Going to look a 1987 635CSi
Discussion
I'm in the market for a 1987 E24 and there is one for sale not too far from me which I'm going to look at on Saturday.
The dealer will put a new MOT on it so thats good but its been dry stored since 2008. Its also on 198,000 miles.
It was MOT'ed in 2008 at 197,000 miles and had a bit of work to get it through and in 2015 it was MOT'ed at 198,000 miles and passed with a bit of work again and then been sat for the last year.
First of all, are these engines good for this many miles and is the car sitting around for so long going to cause issues with things like internal seals perishing?
The dealer will put a new MOT on it so thats good but its been dry stored since 2008. Its also on 198,000 miles.
It was MOT'ed in 2008 at 197,000 miles and had a bit of work to get it through and in 2015 it was MOT'ed at 198,000 miles and passed with a bit of work again and then been sat for the last year.
First of all, are these engines good for this many miles and is the car sitting around for so long going to cause issues with things like internal seals perishing?
Hopefully my dad's friend will be coming along, he used to be a BMW master technician and now has his own garage.
I used to have a P38 Range Rover, it couldn't possible go wrong more than that!?
The mileage didn't concern me as much, more the standing around.
Apparently it has a couple of spots of rust on the rear arches but thats it.
I used to have a P38 Range Rover, it couldn't possible go wrong more than that!?
The mileage didn't concern me as much, more the standing around.
Apparently it has a couple of spots of rust on the rear arches but thats it.
Edited by lewisco on Thursday 24th November 15:44
Gruber said:
Well it looks nice and shiny in those pics...
Two points jump out at me. First - to my eyes the car is a different colour from the door shut back, compared to the front half / doors.
This was the first thing that hit me too. He said its just the camera and other grey cars show the same differences. I will reserve judgement until I see it.Two points jump out at me. First - to my eyes the car is a different colour from the door shut back, compared to the front half / doors.
Gruber said:
And second, those bottletop alloys are the 390mm TRXs I mentioned above. Check their condition and DOT codes and then price in new tyres. They appear to be a mix of Avons and Michelins - both rubbish in wet weather.
I think I might budget for a different set of BMW wheels in regular sizes.Gruber said:
The brightwork looks good, so no immediate need for new chrome bumpers etc.
If you testdrive it, make sure you get it up to motorway speeds - two things to look out for... first a wheel wobble around 50/55mph (probably control arm bushes) or under braking (could be wheel bearings, bushes, tyres, warped discs etc). You can spend ages chasing down the cause of these gremlins. Second, the spigots that act as ABS sensors rust and deteriorate - if the ABS light comes on at speed, that's most likely the cause.
Also, check the dash control lights all come on and go out as they should. It's a system renowned for earthing issues and electrical gremlins, and the batteries behind the dash have a tendency to die over time.
Other issues I had included head gasket failure, water pump failure, sticking starter motor, and a host of other stuff long since forgotten.
It's a few years since I've owned one, so all this is hazy memory stuff. No doubt there's other important stuff to check. I love a nice 635 but be prepared that (as with any old car) ownership can become a labour of love.
Will keep a look out for the other things. The Range Rover I got last time had the thermostat fail on the way home which caused the engine to overheat and warp the head If you testdrive it, make sure you get it up to motorway speeds - two things to look out for... first a wheel wobble around 50/55mph (probably control arm bushes) or under braking (could be wheel bearings, bushes, tyres, warped discs etc). You can spend ages chasing down the cause of these gremlins. Second, the spigots that act as ABS sensors rust and deteriorate - if the ABS light comes on at speed, that's most likely the cause.
Also, check the dash control lights all come on and go out as they should. It's a system renowned for earthing issues and electrical gremlins, and the batteries behind the dash have a tendency to die over time.
Other issues I had included head gasket failure, water pump failure, sticking starter motor, and a host of other stuff long since forgotten.
It's a few years since I've owned one, so all this is hazy memory stuff. No doubt there's other important stuff to check. I love a nice 635 but be prepared that (as with any old car) ownership can become a labour of love.
Thanks for the realistic comments.
My plan would be to use it for exactly that, driving down to Le Mans and other holidays in Europe.
I'm more than happy to do some mechanical work and I checked on cars being broken on eBay that another engine would be £350. Of course you don't know what that engine is like.
It would be a car I'd like to keep for a long time so not too concerned about resale.
My plan would be to use it for exactly that, driving down to Le Mans and other holidays in Europe.
I'm more than happy to do some mechanical work and I checked on cars being broken on eBay that another engine would be £350. Of course you don't know what that engine is like.
It would be a car I'd like to keep for a long time so not too concerned about resale.
So I went to have a look at in on the weekend at
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272454015082
Very nice overall but a couple of things to note.
The sunroof doesn't look like it closes fully which could be the cause of the biggest issue I found, a soaking wet drivers footwell carpet by the accelerator pedal.
There is also:
No service history at all
A chip and dent in the front chrome bumper
The wheels are the old style so when it needs new tyres would be best to get other wheels
Heater blew cold from the front facing vents when set to hot, window and foot heaters did blow hot
Drivers side rear window did not go down and all the other windows were lazy but that will be because its been sitting probably
Engine was quite tappety even after a 30 min drive
But it looked great for the age and drove well. At the very least I know I want a 635CSi!!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272454015082
Very nice overall but a couple of things to note.
The sunroof doesn't look like it closes fully which could be the cause of the biggest issue I found, a soaking wet drivers footwell carpet by the accelerator pedal.
There is also:
No service history at all
A chip and dent in the front chrome bumper
The wheels are the old style so when it needs new tyres would be best to get other wheels
Heater blew cold from the front facing vents when set to hot, window and foot heaters did blow hot
Drivers side rear window did not go down and all the other windows were lazy but that will be because its been sitting probably
Engine was quite tappety even after a 30 min drive
But it looked great for the age and drove well. At the very least I know I want a 635CSi!!
mad4amanda said:
The heater vents blowing cold straight ahead is normal same as E34 its a Teutonic thing!
Carpet wet could be sunroof drains blocked , window switches are prone to failing and are easy to source wheels and tyres dead easy to sort at anything from £ to ££££s
Don't sound too bad if the price is right you might even turn up some history with the VIN at BMW dealer?
I could try BMW. They filled in some gaps with an E46 I bought with no history a couple of years ago. BMW UK can tell you which main dealer it was with and then the main dealer gave me the details. I even got a new service book and posted it to them to stamp and send back, was very impressed.Carpet wet could be sunroof drains blocked , window switches are prone to failing and are easy to source wheels and tyres dead easy to sort at anything from £ to ££££s
Don't sound too bad if the price is right you might even turn up some history with the VIN at BMW dealer?
Edited by mad4amanda on Tuesday 29th November 21:39
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