1989 BMW 535i | Retro Review 

Back when they were good looking, handled well, and were well-built. Also when nobody got a cupholder but everybody got an ashtray

From back when we can easily justify using the word "handsome" to describe the styling of a BMW model.

"No tire screeching starts here" *Shows literal clip of a tire screeching start*

Back to a time when BMWs were actually the ultimate driving machines

My favorite generation of 5-series. Such a handsome car.

Look at that barely any nosedive, 7.7 seconds to 60 from only 203 hp. That was a solid car.

Ah the days when you knew your BMW was a well built, reliable machine. 7.7 sec is quick for back in 88.

I had a 1992 535i 5 speed with 350k miles, everyone loved it, ran like a top.

Always loved the the styling of the E34! In actuality I prefer it to the E39

Now thats a proper BMW

Its always refreshing to see a BMW in red with tan seats instead of 100 shades of gray & silver 🤢🤮

I miss old BMW. I guess that's why I haven't let go of my '86 325es yet...

Timeless and modern looking, even 30 years on. Remarkable how well the interior holds up.

I’ll take mine with the 5-spd manual, thank you!

E34 was my first BMW company car (after 3 years working at a BMW dealer, driving all cars available). Still my favorite.

Holy smokes so many advanced features for its time! (Dual zone climate, rear vents, CD changer, power seats, airbag, ABS, 5-speed auto, etc)

They said that having an airbag meant that the steering wheel had to be in a fixed position. Some cars with a passenger airbag in those days “couldn’t have a glovebox.” Gotta laugh at comments like that today.

This was the very first motorweek episode i watched as a kid in 89.

Everything about this car is still great today. Absolutely timeless.

My brother bought one of these from an auction but it was a 525i. The thing was so reliable. He sold it to a family friend with over 200k miles. They drove it another 100k miles before their son flipped it and totaled. They said it still drove fine and had no issues before the rollover.

Damn that was better than super car territory for breaking, actually better.. However inflation adjusted this was like a $70,000 car for the entry-level model, he said it started at 37K

This E34 5-Series, and E32 7-Series were lightyears ahead of the competition! And very reliable also - if looked after. The 540i manual and M5 were cars in a class of its own, and epic cars then - and today! Those were the "BMW heydays", not the ugly and "uninvolved" unreliable rubbish BMW sell nowadays...

E34 is the best 5 Series generation, followed by E39

I still love this wonderful car, it’s held up well , I especially like the M5 edition! Only bugaboo for me was the red optics, n the cheesy instrumentals!! That 6 cylinder was and still is a gem 💎 ‼️‼️

Has to be one of BMWs best - a classic

Been waiting for this one, I have seen all of Motor Weeks retro reviews of BMW's.

My mother had a 1994 540i which was pretty similar. Loved that car so much.

I had one of these with a 5 speed and a catalytic converter delete and a cold air intake. It put 240 hp to the wheels. It was a sleeper. Cat delete really opens up that engine

I had a 1990 525i 5 speed, a 1990 750iL and, now, a 1990 535i Auto, much like the one in the video except Bronzitbeige metallic. One owner car - love it! :)

So, were these or are these reliable for a BMW? My Aunt had one and I grew up in the back seat of it. Always rolling the windows up and down with my cousin on our way to Church. I loved the armrest back there. We hated church but our aunt promised to take us to Toys R Us after. She never did. Guess she couldn't afford it, driving a BMW and all. She was a banker. Always cut people off and drove a bit above the speed limit all the time. Her 5 Series always looked immaculate. I can still smell the leather.

I had 2 of these, a blue -89 which was tuned to 240hp and a green manual -91. Both great cars. Not specifically fast but really good to drive.

I appreciate how reviews like this were more catered towards their audience. Anyone shopping for a NEW 5-series doesn't care about cost, not when it's only 5 or 10 extra grand on an already mid-level priced car. Even now adays, with prices pretty significantly higher, most people don't go "Well, I'd buy the BMW, but the Jaguar is 8 grand cheaper" . . .no, if you're shopping for a 5-series, only a 5-series will do. If you're in the market for an E-Class, only an E-Class will do. Kudos to whoever laid things out for this review as they truly understood their audience.

I had a 95 525i I see the looks didn't change much or at all from 89-95. I absolutely loved that car!

Sadly, some of this amazing generation of BMW were eligible to be traded in under the Cash For Clunkers scheme. There are a couple of engine kill videos on RU-vid. Always wanted one of these but they're now starting to appreciate in value.

The good old days! This brings back such great memories, watching Motorweek as a kid 🏁

In my opinion this was the best ventilation control in any car ever. Any air direction could be adjusted 0-100%

State of the art luxury, performance, and safety in 1989. Braking from 60 mph in just 104 feet!! Most cars today can’t do that.

One of the many bmws I had. When BMW made an outstanding car.

Long live the Straight 6! Amen? Pulls, sounds, and feels like a train.

Proper machine

Is it me or did anyone else think that they were watching this and 240 P resolution adjusted my resolution to 1080 and realize it was not my phone it was the camera from back in the 80s lol. 🤪

Ski bag was an option My cars are both 88' 520i E34s, perfect car for all my wants and needs. Also very reliable.

I had two of those (followed by two 7 series). I still think this is one of the most beautiful BMWs ever made.

Thank you so much!!!! I love vintage BMW!!!! SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! THANKS FOR SHARING!!!

Thank you for uploading onto RU-vid. It's interesting to see how John Davis gets older as the years passes by. God bless sir, Ravi Peiris M.D.

