What’s the take on the e28 nowadays?

[reelizmpro]

E28 suffers from the same thing the E21 suffered from...those damn US spec 15MPH bumpers that killed the look of the car. Now, E28's with euro bumpers or M tech kits, even E34 bumpers look much better.

The E39 is arguably the best 5 series ever made. They have their little quirks but people love them in general. I've had one over 10 years now and it's still going. At 270K miles it's getting tired so I'm thinking about replacing it soon. Great car that seats 5 people comfortably. Old enough to be easy to work on yet modern enough to drive everyday. They are dirt cheap as well and you can get aftermarket M5 bodywork pretty cheap as well.

[nrubenstein]

The M5 and M Sport variants are better performers, but in terms of living with it as a daily, I think the 530i is the best E39 - period.

A 528 with a 3.0 swap is the absolute best. All of the above good points and a cable-ish throttle.

A friend is, sadly, retiring his 528iT 3.0 5spd. It’s got around 300k, and upstate NY winters trashed the shell. :(

[McGyver]

OP, keep in mind that an e24 is essentially an e28 with a different body. The e28 US spec m30b34 is only 184hp whereas the euro high compression engine made 219. The US spec e24 did come with an m30b35 in the later years making 211hp, which is nice.

[Nick_S]

I've never driven an E28 but I have owned an E34 for a bit. My impressions of it were it held a lot of the character of an E30 while being far better to drive and live with daily. .

[roguetoaster]

I've never driven an E28 but I have owned an E34 for a bit. My impressions of it were it held a lot of the character of an E30 while being far better to drive and live with daily. .

E34s are shit IMO, and I had a near best of breed one.

[DOC-K]

The E 30's and the E 39''s are the last of the BEST BMW's.
After that they just seem a bit less "sport"
One of my fav's was an E 39 Touring (528iT),that I had for about 4 years, my E 61 is nice but the 4 wd, seems to make the car a bit less "sporty"....(still a great car though)
Lets face it however, if not BMW, what else is there.....

[varg]

A 528 with a 3.0 swap is the absolute best. All of the above good points and a cable-ish throttle.

Care to elaborate on why a 3L swapped or 530i E39 is the best in your opinion? I would expect it to feel underpowered relative to the 540i.

[e30austin]

Care to elaborate on why a 3L swapped or 530i E39 is the best in your opinion? I would expect it to feel underpowered relative to the 540i.

Reliable, better fuel economy, a more user friendly engine to work on, etc. Having owned many M60/62 powered cars over the years, I would definitely prefer a 24v car for a daily driver. Personal opinion, of course.

That being said, my M62 powered L322 Range Rover was a wonderful car and I miss it dearly.

[roguetoaster]

Reliable, better fuel economy, a more user friendly engine to work on, etc. Having owned many M60/62 powered cars over the years, I would definitely prefer a 24v car for a daily driver. Personal opinion, of course.

That being said, my M62 powered L322 Range Rover was a wonderful car and I miss it dearly.

Concur. 530>540, especially for the steering.

The only thing I wish my 530i had was a LSD.

[Preyupy]

As much fun as my euro ‘86 325ic is to drive when I get into the e28 M5 I remember why I love it so much. Yes I know It's not fair to compare a vert to a hardtop for chassis stiffness but the iC feels like a flexible flyer when I jump between them. The difference in HP is roughly 120hp at the wheels and the e28 only weighs about 200lbs more. I like the extra room as well as it’s a much better long distance cruiser ( again not fair to compare a vert to a sedan) if one of the BMWs had to leave the garage for good the e30 would be the 1st one to go.

[325e '87]

Ha, I know there are valid reasons for favoring the 39 over the 28, but I don’t think anyone in this forum would turn their nose up at an e28 M5. That is, IMHO, the best car.

[mbonder]

i guess it all depends on what your definition of "best" is.

For a DD I would never pick an e28 in any variant, especially an M5 given that there are so few of them and that car has legitimately joined collector status territory and price over the last five years or so. Additionally, the e28s don't have modern conveniences (for instance HVAC systems that provide the full range of cold to hot through all of the vents, only one of the vents, or a combination of them. I always found the HVAC system to be antiquated in the e28).

My opinion on the e34 is that it rusts to shit easily and there really wasn't much of a difference between it and the e30 except for a heavier chassis and shittier interior, especially the door panels (although the later 540 with the m60 is definitely a fun car, but those are limited by a one year production run).

Which is why I think the e39 530i, especially with the sport package and xenon headlights is the clear choice as best DD. (the 540i, in any variant is fun because of the torque, but not fun when the chain guides disintegrate and you're looking at a $3500 repair bill) I had one as a daily driver for nearly 6 years and 100k miles and it averaged 28-30 mpg on the highway. You could load the trunk up with four golf bags and the cabin with 4-5 buddies and cruise wherever you wanted to go in comfort. The sound system was pretty good for a stock setup, the HVAC worked well. Heated seats, heated steering wheel, aux input if you checked that option or wired it up easily after the fact. Interior was solid, nothing broke save for the dumb cup holders behind the shifter.

Maintenance was generally pretty easy to do, cooling system (like every other BMW ever), brakes, suspension, wheels, lights, oil changes, all could be done in a garage with simple tools and a hand scanner.

I've driven or owned e28, e34, e39, e61 and in my opinion, the e39 is the best of the bunch. I currently have the e61, which is a great car as well, but they've become so reliant on computers and sensors that it's difficult to work on it yourself without a true OBD II scanner. It is truly a cruiser, whereas I always felt the e39 was light enough to feel sporty, whereas I'll never feel that way about the e61.

[E30Gus]

I think people get an E28 mainly because of the look and somewhat regardless of the drive quality. I just bought another one because I regret selling my last one and I love the old BMW look. And it is a fun cruiser.

[laidback93]

I think people get an E28 mainly because of the look and somewhat regardless of the drive quality. I just bought another one because I regret selling my last one and I love the old BMW look. And it is a fun cruiser.

Exactly. I absolutely love the classic BMW looks of the e28.

Wish I could find one locally for a decent price, but I think those days are drawing to a close sadly.


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[agent]

...in my opinion, the e39 is the best of the bunch. I currently have the e61, which is a great car as well, but they've become so reliant on computers and sensors that it's difficult to work on it yourself without a true OBD II scanner. It is truly a cruiser, whereas I always felt the e39 was light enough to feel sporty...

Yep, same for the F10.