Ghosts Of Yuppies Past: 1989 BMW 735i vs 1998 BMW 528i

Good morning! For our final single-make pairing of the week, we’re looking at two classic six-cylinder BMW sedans. They’re both north of 300,000 miles, but they’re both ready to drive off, according to the sellers.

Yesterday was all about Chevy, and I admit I kind of stacked the deck in favor of that Cavalier. I wanted to see it win, and win it did, by a landslide. That crossover whatever-it-is might as well be a toaster oven or a washing machine. I’m sure it’s fine, but honestly, it was hard to even find things to say about it. If I’m still here doing this in twenty years, we’ll check in on another Captiva (is that what it was called? I forget) and see if it’s aged any better by then.

A lot of you complained about the lack of an overdrive in the Cavalier’s transmission, but honestly, I don’t remember the TH125C being that bad on the highway. It has a lockup torque converter, which helps a lot, and you can cruise along at 70-75 all day with it. It’s just not as serene as it would be with a fourth gear.

Used BMWs have a terrible reputation here in the US. They’re complicated, high-maintenance, leak-prone, and misunderstood by American mechanics – and yet, here we have two very high-mileage examples that basically run and drive fine. Are they the outliers? Or is it just that they’re older models from before BMW started using six parts where one would do? Let’s take a look and find out.

1989 BMW 735i – $1,700

Engine/drivetrain: 3.5-liter overhead cam inline 6, four-speed automatic, RWD

Location: Portland, OR

Odometer reading: 300,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

The BMW 7 Series is the “boss’s car.” No junior executives or associates roll up to the office in a 7er. This car makes a statement; it tells everyone that you’ve arrived. Or at least, a new one does; a used 7 Series is ironically sometimes cheaper than the smaller ones. When my dad lived in Germany, he drove a 1990 730i, because it was so much cheaper than any 5 Series he could find for sale. I drove it when I visited him; it was a wonderful car to drive. By the time they get this cheap, they’re not going to impress anyone, but they’re still damn nice cars.

Lots of engines were available in the 7 Series over the years, but the simplest ways are sometimes the best ways, and I think that’s the case here. The 735 is powered by BMW’s tried-and-true M30 inline six, displacing 3.5 liters. It was available with a manual transmission behind it, but I think I’ve seen maybe two over the years so equipped. This one has the far more common four-speed automatic. It has crossed the 300,000-mile mark, and it still runs and drives well, according to the seller.

It’s a bit of a Ship of Theseus; the previous owner swapped out most of the tan interior with black. I think I would have liked the tan better. It’s in OK shape, but not great. For the price, you can’t complain too much, I suppose.

The outside is a bit piecemeal as well; two doors and one fender are from a different car, and they’re dark blue instead of black. I would imagine that means it was in a minor wreck, but it wasn’t enough to cause any title problems, fortunately. You could repaint it all to match, I suppose.

1998 BMW 528i – $1,900

Engine/drivetrain: 2.8-liter dual overhead cam inline 6, five-speed automatic, RWD

Location: Fremont, CA

Odometer reading: 329,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well except for a hard 1-2 shift

Jumping forward a generation and down a model, we find this E39-chassis 528i. This is either the last “good” one or the first “bad” one, depending on how you feel about some of its technological advances. It’s certainly a more complicated car than the earlier models, but nowhere near as byzantine as current BMWs.

This one is an inline six as well, but it’s the more complex twin-cam M52, with BMW’s VANOS variable valve timing system. It also marks the start of BMW’s cooling system woes, with the plastic water pump impellers and self-destructing overflow tanks. This one has reached an impressive 329,000 miles, which means someone has taken care of the typical problems. It’s backed by a five-speed automatic, made by GM, usually a pretty reliable transmission. This one has a bit of an issue: it shifts hard into second gear, but otherwise drives fine. That could be low or dirty fluid, or it could be something more serious like a bad shift solenoid. You’d have to dig into it to find out.

It looks really good inside for the mileage. Someone took care of it. Normally I’d say that points to a one-owner car, but the ad doesn’t read that way. I get the impression the seller hasn’t had it very long. In any event, it looks like one of those cars that was rarely driven with more than one person in the car; there’s wear on the driver’s seat, but nowhere near as much on the other seats.

It’s hard to tell the exact condition of the exterior, because the photos are terrible and the car is dirty. But I don’t see anything obvious, just a couple of minor dents and some clear-coat failure on the rear bumper. I bet it cleans up nicely, though; I always liked this dark green that BMW used back then.

So there they are: two BMW sedans with well over 600,000 miles between them. One runs well but isn’t the greatest cosmetically, and the other looks better but might need a little mechanical work. They both feel like decent deals, though. Which one are you more willing to gamble on?