FS: 1988 535i manual ~price drop SOLD

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sroberts
Posts: 57
Joined: May 24, 2019 9:48 AM
Location: Houston, TX

FS: 1988 535i manual ~price drop SOLD

Post by sroberts »

SOLD

1988 BMW 535i

Asking $10,000. Car is in Houston, and would greatly prefer selling locally.

Cirrus Blau Metallic with Pacific Blue interior
272k miles indicates but the ODO is broken; approximately 3k miles in the 3 years I’ve owned it
Originally an auto, converted to a Getrag unit sometime in the 2010’s
Purchased from Vintage Beemers in Austin, Terry Sayther’s car sale business

The good:
• Very solid mechanically – it starts, runs, and drives great
• Interior is good overall, front seats were recovered while Terry owned it; all door cards were replaced at the same time
• Paint is good
• Power windows and door locks all work
• AC works
• Nissen aluminum radiator
• Distributor cap, rotor, plug wires and plugs replaced two years ago
• Engine has solid compression – 125-135
• Front upper and lower control arms replaced last year
• Current inspection and registration in Texas, clean title
• Torsen limited slip from a Z3, 3.63 (replaced 3.25 non-LS diff that was whining)
• OBC works (though it is really dim)
• Tucked bumpers
The issues:
• It is a car from 1988
• No fluid leaks that are enough to drip onto the floor, but there is some seepage from what appears to be the rear of the engine
• Trunk seal has a very small leak at one corner. I have a replacement trunk seal, but since I park the car in the garage and don’t drive it in the rain, I haven’t replaced it.
• Rear passenger door had rust on the bottom edge. I mitigated with POR15, but it is a bit sloppy.
• Otherwise, anyone from north of the Mason-Dixon line would call it rust free.
• I’ve got some records, but definitely not 272k miles of records.
• Paint is just good, not great, and there is overspray in a few areas. There are a couple of paint bubbles and some swirling. I polished some out, but I took it easy so there is still room for improvement.
• I took out the crappy radio and put in a blank. Not sure if any of the speakers work.
• No cats
• Headliner is ripped. It isn’t sagging, so doesn’t look like crap, but it needs to be replaced.
• Switch to turn on the aux fan when the AC is on doesn’t work. It is easy to jump, so I leave it on March-November, then just take the jumper off when it cools down.

Other:
• Backup ECU. Original one had some cracked solder joints. Reflowed those and the secondary one (based on research done here!), so I have a good backup unit.
• Replaced leaking clutch slave cylinder in 2019.

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Link to cold start video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fdksb8MRHE

Please PM for details. I'll try to respond quickly, but will likely be mostly in the evenings.
Last edited by sroberts on Nov 29, 2022 8:38 AM, edited 3 times in total.
1st 5er
Posts: 21718
Joined: Jun 13, 2008 12:15 AM
Location: Cypress
Contact:

Re: FS: 1988 535i manual

Post by 1st 5er »

Bring it to Canyon Lake this weekend, TexFest 2022.
Etip
Posts: 155
Joined: Sep 05, 2021 2:06 AM
Location: Seattle

Re: FS: 1988 535i manual

Post by Etip »

Looks very nice. I love those wheels on it!
sroberts
Posts: 57
Joined: May 24, 2019 9:48 AM
Location: Houston, TX

Re: FS: 1988 535i manual

Post by sroberts »

1st 5er wrote: Oct 04, 2022 12:30 PM Bring it to Canyon Lake this weekend, TexFest 2022.
Unfortunately family activities dominate my weekend days, hope TexFest is fun for all.
Twinwood
Posts: 3
Joined: Oct 04, 2022 1:18 PM
Location: Houston, TX

Re: FS: 1988 535i manual

Post by Twinwood »

I just registered so found out I'm not eligible to PM yet. I'm in Sugarland.
Don't know the rules here so not sure how to contact you.

Thanks,
David
sroberts
Posts: 57
Joined: May 24, 2019 9:48 AM
Location: Houston, TX

Re: FS: 1988 535i manual

Post by sroberts »

Twinwood wrote: Oct 04, 2022 7:58 PM I just registered so found out I'm not eligible to PM yet. I'm in Sugarland.
Don't know the rules here so not sure how to contact you.

Thanks,
David
Sent you a PM, let me know if you can respond.
Twinwood
Posts: 3
Joined: Oct 04, 2022 1:18 PM
Location: Houston, TX

Re: FS: 1988 535i manual

Post by Twinwood »

sroberts wrote: Oct 04, 2022 8:27 PM
Twinwood wrote: Oct 04, 2022 7:58 PM I just registered so found out I'm not eligible to PM yet. I'm in Sugarland.
Don't know the rules here so not sure how to contact you.

Thanks,
David
Sent you a PM, let me know if you can respond.
Saw the PM but doesn't seem like I can respond. You want to pick a place we can meet? I'm available weekdays anytime or weekends in the afternoon.
sroberts
Posts: 57
Joined: May 24, 2019 9:48 AM
Location: Houston, TX

Re: FS: 1988 535i manual

Post by sroberts »

Twinwood wrote: Oct 04, 2022 8:53 PM Saw the PM but doesn't seem like I can respond. You want to pick a place we can meet? I'm available weekdays anytime or weekends in the afternoon.
Sent you a PM with a number to text. I assume you are interested in buying, or just looking?
SeattleGuy
Posts: 737
Joined: Jun 25, 2018 6:26 AM

Re: FS: 1988 535i manual

Post by SeattleGuy »

Etip wrote: Oct 04, 2022 12:40 PM Looks very nice. I love those wheels on it!
You know what they really do work on this car!
sroberts
Posts: 57
Joined: May 24, 2019 9:48 AM
Location: Houston, TX

Re: FS: 1988 535i manual ~price drop

Post by sroberts »

Bump for a price drop to $10,000.

Thanks.
stevemir3
Posts: 24
Joined: Sep 15, 2022 6:25 PM
Location: So Cal

Re: FS: 1988 535i manual ~price drop

Post by stevemir3 »

nice e28 glws
Mdreamer
Posts: 526
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Re: FS: 1988 535i manual ~price drop

Post by Mdreamer »

Your car is very nice. Good luck with the selling process.
Lee74
Posts: 17
Joined: Sep 20, 2020 5:26 PM
Location: USA

Re: FS: 1988 535i manual ~price drop SOLD

Post by Lee74 »

very beautiful car. I'd love to have it but doubt that it'll still be available in a few months when I'm more ready to look seriously for one.
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