expert guide

TBMW APRIL 2002
110
BUYING GUIDE
EXPERT GUIDE:
E28 M5
The original M car and the world’s fastest four-door saloon,
the 152 mph M5 was a Munich taxi bred on the Nürburgring.
E28 M5
Produced:
October 1984 to June 1988
2241 units produced,
187 RHD
ENGINE
3453cc
286 bhp at 6500 rpm
250 lbf.ft at 4500 rpm
PERFORMANCE
0-60 mph
6.2 secs
Max speed
152 mph
have only a limited amount of time,”
explained one high-flying German M5
buyer. “So I have to make best use of it.”
And within Europe he found that his M5 got
him to meetings faster than his private jet.
The basic philosophy behind the M5 was
a simple one — stuffing a modified version
of the M1 supercar’s engine into the sobersuited M5 bodyshell. The iron fist in a velvet
glove result was the world’s fastest fourdoor production car. “The M5 was built in
order to demonstrate what BMW is able
to do and to satisfy the individual
request of customers,” stated
I
THE FACTS
Economy
25 mpg
Words: Richard Stern
PHOTOGRAPHY: TOM WOOD
BMW’s PR man at the car’s launch. “The
problem is not the engineering of the car,
but the capacity to build it.” This goes some
way to explaining why the cars are so rare,
only six were constructed per day at the
BMW Motorsport facility.
The hard facts show what 286 bhp
coupled to the relatively light 5-Series
bodyshell is truly capable of.
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HISTORY
In 1981 BMW was very conservative in
changing from the E12 chassis to the E28
5-Series. In fact, it was so similar to its
predecessor that some people couldn’t
tell the cars apart. When the M5 E28 did
finally arrive in the UK in 1985, no one
was disappointed, the new M5 had none
of the aggressive spoilers to give away
the true potential of this wolf in sheep’s
clothing. The M5s were hand-built at the
Dingolfing plant by BMW’s M division,
whereas the M535is were a standard
production line model.
The original press car had no body
adornments fitted, metric TRX wheels and
tyres and was regarded as the Ultimate Q
car by the motoring press. The engine was
first developed for the midengined M1
supercar and next appeared in the
M635CSi Coupé. The pure muscle-power
was demonstrated by the factory’s 155 mph
top speed figure, higher than any previous
production four-door saloon and an
unsurprising result from stuffing nearly
300 bhp in a car weighing less than a
current Ford Mondeo.
In the USA, originally only 500 M5s were
to be imported, all made in 1988. They
were only available in black with 5 mph
federal bumpers and various changes which
allowed them to run on unleaded fuel with
a catalytic converter, knocking off 30 bhp
against the European version. Eventually
1235 made it across the Atlantic. Find out
more in Jeremy Taylor’s Original BMW
M-Series, available from the Total BMW
Bookspeed service on 020 8994 7054.
numbers match on all the documents and
that you have the M5 supplement with
the paperwork.
ENGINE
Get the car up to temperature and check
that it doesn’t overheat — ensuring that the
temperature gauge does move of course.
Once warm, it shouldn’t sound noisy, so
any undue rattles from the top end spell
big bills.
Dip the oil and inspect the underside of
the filler cap. If the oil itself looks milky,
there’s a good chance that the head gasket
is on the way out. And remember, a cylinder
head for one of these is much more
expensive than an old 520i.
BUYING THEM
BRAKES, STEERING,
SUSPENSION
It’s very difficult to properly judge one of
these cars without a road test. Look for
structural damage to the car before you
do anything else, it should be solid with
no signs of repairs, unless you can be
confident they’ve been performed by an
approved repairer.
The biggest clues, as ever, are in
the service history so make sure any
paperwork is available with the car.
Check the logbook states M5 and
not M535i, make sure all the
Take it for a test drive and check the brakes
work properly, especially if the car has
stood for some time. These cars used sliding single-pot callipers which can seize up
through lack of use and you want to check
that the car pulls up nice and straight.
Sticking brake problems can be tricky to
diagnose and you can easily find yourself
footing a bill for brake booster, brake pressure regulator, brake pressure accumulator
and labour which will add up to well over
£500 at your dealer.
TBMW APRIL 2002
After only 6.2 seconds the M5 passes
60 mph and reaches 100 mph after a mere
16, not stopping until 152 mph. That’s
faster than a Porsche 928.
