E28 528i any good?

Mon Feb 20, 2006 1:59 pm

I'm clinging to the hope that a mate's mum might soon be selling her E28 528i fairly soon for a reasonable amount of money which'd give me some daily transport

Has anyone owned/driven one of these and is there anything to watch out for in terms of reliability etc?

Also, what are they like to drive?

Cheers!

Alex

Mon Feb 20, 2006 2:09 pm

I'm now on my third E28... and I love them!

Not that chuckable, though still good fun.

Relaxed cruising material, but still got the character of an E30, so enjoyable to drive.

Giles.

Mon Feb 20, 2006 5:05 pm

Eeeeexcellent

Many thanks, that's what I wanted to hear

What's the reliability like out of interest?

Mon Feb 20, 2006 5:09 pm

I had a 528i Alex, first BM when I was 19

great. bloody reliable and well made. great car. get it.

Mon Feb 20, 2006 6:03 pm

aren't they 535i petrols costs without the performance? it's what i've been told!

Mon Feb 20, 2006 7:05 pm

Sweet, cheers chaps

Just hope she really does wanna sell it!

Got an insurance quote the other day @ Ãƒ”šÃ‚£248 with no NCB, plus I drive like an old man so hopefully the economy won't be too much of an issue.

Mon Feb 20, 2006 7:52 pm

i had my 528i and m535i at the same time Alex, the 3.5 is noticeably worse. The 2.8 would do 35mpg at a 60mph cruise.

lovely smooth engines!

Mon Feb 20, 2006 8:01 pm

I still have an e28 528i manual, ok i have not driven it for a while but it was a great car to drive so much fun and this one really handled, it has factory sports suspension and a limited slip diff.

Mon Feb 20, 2006 8:38 pm

i have a 528i and a 525i both e28. they are really good cars in my opinion and i love them. go for it.

Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:15 pm

Yes, but they're not M535i money either. A good M535i is Ãƒ”šÃ‚£1500, a good 528i is Ãƒ”šÃ‚£500 because no bugger wants them. They go quite well but are pretty juicy. Manuals are much more fun than autos. Most drive like double beds because the front dampers are shagged. A set of lowering springs is a must along with some new shocks - new standard Boge are okay, M535i billies (plenty of used one about) even better.

Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:17 pm

A bit of topic here: what is the problems that occur with 535i?

i only ever read bad things about them!

Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:22 pm

Alex,

I was the proud owner of a D reg 528i before my first e30, to be fair it pushed me towards the smaller as I lusted a lighter faster car, kinda fucked it up with the B reg 318i m10 first tho

I found the e28 to be more relaxed, quieter and very good for long drives. Mpg's can be aweful but no more that a 2.5 or a 2.5 turbo as you will find out for yourself very soon.

I had the luxury interior with armrest and eleccy everything inc cruise control which was very cool too. Very roomy and if I could get a diesel one I would have it as my daily. I sold mine as it was horrific insurance costs but it was fast and handled well too, chuck a big open air filter on with the std exhaust and enjoy the original 6 cylinder howl!! (I had a cossie one, it was huge!!)
It was pne car I was gutted I had to sell on, unlike some others I could mention........

Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:22 pm

If you like it, buy it is my tuppence.

I had a 528i auto quite a few years ago and enjoyed it, most of the time. I remember it had a few problems. The brakes had the funny sphere thingy which went wrong and made the breaking seem soft after sitting in traffic after a bit. I sold it to a mate and it is still going fine. He has needed to spend a bit on it though....mostly time.

I agree with Giles, it is not that chuckable. It is a tank. After driving an E30 it feels like you cannot drive enthusiatically. You can however drive very comfortably and it seemed fast to me at the time. You can drive it quickish and feel like an old ganster, rather than an old man, which is nice...

Care is needed not to crack the sump on speed humps and driveways as the wheels are set far back from the corners of the car and the front dips quite a bit. (My mate managed to crack the sump in the first month of owning it. There was oil everywhere when he went out to it one morning and he glared at me like I had stiched him up.)

The best upgrade is a set of very good tyres in my opinion. The E28 is not known for great handling in the wet but I think the 528i does have uprated suspension like the 535i.

Enjoy, Turbo-Brown.

Tue Feb 21, 2006 8:10 am

Sounding pretty positive all round

Apparently I should expect a phone call some time soon about it too!

This one's got metric wheels by the sounds of things so I've asked the insurance company about changing them. They said it wasn't a problem so decent tyres shouldn't be a problem.

Other than that though, it must be kept completely standard or they can't insure it, but hey, not fiddling with it would probably be a good thing!

I know they're not really comparible on anything other than size, but my ol' Volvo 260 was SO easy to get sideways and was really controllable like it too.

Cheers for the input guys!

Tue Feb 21, 2006 9:23 am

I doubt your Mate's Mum's 528i is as nice as this one though!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-528I-AUTO-RED ... dZViewItem

Now isn't that a sweet looking old chariot? That really needs to go to someone who's going to keep it nice. Because you don't see that many now you forget what a handsome beast the E28 was. The E34 was a better car I suppose but they're so bloody heavy and they just look bland today unless they're an M5 or something.

I might well be tempted by this you know. Probably going to make Ãƒ”šÃ‚£500 though.

Tue Feb 21, 2006 9:29 am

That looks very nice actually.

Looks proper retro. (think it's surroundings help it along a bit though...)

Tue Feb 21, 2006 6:27 pm

The colour is Chestnut red metallic which is a rare colour on an E28 - it was only really used on X reg E28's and my Dad had one as a company car, a 520i (K Jet) manual on a Y plate. About 20 years ago a local car trader had an X reg 525i Auto in Chestnut red complete with the big 'frying pan lid' stainless wheel covers as well as beige leather. It was a much more special car then than the new 5 Series is now.

They're a load of old crap now really but I do like the E28 - the first BMW I ever rode in, the first BMW I owned as well.

Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:34 am

Funny you should say that, but a Y plate E28 520i (DFU 504Y) was the first BMW that I went in... Dad's company car too. It was a dark blue with the smaller stainless centre caps...

Sat Feb 25, 2006 12:57 pm

528 i they never die even with 300 tho miles on the clock they just keep ploding along a very lovible old bus ive had tryed most of the e28s but that 1 is my favoute