BMW went bad years ago what year model was the last good BMW

[bobby in Derby City]

I think an important thing to ask about ones made after1994/1995 as more reliable than the earlier ones, would you buy one of the later models with over 200k on the clock? ... could you even buy one

[Mike W.]

Lets put it this way about newer BMWs. I may not particularly like them, but I respect them as good cars, and as drivers cars much more than their competion. Much of the complexity is driven by OBDII which is mandated, not optional. And what other manufacturer has offered 4, 6, V8 and V12s, all with a manual transmission option. Can you get an E class Benz with a 6 speed and a clutch? With a V8?

[rlomba8204]

I think an important thing to ask about ones made after1994/1995 as more reliable than the earlier ones, would you buy one of the later models with over 200k on the clock? ... could you even buy one

The reality is that you overlook the fact that most e28s are also in the "POS" category by the time they achieve 200k miles, and most well before that. Chris' red car, at least before it's recent accident, is an E28 with higher mileage I would consider, but at the same time if he or another similarly knowledgeable enthusiast bought a new 5 series and cared for it in the same manner as an e28, rest assured it would last 200k plus miles.

People ignore the fact that most e28s were recycled into soda cans a long time ago. That's not a result of the cars not being built well - they are little tanks as we all know - but rather because most people neither know how to or care to care for a car properly. So taking the remaining e28s that survive, and many of the cars here are not just survivors, but also "thrivers", is unfair in the sense that it is a selection bias of cars that have received unusually good care. Take a newer BMW and put it in the hands of these same people and 20 years from now it will still be on the road.

As far as the "new BMWs are so expensive to fix," spare me, please. Having perused the records for both my 535i's before I purchased them, I can tell you the owners dropped serious coin on repairs and maintenance when these cars were younger. The numbers are high, and remember they are not adjusted for inflation, meaning even today they look expensive, and the repairs are from the mid to late 1980s going forwrard. Point is that BMWs have never been cheap to maintain if you are paying other people to do everything. The thing that has happened with e28s, and it creeps forward all the time, is that every car has known weaknesses, and easy fixes for common problems, and that knowledge regarding e28s is now well known and in the hands of people who know how to work on the cars, many of whom own them. So the cars are very "accessible" to these people, and that makes them relatively easy to own, even when they have issues. In 20 years, the E60s that survive will be the same way. It's just the nature of things. As Mike said, there are some things with OBDII and emissions related equipment that will complicate matters, and that's true, but does anyone remember the horrors that early emissions equipment caused? Like all technical problems, it was solved by the application of experience and more technical knowledge.

So enjoy the e28. It's a great car. But don't delude yourself either.

[nnarth212]

...they are little tanks as we all know - but rather because most people neither know how to or care to care for a car properly. So taking the remaining e28s that survive, and many of the cars here are not just survivors, but also "thrivers", is unfair in the sense that it is a selection bias of cars that have received unusually good care. Take a newer BMW and put it in the hands of these same people and 20 years from now it will still be on the road. ...So enjoy the e28. It's a great car. But don't delude yourself either.

True on some level-- here's where i disagree:

Seats.
interior trim.
computers.

These are the reasons, IMO, why folks toss the post '95 car.

Tired of squished seats, broken cup holders, fried stereos and $4000 repair bills. Hence mye28.com.

[rlomba8204]

...they are little tanks as we all know - but rather because most people neither know how to or care to care for a car properly. So taking the remaining e28s that survive, and many of the cars here are not just survivors, but also "thrivers", is unfair in the sense that it is a selection bias of cars that have received unusually good care. Take a newer BMW and put it in the hands of these same people and 20 years from now it will still be on the road. ...So enjoy the e28. It's a great car. But don't delude yourself either.

True on some level-- here's where i disagree:

Seats.
interior trim.
computers.

These are the reasons, IMO, why folks toss the post '95 car.

Tired of squished seats, broken cup holders, fried stereos and $4000 repair bills. Hence mye28.com.

And we all know that all e28s we see for sale, especially the M5s and iS models, have perfect upholstery and support, especially in front, and functioning on board computers. And no one carries spare Motronic ECUs either.

I don't know what you mean by "interior trim" here. Not that I don't understand the words, but rather that I don't know of the problems of which you speak on either the e28 or the newer cars. E34 door cards? OK but that's an outlier in a few years of the subsequent 5 series that seems to be threatening to de-throne the E28 here, at least recently.

[tsmall07]

e36 and e46 interior pieces have a tendancy to become un-glued. They're easy to glue back together, though. Other than that...

[Tammer in Philly]

IMO, the e36 (excluding the 318i) and the e39 were the last of the best.

That's sort of unfair, as the E46 was little changed from the E36, and most of the changes were improvements. As E46s get cheaper, I think my next DD is likely to be an E46 328iT or 330i.

-tammer

[tsmall07]

IMO, the e36 (excluding the 318i) and the e39 were the last of the best.

That's sort of unfair, as the E46 was little changed from the E36, and most of the changes were improvements. As E46s get cheaper, I think my next DD is likely to be an E46 328iT or 330i.

