Can you appreciate a car simply because it’s honest and clean, even if it doesn’t necessarily yield a memorable driving experience? The older BMW 5-Series is a terrific example of this phenomenon, as these are entirely pleasant vehicles that can be used like a daily driver, but the visceral quantities are lacking. As someone who owned an E28-chassis BMW 5-Series, I can tell you this: this is one of the best deals out there in the vintage car scene if you’re inclined to own an older European vehicle, and this 1984 BMW 528e here on craigslist appears quite clean with an asking price of $10,000.
Now, the seller’s price is a touch high, in my opinion, especially when equipped with the optional automatic transmission. It’s also a 528e versus a 535i, which makes this the economy-minded model that’s equipped with a fairly tepid 2.7L inline-six. Horsepower is around 121 b.h.p., and 177 lb-ft of torque. The real attraction of this particular example is its low mileage, with the seller claiming there’s under 60,000 original miles on the clock. This means the upholstery and carpet are both in excellent shape, and the dash appears to uncracked as well – a common cosmetic flaw on these cars.
And if it comes from the northeast, expect to see rust on the edges of the fenders, too. Since this appears to be a Pacific Northwest car, I don’t see any rust, anywhere. Now, in this same category, you could choose a W124-chassis Mercedes-Benz E-Class, or go Swedish and find a Volvo 240. But truth be told, the E28 is still a bit unusual to see on the roads, and in my experience owning a 1987 535is, there are plenty of people who remember owning one back in the day and will come up and share their memories of driving an E28. The seller notes “…it would take very little to bring this car back to showrooms condition,” and I tend to believe him.
So, can you own a car like this as your “fun” vehicle while knowing the driving experience will be downright relaxing? Some folks look at their second or third car as one that delivers performance they can’t tap into on a daily basis, so owning a vintage luxury sedan may not scratch the itch. However, if you like the idea of experiencing a vintage car that will coddle you a bit and be dirt-cheap to maintain, a mid-sized European sedan makes an awful lot of sense. I don’t know that I’d pay the asking price shown here, but I’d certainly look to start with a car as clean as this E28.
Other than the bumpers, these are beautiful cars. While more luxurious that the 3-series, they weren’t as big as the 7-series. While I like most 5-series from this era, the one to really have is the 540i from the early 90s with the V8 and five speed. A neighbor has one and I’ll never be able to pry it from his fingers.
The 540i had a 6-speed manual, one of the first around, and it was magical.
A 528e with an automatic transmission is arguably the nadir of the 5-series in the US, particularly when compared to the E34 5-series that followed it. That long-stroke six was great at the gas pumps, but not much fun on the open road.
It is surprisingly satisfying to drive one. Good for what it is. I also have a modified 535is and my stock 528e is a much smoother and calmer driving experience. Once it gets going.
A garage that I worked for in the late 80s took a low-mileage manual silver 525i as a trade-in; if I had to choose one car of all those that I drove around then, it stands out as the one that I’d keep. Nice to drive, good visibility, reasonably quick, effortless to drive.
Euro bumpers, though, and automatics don’t do it for me.
My experience with a 525i was that it was a willing revver, and a lot of fun to drive. It didn’t have the most power, no, but that wasn’t where the magic was.