This piece was written some time ago, so “last week” isn’t last week.

Last week I drove what used to be my family’s car the first couple hundred miles it’s been driven in the past several years, and I walked away feeling that it was definitely time well spent.  The car is a 1985 BMW 535i, and I remember when my mother picked me up from school in it the first September afternoon she drove the car.  The car was special at the time because the color it was delivered in (zinnoberrot) was not initially available on five series of that vintage (until two years later, when it could be ordered with the spoilered 535is), and it was said to be one of the first 535is on U.S. soil.  Though it was never deemed exotic by any means, the car had an appeal that did not wane in our household for 18 years (mind you, this covered my elementary, middle, and high school, and undergrad years).  It was finally placed to the side as the primary car by a newer six-cylinder five series, mainly because my mother was ready to give driving an automatic every day a try.

My parents bought this car when I was nine years old, and I’ve spent a literal lifetime being driven in it and driving it myself.  The memories that go with those drives are countless, but some stick out vividly.  Here are a few off the top of my head:

 

  • Being driven to my first race (as a spectator) at Laguna Seca by my mother after she said she was tired of me staring at the mailers they sent to our house every year.
  • Taking my driver’s license test and scoring 100%
  • My prom date getting out of the car, refusing to ride with me because I had been driving too fast on the way to some after party (at least we made it to her prom before she got mad!).
  • Driving with my friend as I watched our firstborn sons play in the backseat through the rear-view mirror.

 

Leading up to its dismissal, “The 535i” as it was plainly named in our household, had occupied a spot in our garage.  When it was unceremoniously parked on the curb, its finish and materials were shocked in a way that only exposure can shock a car, and its overall condition began to slowly decline.  It was hard seeing a car–that I spent so much of my childhood and early adulthood in–sitting under a magnolia tree each time I came home to visit my parents, so I would sometimes spend ample energy trying to conserve it as best I could during my short stays.  Unfortunately, Father Time held true to form and began his brutal tradition of cracking the dash and obscenely dulling paint as months turned into years.  As far as the drivetrain is concerned, the original, 300,000 mile plus (the odometer stopped working 10 years ago with 294,000 miles on the clock) engine, transmission, and rear differential still powers the car.  Other than a louder-than-normal noise in first gear under acceleration and aged valves ticking a bit loudly at idle, the car drove fine when it was parked for what became longer durations between drives about five years ago.

Recently, I grew tired of looking at my memories age with my body, so I gently urged my father to begin taking more care of The 535i by simply driving it, with the first step being getting a new battery.  True to form, the 5er fired right up and enjoyably shuttled me around for two beautiful days last May, and I left town with clear instructions for him to drive it “periodically” to keep the battery charged and the fluids circulating.  Well, that was May, and this is the following April, and when I went to crank the car this time around, that brand new battery was completely dead.  Apparently, his “periodically” occurs less frequently than mine, so I had to go through the process of jumping the car in order to get it running again.  Once that was taken care of, I loaded up my family and we motored off into Wildcat Canyon to give the car a little loving on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon.  Our 50 mile drive consisted of everything from the tightest of hairpins, to everlasting sweepers as we cruised from the hills into the valley. The car performed admirably.

What once was touted as America’s fastest sports-sedan (remember, we’re talking 1985), is comparatively slow nowadays, but all of the elements that make up an enjoyable drive are still present in the e28 535i.  Our car needs it’s shifter tightened up, but that is the only glaring point that needs attention.  It still accelerates with the smooth, bass-filled voice that creates personal feelings of accomplishment as it revs towards 5,500 on the tachometer.  The handling is characterized by a bit of understeer that only presents itself when one gets a bit too greedy with their corner entry speed.  The gears are rather tall (3.25), so one can really cover a good bit of ground using second and third gears, which is perfect for curvy backroads that imaginatively become Germany’s Black Forest when one dreams really hard while behind the wheel.  On the highway, it is clear that this Bimmer was designed with the autobahn in mind, as there is ample power and stability to hum along at 90mph without any drama, and any hill or passing maneuver can be handled effectively with a downshift or two.   The brake pedal is firm and allows more modulation than most modern cars can begin to approach, which is a testament to the engineering that BMW had on display over 30 years ago.

Now that we’ve reached this point in “The 535i’s” life, I have reached the conclusion that it deserves to be brought back to a better cosmetic state than its current condition, if only for all of the years that it faithfully served our family.  Stay tuned into ThisFastLife to follow the progress we make—I have a vision in mind!