BUYING GUIDE
TBMW APRIL 2002
112
Any sticking brakes will probably have
caused warped discs, so replacement is
a good idea once you’ve solved the
problem and the parts are the same as
the M635CSi.
Suspension problems are generally
limited to split suspension arm bushes and
anti-roll bar link bushes, although it goes
without saying that the usual checks for
sagging springs and leaky dampers need to
be carried out.
BODY
“Once warm the engine shouldn’t sound noisy, so
any undue rattles from the top end spell big bills”
At first glance, the M5 isn’t aerodynamic
looking at all. With its characteristic sharknose front following the tradition in the
BMW of the late ’70s and early ’80s of
the 3, 6 and 7-Series, it didn’t have good
aerodynamics with a drag coefficient of
0.37. Without the M aerodynamic kit you
could easily think it was a plain 518i with
less than 180 bhp. Some buyers did opt
for the M-Tech bodykit as fitted on the
lesser brother, the M535i, but this did
nothing to help the already heavy weight
of the car.
A simple designation ‘M5’ on the boot lip
and front grille was very discrete. Almost
like the launch event which saw hardly any
announcement being made in the press.
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TBMW APRIL 2002
The good news here though, is that all
body panels were interchangeable with any
other E28, including headlamps and other
smaller parts. Chrome could be blackedout for the more sporty look of
the period instead of chrome surrounds
and bumpers, while some cars had the
bumpers colour-coded to match the
paintwork, complemented with either
brown or green tinted glass and a toptinted front screen.
Check for accident damage carefully.
Under the front on each side are boxshaped chassis rails which run through the
engine compartment to the underneath of
the car. They should be solid. Check the
panel gaps are even throughout.
The outer sills under the car on each
side need looking at. Use a hammer (if
possible) in case they’re covered with
underseal, giving the impression that they
are solid.
Look to see if the spare is the correct
alloy wheel and remove it to check that the
boot floor is solid and free of crumples.
Nose inside the car for damp and wet
carpets, looking carefully by the front door
hinges and the bottoms of doors for rust
and poor repairs.
You want to see the correct towing
eye covers present in the front valance
UK-spec M5s generally came fully loaded, although cruise control, air conditioning and glass panel sunroof
were actually options. The heated electric memory seats even included a powered headrest adjustment.
BUYING GUIDE
TBMW APRIL 2002
114
too — replacements are £33 each. The
front valance will often be heavily stonechipped and the indicator lenses take a
beating too, being positioned so low
down, but they’re only a few pounds from
the dealer.
INTERIOR
Above. Check around the rear screen for evidence
of bubbling paint. The leading edge of the bonnet
often suffers from stone chipping but in fact all
body panels are shared with other E28 5-Series.
IT’S MINE
As secretary of the BMW Car Club’s E28
Register, chairman of the 2002 Register
and webmaster of the exhaustive
www.bmw2002.co.uk site, it’s fair to say
that Richard Stern likes his BMWs and the
M5 pictured here is his fifth E28.
One of only two UK cars in Malachite
Green, Richard picked E331 FTF up with just
75,903 miles showing and an entire document wallet full of history from January 19,
Interiors were, as with all E28s, well built
and robust. All the switchgear should
feel solid and click when they are
operated. Three specifications were
1988 when it cost its first owner — BMW
(GB) in Bracknell — a full £34,850. This
included Pine cloth interior, optional glass
sunroof, dechroming, heated electric memory
seats and internal headlamp adjustment.
Since then, just three more owners have
appeared on the V5 and from the nearfactory condition of the car, they’ve all
looked after it fastidiously.
The only faults Richard has experienced
since buying the car have been typical of a
available: Motorsport seats with cloth,
leather or buffalo hide, while door panels
matched the seat materials. Most M5s
came with heated, electrically operated,
memory seats, but a few were specified
without this.
Air conditioning and cruise control were
on the options list, as was an optional glass
sunroof, internal headlamp adjustment and
stereo upgrade. Blaupunkt Toronto radiocassettes were standard with four speakers,
two in the rear parcel shelf and two in the
front footwells.
Make sure all the electrics work, like
heated memory seats, windows, sunroof,
air conditioning, headlamp wash-wipe and
central locking.
It’s nice to see a full tool kit, plus the
M5 supplement to the handbook. Likewise,
little details like the luggage net in the boot,
rechargeable torch and the small battery
breather pipe. Again, these are clues to a
well looked-after car.
high-performance car which hasn’t been
used regularly — a sticking front brake
calliper, a couple of split suspension bushes,
a corroded silencer and misting headlamp.
