finding a european E28
 

If one were to reliably find a euro BMW E28 with a manual trans in genuinely wonderful condition for importation into the US, how would one go about that? I'm not likely to be able to travel to Europe to see the car and am certainly not opposed to buying one already in North America but very, very much want to avoid getting burned.

like this:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1558973252.jpg

Not sure how many are still running around in southern Europe in good condition, seems like they would be just as expensive or more than here? Have you been to Europe lately? Cars from the early 2000s are completely obsolete in Germany and will not pass the new stringent emissions standards they have, (diesels mostly over there), I almost never see a car that old on the road. That car would be illegal to bring into the city of Paris during the week, maybe other big cities as well. They take the whole "green thing" really serious in Europe these days.

Anyhow, just like in the USA, most of Europe is a rust belt and the cars are schit after a few years on the road. anything nice would be from Spain or Italy, somewhere like that. I'd keep an eye on BAT, plenty of good e28s wind up there.

Look on classic-trader.com.
Bear in mind that the majority of European the E28s will be the lower powered variants because insurance,gas and diesel are so expensive.
Get an inspection done on the car by an independent vehicle assessor.

What's the reason for wanting a Euro E28?

In general, NA vs. Europe, anything remotely desirable or that has character will cost you accordingly. Start with an equivalent $$$ value, keep the number and just change the sign to €€€ or £££ and that would be a minimum starting point, typically another 20/25% on top of that.

FYI the Umweltplakette business in Germany is much easier for petrol cars. Especially if the car is old enough to be registered as historic, then it's exempt from the whole thing anyway. Expect to pay top $/€ for anything like what you describe, not least because of their "TÜV" standards which does mean cars tend to be in much better shape that what's acceptable in NA.

mobile.de is a standard autotrader type site but a very good one. I imagine specialty and classic dealers list there too, and at least you can do some market research and know where to send your local contact to go see the car. Here is a relevant search result for you, I hope:

BMW 5er Reihe

Get this instead :D

https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODA1WDEyM...cuGY0/$_20.jpg

I would just buy a clean, dry USA car and switch the bumpers to ROW. That’s the only conceivably advantage to euro cars, they usually have cloth interiors and roll-up windows, no A/C, etc. Most are low spec and rusty to boot.

Lots of nice 535i and 535is around.

Best bet is to convert a US car. The parts are reasonably easy to find.

Inspirational pics below...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1558990828.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1558990984.jpg

My perfectionist gene expresses itself when looking at euro bumper converted converted US cars just aft of the rear wheels. The US car "diving board" bumpers used a brace that ran through a hole in the quarter panel and perhaps a different rear valence panel. Like this :(

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1558991668.jpg

I'd like to avoid that.

I would suggest you connect with Ivo (user “Ovide” on mye28.com). I believe he is based in the Netherlands and has sourced and imported several E28s over the years with positive results. No personal experience, just a reference.
I presume you’ve heard of Ron Perry, or at least seen some of his creations. He would be a good contact should you decide to source a car stateside.

Thanks Sarc! Was not aware of these people. Ron Perry's stuff does not suck!

A friend of mine had a blue one back in about 1995. It was a really nice car.

Not sure there is a valence difference... What is missing here that would be on a euro car? http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1558994975.jpg

Am offering that from memory. There may or may not be a difference.

I just looked at mine, there is a 1 1/8 dia hole in there to pass the electrical wire for the side marker light that is on the N/A bumper.

I see what you mean. Seems easy enough to fill with a bit of welding. If you didn't want to weld, use panel bonder with the same sheet metal plug.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1558996070.jpg

I did the ROW conversion about ten years ago. The U.S. valance has large holes for the bumper shocks that have to be filled along with the holes in the right and left quarters. Also, the ROW valance hangs a little lower and has a cutout for the muffler tips.



https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/ph2XST.jpg



https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/8aKfzn.png

I just sold a beautiful, genuine M535i for AU$12K. Had the original electric Recaro's, factory sunroof etc.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1558999183.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1558999301.jpg

Interesting... There is no evidence of a hole or welding, but I'm pretty sure mine was not an import. Ah, 30 year old mysteries...

Perhaps the factory IS trim is different?

As was mentioned above, I think your best bet is to spend some time on mye28.com.

It’s not as highly trafficked as it once was but if you put a WTB in the for sale section you’ll get some leads.


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You might want to check with the Japanese exporters. Cars are in good condition here and the Us currency is strong. Most of the European cars from that era were sent to Japan in LHD configuration.

Thanks to all for your good advice and insight offered. This place is a terrific resource for practically everything. It's also encouraging that nobody has chimed in saying e28's aren't worth the effort--but in more colorful terms. SmileWavy

I'm not dying to use one but are people aware of some reputable importers from Europe or Japan? As dan79brooklyn pointed out, LHD would be important too.

Lastly, is EAG consistently getting close to their asking prices?:eek:

Finding a Japanese E28 is a great option...but as mentioned before lots of great E28s Stateside.

If you want a Euro 535I or 535IS and in good shape, be prepared to shell out some bux...if you want a M5 then you'll have to sell some of your 401k. I'm on the E28 forums and there are some good deals if you don't a running project that needs TLC. Those M30 rack-up the miles and break 200K without breaking a sweat.

Some of the comments mentioned above on finding Euro bumpers are inaccurate, they are very hard to find and always expensive and typically missing the chrome trim or badly rusted.

http://amagasakimotor.net/

I love the e28 :)

If you must have a non-USA E28 that's not already in the US, perhaps consider looking in other markets to which they were exported and whose climates are kind to the cars. E.g. Latin America - Colombia (particularly Bogota) and perhaps Chile come to mind.

I too was looking for a e28, but this one best me to the punch.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1559063649.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1559063673.jpg

Nice car. How's the maintenance on those?

It's a shame New Zealand is RHD. They are a dime a dozen around here. And in fairly good condition. Most kiwis want modified rice burners or as new as possible BMWs/Audis/Merc's depending on which school you went to.

RHD shouldn't be a problem. You just have to get used to it.

The bumpers are no different in LHD vs RHD, if you’re willing, there is a market for those here in the US.


Have you reached out to Ivo on mye28? Several people have bought from him and he arranged the import with good reviews.


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What model E31? Looks nasty with those OZ Futuras and the suspension set-up.

It's an AC Schnitzer, 1992, 70k. Just got it so don't know how the maintenance will be. But I've had great luck with all of my Bimmers over the years and this has been very well cared for by the po. 12 cylinder auto. 850 ci.

Pavulom, if your looking for a e28, a friend of mine has a Alpina e28 replica for sale, at least he did last winter. It is gorgeous and exact tight down to decals. Even fooled a lot of people at Vintagefest. PM me if you want to inquire.