M Buyers Guide
Check a car, free
Back to the M5 E28 guide

M Buyers Guide

Inspection checklist

M5 E28, 1988

Printed November 1, 2026. Tick each item at the viewing, and write down what you find.

Before you go

  • Open recalls. Run the VIN through NHTSA or a BMW dealer and ask for proof every recall was done.
  • History report. Check the title, accidents, owners and mileage record.
  • Service records. Ask for them in advance, ideally from a BMW dealer or specialist.
  • Independent inspection. Book a pre-purchase inspection with a shop that knows this engine.

Known problems on this car

  • Hydraulic brake booster accumulator about $500 to fix

    Feel for a heavy brake pedal, especially after the car has sat for a while, and look for accumulator or booster work in the records.

  • Self-leveling rear suspension about $1,300 to fix

    Ask whether the system is original, rebuilt or converted. On an original car, look for leaking struts and lines and check that the rear sits level with a load in the trunk.

  • Rust at the trunk, rear fenders and sills

    Lift the trunk mat and check the floor and seal channel, look around the antenna hole and the rear arches, and check the sills and jacking points on a lift.

  • Timing chain tensioner about $400 to fix

    Start the engine cold and listen for a rattle at the front that fades as it warms up, and look for tensioner work and valve adjustments in the records.

  • Cooling system aging about $1,000 to fix

    Watch the temperature gauge in traffic and on a long drive, and look for a cooling system refresh in the records.

  • Cracked dash and instrument cluster board

    Look under any dash cover, and check that the tachometer works and the service indicator lights up and resets.

At the viewing

  • Rust at the trunk lid seal.
  • The antenna hole.
  • The rear arches and the sills.
  • The state of the self-leveling rear suspension (original, rebuilt or converted).
  • A brake pedal that is not heavy and records of the brake accumulator.
  • Records of valve adjustments and timing chain tensioner work.
  • A cooling system that holds temperature in traffic.
  • The original 16in cross-spoke wheels and M5 trim.
  • A clear accident and odometer history.

Notes

From the M5 E28 guide at M Buyers Guide. Repair costs are the guide's estimates, not quotes; the guide says where each comes from. Problems and costs as of the date printed.