Year and make: 1986 535i
Color: Cosmoblau over Beige Leather
Transmission: Manual
Location: Seattle, WA (98144)
Price: $2,600 OBO
AC: Blows cold!
VIN: WBADC7405G0960899
I bought this e28 from a younger driver in Spokane in October of '14. The car was my daily driver for the ~15mi to and from work every day and generally about town for two years, but then I moved into Seattle Aug '16 have been gradually driving her less and less since. As you all know, these cars need to be driven. With one thing or another she sat most of '17 and has about 350 mi so far this year.
I'm looking to pass her on to someone who'll enjoy driving her before my neglect does any real damage to what's been a wonderful car for me. I'm fairly flexible on the price, and would appreciate any feedback on whether this is too high/low given the list below:
Pros:
Regular Maintenance done by Eastside Bavarian in Issaquah, WA w/ complete (though brief) records, e.g.
- Replaced Distributor & Rotor with lightly-used (<1k mile) factory parts 4/16
- New brake calipers / brake lines 4/16
- Main and fuel-pump relays replaced 8(?)/17
- Replaced Alternator w/ lightly-used (<1k mile) factory parts 2/17
- New battery 5/18
- New glass in the side mirrors 5/18
Relatively new Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS 225/45/18 tires on M5 wheels (10/14)
Updated, performance resonater and magnaflow exhaust
Two new style, BMW cut keys
Pretty! Goes vroom!
Conditional Pros:
Professional respray probably ~6-8 years ago, still in decent shape
- Clear coat starting to peel on side mirrors
- A few scratches on hood and a couple other places, visible maybe from 5'
No structural rust, some cosmetic spots here and there
- Paint crack on passenger front fender with rust below
- Tiny rust spots on the diff bolts
CD player and upgraded speakers, though the CD player's eject sequence is a bit ornery
After a bit of time and effort untangling some of the PO's electrical changes to support what must have been a kickin' sound system; all the primary electrics work, though:
- Some of the parts on the other end are starting to wear, particularly the windows and mirrors;: Driver's side window is a bit slow to finish rolling down, passenger rear window is effectively dead, passenger side mirror doesn't really like moving on its own
- The anti-theft fuel-pump shutout is bypassed
- RR turn indicator goes out more often than it should - three times in four years, and RF turn indicator went out once so far in the past 6 weeks. Dave at Eastside Bavarian (highly recommended, btw) says it's a corrosion issue and so might need anything from a good scour to a replacement
- Check light comes on for Brakes/ABS, likely due to wiring changes made by previous owner for the central locking and/or the stereo -- you get five tail lights when you depress the breaks instead of the normal three. Havn't noticed any issues, but it is annoying to have to click the OK button and it could conceivably be something else.
Cons: (In rough order of importance/cost/annoyance):
Driver's side lock frozen and I stopped locking from the passenger side about ~3 years ago out of convenience. Previous owner did start wiring for remote unlock and I have the parts to complete it if you would like.
Driver's seat worn w/ 2 tears in leather and seatback starting to separate. The seat itself is not quite plumbed straight but all the directional controls work. Havn't fussed with it enough to know what all is going on there.
Diff Mounts are worn and could be replaced. Have new axles to put on at the same time but again, should you be so inclined
Small transmissions leak, but not enough to not get handled w/ regualar mantenance and service
Small leak on timing belt gear, but not enough to not get handled w/ regualar mantenance and service
Blower is very noisy on "II" or higher; have replacement but no time to swap it in
Bearing broken on Cruise Control arm so I took it off. It's probably still in the trunk (CC reportedly works, but I've not tested it)
Crack in windshield low on driver's side (not in field of view, doesn't allow water in)
Another windshield chip which *might* be in your field of view if you're really tall and slouch waaaay to the left when you drive
Slight trim buckle on front bumper I keep fussing with but it's still not quite right
Trunk gasket isn't in great shape, resulting in some condensation and mold in the trunk liner; trunk separator and parcel partition was also cut poorly when new speakers put in by PO.
Some lights will need replacing sooner rather than later: RR turn indicator just went out again, RF fog lamp is out, LR brake lamp bulbs seem dim
Original spare, which means it's probably useless.
Other Mods from the previous owner, Pro or Con, depending on your POV:
Car is stanced on bilstein coilovers. There's a little bit of rub if you go too fast over speedbumps but otherwise I havn't had an issue with them.
Tucked bumpers which look ok from 20' but up close you can tell someone measured once and cut twice, as it were, like the trim buckle above
Cat cut out -- definitely a bit more pep, but also a little noisier
Short throw //M shifter
M-Style, 3-spoke steering wheel
Previous owner also stuck some ///M badges here and there -- nothing too ostentatious but you'll notice them
Kickpanel speakers mounted on wood, which looks kind of odd but they sound good, so I didn't fuss with them
High-grade wires run from the battery to the trunk for some big sound system, but currently disconnected with the leads wrapped up out of the way
Extra Parts:
Calling out the additional parts that come with the car, already mentioned above:
- Replacement Blower
- New Axles (1 NIB, 1 used, though w/ the trunk gasket going the boxes themselves will need to be chucked)
- Keyless entry assembly I thought about putting in after I got the electrics sorted, but am now too chicken to install
Other Extras:
- German-style luggage rack w/ Bike Attachments (2) and keys (I think they're in the trunk..still looking for them) if you want it
- e28 Bentley Guide (softcover) if you need it
NOTE Previously listed here: http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=129818