Most work was performed capably and
efficiently by BMW dealers New Central
Garage in Cobham and Sewell in Essex.
Richard reckons that now the car is being
used daily, it feels tight and ‘on the button’.
More importantly, he’s enjoyed every
moment behind the wheel.
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These cars are guaranteed exclusivity,
as there were only 187 ever made for
the UK market. As with all BMWs,
essential maintenance will hold the
value and reliability. Good ones are
rumoured to be bullet-proof investments, but a condition C car could cost
you more long-term than a mint car in
the first place, so beware.
Strangely, unlike the M535i, you
don’t often see a rough M5, but most
are 14 years old now and age will have
taken its toll on some examples more
than others, so prices do still vary.
http://www.bmw2002.co.uk/m5e28.htm
http://members.home.net/todd.kenyon/bmw.htm
http://www.pebblenet.com/conceptcarz/carChosen.asp?car_id=1038
http://www.bmwm5.com/
http://forums.roadfly.com/e28m5/messages/
£12,000 This money should be your
entry ticket to a condition A
car. All the right bits like the
correct owners’ manual
should be present and you
can expect low miles too —
probably around the 7080,000 mark. It goes without
saying that you’ll need to see
a full history with a car at
this level.
PARTS
Clutch
Dampers
Headlamp
Radiator
MAIN DEALER
£200
£150 each
£150
£300
SPECIALIST
£135
£75 each
£105
£120
SERVICING
Inspection 1
Inspection 2
Oil service
MAIN DEALER SPECIALIST
£150
£180
£350
£250
£80
£50
VERDICT
IDENTITY
When buying one of these it’s vital to
ensure that it’s the real thing and this
means checking the chassis number. As
an example:
WBS DC92 02J 1679116
This is decoded as follows:
WBS
BMW manufacturer’s prefix
DC91
Model code LHD Euro spec
DC92
Model code RHD Euro spec
DC93
Model code LHD USA spec
DC98
Model code for RHD South
African spec
1679116 Chassis number
All RHD UK-market cars are in the range
1679001 to 1679187, with LHD
European cars 1018001 to 1018588.
South African cars fall into the range
2001013 to 2001108, with the USAmarket cars numbered from 2791001 to
2792000 and 2875001 to 2875370.
The M5, without any obvious aerodynamic aid, is capable of driving at top
speed without making the driver feel
nervous. With commendable straight
line stability it’s just as much fun to
drive at lower speeds. The six-cylinder
engine, which looks like it came directly
from a racing car, is a powerhouse
without faults. It starts on the button,
impresses with its smooth idle and,
when required, is capable of pulling
from extremely low revs. The six-cylinder does, however, only show what it is
really capable of when all six throttles
are fully open. Then, the typical BMW
silky smoothness is replaced by a
raucous plenum concert.
The acceleration is phenomenal but
unlike a Porsche turbo, it always always
feels under control.
Buy a good one, look after it — but
drive it as often as you can. These cars
suffer from not being used and they
were designed in the first place to be
driven — hard.
£8500
A realistic price for a decent
example. It might need a bit
of attention here and there
but should really need
nothing more than a weekend’s work to bring it up to
standard.
£5500
You won’t find one cheaper
than this — and if you think
you have, then check carefully that it’s a genuine M5. At
this level, you’ll be looking at
patchy history and a car
which probably needs a major
service and attention to electrical gremlins. It doesn’t
make it a bad buy but be
mindful of the costs involved
in bringing it up to par.
WHERE TO BUY
First rule is to try and buy from a BMW
fanatic/club member or reputable dealer
where possible — you stand a better
chance of getting a good car.
INSURING THEM
It’s a 155 mph, 286 bhp car so don’t
expect to insure it for the price of a
Mini. Having said that, though, the age
of the E28 means the M5 will be
accepted as a classic by most insurers
offering classic policies, and if you’re
prepared to keep the annual mileage
down, you can see some useful savings.
Our research suggests a 35-year-old
self-employed carpenter keeping his
1988 M5 worth £10,000 in a locked
garage at home and covering just 5000
miles a year in the car can get away
with a premium of just £300 for comprehensive cover.
TBMW APRIL 2002
WHAT TO PAY
VIRTUAL M5s