1988 BMW 535is 5-speed, SOLD

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Slow_Ballin'
Posts: 1425
Joined: Nov 15, 2010 12:37 AM
Location: Sacramento

1988 BMW 535is 5-speed, SOLD

Post by Slow_Ballin' »

SOLD 4/2/2022

I have reached a point where I reluctantly put up my e28 535is for sale.

Car is located in Roseville, CA just outside of Sacramento. I am willing to drive the car up to an hour one way to deliver to new buyer.

https://youtu.be/_i7jzLjoDFE

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Quick specs:
-1988 BMW 535is (e28)
-Alpine White exterior
-Originally pacific blue interior, partially converted to black
-Suspension tastefully upgraded and mostly new (more info below)
-Upgraded front and rear brakes, calipers and rotors (more info below)

I have owned this car for 12+ years, part of me wants to keep it forever. When I bought this car the engine ran perfect but a lot of suspension components had been ignored. It ran great but floated like a sloppy boat. The guy I bought it from had a folder full of maintenance records from the owner he bought it from, I might still have that. The paperwork showed the car was well maintained. At the time, the car had about 14x,xxx miles.

I replaced most front end suspension components within the first 20k of my ownership. Rear axles were taken apart and rebuilt with new inner and outer boots at about 160k, the right rear outer boot is starting to tear again. Rear subframe bushings were replaced, rear dog bone bushings replaced. Rear trailing arm bushings are worn and are the only rubber bushing on this car I have not changed.

Oil changes done every 12months using Valvoline VR1 20w50. This particular oil has a higher zinc content than any other oil currently available and is a favorite among e28/e24/e23 owners.

Radiator was removed and back flushed, then reinstalled and flushed the entire cooling system at around 170k.

Front sports seats were destroyed and have been replaced with power e34 seats. All power functions work, they are heated but I did not wire power to the heaters. Driver front seat is torn and I taped it for a temporary repair. Passenger front seat is in good shape.

Rear seat is out of an 88 M5 and has been dyed black. Seat bottom has one split seam from getting my daughter in and out. Carpet is in decent condition, front driver area is worn.

BMW wood shift knob, from an e36 I beleive. NRG wood wheel with Momo hub adapter, horn works. Dash is cracked badly but has a nice cover to hide it.

Aftermarket head unit CD player with Aux plug, no bluetooth. Front and rear speakers are aftermarket, can't remember what brand. Stereo sounds pretty good for a 30 year old car.

At 160k, new Front and rear Bilstein sports, rear shocks are one notch up from the bottom. Front upper spring hats were replaced with e90 spring hats to get the front a little lower. At that time I was on H&R sports.

FRONT SUSPENSION IS NEAR BRAND NEW:
The end of January 2019 I installed the following:
Upper and lower control arms, outer tie rod ends, idler arm and a new Bavauto spring kit.
All suspension components are from Lemfoerder, the best option available.
Alignment was done at the same time.

Front brakes upgraded to e32 750i larger calipers, e34 540i larger diameter rotors. This setup runs the same front pad as an e36 M3.
Rear brakes upgraded to e34 540i vented larger diameter rotors and calipers.
Brake pads still have about 40% remaining.

Current wheels are BBS RX 17x8 +10 and currently on almost new Kumho 205/45 tires.

Paint is in good shape, still original paint. It has a few minor dings and imperfections. It was my only car for about 6 years and was my daily driver. Two small rust spots, one at the bottom corner behind the driver rear door and one spot in the corner of the trunk body area. I did a temporary repair at the trunk but the trunk still drips at that corner in heavy rain. Rear trunk was replaced with a 528 trunk with no spoiler holes. Full size trunk tool kit is included with almost all tools in it.

Front and rear bumpers are tucked and I modified the IS spoiler to be pushed in as well to get rid of some of the underbite look.

Full fiberglass BMP bumper kit included but the front and rear will need fiberglass work. Sideskirts need to be repainted but are ready to mount (they are installed in several pics above).

Lots of random extra parts thrown in if you want them: brand new in box Bosch spark plugs, new cap and rotor, a box of BMW oil filters, extra ECM that might still work, misc other interior bits. Set of 5.0 mustang injectors (direct replacement, great addition with a tune chip)

About 6 years ago I stopped driving the car except occasionally. Four years ago the speedo/odo started to act up and shortly after the odometer and speedometer stopped. Odometer currently reads 193,xxx and I anticipate driven it less than 10k since it stopped. The last 4-5 years I've only driven it a few times.

I'm selling because I dont drive and enjoy the car the same way anymore.

I lost the pink slip 6 years ago when I moved and have not gotten around to a replacement. Registration was paid September 2021 and is current for another year. I will show registration and proof of ownership to prospective buyer and a bill of sale will be included with purchase.

Serious inquiries can send me a text 916-832-6614 for fastest response. I will try to check in on here periodically as well.

More pictures and 12 years worth of info and stories for those interested!
Last edited by Slow_Ballin' on Apr 01, 2022 3:52 PM, edited 4 times in total.
Slow_Ballin'
Posts: 1425
Joined: Nov 15, 2010 12:37 AM
Location: Sacramento

Re: 1988 BMW 535is 5-speed, Sacramento CA

Post by Slow_Ballin' »

Price dropped, happy new year everyone!

$6,500
Slow_Ballin'
Posts: 1425
Joined: Nov 15, 2010 12:37 AM
Location: Sacramento

Re: 1988 BMW 535is 5-speed, Sacramento CA

Post by Slow_Ballin' »

Video added, bump for a rad car you should have bought already!

:rofl:
jc72
Posts: 710
Joined: Aug 16, 2010 11:52 AM
Location: Oakland, CA

Re: 1988 BMW 535is 5-speed, Sacramento CA

Post by jc72 »

Glws. It is on bav auto springs and bilstein sports in the pics? It looks lower than I’d expect.
Tachanka
Posts: 1
Joined: Mar 27, 2022 3:46 PM
Location: Bakersfield

Re: 1988 BMW 535is 5-speed, Sacramento CA

Post by Tachanka »

Hey really sweet car, is it still available?
Slow_Ballin'
Posts: 1425
Joined: Nov 15, 2010 12:37 AM
Location: Sacramento

Re: 1988 BMW 535is 5-speed, Sacramento CA

Post by Slow_Ballin' »

Tachanka wrote: Mar 27, 2022 4:03 PM Hey really sweet car, is it still available?
Vehicle will be sold tomorrow afternoon to a buyer from the Bay Area.

Extra parts will be listed soon.

Thank you.

For any future reference, sold for $6k with none of the extra parts listed in the ad.
Slow_Ballin'
Posts: 1425
Joined: Nov 15, 2010 12:37 AM
Location: Sacramento

Re: 1988 BMW 535is 5-speed, Sacramento CA

Post by Slow_Ballin' »

jc72 wrote: Mar 14, 2022 11:58 AM Glws. It is on bav auto springs and bilstein sports in the pics? It looks lower than I’d expect.
Top 2 pics are BavAuto springs, H&R sports. No cut coils, springs had less than 1k on them

Rear spring perch is on 2nd from lowest.

Front upper spring tophat replaced with a e90 for about .3" extra drop.
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