1983 BMW 5 Series 533is review from North America
"Great fast german sedan"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Only things that went on the car were the hydrogen reservoir sphere (for power assist) and leaky heater core.
TRX tires are brutally expensive, but grip like crazy..
General comments?
My first 5 series. Was third owner. 3.3L inline six produced tons of smooth power. Engine just begged to be revved. ZF 3 speed transmission shifted without fault.
Hated the power assist for the brakes - used a silly system of a spherical reservoir that contained hydrogen. When that leaked, brakes would not come on immediately - but with a 1 to 2 second delay - not nice when driving 140kph plus and a car pulls in front. Downright scary, I changed one pair of underwear because of that..
Other than that, I cannot fault it. Not too hard on fuel. Love the chassis, handled smartly.
Interior seating is comfortable, they come close to Mercedes in quality and feel.
Gotta keep up with engine maintenance, listen for valve noise - noisy rockers means new cam and followers (usually caused by using crappy oil and not following proper intervals for changes..) Fantastic motor as it is a proper chain drive, not a belt. Can take quite a bit of abuse.
Recommended reviews
| Great car for very little money |
|
| Fantastic ride, would buy another one |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1983 |
| Year of manufacture | 1983 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 160000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 200000 kilometres |
| Previous car | BMW 3 Series |
| Date of Entry | 23rd September, 2009 |