1989 BMW

I write this with a heavy heart and completely against the run of play I have for sale my 1989 BMW 635csi Highline Auto that I have only owned for 3 months. The car is one of the last ones to roll off the production line, finished in Alpine white. The specification:

Model description - 635 CSI Highline

Market - Europe

E-Code - E24

Chassis - Coupé

Doors - 2

Engine - M30, 3.5l

Transmission - automatic

Body Colour - Alpinweiss 2 (218)

Upholstery – Lotus White (0199)

Production date 02.02.1989

Mileage - 132,000

MOT - 10 months

S291A BMW LA wheel, cross spoke, 2-section

S401A Lift-up-and-slide-back sunroof, electric

S415A Sun-blind, rear

S441A Smoker package

S459A Seat adjuster, electric, with memory

S481A Sports seat

S498A Headrests, rear, mechanically adjustable

S500A Headlight wipe/wash/Intensive cleaning

S510A Headlight aim control

S530A Air conditioning

I purchased this car as a long term project to be shared between myself and my father as he is approaching retirement age. I purchased the car after it had been sitting in a garage for 8 years and my first job was to get it road worthy. To do this I have changed the following with brand new items:

- Oil Change

- Coolant Change

- Air Filter

- Oil Filter

- Cabin Filter

- Spark Plugs (x6)

- Fuel pumps (x2)

- Coolant level sensor

- Petrol gauge sensor

- Fuel tank removed and cleaned

- Fuel Additive

- New key

- New brake calliper

- Front brake pads

- Fuel Pressure regulator

- New Vacuum piping for FPR

- Coolant Level sensor

- New battery

- Viscous Coupling

- Wheels re-balanced

As a result of the work carried out the car passed its first MOT, and drives beautifully. Its starts first time, every time and gets admiring looks everywhere. The car benefits from a nearly new entire exhaust system from BMW with the BMW stickers still on it. I checked with my local BMW dealership and this would of cost £2000 for just the parts.

What’s the catch? Well there is no catch but the car is 26 years old and does have age related issues:

Bodywork – the bodywork on the car is in relatively good condition. There is some surface rust on the inside of the rear arches and underneath the windscreen, however the main culprits of rusting on these cars are the front wings and the sills and on this particular car they are in very good condition. The only bit of rust here is a tiny 5p sized bit of rust where the arch meets the front bumper. Very minor compared to other cars out there. At some point in the cars life it has visited a body shop for some touch-ups and the paint of these touch ups has faded compared to the rest of the paintwork. The car is supplied with its original metric wheels and the tyres will need replacing soon.

Interior – The car is finished in beautifully contrasting Lotus white interior and this being the Highline edition, most of the interior is all hand stitched Nappa leather. Along with the seats the dashboard, door cards, headlining are all leather. However with the car being 26 years old it is looking tired but this is to be expected of a car this age. The front seats will need attention as the bolster of the driver’s side has a hole in it and the back of the seat is loose. The passenger seat controls are missing again the seat is showing signs of wear. The carpet is dirty but that’s just needs a good clean. The rear seat bench is in good condition as is the leather on the dashboard, door cards and headlining with no holes or rips.

History - It was purchased from an elderly lady with my mechanic being the go-between. The car was owned by her husband who unfortunately passed away and the car then proceeded to sit in a garage for 8 years. When the husband passed away, his wife threw all the history away when cleaning out his belongings. As a result all I have are a few old MOT’s. However, this did not bother me at the time as I was planning on never selling it.

Why am I selling? I am selling this car because the bottom line is I don’t have anywhere to store it. The plan was to store it in a garage at my sister’s house but it now transpires this garage is structurally unstable and full of asbestos. The only option is to knock it down and build a new one but due to other reasons this isn’t a viable option. Yes, I should have checked out the garage before I bought the car but it’s a lesson learnt I suppose.

Make no mistake, the car has its faults as listed above, but it is beautiful to drive which I have been doing on the weekends when the weather is nice. I do not want to sell this car but a car like this simply cannot be kept outside in my opinion, especially with our harsh winters. These cars are now appreciating assets and ones in mint condition sell for upwards of £10,000. I also believe this particular car will appreciate stronger than other examples, being that it is a Highline edition in Alpine white.

Asking price - £4750.

Car is located in North London.