Classic 1988 Bmw 528e Super Eta on 2040-cars

The time has come to sell my 1988 BMW 528e Super Eta.

I purchased this car in 1994 with 66,000 miles and have been the primary driver for the past 20 years. The car now has 192,861 documented miles with all major service records.

I had planned to give this car to my son but he will now be spending the next several years in grad school in Boston and doesn't need it. We are planning on moving soon and don't want to take it with us.

The car has undergone restoration over the past 12,000 miles at Bavarian Specialties, a BMW shop located in King of Prussia, PA, including:

Entire suspension rebuild front-to-back (shocks, control arms, tie rods, flex link, pitman arms, bushings, etc.) at a cost of over $2500. Car handles like new.
All new belts, hoses, timing belt/tensioner, water pump, thermostat, fuel pump, fuse box, spark plugs, ignition wires, injector clean, vacuum hoses, filters, fluids, new battery and more.
All new brake pads, discs, calipers
Heater blower replaced, instrument panel rebuild, new computer liquid crystal, all service lights reset
Brand new OEM dual exhaust / catalytic converter / oxygen sensor ($2000)
Repaint original BMW burgundy
Automatic transmission shifts like new, no fluid leaks from engine of any kind, idles smooth runs strong.

Tinted glass. New interior door panels. Clean cloth interior with new floor mats. (Driver's seat was removed when I first purchased the car and replaced with a Recarro and is now reinstalled so has very little wear.) BMW embroidered seat covers. Dashmat. Sunroof deflector. New driving light lenses. New BMW badging. No curb rash on alloy wheels. Dunlop Sport SP tires have 60-70% tread.

The engine / transmission / drive-train on these cars run 300-400,000+ miles. Parts are inexpensive and the car is simple to maintain by any competent mechanic. If you don't know much about the 528e, the "super eta" version was imported for only one year so it is a bit rare (from Wikipedia):

"528e: Sold from 1982 to 1988. Equipped with a 2.7L "High Efficiency" M20 6-Cylinder engine that produced 121 hp (90 kW) but 171 lb•ft (232 N•m) of torque. The engine uses the small port "200" casting cylinder head from the 2.0 L M20 with a special low duration cam to improve low rpm power and maximize efficiency. This engine is known as the "ETA" engine. For the 1988 model year, the engine was revised to produce 127 hp (95 kW), by using the cylinder head casting from the "i" motor installed on the "e" engine block with special pistons. The revised ETA engine is now known as the "super eta"."

The BMW 528e has excellent low-end torque yet at higher RPM takes off. The sacrifice is in the mid-range where it is not as entertaining as a 535i, especially in automatic transmission form. However, this does make the 528e very practical for commuting and around town driving getting 25-30mpg on regular gas. On the highway the car hums along like a little tank between 60-70mph at 2000rpm.

BMWs during the 1980s were exceptionally well-built in Germany, especially the 5 series, as they directly competed with the Mercedes 190 series.

This car has some defects that come with age:

Small cracks in dash (typical -- can be replaced or covered)
Minor rust spots (typical -- jack points and bumper mounts)
Rear passenger window sticking (panel should be removed and lift mechanism lubed)

Air conditioning is R12 and blows cool. Needs a recharge or R14 conversion ($250)
CD player is an older model and occasionally cuts off causing the power antenna to stop working. Needs to be re-wired or replaced.

A safe and reliable classic BMW that will cost very little to buy, run and maintain for many more years to come.

EDIT: A couple other things to add: One of the two instrument cluster lights is out and needs a new bulb installed. The cluster is removed by two screws. An interior ceiling bulb light is out too. The seat center armrests are missing. I took them off years ago when installing the Recarro driving seat and can't find them but they can be located at a BMW salvage yard. I was planning on covering the front seats with sheepskins and they would have caused a problem anyway. Small 2"tear on backseat that has been patched. One-inch scratch on rear corner and very minor front right fender-well scrape on otherwise perfect bodywork. Touch-up paint comes with car. The car could also use a wax/shampoo/detail and that can be done locally for about $150.

Car is located 10 miles west of Philadelphia in Devon, PA and is for sale locally.