Production Numbers - US E28s

[CT533i]

I have heard many different things regarding production numbers and wanted to know what you all thought. Searching for production numbers on US E28s is no easy task. It's one thing to get a total production number on an entire chassis, but another when it comes to model.

For years I always thought only 4,300 533s were produced as it says in the "The BMW Buyers Guide" by Ken Gross (1986). A few years ago I did some searching on the net, and some E38 site had the prod. #'s of E24s and E28s and more - listed by model. It says 11,000 533's were made, 90,000 for the 528e and 50,000 for the 535i. No mention on the 535is. I have my doubts about these numbers.

The reason I bring this subject up is because of what a 535is owner told me at the Bav Auto show. He was selling his white `88 535is parked next to me. He claims only about 1,200-1,500 535is' were produced in `88, same with `87. This seems AWFULLY low when you consider the US `88 M5 - around 1,300.

[C.R. Krieger]

The reason I bring this subject up is because of what a 535is owner told me at the Bav Auto show. He was selling his white `88 535is parked next to me. He claims only about 1,200-1,500 535is' were produced in `88, same with `87. This seems AWFULLY low when you consider the US `88 M5 - around 1,300.

Actually, that is closer than you might think. 535is production for each year (87 & 88 ) was around 1500 - just slightly more than the number of US spec M5s produced for 1988. I guess what is surprising is how many seem to still be around. I wonder if we could account for half of them in this group alone.

Phil (I think) posted E28 production numbers by model and by year about a year ago. I do not know if I can locate it ...

[John in VA]

I found this I'd saved:

Phil Marx got this info just prior to 5er Fest and forgot to share it. He has the totals by calendar year but it doesn't break out by model-year so these are total by model for the entire run:
528e 27,078
528eA 52,622
524tdA 3,635
533i 7,848
533iA 2,514
535i 10,252
535iA 7,357
535is 3,634
535isA 2,714
M5 1,236

[SD45T-2]

I found this I'd saved:

Phil Marx got this info just prior to 5er Fest and forgot to share it. He has the totals by calendar year but it doesn't break out by model-year so these are total by model for the entire run:
528e 27,078
528eA 52,622
524tdA 3,635
533i 7,848
533iA 2,514
535i 10,252
535iA 7,357
535is 3,634
535isA 2,714
M5 1,236

so this is Total american production from 9/1981-8/1988?

[RonW]

In M30 powered cars (533i, 535i, 535is), 72% more standards were sold than automatics. In M20 powered cars (528e), 94% more automatics were sold than standards.

2/3 of all e28 sales were for the 528e, which mean that 44% of all e28 sales were for the 528eA. Whatever we may think of that car, I bet BMW loved it.

The automatic/standard variation by engine is interesting- to me at least.

[turbodan]

An auto 528e isnt a bad car if its in good shape and you understand what its designed for. I enjoy driving the 4 speed auto bone stock 528e almost as much as I enjoy the turbo car. As long as youre not expecting a drag racer its not bad at all.

Its not like a 533/535 is remotely fast either.

[SD45T-2]

An auto 528e isnt a bad car if its in good shape and you understand what its designed for. I enjoy driving the 4 speed auto bone stock 528e almost as much as I enjoy the turbo car. As long as youre not expecting a drag racer its not bad at all.

Its not like a 533/535 is remotely fast either.

i enjoy a stock 528e as well,but there is no way id take that thing over 84 mph.

[CT533i]

I found this I'd saved:

Phil Marx got this info just prior to 5er Fest and forgot to share it. He has the totals by calendar year but it doesn't break out by model-year so these are total by model for the entire run:
528e 27,078
528eA 52,622
524tdA 3,635
533i 7,848
533iA 2,514
535i 10,252
535iA 7,357
535is 3,634
535isA 2,714
M5 1,236

Wasn't this in Bimmer or Roundel a few years back? I seem to recall a Bronzit 533i (Canadian spec. w/ Euro bumpers and 15" cross-spokes from a E32 or E34) being on the cover.

