Teach me about E28 M5s

I was surprised to find that they seems to be fairly affordable in the US - autotrader.com lists a bunch of them in SoCal for about $10k. Even the more plentiful E34 M5 is more expensive (which is the reverse of what we have here in the UK, E34 M5s are much cheaper but then again they only made about 200 RHD E28 M5s).

I know that there were only a few that made it to the US (1200-something), all of them being the right colour (black) and sporting fugly federal bumpers.

Any insights? Parts availability for E28s? Anybody dare take one on the track or autocrossing?

Look up the rebuild cost of an S38 and see if you still want to own one.

I'll give you a hint. A proper rebuild will likely cost as much as or more than the car itself.

http://bringatrailer.com/2010/03/27/youngtimer-garage-find-1988-bmw-m5-project/

Can you swap in a newer S52-S54 engine into these?

I figured that they're not cheap to run and maintain compared to their current values. I'm also thinking that these aren't cars you buy without a PPI...

Dunno about swapping in a later engine, I think that would destroy the car's value.

I don't think there is too much value to destroy if the car is already F/S under 5 grand.

The newer inline 6 would likely be a plus to the non-purist as it would surely be cheaper to run and/or put miles on.

Well yes, but I was thinking about a better condition one in the first place.

my brother just sold his for $5000. his was a nice mechanical driver and looked good at 10' but showed the 148k mile car it was aesthetically up close and it had been sitting for a bit. his had a turner chip, triflo exhaust, ss kit, load leveling removed, bilsteins/h&r, rebuilt brakes.... theyre really fun sedans to drive, loads of torque with all the right sounds. his was still pulling pretty hard at 145mph. they have 4 piston fixed front calipers which are hugely expensive to replace, but the rebuild kits arent bad. i found a shop that rebuilt them for $55 each. a 'common' mod is to put 540i single piston calipers on as theyre way cheaper and usually selling the stock calipers pays for the swap. the s38 is generally pretty reliable, need semi-frequent valve shim adjustments (pretty easy to do with the tools/shims) but ive heard of some people having problems with the front crank hub but there are good fixes for that. the timing chain's guide/rail system is very expensive in parts but usually just a one time deal for most people. parts arent hard to find but like old Ms are usually not cheap.

aside from the engine/trans/brakes they arent all that different from a standard e28, just lots more awesomeness if youre willing to pay for it.

DEFINITELY get a PPI from someone who knows them.

check out this thread for some good info too

There's folks over on Mye28.com who know them and can recommend someone for a ppi...site usually have a couple listings of m5 s for sale. I'm on my way to pick up an e28 tonight as my challenge car

Lots of good advice in the M5 section of the www.mye28.com board. An M5 is really one of those cars where paying more up front may be a better idea than buying one cheap. $10k should get you a decent one.

edit: Another option is to buy a regular 535i, turbocharge it, upgrade the suspension and brakes and you'll have a faster car for less money.

If you decide to go with an e34, I have a buddy selling a REALLY clean one right now!

ccrelan wrote: http://bringatrailer.com/2010/03/27/youngtimer-garage-find-1988-bmw-m5-project/ Can you swap in a newer S52-S54 engine into these?

The M5 is just an E28 with a beautiful heart. That motor is the reason its special. That, sport seats and cool trim is about the only reason not to save a ton of cash and get a 535.

I know it's neither an e28 M5 or an e34 M5, but this is a nice looking e34 V8 manual transmission car for sale: http://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/1669865931.html

dyintorace wrote: I know it's neither an e28 M5 or an e34 M5, but this is a nice looking e34 V8 manual transmission car for sale: http://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/1669865931.html

those are sweet driving cars but that engine bay sucks to work in. especially the power steering/load leveling lines. ugh.

dyintorace wrote: I know it's neither an e28 M5 or an e34 M5, but this is a nice looking e34 V8 manual transmission car for sale: http://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/1669865931.html

My favourite part of these older BMW's is often the interior. Doesn't that just look the business. Plenty of black leather, bit of walnut, bucket seats, manual shifter. Perfect.

It's an awfully cool car for not a whole lot of money. Engine bay does look pretty crammed, though.

Wow, that seems like a good price for that e34 540. It looks to be in real nice shape.

CLNSC3 wrote: If you decide to go with an e34, I have a buddy selling a REALLY clean one right now!

Thanks for mentioning it, but I don't think I'll be doing any car purchasing in the US (apart from either sorting out or replacing the wife's Cherokee) until I have a job. So I guess I'll be looking for something sporty in about 2-3 months, not sooner.

Didn't the E34 V8s has steering boxes as the rack & pinion didn't fit?

BoxheadTim wrote: Didn't the E34 V8s has steering boxes as the rack & pinion didn't fit?

they all had steering boxes. the only 5 series that don't are 6cyl e39 and the current 5 series.