No Longer Cheap, But Still Cheerful: 1985 BMW 535i vs 1985 Toyota MR2

Good morning, and happy Friday! I’m mixing it up a little this week, and doing two new cars for your end-of-the-week pleasure. These cars are both very similar to cars I once almost bought, but didn’t, for roughly one-eighth the price, many years ago. (I was young and foolish then; I feel old and foolish now, to quote wiser men than myself.) But anyway, let’s finish up with yesterday’s fossils, and then we’ll check them out:

Well, that settles that. It was the mags, wasn’t it? I don’t even care that much about the wagon; I just want those wheels. Old RWD Datsuns have the same lug pattern as MGBs, after all.

Oh, and just to settle something from the comments: “overhead valve” is indeed the correct term, even for a horizontally-opposed engine. The valves are at the “top” of the cylinder, relative to the piston’s stroke, regardless of the cylinder’s orientation in space. Still disagree? All right then; describe the orientation of valves to cylinders in a radial engine in any other way. See what I mean?

Now, it’s no secret that cars are expensive these days. And the cooler and more desirable they are, the higher the price climbs. Cars like these are getting thinner on the ground every day, raising the price on the remaining examples even further. And what makes it even worse is that we all remember how much these cars used to cost, back when no one cared about them. Watching cars you remember from your youth turn the corner from “old” to “classic” is cool in a way, but it also means you’re probably priced out of them. Is there really any chance that either of these is worth the asking price? Let’s take a look and find out.

1985 BMW 535i – $8,000

Engine/drivetrain: 3.4 liter overhead cam inline 6, five-speed manual, RWD

Location: Agoura Hills, CA

Odometer reading: 170,000 miles

Runs/drives? Yep

Remember that BMW we looked at on Tuesday? The one with the ugly Chris Bangle styling and the terrifyingly complex V8 engine? This is absolutely nothing like that one. The E28-chassis 5 Series is light (comparatively), sharp, mechanically simple, and a joy to drive. I remember test-driving one, a 528e if I remember right, that was for sale for $1000, and loving it. In fact, I can’t remember why I didn’t buy it, or what I bought instead. This 535i model would drive very much the same, I imagine, except with, you know, horsepower.

These cars are simpler and more reliable than newer BMWs, but that doesn’t mean they are simple, or reliable. You could probably drive this car every day, but be prepared to do some tinkering on the weekends if you do. The M30 inline six is stout, and capable of racking up some serious miles, but the rest of the car has its issues. Electrical gremlins are common, as are bad suspension bushings. This being a California car, you don’t have to worry about rust, at least.

This E28 is in good mechanical shape, with some suspension and brake upgrades. It runs and drives great, but it does still need a few things: the air conditioning is out, it needs a battery installed in the dash (?), and the paint isn’t the greatest.

But still, it’s a bona-fide classic BMW from arguably the marque’s golden era. We may be too late to enjoy it on the cheap, but it’s still a relative bargain for the fun it can provide.

1985 Toyota MR2 – $9,500

Engine/drivetrain: 1.6 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD

Location: Alhambra, CA

Odometer reading: 300,000 miles

Runs/drives? Sure does

Speaking of fun, how about a mid-engine sports car that’s actually reliable? Like Pontiac with its Fiero, Toyota claimed that the MR2 was meant to be an economy car, not a sports car. Right, because you hire a former Lotus engineer to design your suspension when you aren’t designing a sports car. And every economy car is advertised as being as much fun as a pinball machine. At least Toyota’s effort was a bona-fide sports car from day one; the Fiero took several years for its performance to catch up to its looks.

Nestled behind the MR2’s seats is Toyota’s 4A-GE four-cylinder engine, a revvy little 1.6 liter twin cam delight that also found a home in various Corollas. It is, of course, mated to a five-speed manual; an automatic was optional in the MR2, but anyone who bought one so equipped should be ashamed of themselves. Like the Fiero and the Fiat X1/9, as well as Ferraris of the era, the MR2’s rear window is nearly vertical, and engine access is via a cover wedged between two buttresses.

Toyota reliability and durability is legendary, of course, and this extends to sports cars as well as Camrys. This MR2 has racked up 300,000 miles, albeit with an engine overhaul, and still looks presentable. Better than presentable, actually; compared to the beat-up rusty one I almost bought instead of a Chrysler Laser for $1000 back in the mid-1990s, it looks damn good. (I chose wrong on that occasion; the Laser was… not a good car.)

I’m almost certain this car has been repainted, and it looks like they forgot or lost a piece of trim above the rear window. But otherwise, it looks really sharp, refreshingly stock, and I prefer these in this basic trim without the rear spoiler.

Yes, I know they’re expensive. I didn’t set the prices, and I’m not suggesting that you pay them. But if this is the future of classic cars – high-mileage well-kept examples of truly fun-to-drive cars as opposed to the fast-but-mushy muscle cars or fast-but-janky hot rods of earlier eras – I see good things ahead. I do lament not picking up an E28 or an MR2 back when they were just dirt-cheap used cars, but I imagine we all feel that way about something or other. If you were shopping for a fun-to-drive classic from nearly forty years ago, and your budget was $10,000, how would you spend it?

(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)