Buying a 1990 535i

[Unregistered]

The car has 199,700 miles on it (ith manual trans). From the paper work on it, it looks as if the car as been maintained quite well. The driving impression of the car blew me away it felt very solid, powerfull all the way to redline, clutch felt great, and shifted VERY smooth. Not to mention pretty nice ride ( a bit floaty for me but thats an easy fix). But my question is this, what kind of trouble am I looking at if I purchase it, will it fold over and die soon or do you think that it will be some what solid for awhile. Bottem line is this, is it worth buying a 1990 bmw 535i with 199k, for $3k. Would you do it, why or why not.

Thanks for the time,
Brandon
bee509@hotmail.com

[AllanS]

Here's my opinion- for 3 grand, and with 200k miles, that sounds decent, but I wouldn't pay over 2500$ unless the paint and interior was solid, and if the struts/shocks have been replaced once. Mine blew within 3k miles.

The engine I wouldn't worry about, as long as the compression/leak down test shows everything to be within spec. If it's off a bit, tell the guy you'll give him 2k for it and then have it rebuilt.

Look at the body and look for the VIN on the doors and body panels, fenders, etc. If you find a DOT-R sticker instead of the VIN, then that panel/door/fender was replaced, most likely due to a minor auto accident.

I would also bring it to a shop that you're friendly with, and have them put it on a lift and give it a once-over. You don't want to replace the exhaust 2 weeks from now because it's rusted through, and you don't want to pull the carpeting up a month later because the sunroof is leaking. That happened to me- pain in the ass, to say the least.

And, when you say it shifted VERY smooth... do you mean TOO smooth?

~Allan

[mholbrook]

Amazingly, that is the price I paid for my 1989 535im. It was a one owner car with 194k and really tired suspension. Paint and body are fair with a lot of little chips dings and scratches. No show car but one which has a few scars appropriate for the mileage. Interior is pretty nice and after spending about $4500 for new suspension, and a lot of other stuff, it is a real strong runner and looks pretty good too. I have to say that for the $7500 or so I have in this car, it is worth every cent. What can you possibly buy that would put that kind of smile on your face every day.

I will say this. You have to be able to do your own work on the car. You cannot put the thing in top shape and keep the costs down without learning to do your own work. In the end, you will derive great satisfaction from this as well. There are a lot of people to help you and plenty of sites with great pictures of how-to etc. If you don't have tools, get down to Sears and start with some Craftsman stuff. Good and won't let you down. Do not use cheap Taiwan tools that break and will let you down.

Sounds like you have a gem of a project that will give you a lot of satisfaction.

[Unregistered]

Thanks for responses guys. I'm buying the car from a guy I know fairly well, reason why he's selling is that he lost his job, and needs a cheaper commuter and some cash on hand. He bought it from a guy who purchased the car from his father whom was the original owner. My other good buddy is playing middle man, he works at a landrover/jag/volvo dealership and has pulled up a carfax for me. Clean.
I'm fairly good with mechanics as I've done my own swaps, wire harness jobs, brakes, suspension before (note that I say fairly, i'm by far a novice but I up for the task as long as theres a book near by.). I have my share of tools, although like any guy, i need alot more, but thanks for the heads up.
I've given the car a good walk around, the body is solid except for the door dings and 15yrs worth of driving. The interior itself is very nice, I was way surprised by the good condition, other than the drivers seat. The drivers seat as with most leather seats of 15yrs of age shows it. But it's not BAD. I've given the seals and rubber a good looking at too, some might need replacing but the sunroof seals looked ok. As far as it shifting very smooth, I maen that in a way that the clutch is still stiff, and the gears just click in place. Almost like a new car.

Thanks again,
Brandon

[MicahO]

Dig very deeply into the following sentence:


Thanks for responses guys. I'm buying the car from a guy I know fairly well, reason why he's selling is that he lost his job, and needs a cheaper commuter and some cash on hand.

The 535 is a wondrous car, and when maintained properly, can provide many happy returns at relatively low cost. The price you mention doesn't seem out of line, and if the paint and interior are good, it seems like a very good price.

But if there is something wrong with the car, maintaining an old BMW can be very expensive. Many hundreds for the exhaust. Many hundreds for a driveshaft. Control arms, suspension bits, we've got GREAT sources for parts with GREAT prices, but the cumulative effect of many many parts is still LOTS of money.

In short - if your friend is short on money and is looking to sell a 535 for something 'cheaper,' then the maintenance must be killing him. I've had a 535 that cost me $450+ per month in "maintenance. That was NOT the norm for these vehicles, but it is a possibility, and not one you want to have to deal with..... If he's selling a car for $3K and expects to get something cheaper 'with some cash on hand' - what the hell is he going to buy? Something in that math concerns me..... Which means there is a possibility he's bailing on a problem.

When I hit that turning point in the ownership of my 535, I sold it - to my mechanic.

[Warren N.CA]

he could buy a $2000 car and have $1000 left over, in theory. Problem is that the $2000 car likely will need $2000 in repairs to keep it rolling. So it really does seem suspect.

Don't forget to check carefully for rust. At 200K radiator #3 is probably due soon.


