All posts tagged: 533i

My 1984 BMW e28 533i is For Sale

Published by

For the last five summers I’ve been enjoying the e28 I bought from just outside Portland, Oregon from its long time owner. The previous owner bought the car in July 1987 and kept the car until July 2018. I wrote about the long time owner here. It’s a 1984 533i which was only sold in the US and Japan in small numbers. This 533iA is one of 2,514. This rare model has the 3.2L version of the M30 making it just as fun to drive as the 535iS. The 533i is also lighter than the 535i and 535iS. Alpinweis paint over rich Pacific blue leather interior. One charming feature of early e28’s like this one is that they used horsehair cushioned seats; this gives the cabin a wonderful scent reminiscent of a vintage Porsche. The later model e28’s used foam, so they lack this quality. This car has been a joy to own and has been meticulously kept throughout its life, primarily by the previous owner – who has kept hundreds of service records detailing …

What it’s Like to Own an E28 BMW for 30 Years

Published by

Its July 1987: Full Metal Jacket is playing in movie theaters nationwide and the E24 M6 graces the cover of the July issue of Car and Driver. Gasoline hovers around 0.90 cents per gallon and U2’s Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For hit top of the Billboard Hot 100 music chart. I wasn’t even born yet – until December that year. The Summer of 87 is when the previous owner of my E28 began shopping for and ultimately purchased his 1984 533i from an ad in the local paper. The dealer invoice I have dated July 16, 1987 indicates a sale price of $19,000 which became $21,084.50 after tax and title. He would drive the car for the next 31 years until I bought the car in July 2018. Last week, I sent an email to the previous owner to ask some questions that I had hoped would help me understand more about the car and it’s long time owner. We hadn’t spoken since the pandemic began in 2020, but I knew I wanted …