How/where were these figures comprised? BMW NA Sales by model?

Isn't it wild to look at the earliest enthusiast 5, the 533i, and the later 535is, and see how many more manuals were produced than the latter? Kinda like the E24s. Try finding a man. `87-`89 E24 that's not an M. It's like impossible.

At the recent Bav. Auto show, I mentioned on my windshiled note (special info. and mods.) that only 10,000 533s were made, and that mine was one of the 2,500 that were autos. As usual mine was the only 533i, like at every show I've been too. Those 535is' on the other hand, my God, you'd never think production was that low - they made up 1/4 of the E28s there!

[Wiseguy]

OK..

If Memory serves correctly.............

Those are North American sales figures I do believe, not just USandA....

Surprised how many 533s were sold, I thought it was around 4,000 for both years.

[CT533i]

Surprised how many 533s were sold, I thought it was around 4,000 for both years.

Tell me about it. In my lifetime I have only seen 4 (mine included).

My insurance company said they'd never heard of a 533i. Same with a few at this car show. I'd say atleast where I've been, the 533i is rarer today than an E28 M5.

[duggi]

i enjoy a stock 528e as well,but there is no way id take that thing over 84 mph.

Why not? I've had my stock '84 528eA up to 112 on a flat road and 117 going slightly downhill. Felt much more stable than a Civic at 75mph...

Granted I've only done this once or twice, generally as there's (1) too much traffic to drive safely at those kind of speeds in the Bay Area and (2) a ticket just isn't worth it =P

[CT533i]

i enjoy a stock 528e as well,but there is no way id take that thing over 84 mph.

Why not? I've had my stock '84 528eA up to 112 on a flat road and 117 going slightly downhill.

Yeah I wondered why not too. It all depends on the tires (speed rating, pressure, cond.), susp. shape and that's about it.

[duggi]

i enjoy a stock 528e as well,but there is no way id take that thing over 84 mph.

Why not? I've had my stock '84 528eA up to 112 on a flat road and 117 going slightly downhill.

Yeah I wondered why not too. It all depends on the tires (speed rating, pressure, cond.), susp. shape and that's about it.

Yeah, those things would matter. I've only brought it past 100 on long trips, before which I do a thorough inspection:

Tire Condition
Tire Pressure
Oil Level/Condition
Wheel Nuts on Tightly
All fluids filled
Check for loose suspension parts
Check engine for any loose parts that I can see/feel

I frequently drive back and forth from San Francisco to Redding, so before each leg (about 220 miles), I do a good inspection to make sure everything is in good order. I don't want to be that person stuck on the side of the road. 10,000 since March, and not a problem

[SD45T-2]

i enjoy a stock 528e as well,but there is no way id take that thing over 84 mph.

Why not? I've had my stock '84 528eA up to 112 on a flat road and 117 going slightly downhill. Felt much more stable than a Civic at 75mph...

Granted I've only done this once or twice, generally as there's (1) too much traffic to drive safely at those kind of speeds in the Bay Area and (2) a ticket just isn't worth it =P

E= economy car after 85 shit starts to pop off, if you wanna go fast,buy a M30

[duggi]

E= economy car after 85 shit starts to pop off, if you wanna go fast,buy a M30

The only thing that's popped off so far is the fresh air vent slider (I had to replace the whole internal mechanism). Come to think of it, I broke it when I was doing a little over 85mph...

[Wiseguy]

i enjoy a stock 528e as well,but there is no way id take that thing over 84 mph.

Why not? I've had my stock '84 528eA up to 112 on a flat road and 117 going slightly downhill. Felt much more stable than a Civic at 75mph...

Granted I've only done this once or twice, generally as there's (1) too much traffic to drive safely at those kind of speeds in the Bay Area and (2) a ticket just isn't worth it =P

117 is fine.. E28s aren't real happy over 140... trust me on this.. the front end gets a bit loosey goosey.

