BMW 5 Series from the Eighties are worth watching. The E28 is looking better every year with square-jawed lines, huge interiors and ample heave from the bigger six-pot engines. Find a well-kept 528i or M535i and you’ll have a very cool and quick Eighties performance saloon with big street cred.
Prices vary wildly and they still turn up in the small ads at normal used car money. A Cambridge private seller has an ’1986 Alpine White 525i with 80k, all books and tools plus full history for just £3500.
But if you want a real showpiece another private enthusiast in Kent is selling his 1987 BMW 528i in factory black with 75,000 miles, beige leather, electric sunroof and full BMW history for £7995. And it’s a two-owner car.
Avoid 518is and 520is – they’re usually basic spec and not that good to drive – and concentrate instead on fully optioned six-cylinder survivors. With BMW M5 E28 prices now off the clock the M535i is moving up fast, but you can still find nice cars for less than £10,000.
The more you look at E28s the more potential you see, like the black 1986 manual BMW-528i-E28 for sale in Rutland with two owners, 74k, full history, spare keys and handbook pack for £4750. Parts are plentiful, they’re DIY-friendly, there are lots of specialists and it’s becoming über cool. The manuals are fine – particularly the dogleg five-speed – but the autos have a bewitching slushmatic quality.
I reckon the E28 takes some beating as an affordable Eighties classic and it’s one of the few cars you’ll find in these pages that isn’t soaring in value – yet. Scan the online ads and eBay and you’ll be genuinely surprised at what you can find.
Only buy the best that’s available because at these prices a really good car will just cost you the price of a respray and retrim on a shabby example anyway. Make sure there’s some paperwork and history to prove that mileage. I’m already seeing dealers pricing up low-milers towards £20k, so don’t hang about. The E28 is definitely set for greatness. Buy one while they’re still cheap.
BMW 5-Series E28 price analysis / Still under the radar – but not for long
