@japanwatchconnection "They are well built today. My G30 5 Series has been excellent" Since there is no way that you can experience all G30's that was produced, your logic is established as such; "Your G30 is well built, therefore all G30's are well built." This is quite a false reasoning line.
I think the current BMW lineup looks nice aside from the 2-Series Gran Coupe (Kia Forte clone?), the 4-Series/M4/M3 (why???), and the X7. Everything else that they currently make looks sharp.
The E39 is my all time favorite BMW 5-Series. They just got every aspect perfect on that car in my opinion. No wonder nice examples of the E39 M5 cost almost as much as a new one.
Reliable? Hahahaha... German autos were notorious for being extremely unreliable in the '80s. They are a million times more reliable today. They were so unreliable back then, there was even a saying for them, "Sell the car before the tires are worn." 🤣
@@Asiansxsymbol i see you dont know anything about cars. Say it to 1980-90's passat, vectra or w124 owners in my town who drive them for decades and had run over 500k km
My brother bought one of these from an auction but it was a 525i. The thing was so reliable. He sold it to a family friend with over 200k miles. They drove it another 100k miles before their son flipped it and totaled. They said it still drove fine and had no issues before the rollover.
Damn that was better than super car territory for breaking, actually better.. However inflation adjusted this was like a $70,000 car for the entry-level model, he said it started at 37K
They said that having an airbag meant that the steering wheel had to be in a fixed position. Some cars with a passenger airbag in those days “couldn’t have a glovebox.” Gotta laugh at comments like that today.
That's a US thing only though. The W126 had those issues due to space and the Golf III. But E32 started implementing airbags in 1986 with adjustable column. I guess some stupid regulations again
I had a 1990 525i 5 speed, a 1990 750iL and, now, a 1990 535i Auto, much like the one in the video except Bronzitbeige metallic. One owner car - love it! :)
I still love this wonderful car, it’s held up well , I especially like the M5 edition! Only bugaboo for me was the red optics, n the cheesy instrumentals!! That 6 cylinder was and still is a gem 💎 ‼️‼️
What’s cheesy about the gauge cluster? BMW basically kept it like this until the late 2000s - and it was gorgeous! Also the orange backlight is iconic and very soothing on night rides.
So, were these or are these reliable for a BMW? My Aunt had one and I grew up in the back seat of it. Always rolling the windows up and down with my cousin on our way to Church. I loved the armrest back there. We hated church but our aunt promised to take us to Toys R Us after. She never did. Guess she couldn't afford it, driving a BMW and all. She was a banker. Always cut people off and drove a bit above the speed limit all the time. Her 5 Series always looked immaculate. I can still smell the leather.
I had one of these with a 5 speed and a catalytic converter delete and a cold air intake. It put 240 hp to the wheels. It was a sleeper. Cat delete really opens up that engine
I appreciate how reviews like this were more catered towards their audience. Anyone shopping for a NEW 5-series doesn't care about cost, not when it's only 5 or 10 extra grand on an already mid-level priced car. Even now adays, with prices pretty significantly higher, most people don't go "Well, I'd buy the BMW, but the Jaguar is 8 grand cheaper" . . .no, if you're shopping for a 5-series, only a 5-series will do. If you're in the market for an E-Class, only an E-Class will do. Kudos to whoever laid things out for this review as they truly understood their audience.
This E34 5-Series, and E32 7-Series were lightyears ahead of the competition! And very reliable also - if looked after. The 540i manual and M5 were cars in a class of its own, and epic cars then - and today! Those were the "BMW heydays", not the ugly and "uninvolved" unreliable rubbish BMW sell nowadays...
Sadly, some of this amazing generation of BMW were eligible to be traded in under the Cash For Clunkers scheme. There are a couple of engine kill videos on TH-cam. Always wanted one of these but they're now starting to appreciate in value.
BMWs were so simple back then. No iDrive, no infotainment, not even a easy to use climate control system. I’m sure this 5-Series is smaller than the current G20 3-Series sedan.
