luxury car without leather is highly desirable, too.
The photos of this car are copied from BAT , where it sold for $37,000 back on May 19th 2020. The same photos also appear in a 2020 Motor Trend online article about the car.
Potential buyers should (always) verify the car before bidding or paying.
So, that pretty much clinches it, scam.
Nice car, but I’d be after a 525 estate.
There’s a lot to love about this BMW. From the Euro bumpers to the tidy interior. Four cylinder not so much. I’m sure there’s adequate performance. I’ve owned plenty of cars with under 100 HP.
That interior is so nice. From the fabric seats to sans console it makes for a proper appearance. As far as materials go the German cars were built to last. There was no leather in this class of vehicle just a durable cloth or leatherette/vinyl. American cars were built for a typical three year ownership period. After that it wasn’t your problem.
Its a good looking car with the the Euro bumpers. I’m glad there is 5 speed with that 2.0 motor. It probably cruises very nice. I miss my 88 535is. (The poor man’s e28 M5!)
If somethings sounds too good to be true it usually is. Especially, since someone here has seen photos of same car listed for sale before, on ebay. That year Bimmer with a manual is great, but they had better choices on performance drivetrains than what it’s got in this one. Buyer beware.
From a time when one would have dared to keep their BMW after the warranty was up….
Same motor as the 2002tii – mechanical fuel injection, probably 120-130 HP.
Sold on BAT twice, in 2020 for $37,001 and a year later for $42,250. Both with same mileage. Now why would someone who bought it for $42,250+ suddenly put it on ebay and entertain bids for 1/4 that amount? Either he found something very wrong with the car, or it is a ….. scam!
I never liked the European rabbit fur. Back in 1987 when I was traveling through Europe I ran into a number of 2002 Baur Targas and convertibles that were not exported to the US at that time. I wanted one of the Baurs but didnt dig the seats. Saw a lot of the 5 series being used as taxicabs.
I’m guessing some random hut dweller in Nigeria with a good dsl connection had nothing else to do but take pix off the internet and put then on Ebay and go fishing.
Or…maybe the first dealer who sold it to the second dealer got it back and is trying to sell it on Ebay and not BaT…NOT
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1975-bmw-520i/