Leap Day: 1988 BMW 535i E28

Welcome to Leap Day on DT, where we look at cars ready to take the Leap from depreciated crap to appreciating classic:  I've got to admit that I have a soft spot for the E28 generation BMW 5-series...particularly the zippy 535i with a manual gearbox.  I've personally driven 2 of them to their unfortunate death in the 24 Hours of LeMons (sorry about that...had to be done) but I'm (somewhat) happy to see prices rise (probably because people have bashed them into Cadillac Hearses on racetracks...again, sorry about that) and see the E28 get the respect is deserves.  Regardless...this guy is asking a lot for an old BMW. Find this 1988 BMW 535i offered for $7,500 in SF Bay Area, CA via craigslist.

6 Speed Wagon: 2009 BMW 535iT

BMW has had a long history of equipping their executive class cruiser with a manual gearbox -- from the first E28 5-series all the way through the current funny looking thing sold at...wait...BMW stopped selling manual gearbox in the 5-series in 2014...yikes, I'm outta the loop.  AND BMW will stop selling manual gearboxes in the regular 3-series in the USA after 2019...sheesh, what am I supposed to drive in 2029? I guess cars from the 1960s will still be around or this next oddball. Find this 2009 BMW 535iT offered for $12,500 in Livonia, MI via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Drive Classy: 1980 BMW 528 E12

Picture this: You are cruising down the road in some kind of bland econorollabox that you picked up at a local used car lot from a sweaty guy named Sal, when out of nowhere you are blinded by majestic burst of resplendent silver.  Bright.  So Bright. Fireflies dance before your eyes and a striking centaur with a shimmering golden mane winks in your general direction before boarding the Millennium Falcon and heading off into hyperspace. Gradually, your vision returns to normal you see it...yes...it is a BMW 5-series and it probably costs less than your crapbox.  Time to upgrade your daily driver.  Find this 1980 BMW 528 E12 bidding for $3,051 reserve-not-met here on eBay with 1 day to go, located in San Bernardino, CA.

Working AC: 1988 BMW 528e E28

By Al -- Let’s say you live in the greater Los Angeles area…you like old BMW’s…you have plenty of spare parking…you have a decent place to work on cars…and you are itching to get your fingers dirty on one of BMW’s most iconic models…a 528e…If all the above describes you, buy this 1988 BMW 528e in Chino, CA for $950.

5-Series 5-Speed: 2001 BMW 525i

Long after luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, and Lincoln had abandoned the manual gearbox in favor of torque converters or flappy paddles, there was a little company from Bavaria that continued to put clutches in their executive class cruisers.  This is great because it means that 10-15 years after they leave the showrooms, these executive class things become well priced and are still fun to drive.  Find this 2001 BMW 525i offered for $3,650 in Los Angeles, CA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

V12 6spd Convert: 1995 BMW E34 550i

The E34 generation BMW 5-series (1988-1996) sits in the happy depreciated valley that all luxury sedans hit after the narcotizing new car smell is gone and the bills start to pile up.  However, this simply means that ownership transfers to a dedicated group of enthusiasts that consists of die-hard model fanboys, older folks who remember a time when stuff lasted for years, and speed junkies who modify anything that moves...this was owned by the latter.  Find this 1995 BMW E34 550i V12 6-Speed offered for $7,999 in Burlington, KY via craigslist.  Tip from Mrkwong.

Tan, But Not Beige: 1980 BMW 528i E12

The first car to wear a 5 Series badge was the E12 generation of BMW's executive platform, and technically the 5 was a designation that this was the fifth generation of BMW's New Class platform.  Regardless of naming convention, the Gruppo Bertone conceived, Paul Bracq designed and Claus Luthe facelifted (post 1976) E12 is a classic you can afford to drive every day.  Find this 1980 BMW 528i offered for $3,500 in Eagle, ID via craigslist.  Tip from Chris.

2004 BMW 545i 6 Speed Manual E60

 BMW launched the Davide Arcangelo designed E60 generation 5-series in 2004 as a replacement for the aging E39 5er.  The new 5-series was thankfully spared the nauseating Bangle-butt of the E65 7-series but it was given a thorough massaging with flame surfacing and other 2000s BMW design language.  Find this 2004 BMW 545i offered for $13,300 CAD ($10,627 in USD at time of printing) located in Vancouver, BC, Canada via craigslist.

10k: Mposter: 1995 BMW 5-Series M3 Swap

The E34 generation BMW M5 is an awesome vehicle.  So awesome, that DT's CFlo drives his regularly (especially when it rains in SoCal) and our 2013 E34 M5 market watch story (syndicated here on Jalopnik) is the 6th result from the top when you search google for E34 BMW M5.  However, if you want the M5 experience but don't want the M5's heavy return throttle spring, ocean liner scale fuel bills, needy maintenance schedule, balky un-rebuildable gearbox, and potentially bankrupting catastrophic S38 repair bills...perhaps you should consider this instead.  It is a 1995 BMW 5-Series that has been given the S52 inline-6 from a 1999 BMW M3, find it here on eBay currently bidding for $7,977 reserve-not-met with less than 1 day to go, located in Pennsylvania. 

20k: Three Owner: 1988 BMW M5 E28

The BMW E28 M5 was hand built in the Daimlerstraße factory in Garching, Bavaria for the 1988 model year for US market.  With a total of 2191 cars built for world wide consumption the E28 M5 is the rarest of M5 cars, but prices have taken an upward trend recently..  Find this 1988 BMW M5 E28 currently bidding for $18,700 on ebay with one day to go, located in Miami, FL.

10k: BMW Cam5ro; 1997 BMW E39 5-Series LS1 Swap

Drive an E39 BMW 540 or M5 and one of the biggest complaints you will have is the steering feel and feedback.  The powertrains are great, but the ancient reduction box steering system with recirculating ball power assist feels like it's been adapted from a trash truck. Only the lowly inline 6 powered E39s got a proper rack and pinion system, allegedly because of packaging issues with the BMW DOHC V8.  However, you can have your kuchen and eat it too if you swap a pushrod V8 into the front of an inline 6 equipped E39 and put the beefier M5 LSD in the rear.  Find this 1997 BMW E39 "557" w/ Chevy LS1 V8 swap in Palmdale, CA offered for $10,900 via craigslist.