This was the BEST BMW I ever had and I'm on my 15th . I had a 92 535, 5 speed I could pass anybody at that time it was a rocket the only thing that broke on mine was the drive shaft guibo from hard launches constantly and never ever gave me a problem it was super reliable and fast and car that got respect on the road from those who knew...I can't believe I'm describing a BMW LOL... oh and it was stolen from me so that's gotta tell you something huh
Yeah, BMW realigned its pricing over the years as did Mercedes. For example, I had a leased MY 2000 528i sport (kinda the equivalent of this car since the next car up in 2000 was the 8 cylinder) and its MSRP adjusted for today would be under $70K.
I remember riding in one of these when they were new and couldn’t believe it had rear A/C vents! So luxurious! 😂 Seriously though it was a very neat car when it came out.
I had two E30's of this vintage, back in the day. an 89 325is and a 91 325is. I always wanted a 5 series of those years. never had the pleasure of owning one.
Is it me or did anyone else think that they were watching this and 240 P resolution adjusted my resolution to 1080 and realize it was not my phone it was the camera from back in the 80s lol. 🤪
Huh some of these features described as standard must have been US specific standard like the leather seats and the electric adjustment. That steering wheel is also odd for 1989 as here in Australia the E34's didn't get airbags till a few years later, my 1991 535i has no airbags at all as standard and has an adjustable Column. I believe the engine was also down tuned a bit for US sale but not by a huge amount. The change in air-conditioning/heating controls mentioned being introduced a year later also wasn't the case with my aforementioned 91 having the same system shown.
Its funny how everyone points out about reliability then vs now. Well guess what,it’s just not BMW 🤪 Welcome to 2021 folks. Even my damn napkins have gone down in quality.
Tja, der gute alte E34. Damals baute BMW noch fantastische Autos. Die hatten noch eine Seele. Diese PC‘s auf vier Rädern von heute kann man echt voll vergessen, gilt aber nicht nur für BMW…..
When *W’s* were beautiful and somewhat reliable. All gone these days. They werent only beaten by the japanese. They were ran over in every single step. Wonderful and classic automobile.
As far as luxury cars go I'd take a Lexus over a bmw any day even back then in the 90s when Lexus was new they were still better then beemers..hell I still see those old early 90s model Lexus on the road..as long as you keep up with oil changes and change out the timing chain on those old 4 cam v8s they will last over 300k miles easy..
@@jdubskiwright2380 Absolutely right. Lexus'es from back then were EVEN MORE reliable than the current ones, which keep great(I just dont love their current looks). BMWs from 80s were kinda good. But after Acura, Infiniti and Lexus, the Titanic of german cars began to sink. Like you, I'd also go with the Lexus.
If you want to understand transmissions learn gear ratios. A six-speed automatic is a split 3 speed. Seven speed automatic is a split 3 speed with am extra gear. 8-speed automatic is a split 4 speed. If you look at the gear ratios and understand what you're looking at you'll understand what I'm saying. A 10-speed automatic is a split 5-speed automatic. The 1st gear that would be in the 5-speed automatic is now split to (2) gears for the 1st gear for the 10 speed automatic. And so on, through the gears.
This is when BMW made good cars that didn't take a computer scientist to figure out the controls. While the ventilation controls are a little weird, when you live with them for a while they make sense.
Back when they were good looking, handled well, and were well-built. Also when nobody got a cupholder but everybody got an ashtray
when we drank water from a tap, played outside and got lung cancer the only way you should... like real men!!!
BMW's are never well built especially during the 80's.
And gas was ~90cents/gal...
@japanwatchconnection "They are well built today. My G30 5 Series has been excellent"
Since there is no way that you can experience all G30's that was produced, your logic is established as such; "Your G30 is well built, therefore all G30's are well built."
This is quite a false reasoning line.
Are you going to pretend that the new or the previous-gen 5 Series don't look great??
From back when we can easily justify using the word "handsome" to describe the styling of a BMW model.
