E28 v. E34 DD

[Jonny Cash]

I think the build quality of the e28's is a lot better than the e34

I disagree, I feel the e34 is a better car. e28 drives bigger than e34 also, if you know what i mean.
My e28 535i was brutal on gas also, I averaged 18 and thats completely staying out of the pedal, with the tq that motor has its hard to do.

I now drive a m54b25 e39 5 speed, and its not that slow.. Ive been getting 25 mpg.
FOr the money youll spend on a nice e34 you might want to look at e39's. Felt big and dopey at first but its starting to grow on me.

[eskimo810]

e28 drives bigger than e34 also, if you know what i mean.

I do. Have you owned both?

I'm kind of curious as to what the handling is like for both because I have driven neither (That's probably the next step.). I have driven E46s and found the chassis all around to be less... wiggly than an E30. Does an E28 have the same tendancy to oversteer like crazy? Because it's reallly noticeable in slushy stuff with my E30. Does the E34 feel more "stable?"

[Jonny Cash]

318i is a possible. Any reason I'd get an E36 over an E30? I'm not incredibly worried about fuel economy, as long as it's decent. I'd sacrifice fuel for a car that cruises easily at 75mph.

Btw I also had a 318i e36, and it wasnt a bad car at all. I had picked it up to fix it up for my little brother, and I didnt want to give it up! I was impressed in how it handled, and really easy to work on.

Does the E34 feel more "stable?"

Yes!

I havent owned an e34, but Ive driven them quite a bit- from when they were newer, and older.

[iamsam]

depends on what you can find for what price. That usually dictates it for me.

[James Crivellone]

I own both and to be honest they are both fantastic daily drivers.

The E28 I love because of its classy lines, e30 running gear and very simplistic repair costs. They are very easy cars to keep running and no electronics to really worry about. They are very hard to find these days in decent condition, and you will locate around 10 - 20 nice E34's before you find a nice E28.

E34's have more toys, most had factory heated front seats, dual zone climate control, one touch windows and sunroof (all windows on late models, although easy to retrofit) and other nice features.

E28's can do better on the highway with the ETA engine and are a bit lighter then an E34.

The way I see it is this, if you want a car designed in the 70's, and enjoy classic lines get the E28. If you want a car that can easily compete with cars in the 2000's in terms of features and looks, get the E34 (late models especially, 94/95)

[redsubdivisions]

I own both and to be honest they are both fantastic daily drivers.

The E28 I love because of its classy lines, e30 running gear and very simplistic repair costs. They are very easy cars to keep running and no electronics to really worry about. They are very hard to find these days in decent condition, and you will locate around 10 - 20 nice E34's before you find a nice E28.

E34's have more toys, most had factory heated front seats, dual zone climate control, one touch windows and sunroof (all windows on late models, although easy to retrofit) and other nice features.

E28's can do better on the highway with the ETA engine and are a bit lighter then an E34.

The way I see it is this, if you want a car designed in the 70's, and enjoy classic lines get the E28. If you want a car that can easily compete with cars in the 2000's in terms of features and looks, get the E34 (late models especially, 94/95)

Couldn't have said it better.

[iamsam]

E28s are generally significantly lighter than E34s, on the order of 600-800 lbs or so, iirc.

[e34john]

I've heard all US e34s, had the heat elements in the front seats, you just need the switch and to wire it up.

[eskimo810]

Sounds like both are great cars. I'm definitely leaning towards an E34 at this point, however I have seen a decent looking 528e in the area, think I'll check it out. Thanks for all the input everyone!

[Bey]

I own both cars and they are great daily drivers, however I prefer the E28 over the E34 because of a few things.

-Slightly better MPG
-Slightly cheaper maintenance
-Cheaper Insurance
-Considered a classic to some people

I always drive my E34 when the weather gets really bad. They are a lot more stable in wet conditions and has Airbags.

[smooth]

Are both similar in cabin space? In particular, how do modern quality baby seats fit into either one?

[nrubenstein]

Honestly, in VT, I'd look at an E46 xi before either of those. They are getting cheap enough that there's no reason not to consider them.

[iamsam]

Honestly, in VT, I'd look at an E46 xi before either of those. They are getting cheap enough that there's no reason not to consider them.

...except that a decent one is still in the $6k range, while a decent E28 is in the $1.5k range.

[QUKBMER]

That is a hard choice. I have had both a 87 535is 5 speed and a 95 525i touring.Both were great cars.

[hotballs]

I bought an 88 super eta 528e thinking it would just be a bigger e30 but it wasn't really the case.

For one the e28 (not sure about e34) uses a steering box for the power steering, which is technology from the 70s. And so the steering is kind of shit compared to a more smooth rack and pinion.

I feel like the HVAC on the e28 is more primitive. Can't really get it to do what I want it to do. Could be the same on e30, but since the A/C condenser is single row, r134a doesn't really work well either.

It is a boat, but that's too be expected. Suspension is less sophisticated. Doesn't share the e30/36/46 boomerang front control arm geometry.

Overall though it wins a lot of points for styling. I get a lot of thumbs up from just ordinary people who think it's just a cool car. The styling is the main reason I got it in the first place. It's just kind of a slow heavy-steering boat with shitty A/C. I like the extra room. Looking at e39 now, mainly for more creature comforts. : oldman :