Wisdom...

[Spark6]

I am currently looking for my first car, and have found what looks to be a pretty cool 535i... (I love the way these cars look.) But I thought I'd ask, am I being an idiot getting a car like this for my first time owning a vehicle? I have had a mechanic talk to the guy, and I am going to go up and see it in the next couple of days... apparently while the clear coat is peeling, the rest of the car is in really pretty good working condition. He has used it as a DD for the past ten years or so, and maintained it as such. Which leads me to my next question... I am going to be commuting approximately 40 miles a day, probably 4 days a week... what kind of gas mileage could i expect from a car like this on a trip of that length? (Its almost entirely mid-speed highway driving.) I'm pretty excited about this opportunity, (I'd don't want to be like everyone else and drive a Honda!) but at the same time, i am trying to listen to cold, hard reason... Do you guys have any thoughts/advise?

Thanks!

[jimoreno]

I get 21 MPG from my 5335i with the factory 3.25 diff and 205/55/16 tires on it and my commute is half of yours (around 20 miles each way). Great car, loves to be driven and have fun in twisty roads! Go ahead and buy it , you'll never regret it!

[ElGuappo]

If you just want a highway commuter, better to buy a 528e instead.

Not as sexy as a 535, but much better highway mileage, and the M20 is easier to work on, especially for your first car.

These cars are fine as a first vehicle, provided you are not afraid to get your hands dirty and 'get in there' a little bit.

If you are only willing to open the checkbook, then perhaps not so much.

Jay3

[Mark 88/M5 Houston]

If it is going to be your first car and you need to depend on it as a commuter you need to have the car gone through by someone familiar with the E28. A good independent shop should only charge an hour or two in labor for a thorough PPI (Pre Purchase Inspection).

Where are you located? Someone here on the board may be able to recommend a good independent shop for a PPI.

[Spark6]

I'm in CT, but I have a friend who's dad is a mechanic, and he has been looking at cars with me, and has agree to look this one over too if I like it enough, so I think that is covered... but just out of curiosity, how much time do you all spend doing work on your cars to keep them running? Not to mod them, or restore them, but once they work, do they keep working for a little while? Or is it a daily thing to keep them up and running? I suppose to an extent it depends on the car right?

[Shawn D.]

Once fixed, these cars require little other than regular maintenance. You will have to take care of some recurring items, but if the car is reliable, it's reliable -- you won't have to work on it daily or weekly.

[C.R. Krieger]

Not as sexy as a 535, but much better highway mileage, and the M20 is easier to work on, especially for your first car.

Buy the 528 for mileage, maybe, but not because of engine maintenance issues. The M20 and M30 have separate and distinct maintenance, but overall, neither is a clear choice for ease of maintenance. For instance, while the M20 gets taken apart at the front every 60,000 miles for the timing belt, I have never had to change an M30 timing chain ...

[stuartinmn]

A 528e will get better mileage, but for the kind of commuting you suggest a 535i should do all right - I'd expect low to mid 20s, depending on your driving style. For stop-and-go driving the mileage will go down, of course.

If the current owner has been diligent about maintaining the car he should be able to provide you with service records to prove it. In general, a well sorted car should be pretty trouble free. It'll need tinkering from time to time, but more for annoyance things like window switches that don't work or a faulty heater valve.

If you haven't found it yet, there's a bunch more useful information on purchasing and maintaining these cars over on the www.m535i.org website.

[Spark6]

This is interesting... The people over at m535i.org are saying that the M535i should be getting mileage closer to the high 20s/mid 30s on the highways and high teens/low 20s in stop and go... does the discrepancy here arise simply from the fact that the cars are so much older now?

[C.R. Krieger]

This is interesting... The people over at m535i.org are saying that the M535i should be getting mileage closer to the high 20s/mid 30s on the highways and high teens/low 20s in stop and go... does the discrepancy here arise simply from the fact that the cars are so much older now?

They're English. Their gallons are bigger.

[Shawn D.]

This is interesting... The people over at m535i.org are saying that the M535i should be getting mileage closer to the high 20s/mid 30s on the highways and high teens/low 20s in stop and go... does the discrepancy here arise simply from the fact that the cars are so much older now?

There's no way an M30-engined E28 will get mid-30s for MPG unless it's Imperial Gallons.

See this, which I made when I got really tired of hearing the MPG question:

http://home.mindspring.com/~scrappycrow ... rages.html

[stuartinmn]

This is interesting... The people over at m535i.org are saying that the M535i should be getting mileage closer to the high 20s/mid 30s on the highways and high teens/low 20s in stop and go... does the discrepancy here arise simply from the fact that the cars are so much older now?

It's been a while since I poked around over there but I don't remember seeing that. I have an M535i, and I can get 27 or 28 mpg on the highway but only under ideal conditions (like when driving across the flattest parts of Iowa with the cruise control on.) It does have a high compression engine and a numerically low (3.07) differential which give me some advantage over a US spec 535i (it also has marginally better aerodymanics that may help a little.)

[BMWgiant]

I average 23 mpg highway and 18 mpg city.. It's a 535 and they are great cars! You need to be willing to do some work yourself, since most things can be done by the average joe! It will save you money and it doesn't hurt to learn how to tinker on cars.. They ARE reliable machines, unless poorly taken care of!

[Spark6]

This is interesting... The people over at m535i.org are saying that the M535i should be getting mileage closer to the high 20s/mid 30s on the highways and high teens/low 20s in stop and go... does the discrepancy here arise simply from the fact that the cars are so much older now?

They're English. Their gallons are bigger.

Well, I'm glad i figured that out! Hmmm... well, the guy says he just got an offer, and I can't even make it up to see it until thurs, so we'll see what happens... This was the nicest one I had seen for a while, and a good price too... lol.

[EuroShark]

I get 21 MPG from my 5335i with the factory 3.25 diff and 205/55/16 tires on it

My commute is about 25 miles, all back roads with some stops, and lots of direction changes where I slow down but don't completely stop. I'd say it's about 40 to 50mph average speed. I've got a 535is, a 3.25 rear end I believe, and 225/50/16 performance tires and I average around 25mpg on my commute. On longer trips I have seen 29mpg. It really all comes down to how you drive, but I have seen differences when running regular vs premium fuel as well...

Disclaimer: This is based on the OBC numbers, I'm working on finding an actual figure based on fill up gallons vs miles traveled. My 533i got a true 27mpg on the same commute though, so I think 25 is pretty close to reality in the current car.

[mwatknz18]

Definatley a 528 would be better as per gas mileage. I get up to 24-27 mpg just around town. However driving civiliy in these cars can be challenging, especially when you find a nice road begging you to push it. The only work i have gotten done professionally was the belt replacement. Much of the work can be done by yourself. With a Bentley manual and the help from everyone here youre pretty much set. As for reliability, the car is top notch.