Now it looks pretty 🙉
True so true I just said this about the new camaro
I mean, it kinda looks like Johnny 5 made into a car...
Yeah. Chris Bangle effectively put a stop to that...
I think the current BMW lineup looks nice aside from the 2-Series Gran Coupe (Kia Forte clone?), the 4-Series/M4/M3 (why???), and the X7. Everything else that they currently make looks sharp.
"No tire screeching starts here"
*Shows literal clip of a tire screeching start*
That's what I am saying. It chrip its wheels from the start
Haha left
lol
It was more of a tire chirp
Back to a time when BMWs were actually the ultimate driving machines
@@thirdstar9255 Nope. They care more about stupid tech features than actual driving dynamics these days.
@@thirdstar9255 we both know that’s not the case anymore
@@kenxiong6830 M340i, M2 CS.
@@unowen-nh9ov yeah two cars out of their whole line up lol. Back then all the BMWs were awesome
But now they have the optional, "Hello Kitty" package.
My favorite generation of 5-series. Such a handsome car.
Mine is the E39, but this comes at a very close second for me, especially the M5 from this generation.
@@damilolaakanni The E39 is good looking, but quality is a step down from the E34
The E39 is my all time favorite BMW 5-Series. They just got every aspect perfect on that car in my opinion. No wonder nice examples of the E39 M5 cost almost as much as a new one.
I liked the E39 most. This was nice too, had 2 different 535i:s but the E39 looked more round, which I liked.
@@marcusjosefsson4998 I disagree. I had zero problems with any of my 3 E39:s.
Look at that barely any nosedive, 7.7 seconds to 60 from only 203 hp. That was a solid car.
My E9 3.0 CSA had 170 bhp. & cut my Toronto-Ottawa commute in half, German Autobahn engineering is a real thing.
The relatively low weight probably had a lot to do with it. Don't forget, the 5 Series back then was about the size of a 3 Series today.
... And the manual was several tenths faster still!
No overdrive gear back in the 80s
@@CoasterTurbo 4th was overdrive. The 5/6/8 speed automatic gears today just add more in the middle.
I had a 1992 535i 5 speed with 350k miles, everyone loved it, ran like a top.
What happened to it?
Ah the days when you knew your BMW was a well built, reliable machine. 7.7 sec is quick for back in 88.
Reliable? Hahahaha... German autos were notorious for being extremely unreliable in the '80s. They are a million times more reliable today. They were so unreliable back then, there was even a saying for them, "Sell the car before the tires are worn." 🤣
@@Asiansxsymbol i see you dont know anything about cars. Say it to 1980-90's passat, vectra or w124 owners in my town who drive them for decades and had run over 500k km
@@sicarius7492 I agree.
@@Asiansxsymbol my 200,000 mile 91 318is missed this memo. Same with my 380,000 mile 81 528i. Sounds like you are talking out of your rear.
Always loved the the styling of the E34! In actuality I prefer it to the E39
Timeless and modern looking, even 30 years on. Remarkable how well the interior holds up.
no tilt wheel, ouch. I couldn't live w/o that.
I miss old BMW. I guess that's why I haven't let go of my '86 325es yet...
Hold on to it they don’t have the electric gremlins 💰💰💰
Probably will be worth 40 grand in 20 years. I have a 95 740i
@@lotsoftorque3632 another car built like tank 👍
That's why I haven't let go of my e34 535i 5spd, I love it!
Holy smokes so many advanced features for its time! (Dual zone climate, rear vents, CD changer, power seats, airbag, ABS, 5-speed auto, etc)
4 speed auto, 5 speed manual actually
5-speed auto came in with the updates in ‘91/‘92 if I recall
@@georgeacquah5380 5 apeed auto was in the 525i M50 engine
@@BlackSG5 yes, also the 520i 24v in Europe, and the V8s in the 530i and 540i. The earlier 12v 6-cyls had a 4-speed auto
Power seats were not an ‘advanced feature’ for that time. Many higher-end cars have had them since the 1950s.
