1984 BMW 5 Series 533i review from North America
"Great fun car; but is it worth fixing up a 1984 533i in 2008?"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The most consistent thing that went wrong with the BMW 533i was the water pump, which I learned to replace myself with the urging of a friend that worked on BMW and Mercedes for a living. It seemed every 45,000 to 55,000 miles I was replacing the after market water pumps (maybe that was the issue).
I also had to rebuild the master clutch cylinder several times; it was a bear to contort ones body under the dash and through the firewall to accomplish. However they got done.
General comments?
* A very quick car, but rides like a sedan.
* Sporty, but holds 4 to 5 comfortably.
* Metric tires were OK to find up to the early 1990's, and then become more difficult and extremely hard to find now.
* Question to other 5 early model 5 series owners and specifically 533i owners; the car has not been running for 1.75 years, and is it worth it to invest the money to have it fixed up knowing there will be issues and it already has 265,000+/- miles on it? When asking one mechanic about it, he replied get a dog if you like nostalgia?
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| 1984 - 5 Series 533i 3.4 Litre It's the most fun, most reliable classic car I've ever owned. And I've owned and worked on a few! |
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| Great car for very little money |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1984 |
| Year of manufacture | 1984 |
| First year of ownership | 1986 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | Manual |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 31000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 265000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 19th February, 2008 |