Sheesh, post it in a gasser forum You'll never get this kind of response. My aunt owned the same car (PO had spotty service recs) and think would refuse to die. Finally became a liability after yrs of Minnesota winters took it's toll - on a car she rarely cleaned up.

The only good BMW is a dead BMW...........


William Rogers........

I like the older BMW style, and have thought about an older (late 80's) 3-series convertible, but the cost of parts and maintenance scares me. Is it really so high? Some of my friends with BMWs have spent more on tires than I have on some cars, including my MB.

I think I'm colored by the fact that I have worked on every single stinking wore out ass, ragged, pathetic, ill maintained 80-something 318x in the eastern US. Or at least a lot of them.
I really got sick of floppy door panels and crapy feeling shifters and trying to make them idle correctly.

Surly there not that bad, or not all of them..

As was said, whatever floats one's boat.

__________________
One more Radar Lover gone...
1982 VW Caddy diesel 406K 1.9L AAZ
1994 E320 195K

Looks good, but the only BMW I would ever think of owning is a 525td.

Good luck finding one.

__________________
DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

Hello,
Lets seeeeee, steering shakes, dead lower control arm bushes, dead strut top mounts, prop vibration, blown headgasket, blown water pumps, seized Getrag 5 speeder, water leaks from taillites, noisy diff, dead brake accumalator, dead brakes, broken wiper arm pivots...................enough said.

__________________
Nachi11744

Last time I checked the 535i doesn't come with a diesel in it, so I guess you are a TRAITOR. I bought my MB because it had a diesel, not a diesel because it was a MB. Next on my list, 1998 Dodge Ram 12V 6.9L Cummins Turbo Diesel, a bit different of a vehicle but still a diesel. To bad Dodge doens't make chassis like Cummins makes motors.

__________________
Jeff M.
Mercedes W123 DIY pages are now located here.
1983 / 1984 300D Sold
2000 CLK430 Cabriolet ~58k Sold
2005 Avalanche 4x4 ~66k

Bimmers were always thought of as German Studebakers....... ie narrow, not full size. Oh well..........

__________________
1961 190Db retired
1968 220D/8 325,000
1983 300D 164,150

I don't really care for BMW's, mostly because of the 1977 320i my brother had. There was about $4,000 put into that thing, and it still didn't run right most of the time... When it did run, it was a blast to drive, and would handle great.

E28 beemers are allright cars...problems? plan on overhauling the front end at some point
(they're subject to "the vibes") but IMO it's one of the better built BMWs. Quite safe for it's time as well.

To answer one of the questions--Yes, it is a 5 speed. I would not have considered this car with an automatic. I also find nothing stimulating about a BMW with an auto transmission.

As I said, I have an 84 300SD which I love more than words can say! I've owned it for a little more than a year and she's never let me down.

For the last 4-6 months, I've been looking for another car. I looked at more 300SD's, looked at a few wagons, a few 300D's. etc. My price point was $2000 tops, so I knew not to expect too much in way of a MB diesel, but had hopes of stumbling on a jewel.

I then began thinking about a 300e. Figured I have a diesel, why not look for something sporty? An you can get a pretty nice 300e for about $2K.

Well, couldn't find one in a 5 speed and they didn't seem nearly as fast, or as nimble as a BMW 535i.

Then I stumble on this well preserved 1987 535i.

....so that's my story and I am sticking to it!

Now comparisons of 1984 MB 300SD vs. 1987 BMW 535i:

Cannot compare head to head as they are very different cars, with very different drivetrains, and marketed to very different audiences....

However:

1. The leather seats in the BMW are much more supportive and much more comfortable-hands down.

2. A/C in the Bimmer is better, colder, and much more adjustable (a peeve of mine in the '84 SD--good a/c--you just can adjust it much).

3. Ergonomics better in the Benz. No question. Gauges, switches, and lightswitches, etc much better laid out and just plain simpler in the Mercedes. BMW dash is cluttered and not as logically laid out.

4. Interior materials are better in the Benz. The BMW is devoid of any zebrano wood. The components just don't have that heavy Benz feel that Hildegard (300SD) has.

5. The BMW doen't have that famous "thunk" when closing the door. 'nuff said.

6. BMW is faster, handles better, and ironically is smoother down the highway. At 75-80 mph, my SD is pulling about 3000+ rpms. The BMW at that speed is barely above 2400 rpms. During a "spirited drive" this weekend I actually wound the BMW out to 5700 rpm (redline is 6500) while shifting from 3rd to 4th--I was doing 97 mph at that point--pretty impressive.

My job takes me to Germany and I deal with Germans regularly. The opinion in Germany is that you own a BMW when you are young and trying to stay young, but that there comes a point where you buy a Benz. (I think like gettng a Cadillac here).

I would tend to agree with this, HOWEVER, I have not driven a CLK, CL or anything from the vaunted AMG production facility..

My $0.02

Prior to getting my 84 300d I had a 1974 bmw 2002. What a sweet little car. Not a ton of horsepower, a little 2 litre, 4 cylinder, but just a joy to drive on winding roads. I still remember that great feeling when she was running right. And that great feeling was the problem. If I only put about $1000 into it I would get that feeling back. But I always seemed about a thousand dollars behind the curve.

All of the mechanics were incredibly expensive and I still think of the local dealership as pirates. The repair bills came in three sizes, $300, $600 and how many zeros do you want on the cheque. When I drove it to the mechanics they always seemed to be on the phone to their wives. Honey, the blue bimmer is back, we can send the kid to Harvard Medical School. I just wasn't wealthy enough to drive an old BMW, it bled me white.

The problem with the BMW was it was not robust; small things would stop that car. The 300d is a completely different story things breakdown but the car always seems to get me home. I keep deciding not to put more money into the 300d, but I keep changing my mind when I see the cost and value of what I could get to replace her. I get a different feeling in the Benz, I have never felt so safe in an automobile.

Mr. Wolfpack,
With respect to the adjustability of ACC/climate control in the benz. The number you choose for the temperature setting is called a reverse-exclusion. In other words, the actual number (actual temperature) can be any number (temperature) other than itself. This occurs only in theoretical mathematics and old benz climate controls.