I’ll take mine with the 5-spd manual, thank you!
If they have the manual version would have been much quicker
The old manuals with the inline 6 naturally aspirated were a dream to drive.
I had a 92 525i with manual 5 speed...it was awesome to drive!
E34 was my first BMW company car (after 3 years working at a BMW dealer, driving all cars available). Still my favorite.
Now thats a proper BMW
Hell yeah
My brother bought one of these from an auction but it was a 525i. The thing was so reliable. He sold it to a family friend with over 200k miles. They drove it another 100k miles before their son flipped it and totaled. They said it still drove fine and had no issues before the rollover.
Everything about this car is still great today. Absolutely timeless.
Been waiting for this one, I have seen all of Motor Weeks retro reviews of BMW's.
This was the very first motorweek episode i watched as a kid in 89.
Its always refreshing to see a BMW in red with tan seats instead of 100 shades of gray & silver 🤢🤮
Damn that was better than super car territory for breaking, actually better.. However inflation adjusted this was like a $70,000 car for the entry-level model, he said it started at 37K
I think BMW introduced this right before Toyota was going to steal it's, and every other manufactures thunder with the release of... you know what!
@@john5389 Matt Farah's million mile lexus?
They said that having an airbag meant that the steering wheel had to be in a fixed position. Some cars with a passenger airbag in those days “couldn’t have a glovebox.” Gotta laugh at comments like that today.
Technology has moved forward a bit in 32 years
That's a US thing only though. The W126 had those issues due to space and the Golf III. But E32 started implementing airbags in 1986 with adjustable column. I guess some stupid regulations again
I had a 1990 525i 5 speed, a 1990 750iL and, now, a 1990 535i Auto, much like the one in the video except Bronzitbeige metallic.
One owner car - love it! :)
I still love this wonderful car, it’s held up well , I especially like the M5 edition! Only bugaboo for me was the red optics, n the cheesy instrumentals!! That 6 cylinder was and still is a gem 💎 ‼️‼️
What’s cheesy about the gauge cluster?
BMW basically kept it like this until the late 2000s - and it was gorgeous!
Also the orange backlight is iconic and very soothing on night rides.
My mother had a 1994 540i which was pretty similar. Loved that car so much.
So, were these or are these reliable for a BMW? My Aunt had one and I grew up in the back seat of it. Always rolling the windows up and down with my cousin on our way to Church. I loved the armrest back there. We hated church but our aunt promised to take us to Toys R Us after. She never did. Guess she couldn't afford it, driving a BMW and all. She was a banker. Always cut people off and drove a bit above the speed limit all the time. Her 5 Series always looked immaculate. I can still smell the leather.
I had one of these with a 5 speed and a catalytic converter delete and a cold air intake. It put 240 hp to the wheels. It was a sleeper. Cat delete really opens up that engine
Has to be one of BMWs best - a classic
I appreciate how reviews like this were more catered towards their audience. Anyone shopping for a NEW 5-series doesn't care about cost, not when it's only 5 or 10 extra grand on an already mid-level priced car. Even now adays, with prices pretty significantly higher, most people don't go "Well, I'd buy the BMW, but the Jaguar is 8 grand cheaper" . . .no, if you're shopping for a 5-series, only a 5-series will do. If you're in the market for an E-Class, only an E-Class will do. Kudos to whoever laid things out for this review as they truly understood their audience.
This E34 5-Series, and E32 7-Series were lightyears ahead of the competition! And very reliable also - if looked after.
The 540i manual and M5 were cars in a class of its own, and epic cars then - and today! Those were the "BMW heydays", not the ugly and "uninvolved" unreliable rubbish BMW sell nowadays...
I had a 95 525i I see the looks didn't change much or at all from 89-95. I absolutely loved that car!
It changed in '96 with the e39 generation.
This is the e34 built from 1987 (sale started early 1988) onwards.
I had two of those (followed by two 7 series). I still think this is one of the most beautiful BMWs ever made.
