$38,000 1988 BMW M5 Is Looking Great But Is Far too Expensive

BMW recently celebrated the M5’s 30th birthday marking the year when the first sport sedan ever made rolled off the production line. It was back in 1984 and the world didn’t really know what that meant for the auto industry.

Fast forward three decades and the amount of performance automakers are capable of squeezing out of mid-size sedans is simply unbelievable. We have cars that offer supercar performance and also carry four people and their luggage on long road trips with ease. That’s what technology is supposed to be all about.

As far as the originals go, however, you can’t find anything even remotely on par with them when it comes to driving feel. Take, for instance, this 1988 BMW E28 M5 that was posted up for sale by its owner for a little under $38,000.

It’s in mint condition and even though it’s located in Colorado it seems to be sporting the original bumpers the European model used to have. For those of you that are younger, we’ll mention the fact that back then, the American model was not exactly the same as the original from Germany.

That’s because the government required the bumpers to be changed to be more pedestrian-friendly. As if that kind of thing ever existed... That’s how we got two different variants of the same car on the opposite sides of the Atlantic.

What we’re looking at here is an original American version that had its bumpers changed to look like the real deal from Germany. The owner claims that the operation set him back no less than $7,000 to make sure everything was perfect.

Normally, $38,000 wouldn’t be a lot for a car from that age, especially one that wore the M5 badge for the first time. It’s a little steep but if the mileage is under 1,000 on the odometer, it should be fine.

That’s because prices for such models will go up in the future, as they become collectables. It’s not the case here, however, as the seller says that the body has 135,400 miles (217,905 km) on it. That is a lot and, even if the S38 engine is still purring perfectly, it’s still a hard choice to make. Now, you also have the “Make an Offer” choice available.... maybe you’ll get lucky!

1988 BMW M5 - photo gallery