fix or sell?

[billy in slo]

Just met a guy who acquired an 89 (10-88 b.d.) 535 from his parents (orig. owners) w/57K. Red w/tan leather, Auto. Sent him to my local shop for inspection and he called to say it has been neglected in the service dept. It did look a little rough. Things like brake fluid, water instead of coolant etc. It needs tires, has some shimmy and shake etc. He knows nothing of cars and bimmers and doesn't know if it is worth investing the dollars to make it tight. What do you guys think? I know were biased but if it were GIVEN to me I'd drop 3-4 grand to make it right. Remember 57K miles. Opinions appreciated, I gave him a link to this site and he may be lurking.
billy in slo

[DaveVoorhis]

If it were me, I'd fix it. Definitely. That assumes, of course, that your buddy is going to do a lot of the work himself. There's a satisfaction in turning a one-wheel-in-the-junkyard car into a primo ride that you can't get from anything else.

If he's not willing to work on it, encourage him to sell it to someone who will.

[s_ribbens]

Agreed. If you are doing the work yourself then I would definitely fix it.

To back that up, when I got my 89 535 a little over a month ago now I knew it would need some work to get it in top-notch condition. Over all the car had been taken care of reasonably well and had been sitting for a year. For only $1 grand I have one hell of a daily driver that only needed some very basic maint. to get it running right. I love projects like these but only since I can do everything myself. If I had to pay someone to do everything I may reconsider.

[Ross]

If the driveline is sound and the body and interior good the it sounds like a no brainer to catch up on maint. and enjoy,esp for free. If he decides to bail out I'll buy it.

[632 Regal]

a low mileage E34 is a rarity indeed let alone periodic maintenance. as long as its not accident damaged or rusted...why the hell not?