Good morning! This week and next, I’m giving you a break from the Chevies and Dodges and showing you nothing but import brands. Today we’re going back to the heady days of Aaron Spelling TV dramas and old guys selling wine coolers to look at a pair of budget-conscious yuppie rides. These were the stuff of dreams for junior associates and middle managers who could suddenly manage the payments and wanted something that made more of a statement than a Cutlass Ciera.
We looked a couple of Japanese bargains yesterday, and I had an idea how the vote was going to go, and I was almost exactly right. The idea of a Camry wagon in that condition for that price was too strong of a pull for even a manual Honda Accord to overcome. I was expecting more of a two-to-one margin rather than three-to-one, but I guess the Honda had too many yellow or red flags for some of you.
That Camry is a hell of a deal, but with these two cars sitting side-by-side, the Accord would have to really hinky for me to not choose it. The extra space of the wagon is nice to have, but I greatly prefer the Honda feel to the Toyota feel, even with lots of miles.
Now, let’s turn our attention to some German sedans. Everyone remembers the S-classes and the Quattros and the M cars, but German cars came in lesser flavors as well, simpler and slower, but with that all-important badge on the grille. That’s all the folks at the country club cared about. An Accord or a Maxima might have been a wiser choice, but you can’t park that next to the boss’s 735i, now, can you? Either of these would have fit in better, despite their inability to break 60 miles an hour in less than ten seconds. Today they’re curiosities more than anything, but they’re both still pretty nice cars. Let’s check them out.
1983 BMW 528e – $4,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.7-liter OHC inline 6, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Edmonds, WA
Odometer reading: Unknown, odometer broken, approximately 145,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
BMW was on a roll in the US in the 1980s, and its cars were the darlings of the up-and-coming. But that success came with a strange price: difficulty meeting its federally mandated corporate average fuel economy numbers. Yuppies wouldn’t settle for the little 3 Series; they wanted the bigger 5 Series, so BMW introduced a more economical version called the 528e. With a low-revving and low-compression version of BMW’s famous inline six, the 528e looked the part, but it used a lot less fuel by sacrificing the excess horsepower that your average investment banker didn’t use anyway.
This 528e (e for “eta,” Greek for “economy”) boasts 121 horsepower and a four-speed automatic transmission, which means don’t expect miracles when you step in the pedal. But that lack of oomph does mean that 528e drivers were less able to thrash their cars, so they stayed nice. It’s not uncommon to see really clean 528es for cheap; everybody who wants a 5 Series for fun holds out for a 535i. This one has somewhere around 145,000 miles on it; the seller isn’t sure. The odometer is broken – a common ’80s European car problem. But it runs and drives great, so it doesn’t really matter how many miles are on it.
The seller has this car listed as a manual, and I was specifically shopping for manuals, so when I saw the automatic shifter in this photo, I was disappointed. But I decided to go ahead with the car, because it’s in such good shape. It does need a few things: the HVAC blower motor is dead, so it needs to be replaced. And the seller says something cryptic about the backs of the seats needing to be “fastened.” I don’t know if that means some bolts are missing holding the seats down, or if the upholstery is coming off the backs of the seats, or what.
It’s in decent condition outside, too, resplendent in that champagne color that was so in fashion in the ’80s. It has a few flaws, but it’s as old as Pyromania, so we’ll cut it some slack. It might not look quite as sharp in person, but it does look good in – I can’t resist – a photograph.
1986 Audi 4000S – $3,400
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8-liter OHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Bremerton, WA
Odometer reading: Unknown, odometer broken, approximately 130,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Audi made its name in the ’80s with its Quattro all-wheel-drive system, but the majority of its lineup was still front-wheel-drive. The flagship 5000 was a big hit until – well, you know – but its little sister the 4000 was the first to receive the Quattro drivetrain. The Quattro overshadowed the regular 4000, but it shouldn’t have; this was always a nice little car to drive, even in front-wheel-drive form.
The “regular” 4000 didn’t get the five-cylinder engine that the Quattro got; it made do with VW/Audi’s 1.8-liter four, making 102 horsepower. It sounds pathetic these days, but remember this car only weighs about 2,300 pounds. A 4000 with an automatic is pretty pokey, but with a five-speed stick it’s fine. Probably quicker than the BMW, actually. This one has had a lot of recent work, and the seller says it runs and drives great. It also comes with service manuals, both Haynes and Bentley – if you know, you know.
Inside, it’s in eerily similar condition to the BMW above. It’s in great shape, but the HVAC fan doesn’t work, and the odometer is broken. I think this interior is vinyl rather than leather, but whatever it is, it’s in great shape. Like all older VWs and Audis, it has a few foibles: the hood release is partially broken, the trunk needs to be latched in just the right way, and two of the doors only open from the inside. But the seller has the stuff to fix all this; they just haven’t gotten around to it yet.
This one is beige as well, but a solid, non-metallic beige. I think the world used up all its pigment in the 1970s, which is why the ’80s were so monochrome. A similar thing seems to have happened in the 1990s and 2000s, and we’re just now starting to replenish our color supplies. Anyway, this car looks fine. The black trim on the bumpers is turning gray, and it’s missing those two reflectors next to the front turn signals like nearly every 4000 that’s left, but otherwise it looks good. It comes with either the aftermarket wheels shown, or the stock Audi turbine-style wheels, or, for a little more money, both.
Both of these marques have a reputation these days for high maintenance and soaring repair bills, but these two really do come from a simpler time. They won’t give you much trouble, as long as you stay on top of maintenance. And they’ve got just enough little things to fix to make them good weekend tinkerer’s toys. Which one are you going for?