I remember riding in one of these when they were new and couldn’t believe it had rear A/C vents! So luxurious! 😂 Seriously though it was a very neat car when it came out.

That's the best looking 5 series ever, there.

Ahh, back when BMW built *cars,* not technological nightmares on wheels.

I’m so happy to have owned one of these cars

Always loved the red backlights on the BMW dashboard

I had two E30's of this vintage, back in the day. an 89 325is and a 91 325is. I always wanted a 5 series of those years. never had the pleasure of owning one.

I had an e34 535iA M-package. A very good car. Comfortable and fast when needed.

I’ve always liked the E34 chassis.

How classy and elegant where those bimmer. Sporty yet comfortable, they really had a great number here. The E34 is by far my favorite 5 series era.

43000 in 1989 is almost 96,000 today. A new 540 xdrive is 65,000. Today’s 5 series is steal compared to back then.

One of the best BMW ever made. I owned one (sort of) when I was 18yrs old.

The E34 was BY FAR the best automobile BMW ever made. Period.

When *W’s* were beautiful and somewhat reliable. All gone these days. They werent only beaten by the japanese. They were ran over in every single step. Wonderful and classic automobile.

4:01 John had a sad. There are no voltmeter and oil pressure gauges

以前、これに乗ってました。パワーがあって良い車でした。またBMWに乗りたいです。

Such timeless design-

Bimmer To Beat

4:56 John: THE POORLY MARKED SLIDING VENT CONTROLS ARE THE SYSTEMS BUGABOO! LOL

Now we need a retro review of the 1997 BMW E39 528i. Let's make it happen, please!

BMW E34 1988-1994 my favourite Série generation.

I owned a 1995 540i MSport. Loved everything about it except the repairs.

I've always loved how BMW's used to drop low during hard braking.

love it. Lets see the e39 retro review.

I had an 89 535i ! Was a 5 speed. I miss her😩

What a beautiful, beautiful car.

Nice test and introduction. Very nice car. I love the red color of BMW.

This was the BEST BMW I ever had and I'm on my 15th . I had a 92 535, 5 speed I could pass anybody at that time it was a rocket the only thing that broke on mine was the drive shaft guibo from hard launches constantly and never ever gave me a problem it was super reliable and fast and car that got respect on the road from those who knew...I can't believe I'm describing a BMW LOL... oh and it was stolen from me so that's gotta tell you something huh

That bmw still looks nice today

E34 is a timeless masterpiece of automotive engineering and car design. The best looking 5 ever made, thevrrue heir of the charismatic E12

The BMW 535-I also has an M-5 model they are elegant car, fun to drive

Its funny how everyone points out about reliability then vs now. Well guess what,it’s just not BMW 🤪 Welcome to 2021 folks. Even my damn napkins have gone down in quality.

Back in 1992, I owned one of these, an '89 535i Sport. After it, I bought a Mercedes 300E. In contrast, in 1979, I bought a 1969 XJ6 MK1 4.2. My experience was..... , that the 535i was superficially very impressive. Power, speed, leather, and as I recall, the aircon was super cold. And yet, I never felt particularly at ease in it. Car didn't feel comfortable over rougher UK minor A roads. The seats , after a while, seemed rather 'Teutonic, ie on the over firm side. Similar in flavour to MK2 Golf I'd owned previously. Overall, there was something unsubtle about the whole package. I only kept this car about a year or so, before I bought the 300E. A car built more of a comfort cruiser. Nothing much to comment about, really. Did it's job. I was always aware with both the BMW and the Merc that I was driving largish cars. Odd, really, that with the 10 year old XJ6, that I'd owned over 10 years prior, once I was in it, and driving, I never really felt like I was in a big car. I could hustle it along minor British roads, it always felt composed, and it was suitably fast. In short, I could drive it fast, and feel relaxed at the same time.

Thanks for sharing Vidio great friends

Would love to have one in this color resale red

My favorite BMW

BMWs were so simple back then. No iDrive, no infotainment, not even a easy to use climate control system. I’m sure this 5-Series is smaller than the current G20 3-Series sedan.

Legendary 💚

Imagine those cars from the 90’s with the best tires on the market today in 2021 All those numbers change today in every car they text

24v TWINCAM ENGINE came out a year later, M50 ENGINE.

I used to have one of these!

Yeah BMW owned the looks department for luxury in the late 80’s & early 90’s.

love that BMW old Modells... E30 E34 and E32

E34 body and interior, E39 suspensions and engines. And F10 gearbox (for the automatic). This would be the best 5 series ever.

a masterpiece

MW HITS: -- ACCELERATION -- BRAKING -- HANDLING

Wow amazing brakes 😍😎😎😎

Such a handsome car. The E34 and E39 were the peak of 'modern' BMW design. The E28 was great too but a little awkward with the US spec 5-mph bumpers. The bottom fell out with the still ungainly E60.

No tire screeching starts here, tires literally break loose and make screeching noise on the 0-60 take off…. Get your shit together John!!

Tja, der gute alte E34. Damals baute BMW noch fantastische Autos. Die hatten noch eine Seele. Diese PC‘s auf vier Rädern von heute kann man echt voll vergessen, gilt aber nicht nur für BMW…..

Wow, motor week got it right, its a bimmer!

Hey Motorweek! Do you have a retro video for the e36 convertible?

Sick moustache Todd.

This is when BMW made good cars that didn't take a computer scientist to figure out the controls. While the ventilation controls are a little weird, when you live with them for a while they make sense.

I love E34s.

Classic.