State of the art luxury, performance, and safety in 1989. Braking from 60 mph in just 104 feet!! Most cars today can’t do that.
Sadly, some of this amazing generation of BMW were eligible to be traded in under the Cash For Clunkers scheme. There are a couple of engine kill videos on TH-cam. Always wanted one of these but they're now starting to appreciate in value.
The good old days! This brings back such great memories, watching Motorweek as a kid 🏁
Always loved the red backlights on the BMW dashboard
Ski bag was an option
My cars are both 88' 520i E34s, perfect car for all my wants and needs. Also very reliable.
One of the many bmws I had. When BMW made an outstanding car.
4:01 John had a sad. There are no voltmeter and oil pressure gauges
He was so sad this time he couldn't even talk about it! 😢😁
🤣🤣🤣
BMWs were so simple back then. No iDrive, no infotainment, not even a easy to use climate control system. I’m sure this 5-Series is smaller than the current G20 3-Series sedan.
Thank you for uploading onto TH-cam. It's interesting to see how John Davis gets older as the years passes by. God bless sir,
Ravi Peiris M.D.
How classy and elegant where those bimmer. Sporty yet comfortable, they really had a great number here. The E34 is by far my favorite 5 series era.
In my opinion this was the best ventilation control in any car ever. Any air direction could be adjusted 0-100%
Long live the Straight 6! Amen?
Pulls, sounds, and feels like a train.
E34 is the best 5 Series generation, followed by E39
I had an e34 535iA M-package. A very good car. Comfortable and fast when needed.
Thank you so much!!!! I love vintage BMW!!!! SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! THANKS FOR SHARING!!!
That's the best looking 5 series ever, there.
Agree
E39 looks much better imho. I had several cars of both generation.
BMW E34 1988-1994 my favourite Série generation.
I owned a 1995 540i MSport. Loved everything about it except the repairs.
Someone called it 3rd gear automatic, so torquey you never had to shift, ditto M3 V8.
This was the BEST BMW I ever had and I'm on my 15th . I had a 92 535, 5 speed I could pass anybody at that time it was a rocket the only thing that broke on mine was the drive shaft guibo from hard launches constantly and never ever gave me a problem it was super reliable and fast and car that got respect on the road from those who knew...I can't believe I'm describing a BMW LOL... oh and it was stolen from me so that's gotta tell you something huh
43000 in 1989 is almost 96,000 today. A new 540 xdrive is 65,000. Today’s 5 series is steal compared to back then.
Yeah, BMW realigned its pricing over the years as did Mercedes. For example, I had a leased MY 2000 528i sport (kinda the equivalent of this car since the next car up in 2000 was the 8 cylinder) and its MSRP adjusted for today would be under $70K.
The E34 was BY FAR the best automobile BMW ever made. Period.
I remember riding in one of these when they were new and couldn’t believe it had rear A/C vents! So luxurious! 😂 Seriously though it was a very neat car when it came out.
I had two E30's of this vintage, back in the day. an 89 325is and a 91 325is. I always wanted a 5 series of those years. never had the pleasure of owning one.
No tire screeching starts here, tires literally break loose and make screeching noise on the 0-60 take off…. Get your shit together John!!
I’ve always liked the E34 chassis.
Adjusted for inflation this car would be $103k today.
The E34 is still great to drive.
4:56 John: THE POORLY MARKED SLIDING VENT CONTROLS ARE THE SYSTEMS BUGABOO! LOL
Don't need to read vent controls to slide 'em, John!
Ahh, back when BMW built *cars,* not technological nightmares on wheels.
I’m so happy to have owned one of these cars
Is it me or did anyone else think that they were watching this and 240 P resolution adjusted my resolution to 1080 and realize it was not my phone it was the camera from back in the 80s lol. 🤪
以前、これに乗ってました。パワーがあって良い車でした。またBMWに乗りたいです。
Huh some of these features described as standard must have been US specific standard like the leather seats and the electric adjustment. That steering wheel is also odd for 1989 as here in Australia the E34's didn't get airbags till a few years later, my 1991 535i has no airbags at all as standard and has an adjustable Column. I believe the engine was also down tuned a bit for US sale but not by a huge amount. The change in air-conditioning/heating controls mentioned being introduced a year later also wasn't the case with my aforementioned 91 having the same system shown.
