1983 BMW 5 Series 528e review from North America
"Great car for very little money"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Fuel pump @ 257K. Fuel tank was also badly rusted from sitting.
Sunroof cable was broken when I bought it. I fixed it but it leaked, I'm pretty sure I screwed up the gutters putting it back together.
One of the back windows didn't roll up or down. I didn't bother fixing it.
Torque converter and flex-plate @ 260K.
General comments?
I took a gamble and bought it non-running and with 257K for $300. Once I fixed it, I was surprised at just how great of a car it still was.
Nice car to drive, particularly nice on the highway. Even without an overdrive it was hard to keep under 80. Motor was smooth and easy on gas. I averaged 20 in the city and 24 to 28 on the highway, depending on how fast I drove.
Overall a very well built and reliable car. Nothing leaked and it used very little oil for the mileage. The only major problems were the fuel system and torque converter.
The fuel system was most likely due to age and sitting for three years before I bought it. It was easy enough to fix, a new pump, filter and cleaning out the tank cured it.
The torque converter and flex-plate were most like due to to some idiot doing neutral drops. The torque converter stripped the input splines, and the flexplate was cracked in some spots and completely broken on others. Despite the obvious abuse, the transmission itself was not damaged and performed flawlessly.
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model Year | 1983 |
| First year of ownership | 2005 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 9/10 |
| Comfort marks | 9/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 257000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 272000 miles |
| Previous car | GMC S-15 |
| Date of Entry | 16th March, 2008 |