I guess the Audi, because it has a stick, but what the heck is with German odometers?
as the e28 owner and a biased forever fan, not even a comparison. E28 all day
Meh or meh? I guess I’m going Audi, just because I’ve never owned one of those and it would at least be something new (for me) in an old car. And the manual, of course.
80’s German car with a busted odometer from the salt air Puget Sound.
No. I wouldn’t be willing to maintain either in a drivable condition even if free.
Audi wins every way I can see; it’s manual, it’s more interesting, and it’s easier on my eyes.
If I know my Beemers, I really don’t, my guess on the seat problem is broken frame so the seat back is always reclined and you can’t reach the steering wheel or see out the windshield. Every time I have had a broken speedometer/odometer it has always been a loose or detached cable. Just lucky I guess. So manual Audi for the win
I’ve driven a 4000 only once. 18 years old and I worked for a guy who runs the business out of his house. He tells me to back his kid’s car out of the driveway and park it in the street.
So first of all, there’s no glass in the left-side mirror, so I have to open the door and stick my head out to make sure I don’t hit the house. But the door detents are broken, so I have to hold the door.
So I put it in reverse, but the shifter won’t stay in reverse, so I have to hold it in reverse.
Also, the driveway slopes way up to the street, it’s overly sealed and slick as baby shit, and both the car and the driveway are covered in snow.
Also, I’m a regular-style human and only have two hands.
Yup, I clipped the house with the back edge of the door and bent the hinges. SOB took it out of my pay. I found a way better job soon after.
I’m going for the Audi, even though I’m sure the BMW is more engaging to drive. I like those 80s Audis even though they’re just like VWs trying to keep them running at that age: complex and expensive. I had a ’88 Audi 90 not too disimilar to this car, and it was amazingly unreliable, but I liked it anyway (when it was running).
First, I will state that in almost any other pairing of the era it would have been BMW for the win (and definitely if it was a 533i). My stepfather bought one of these brand new in ’83, and he, my mother, and then a friend of mine owned it for 25yrs and 250K+ miles. Absolute anvil of a car for that era. I will also say that if this is an ’83, it does NOT have a 4spd autobox, it has a 3spd. Which is a good thing as the 4spd ZF 4hp22 was notoriously explody, though all of them that still exist have certainly been rebuilt and fixed by now.
But in this case, the fancy VW wins. Stick shift, and just waay, waay more fun than the very comfortable, but not at all exciting German Buick. Possibly a little more painful to own though.
I think I’d have to pick the BMW if forced at gunpoint.
If not forced at gunpoint, I’d wait to hit the marketplaces for another couple days.
Tell Torch I’m here for the Late Cold War-Era Default Car Face–meaning the Audi.
I think I’d rather drive and own yesterday’s two-grand cars. Forced to pick, I think cruising around in the 528 wouldn’t be the worst experience.
I’ll take the one with the least afterthought looking bumpers.. So the 4000 😀
My girlfriend at the time had the VW version of the Audi when we first met, complete with manual transmission and one door that could only be opened from the inside (a pretty easy fix, BTW). A fun car to drive and an even more fun woman to hang out with. Easy choice for me today. While the Quantum is long gone, we are coming up on 28 years of marriage and still going strong!
I wondered if someone would reference the Audi’s clone, the Quantum… I had a 4 cylinder, 4 speed manual VW and kept it 14 years. It never failed me. So, of course, I’d want the Audi. (Even though I’ve since owned 5 BMWs and loved then as well.)
Easy nostalgic Audi pick for me. A big part of my childhood was long trips in the rear seat of a 5000, and the sight of that 4-ring steering wheel takes me back.
Might as well buy the e28 diesel as that dopey 528e. The Audi is still fun.
I’m sure it’s dopey around town, but I’ll bet it’s a dream on the highway.
The metallic paint sharknose looks better, while the boxy Audi will drive better. I think I’ll go for the driving experience this time.
Having owned several Audi’s of that generation (CGT, 4ks – an 86 like this one, 4kcsq, 200t) as well as shifting to BMWs more recently, at first I was thinking BMW, until I saw it had the ‘e’ engine. Audis of that time share many VW parts that should be easy to find – particularly with the 4 cyl models. Furthermore, they have a pretty good combination of ride and handling which is why I liked them for delivering in. The MT and lack of awd should make that car tolerable to drive with modern traffic. So it’ll be Audi for me in this selection.
Lastly, broken VDO odometers are quite common on all German cars back then.
That eta engine is frustrating- it sounds great, like a BMW inline 6 should, and just as it starts to rev and show some pull, it hits that low, low redline, the transmission upshifts, and it bogs back down. It’s like 2/3 of a great engine, which isn’t enough. It’s good on the highway once it’s up to speed though. Still, Audi for the manual factor.
BMW did the same thing with the R1200C, they took an excellent motorcycle engine (the R1150) made it slightly larger and then castrated it with Harley-mild cam timing. It ran like a BMW boxer should up to about 4000rpm and then fell flat on its face. You’d think it was a lesson that they would have learned a couple of decades earlier with the Eta – don’t mess with what you do well!
The Audi is basically a gussied up VW Dasher. My parents had one of those and it was the least reliable POS they’d ever owned. But that generation of 5 series and its contemporary Jaguar XJ-6 are some of the most handsome vehicles to ever grace the world’s roadways. Both the BMW and Jag are like an Instagram influenza who is physically attractive but dumb as a post and incredibly high maintenance.
The Audi for me. That EA827 engine with the manual combo should be easy to service and be durable.
Plus the Audi looks way better than that BMW.
I always thought the the North American E28 5-series looked like shit with those massive bumpers. And with the slushbox and the ETA engine, it’s one of the last BMWs I’d ever want.
So the Audi is the easy choice for me in this case.
Love the 5 series, but it’s got some red flags for me, so Audi it is.
(sucker for the looks of the old 5-series)