I spotted a1988 528e on Craigslist, original owner, 163,000 miles, car seemed to be cosmetically sorted out so I bought it. I was on this board about 6 years ago; had a 1984 528e that I enjoyed working on. Plan on using this as a commuter and would like to thank you all for being here with insights and help. Before I start driving it regularly I need to fix the trunk seal (working on it), replace everything rubber underneath the car, brakes, and struts. I did the same with the old car so have a pretty good idea what's in front of me. Some photos (hope this works):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40555074@N ... 223178463/
1988 Eta Impulse Buy
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sail_or_drive
- Posts: 388
- Joined: Sep 17, 2013 9:51 PM
- Location: Vancouver, WA
If no info about timing belt , change it. . If it comes with service records. it is worth whatever you paid for it. If not, change the belts , cap and rotor.. It is a 25 yr old car. Anything can break at any time. I spend about 300$ every time I change the timing belt on a 528e . I'm jealous. My super Es run great , but rust issues abound and I am no where near as agile as I was. Automagic Super E . Best commuter/ daily driver I've ever had, that is why I'm on my 2nd and 3rd ones. I bought my first with 150K miles on it and proceeded to drive it for 200 K more in 12 yrs. I always manged to drive it home and fix it in the driveway..So the reliability is good too. It is what convinced me to stay with the particular year and model It has been 17 yrs now. 
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sail_or_drive
- Posts: 388
- Joined: Sep 17, 2013 9:51 PM
- Location: Vancouver, WA
Thanks for the comments. Answers to questions:
Price. $3000. If I got screwed, well, it's an impulse buy. The PO is the original owner; there are records from 120,000. I have all the original sales paperwork, the sticker, the radio code cards, manuals, and even the cassette tape cleaner kit. What's missing is the paperwork up to 120,000. There is evidence in the maintenance book, but no invoices. That said, she spent a ton of money on the car from 120,000 to present.
Timing Belt at 120,000. Redone rear main seals and transmission seals, regular oil changes, looks like things were fixed as they malfunctioned.
The owner did not want to sell it, but her husband and kids bought her an Accord. I told her it could be an "open adoption", she laughed, but you could tell she had some feelings for the car. Odd for a 70 year old retired school teacher.
The bottlecaps are pretty pedestrian. They will have to serve until I get past all the suspension and brake work and what has been suggested by "a".
It has been re-sprayed; I worried a bit about damage, but the owner had it re-painted after the clear coat started peeling. She may have fibbed to me, but I doubt it. I did not take a picture of the engine bay on purpose. I suspect from looking at the records there was a head leak; the alpenweis inside the engine bay looks like bad mustard in spots. It's somewhat clean now, but needs detailing.
Again, thanks. Few of my friends an coworkers get my fascination with these cars (I'm in my late 50's) and it's great to commiserate with folks that "get it".
Price. $3000. If I got screwed, well, it's an impulse buy. The PO is the original owner; there are records from 120,000. I have all the original sales paperwork, the sticker, the radio code cards, manuals, and even the cassette tape cleaner kit. What's missing is the paperwork up to 120,000. There is evidence in the maintenance book, but no invoices. That said, she spent a ton of money on the car from 120,000 to present.
Timing Belt at 120,000. Redone rear main seals and transmission seals, regular oil changes, looks like things were fixed as they malfunctioned.
The owner did not want to sell it, but her husband and kids bought her an Accord. I told her it could be an "open adoption", she laughed, but you could tell she had some feelings for the car. Odd for a 70 year old retired school teacher.
The bottlecaps are pretty pedestrian. They will have to serve until I get past all the suspension and brake work and what has been suggested by "a".
It has been re-sprayed; I worried a bit about damage, but the owner had it re-painted after the clear coat started peeling. She may have fibbed to me, but I doubt it. I did not take a picture of the engine bay on purpose. I suspect from looking at the records there was a head leak; the alpenweis inside the engine bay looks like bad mustard in spots. It's somewhat clean now, but needs detailing.
Again, thanks. Few of my friends an coworkers get my fascination with these cars (I'm in my late 50's) and it's great to commiserate with folks that "get it".
You're in good company here - We get it.it's great to commiserate with folks that "get it".
That looks like it will be a great commuter for you. I also had an '88 eta, also in Alpine White, that served as my daily driver for eleven years. Although the timing belt on yours was done at 120,000, its time to do it again. Best preventative maintenance you can do for the M20 eta engines.Keep us updated on your new addition!
Jim
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mooseheadm5
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