I've read through some of the threads and am learning but...
I am a VW guy. Have owned 13 or so... have 3 now.
I just wrecked my winter/daily 88 GLi Jetta, and see there is an 83 533i for sale. I love the look of the early 5's, but don't know anything about them.

I work on my VW's...everything is done by me (& friends help sometimes)
are these easy to work on?...for non-trained wrenchers like me
Would the 533i be reliable (as much as an old car can be)?
How are they on gas?
is the 3.2l a good engine?
Are there specific issues I should look for?
How are parts prices? (if anyone is in Canada or Alberta ...please answer)
How are they in winter conditions?

How easy is it to lower? I like low. and how low can they get? (pics are good)
I know ... a lot of questions, but ... the more you know...


and finally...here's the add
KMs : 175,000
1983 BMW 533I 4DR, Black int/ext, 3.2L, 6cyl, 5spd, RWD, AM/FM/Cass, Leather, cc, pm, pw, rear defrost, roof rack, sunroof, tint,
$1,000. (CANADIAN)

*-pic looks ok, but pics can hide a lot. I will go check it out tonight.*

e28's are great cars. i too own an 83 533i. m30's are pretty much bullet proof moors. for that price i'd buy it in a heart beat.

I am also a huge vw guy and have owned and or worked on everything gerneration of vw except air cooled that was my next thing. but I found a guy that wanted mk1 rabbit gti for trade with my a 535is 87 5sp and i love the car. being a backyard mechanic and being a diesel mechanic in the navy these cars are not that hard to work on just though they like to fight you b/c of the bushing that need replaced after time and old age. this is my third one working on and my first 5er i had a e30 also. also my old vw's consisted of mk2 jetta coupe, mk4jetta vr6, mk5 gti(still have), mk1 gti, worked on lots of mk3 and corrado(that is a car i will never buy)

I'm working on my 84 533i right now & it's been great. Everything is easily accessible and well laid out. It's been reliable as well - no issues in cold weather - except the starter. I'm doing a major tune-up and doing the front-end steering suspension bits - basic maintenance stuff.

I'm doing all parts online (Pelican Parts and Bavaria Auto) - they're not cheap but good quality.

I got 20-25 mpg without the tune-up & I drive aggressively.


1000$ - heck yeah. I paid $2500 and thought it was a good deal. In CO - E28s go for $3-4k.

good luck - if you haven't bought it already.

Mine cracked a head.

but I still loved it... I want it back, actually.

very fun cars. big pain in the butt for a daily driver though. Just replaced starter and fan clutch at 148*** miles. Blew head gasket at 143*** due to heater core. Very bad in winter unless you have really good snow tires plus weight in the trunk. They are not too bad on gas. Other than that i love the engines power curve. and it is a very fun car for summertime.

I had a 88 535i and it was great. You have to factor in almost 25 years of use.

mine was great in the winter, Pat... what tires were you using?????

I was on all-season P6000s.

I should note, the M30B32s had head and head-gasket issues that were addressed substantially in the change to the M30B34 (i.e. 535i), but you still need to get a new radiator every 3 years or so...

well ok to answer some of u're questions.... Yes it is very easy to work on... much easyer then VW in my opinion, They are pritty reliable. Great on gas.... I get 20mph around town with very aggresive driving and 28 on the highway. U can lower them as much as you want. It is cake to lower them, i did it to mine, using bavauto progressive lowering springs. The 3.2 is a solid engine its got nice torque and loves the high RPM's. It is also one of the easyest engines to rebuild. I rebuilt mine a couple of months ago and it was cake. I love my 533i. 1000 is a great price! i got mine for 1550 2 years ago. If you have anymore more question feel free to shoot me an email or post u're questions on mye28.com it is strictly for e12 and e28 bmw's and has helped me many times with questions and parts.