[Tammer in Philly]

E= economy car after 85 shit starts to pop off, if you wanna go fast,buy a M30

Oh yeah, I forgot they made the eta to start shedding parts at 84.1 mph.

e = eta = low revving, high torque motor coupled to tall gears for efficient cruising. Nowhere in that badge is reduced build quality or safety implied.

WTF?

-tammer

[Justin_FL]

E= economy car after 85 shit starts to pop off, if you wanna go fast,buy a M30

It's no less an economy car than the 535i.

[duggi]

E= economy car after 85 shit starts to pop off, if you wanna go fast,buy a M30

Oh yeah, I forgot they made the eta to start shedding parts at 84.1 mph.

e = eta = low revving, high torque motor coupled to tall gears for efficient cruising. Nowhere in that badge is reduced build quality or safety implied.

WTF?

-tammer

Thank You. 8)

[duggi]

E= economy car after 85 shit starts to pop off, if you wanna go fast,buy a M30

It's no less an economy car than the 535i.

Am I right in thinking that the 528e has the same suspension setup as the 535i (not the 535is, I know that's different...)?

[SD45T-2]

E= economy car after 85 shit starts to pop off, if you wanna go fast,buy a M30

It's no less an economy car than the 535i.

then why did bmw build the m30,if it was the same car,as you so bluntly put it?

[duggi]

then why did bmw build the m30,if it was the same car,as you so bluntly put it?

I think there is a huge difference between economy and efficiency. In 1984, the 528e sold for over $24,000, a sum that was in no way comparable in price to a standard economy car. The m20 was designed for fuel efficiency, not to offer buyers a cheaper alternative for a European luxury car.

The difference between the m20 cars and the m30 cars was not build quality, materials, or road-handling, but plain and simple fuel efficiency. In the early 1980's, people started leaning more towards 4-Cyl. cars that were cheaper to run (as far as gas is concerned). BMW was trying to pick up on the top end of that market with a more fuel efficient engine.

[BMWCCA2]

I found this I'd saved:

Phil Marx got this info just prior to 5er Fest and forgot to share it.

Yeah, right! Thanks, John!
If I remember correctly, that was the year I not only got tapped to be the "guest speaker" but also ended up writing the entire article for Roundel. Thanks to Justin H and others we actually had photos to go with the coverage. If I do say so myself (and I will), it was a damn nice article. I thought it was linked at the 5erfest.net site but I don't see anything much there now. Anyhow, the figures quoted were for sales by BMW North America for the United States. We were lucky they even kept figures by model including the 535is since those don't share a unique VIN range. A friend at BMW NA worked out the figures from old paper records and said he had them by month and year but not by model year. That work would have had to been done manually. He offered to do it but said he couldn't get it done by 5er Fest. Now he's no longer in that department, and much missed! He also included the E12 figures and the entire data set was printed within the 5er Fest article in the October 2005 Roundel on page 44. I've clipped it before here and it doesn't format well, but here you go.

Having trouble getting “classic” insurance for your old 5 Series sedan? In many cases these models are far more rare than most would guess. Check out the sales totals for each model in the U.S. and note the ratio of manual to automatic transmissions in the “performance” models compared to what BMW NA sells in the U.S. today!

SALES TOTALS FOR MODEL YEARS 1975 THROUGH 1988:

E12
530i 11,368
530iA 12,665
528i 10,434
528iA 9,275

E28*
528e 27,078
528eA 52,622
524tdA 3,635
533i 7,848
533iA 2,514
535i 10,252
535iA 7,357
535is 3,634
535isA 2,714
M5** 1,236

* includes 1,393 E28 units sold in calendar year
1989 and 52 units in calendar year 1990
** includes 273 M5s sold in calendar year 1989 and
thirteen in calendar year 1990

I'm happy to provide the article (again) in PDF form if it's not already hosted elsewhere. Some might enjoy seeing it who didn't get it the first time 'round.

[wkohler]

I would be most interested.

[Wiseguy]

E= economy car after 85 shit starts to pop off, if you wanna go fast,buy a M30

It's no less an economy car than the 535i.

then why did bmw build the m30,if it was the same car,as you so bluntly put it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing

You can thank me later.