1983 BMW 5 Series 528i Motorsport review from Australia and New Zealand

Intermittently cut out whilst driving, symptoms of running out of fuel despit full tank, turned out that the pump was sucking up bits of rubbish and blocking the fuel flow, very hard to diagnose, tore my hair out trying to find this problem.

Wheel bearing needed changing (rather expensive for a wheel bearing, but does include whole sub-assembly)

Gear shifter worn out.

Guibo needed replacing.

Engine seals getting worn out.

Some electrics unreliable (eg dash. electric mirrors etc.

Some minor rust patches due to car being out in the weather.

This has got to be a performance bargain and a little known one at that. Was looking for a nice e21 323i when I stumbled across this, one drive and I forgot all about the 323i.

This is basically a cut price Australian (ie low power version : () M535i. Much faster than expected, competant under 3500rpm, frenetic above and all the way to the redline cutout. Mine was the early version with taller diff ratio, 1250rpm in 5th @ 60km/h! makes this quite an economical cruiser, it tolerates town use, but high speed is its natural environment. Handles beautifully, very neutral, no real understeer unless your really moving, and even then it can be wonderfully balanced using the throttle. Can get a bit tail happy in the wet though, fun, but could catch some unawares. Can be respectable sedan by day and crazy hoon machine by night!

Beautiful power steering, why can't they all be this good? Solid feeling car, feels like its carved out of one piece of metal. Al of the controls are excellently weighted, enough to make my previous charade and most other cars feel like tin cans, yet without being a substitute weight machine. Unlike some cars it was perfectly easy to drive in boots without losing any 'feel' through the pedals. Generally reliable, but I would strongly recommend paying more for a mint condition example rather than a cheaper worn out version, unless you plan to modify the car. Most parts aren't super expensive, but they certainly aren't cheap either.

Why waste your time modifying some crap heap japanese, ford or holden turd when you can start of with something that is actually a brilliant drivers car from the start. It already has most of the good gear, LSD, Recaro seats, sport suspension, body kit etc. the engine is so understressed its not funny, there is a LOT more power easily available from the engines, from mildly modifying the 2.8 to adding a turbo to a 3.8L E34 M5 24v DOHC S38 engine, the Huns have been modifying these for years. A for the whingers who complain about the engine being hard to find parts for or too expensive, a 5.0L V8 or Skyline RB25DET will go in without too much trouble. Say what you will about the Huns, they sure can know how to screw a car together.