1986 BMW 5 Series 525i review from Australia and New Zealand

Central locking needs looking at.

That's it.

I purchased this car as I've always had a thing for the E28 BMW, and it was too cheap not to have in the garage - for a little while at least.

The car feels like it is hewn from granite, and despite the medium miles on, feels as though it will outlast many of the cars spewing forth from the worlds plants today.

Mine is in near perfect condition with only a few small paint blemishes to spoil it.

Performance-wise, parts of me tighten up as I see the econo-meter drop below 10mpg, on round town cruises and hillwork. The flipside is that I see 45-50mpg on highways, where it is very relaxed indeed, seeing only 2200rpm at 70mph. I look forward to my first decent trip, to see whether this holds true.

The car has a very lazy auto in true old-german style, and remains very docile unless extremely provoked, whereapon it will effortlessly rev out, and, so far, run out of road before you can reach the redline. Again, I look forward to my first real open road soiree to see what it can do.

Motorway stability is excellent, and the ride quality is great too, though it has demonstrated it can dance when it wants to. This can be likened to Kaiser Wilhelm II with his spike helmet; this signals more than just ceremonial intent.

Gripes? Nothing other than my head brushes the headlining, but then mine has the electric sunroof, so I feel it's a fair tradeoff. It'll be good when I fix the central locking (annoying when you have to reach over to do the doors for people).

You seem to sit on the car, rather than in it, unlike my Alfa 164, which is probably indicative of the cars age, but that view down the bonnet is great. So far then I am very happy with my purchase, and I'd recommend it to anyone seeking a solid safe reliable* and stylish everyday classic.

* I'll let you know how I get on regarding this point.