Did that rear seatbelt really pull from the centre rather than from the C-pillar? Never seen that before!
Yes, I own one, and it's by design to keep the rear passengers from knocking heads together in case of a side impact, quite smart.
Its funny how everyone points out about reliability then vs now.
Well guess what,it’s just not BMW 🤪
Welcome to 2021 folks.
Even my damn napkins have gone down in quality.
Such timeless design-
Now we need a retro review of the 1997 BMW E39 528i. Let's make it happen, please!
E34 is a timeless masterpiece of automotive engineering and car design.
The best looking 5 ever made, thevrrue heir of the charismatic E12
One of the best BMW ever made. I owned one (sort of) when I was 18yrs old.
Yeah BMW owned the looks department for luxury in the late 80’s & early 90’s.
Tja, der gute alte E34. Damals baute BMW noch fantastische Autos. Die hatten noch eine Seele. Diese PC‘s auf vier Rädern von heute kann man echt voll vergessen, gilt aber nicht nur für BMW…..
Braking performance is very good
INTERIOR NOISE:
64 dB
When *W’s* were beautiful and somewhat reliable.
All gone these days. They werent only beaten by the japanese. They were ran over in every single step.
Wonderful and classic automobile.
As far as luxury cars go I'd take a Lexus over a bmw any day even back then in the 90s when Lexus was new they were still better then beemers..hell I still see those old early 90s model Lexus on the road..as long as you keep up with oil changes and change out the timing chain on those old 4 cam v8s they will last over 300k miles easy..
@@jdubskiwright2380 Absolutely right. Lexus'es from back then were EVEN MORE reliable than the current ones, which keep great(I just dont love their current looks). BMWs from 80s were kinda good. But after Acura, Infiniti and Lexus, the Titanic of german cars began to sink. Like you, I'd also go with the Lexus.
I still daily a 94 520i :))
I've always loved how BMW's used to drop low during hard braking.
If you want to understand transmissions learn gear ratios. A six-speed automatic is a split 3 speed. Seven speed automatic is a split 3 speed with am extra gear. 8-speed automatic is a split 4 speed. If you look at the gear ratios and understand what you're looking at you'll understand what I'm saying. A 10-speed automatic is a split 5-speed automatic.
The 1st gear that would be in the 5-speed automatic is now split to (2) gears for the 1st gear for the 10 speed automatic. And so on, through the gears.
Proper machine
What a beautiful, beautiful car.
Essentially with Inflation, this tested model was around the equivalent of $98k usd today? Jeebus
Even when new that beige carpet looked dirty lol
I had an 89 535i ! Was a 5 speed. I miss her😩
Maybe the best car of its era
love that BMW old Modells... E30 E34 and E32
That bmw still looks nice today
you’re right, nobody needs to drive that fast in this country lol
I miss simple car design like this 😢
2:38 no nose dive. It just squats!
Nice test and introduction. Very nice car. I love the red color of BMW.
Calypso -rot ( burgundy ) is even nicer. I have the pleasure of still driving my 92 525i Calypso rot 218,000 km on it . Unfortunately auto
Imagine those cars from the 90’s with the best tires on the market today in 2021
All those numbers change today in every car they text
6:52 why are there faces in the headlights
love it. Lets see the e39 retro review.
MW HITS:
-- ACCELERATION
-- BRAKING
-- HANDLING
I missed out buying a bosses 91 White 535i
This is when BMW made good cars that didn't take a computer scientist to figure out the controls. While the ventilation controls are a little weird, when you live with them for a while they make sense.
Sick moustache Todd.
Hey Motorweek! Do you have a retro video for the e36 convertible?
Would love to have one in this color resale red