Might be getting an E28

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motortrend

motortrend

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Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
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motortrend
I have saved up some money in the last year and was planning to maybe put it towards modding my car, but then I started browsing the classifieds out of curiosity. I went looking for older BMWs as I always do and found a nice 528e so I called and asked for more info and pics. The car looks really good, everything electric works, in the last 2 months it had the timing belt and water pump changed. The car is a manual from 1986 and is being sold for $1800 which is about how much I have saved up.

I come here to ask for some advice, is it a good price considering everything else? Will the car be reliable with what I have been told? What important thing is there to look for on e28s? If I were to buy the car I would use it as a second car for some occasions and maybe weekend drives, have a nice older car. I will post up some pics of the car later.
EDIT: PICS:
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E28's are great, I've had two, and they've both been pretty bomb-proof - despite both being very budget (£1000 for a 528i, and £500 for a 520i). Just look out for the obvious stuff, body work and the like. They're mechanically pretty simple, so they shouldn't cost the earth when things go wrong, but since they're getting on some parts prices can be a little high.... Only fix I ever had to do was a new AFM, and a new exhaust back-box.... that's significantley less than I've had to do with the E24, E30, E34 or E36.

The 528i was probably the best all-round Bimmer I've had.

edit: not to keen on the wheels though ^, those belong on an E60 5, not an E28! Got some BBS jobs :D
 
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Yeah after some time I could probably swap them for some originals without paying anything extra. But, hey, at least they're not 18's
 
That does look like a pretty neat E28! I agree with MastiMonk on those wheels though, it needs some classic BBS's!

One minor but common issue I do know of is that the dashes often crack, so it might be something to look out for. Generally they seem to have a reputation for being reliable and the price does seem in line with other examples I've seen online. It'd be a good idea to check the history as with any used cars, after all, you wouldn't want to find out its been riddled with bodged repairs and mechanical issues.
 
Looks pretty clean overall. How many miles/km is on it? Do you have the receipts for the water pump and timing belt? Double check that it's never been in an accident or if it has been, figure out what's been damaged. The rear impact strip is missing, figure out why it came off/fell off. Cracked dash is pretty common for that era of BMWs, it's not pretty, it's kind of annoying, but otherwise doesn't really present a problem. Check to see all the electronics work (OBC, check panel, check engine, lights, heat, dash, trip computer, etc.), as with all things electronic, if there's something not working, it could be a major headache to diagnose and fix. Check the odometer and also the trip mileage to make sure it works; the gears that run those are plastic and can get brittle and may break, at which point the odometer stops rolling.

Double check this, but I think that car came with a M20B27 engine (M20 series, 2.7 liter), if it does, then you can find a wealth of information online about what the weak points of those engines are. That engine was also available on the E30 3-series as the 325e.

I would say check for rust, but it doesn't seem to be as big of a problem for people down south.

Good luck on the E28. I've always liked how they look and they are pretty cheap for decent ones right now.
 
Looks pretty nice. Rear bumper looks a bit odd. Also, from that interior pic. it looks as if the trim under the instrument panel/driver's footwell is missing.
I recommend having a look at Bimmerforums.com - tons of info. about all BMW models.
 
^
dr-evil.jpg

Muhahhahaha

Look for rust on the usual places, those old bimmers were all weak on the same spots:
wheel arches, fender flares, sills, bottom of doors, behind the isolation of windshield, etc....

Engine and mechanical wise they are pretty much bomb proof if driven and maintained normally
 
Thanks for all the information everyone. I found out some more about the car, the owner says the tach doesnt work and is unsure about the mileage. He Also told me the car has never been in an accident and that he has te receipts for the work done to the car. Now the bad thing is the car is not inspected so it's not currently legal and I'm not sure how much it will cost to insure. Also it seemed a little fishy that he had a special permit that ended right the day i called. Im looking for around 2k including the price of the car, the inspection and insurance, hope it can be done.
 
motortrend
Thanks for all the information everyone. I found out some more about the car, the owner says the tach doesnt work and is unsure about the mileage. He Also told me the car has never been in an accident and that he has te receipts for the work done to the car. Now the bad thing is the car is not inspected so it's not currently legal and I'm not sure how much it will cost to insure. Also it seemed a little fishy that he had a special permit that ended right the day i called. Im looking for around 2k including the price of the car, the inspection and insurance, hope it can be done.
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As previously mentioned, the odo stops working when the tiny little plastic gears fail to work properly, part of the rest of the dash not working could be a result of the batteries from the service indicator board leaking and corroding the bits around it, this isn't uncommon in old BMW's and I had it on my 635.. not cheap or easy to fix.
 
I don't know how inspection and licensing it for on road use works for Puerto Rico, but it would be nice to know that the car would be able to be registered for use on the road before buying it.

With a tach not working, you'll likely have to replace the instrument cluster (or just the tach if you're a DIY type of person and willing to pull apart the cluster). Depending on plentyful E28s are down there, it may or may not be a cheap fix. If there are plenty of parts cars available, then it shouldn't be too hard just pulling out the cluster from another car and installing it into this. If you want a new cluster/tach or there aren't parts cars available, then good luck, it will be relatively expensive to fix, as MatskiMonk mentioned.

I'll be honest, I would hold off on this. I would save a bit more money and then keep shopping around. There's bound to be a good one available, and falling in love with the first one that you see is common, but is not always the best idea. I would wait, do research and learn more about E28s before waiting to find a good one at a good bargain.
 
Yeah it seems like quite a bit to pay for something with questions like that hanging over it.. of course, I'd be tempted to buy it anyway.. 'cos I think they're great.
 
The owner had told me that he knows someone selling the instrument panel for like 50 bucks at a junkyard. It's still sorta sketchy so I'll see what he thinks about offering 1500. If not, then I'll take your advice and wait for something else
 

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