Dig very deeply into the following sentence:



The 535 is a wondrous car, and when maintained properly, can provide many happy returns at relatively low cost. The price you mention doesn't seem out of line, and if the paint and interior are good, it seems like a very good price.

But if there is something wrong with the car, maintaining an old BMW can be very expensive. Many hundreds for the exhaust. Many hundreds for a driveshaft. Control arms, suspension bits, we've got GREAT sources for parts with GREAT prices, but the cumulative effect of many many parts is still LOTS of money.

In short - if your friend is short on money and is looking to sell a 535 for something 'cheaper,' then the maintenance must be killing him. I've had a 535 that cost me $450+ per month in "maintenance. That was NOT the norm for these vehicles, but it is a possibility, and not one you want to have to deal with..... If he's selling a car for $3K and expects to get something cheaper 'with some cash on hand' - what the hell is he going to buy? Something in that math concerns me..... Which means there is a possibility he's bailing on a problem.

When I hit that turning point in the ownership of my 535, I sold it - to my mechanic.

[Unregistered]

Well I went ahead and purchased the car. The situation was this, my friend Mickey (middle guy) and my friend aaron (whom owned the 535i) were making a deal to trade the 535i for the NX2000 (which aaron previously owned but is now owned by mickey) because of gas mileage and other reasons. Aaron owned the car for about 3weeks (paid $4600 *I have the bill of sale in the records*, then lost his job. Mickey new I was in the market for a car so he brought me in on the deal, the original deal was that I would pay $1000, aaron would pay 2500 for the nx from mickey and gain 1500 from my purchase of the 535i. But I would only pay $3k. Crazy mixed up story but that's the situation.


As I mentioned in the first post it looked as if it was maintained quite well. Since the purchase this afternoon I was able to dig into the records ( keep in mind they are in this folder about a 3/4 of an inch thick. And a lot of stuff as been replaced, checked, fixed and it seems to be taken car of quite well. The original owner was a doctor out of MS, then it went to his wife/son. Then on to a guy in oregon. My friend Aaron picked it up from the guy in oregon 3 weeks ago. All of the owners other than my friend ( whom didn't really own the car long enough) have taken pretty extensive care of the car. The only recommendations I see from any recent visits to a mechanic are, struts (all 4), check the rear brake system (brake pads on all 4corners were replaced) and a brake fluid flush). They also mentioned a seep from the rear of the trans. Other than that i don't don't really see any major recommendations.


But I'll be taking it to get a quick tune up and fluid exchange (including the radiator btw what bmw fluid is recommended for that?) and whatever else it might need for a trip i'm about to take. Again thanks for all the input and suggestions, please keep them coming as I will need to know everything I can with this car.


Thanks again,

Brandon

[Robin-535im]

The only recommendations I see from any recent visits to a mechanic are, struts (all 4), check the rear brake system (brake pads on all 4corners were replaced) and a brake fluid flush). They also mentioned a seep from the rear of the trans.
Brandon

A nice set of struts, and if you're so inclined, new springs, and if you're even more inclined, sway bars, will make that thing 10 times more fun to drive.

Looking back, if it were me in that position, I would think very seriously about replacing all the rubber (bushings, spring mounts) springs and shocks in front and back all at once. It's a DIY if you have the time and a Bently, and you will add another 5-10 years to your suspension over which time it will probably give you no trouble. Otherwise you can just do the struts now, then the control arm bushings in a few months, then the sway links a few months later, then the pitman arm a few months later,... I only say this because it's been my experience that once you replace one part of an old suspension, the other parts fail soon, then you've got to dig into it again. But if your bucket of cash is not full, it can always wait.

Also - the shift lever input shaft and the tranny output shaft seals often leak on these things. IIRC, the shift lever shaft can be accessed from inside the car if you pull the shifter out so it's not so bad, but the output shaft seal requires the driveshaft to be pulled. I would wait on the latter until you had another reason to dig in (replacing the exhaust, center bearing, guibo, something like that) unless it leaks too much to wait.




But I'll be taking it to get a quick tune up and fluid exchange (including the radiator btw what bmw fluid is recommended for that?) and whatever else it might need for a trip i'm about to take. Again thanks for all the input and suggestions, please keep them coming as I will need to know everything I can with this car.
Brandon

You'll want to get the blue radiator fluid from the dealer. Some people will tell you otherwise, but they're smoking something... :) If you've got the time, do an Inspection II (list of things can be found on Bruno's site). That will change all the fluids, bleed the brakes, adjust things that need adjustment (valves!) and put you in great shape for a trip. Note on valves: They need to be adjusted periodically, and the oil spray bar bolts can back out over time. That is a vital thing for you to check first off on the bix-six engine - certainly want to do that before your trip.

HTH

Robin

[callen]

bought my 535i with 189k miles and with almost 240k on her now she runs great. I do work on it though....it's not maintenance free...but the straight six makes it much easier than my 530i. If you like it and it runs good I say buy it.

Callen 91 535i 94 530i 89 735il

[632 Regal]

Note on valves: They need to be adjusted periodically, and the oil spray bar bolts can back out over time. That is a vital thing for you to check first off on the bix-six engine - certainly want to do that before your trip.