1988 535i Potential for Sale with 72K

[pramono]

I have an original 72K Automatic and am thinking of selling it. Should I sell it with as an automatic original car, or swapped it to a manual to get the most value? The car is pristine, rust and accident free. I'm thinking, maybe there are some people want to drive an A/T, but in general the A/T is less desirable for this car and holds less value. On the other hand swapping out to M/T, will make this car not original anymore. Need your input.

In addition to the description, here's the work that's been done to it:
- Inspection 2 service (Engine oil & filter, air filter, spark plugs, fuel filter, distributor cap & rotor, all drive belts, wiper blades, brake fluid flush)
- Valves adjusted to .33 mm gap; valve cover gasket replaced
- All radiator, cooling and heater hoses replaced (Upper & lower radiator hoses, hoses from thermostat to heater valve and expansion tank underneath intake manifold, heater valve hoses going to cylinder head & heater core, t-pipe)
- Thermostat replaced and BMW blue coolant added
- Power steering hoses replaced (supply: reservoir to pump, reservoir to cooler line, cooler line to steering box)
- Power steering filter replaced
- Fuel lines replaced (Fuel tank supply to external fuel pump, filter and to metal line, return line to fuel tank, lines to and from fuel rail)
- R134A air conditioning conversion including full evacuation of old system and installation of new valves (A/C system blows cold)
- Front brake pads and discs replaced
- Differential gear oil changed (75W90 Synthetic)
- Brake pressure sensors, low & high pressure
- Transmission fluid & filter replaced
- Odometer gears replaced (mileage accurate within 50 miles based on previous owner)
- Rear pitman arms/dog bones replaced

- Sunroof adjustment

Exterior-wise, a few parts were replaced:
- Front left and right window guide channels/seals (to ensure no air leaks or wind noises)
- Three-piece hood foam and forward foam strip
- Front and rear windshield chrome mouldings
- Tail lamp gaskets (made by someone on the forums here)
- Front and rear BMW emblems
- All door latch buffers

That's all I can think of as of now.

[Kyle in NO]

Not worth it. You will not gain any more actual profits. People will likely pay similar amounts for pristine examples regardless of transmission, and if there is a gap it would not be as much as you’d spend to do it correctly. A sloppy trans swap or any other significant modification, such as we’ve seen before on vehicle purporting to be “top of the heap”, will not bring the value up enough to do any more than covering the expense.

[russellrh72]

I say give buyers a chance to buy a nice original car and let them swap it themselves if they choose to.

[turbo_nine]

If it's pristine and you want top dollar, I can't see any reason not to leave it in its original condition. Let someone else diminish its value.

[vinceg101]

A car is only original once.

[pramono]

Thank you for all the input. I would agree with most of you, and decide to keep the car as original as possible with the exception of the updated maintenance of course.

[George Hanson]

Thank you for all the input. I would agree with most of you, and decide to keep the car as original as possible with the exception of the updated maintenance of course.

How about a coupla pictures?

[schnitzel#boy]

why not convert the car into a 5 speed and get much more money for it. You will double the interest and potential buyers. Ask the community for some one who has done this conversion it may be worth your while

[Spen]

Older I get more original I get. Speaking of, I need some aftermarket hair like Musky boy.

[pramono]

I uploaded a few images to Imgur. Kind of a warning, these photos came from my camera so it might take a while to load.

I was considering selling this on BaT but if another forum member is interested then we can talk about it.

Compression is also 175PSI across all cylinders, no rust around the tail lamp and license plate light areas, and I haven't seen any evidence of re-spray anywhere. The tool kit may have very minimal signs of corrosion in the past when the old gaskets were bad but it looks like we caught it early before it developed any further. If it means anything extra, it also has the 3.25 LSD. It's not a crack free dash, but it definitely doesn't have any canyons or gaps bigger than the San Andreas fault.

All cooling hoses done (including those leading to tee underneath manifold) and heater hoses as well plus an Inspection II w/ spark plugs/cap & rotor/diff fluid. I also have further work/repair records if anyone else is interested.

[pramono]

Someone had asked me about a list of the stuff that was done to the car (most stuff done recently/during our time of ownership), so I've decided to update the first posting to allow others to better gauge the value of this car.

[kaygeebee]

I’d keep it as is. Originality of clean specimens is starting to matter more. I could also see the day when I might enjoy a slush box.

[dsmith]

Mighty fine example. Great color combo and look at those fabulous inner trunk corners! Antennae cleaners!!? This one is gold, though if you want the big money, replace the washer hoses.

[pramono]

They still squirt well.

Adding some extra detail photos...

[russellrh72]

So is this beauty for sale or what?!

[pramono]

This car is FOR SALE. It’s an original California Bay Area Car sold at Stanford BMW which no longer exist. The non original items in this car are the Radio and Antenna which were replaced by the previous owner. I have the original metrics wheel and tires if the buyer cares for them. I would like to get $11,500. Anyone need more detail, please message me. Thank you.

[Smileyboy]

Looks beautiful. I wish I was looking for an auto.

[Alpina9]

PM sent

[davintosh]

Nice car!

[LarryM]

Wow, very nice car. Price is reasonable for this level of quality. I'm sure you'll eventually find the right buyer for this one.

[tig]

Wow. I think for $11.5k, even with a missing clutch pedal and cracked dash, this is a steal.

[Brendan P]

Photos of when the car went to the Legends earlier this year.

[vviking]

Was the tool kit empty or missing tools when you acquired the car? The water pump pliers are the smaller style found in the basic tool kit. The deluxe tool kit has water pump pliers with longer handles.

[pramono]

Thank you for all the nice comments, I have sold the car. It stays in the Bay Area.

[danix]

Yep this was the one I was thinking of.