-tammer

Good point. I'll agree. I'd definitely drive an e46 if I could afford one. One think that would REALLY irk me about the e46 is the dead pixles in the HVAC/Radio display. That and the window trim cloth that always falls down.

[Lepsis3942]

I certainly get where everyone is coming from, but in all honesty the Z4 and upcoming 1M look like absolute hoot to drive.

I think people need to realize that with harsher safety requirements cars are just going to continue to get more bloated and heavy but I think the Z4 and 1M strike a good balance. We can't go back in time, though when BMW wasn't loaded down with all that their cars were certainly spectacular and probably did provide a truer driving experience.


Somehow I still managed to not answer the original question

I think the 90's were the end of real driver oriented cars from BMW so that get's my vote, but I don't think that's any reason to give up on them looking into the future

[knowITall]

And no one carries spare Motronic ECUs either.

I have spares in all my cars. Never had to use a spare yet. In fact I have yet to see any of my 059 computers die. The 1.3 motronic computer OG god yes they die a lot.

[a]

3 series = 1991 (convertible = 1992)
5 series = 1988
6 series = 1989
7 series = 1987 (actually leftover 1986s)

AMEN to the 88 e28. But the 528e even the last two year super ETA just didn't make the grade with me. My daily drivers have always been Automatics and the ones in the 528e just didn't last.

E23 seven series the work horse of the great BMW's. Sucky HVAC systems tho.

Meh, Ive had had 5 528es, 2 86s and 3 88s, aggregate mileage over a million miles Other than a couple of seals, no troubles with the 4hp 22s. One has 350k miles on it. I use Walmart dino dex/ merc ATF and change the fluid and filter whenever I feel like it, which isnt often. I dunno what you're doing to them. I hammer mine pretty hard. EHP22s are no where as durable . Electronic shifting isnt very positive and causes pre- mature A clutch failure. I'm not easy on the ATs either, Ive had a 5spd conversion waiting for 10 yrs to install when an AT died. Iam not swapping out a perfectly fine Automagic for a rattly old 265/ 5spd with weak hydraulics

[nnarth212]

And we all know that all e28s we see for sale, especially the M5s and iS models, have perfect upholstery and support, especially in front, and functioning on board computers. And no one carries spare Motronic ECUs either.

I don't know what you mean by "interior trim" here. Not that I don't understand the words, but rather that I don't know of the problems of which you speak on either the e28 or the newer cars. E34 door cards? OK but that's an outlier in a few years of the subsequent 5 series that seems to be threatening to de-throne the E28 here, at least recently.

Ah... the plastic seat trims snap when a fatty throws themselves in FR seats....

Performance luxury-- fine. Glossy wood trim? Chrome handles? Shiny bits on the interior is where I draw the line between performance luxury and garish. Odd but true.

[Eta power]

EHP22s

4HP22EH

[a]

Is the E 28 the best BMW? Prolly not, but I'm not done yet with the pair I have.

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

It all comes down to refinement for me. I drive an e28 because it's the best combination of raw driver focus, and refinement. E34 is borderline too refined for my tastes, although i'll happily own one as a daily (as long as there's an e28 to hop into on the weekends), e39, m5 included, has no soul. e36 has a rubbish interior, extremely dated/tired exteriors but make up for it with good motors, and anything newer is too refined, and fake. I like getting a sore back. I like having to wrestle with controls. I like it when the old man at he petrol station comments on how clean my car is. It's the raw refinment of the late 70's/80's bmw's that does it for me.

[rmiddendorf]

I'd have to say anything with an inline 6. I love my M30's and the 3.0L I6 in my E90 is pretty awesome.

I drove an E34 95 M-Sport once and a 94 530i but just wasn't impressed with the V8's.

Although I am admittedly curious about the M70 (12-Cyl) engine to the point I'll probably accidentally bring home a 750iL someday....

[wkohler]

EHP22s

4HP22EH

We all knew what he meant. Andy has the right to a typo every now and again.

[ncpaladin]

IMO, the e36 (excluding the 318i) and the e39 were the last of the best.

That's sort of unfair, as the E46 was little changed from the E36, and most of the changes were improvements. As E46s get cheaper, I think my next DD is likely to be an E46 328iT or 330i.

-tammer

You'd have to make your own 328iT, as they only sent the 323iT (2000 model year only), and the 325iT (2001 and newer E46) wagons. I owned a rather rare 2000 323iT - manual transmission, sport package, heated manual sport seats, Xenon lamps, Orient Blue over tan leather. It was a BMW Spartanburg executive's car originally. It was ordered as above, and without a sunroof or premium package. The original sticker was $34,000. It had a 3.46 rear differential (all 323iT's came with this rear end.) It also had a slight rearward weight balance which made it much more fun than the 1999 323i sedan I owned before it. I put a few upgrades on the one I had (factory leather center armrest, wood interior trim, OEM clear corner lamps, titanium headlamp bezels and lower grill from the 330i, and Alutec 17x8 wheels to replace the curbed 17x8 style 44's it was born with.

I still regret selling that car. I was getting married at the time and figured my wife would end up driving it and wrecking it, thus bringing me low. So I sold it to a BMWCCA member in KC. Oh well, live and learn.

[carnut]

this was a trick question!
correct answer= e28!