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[For Sale] 1985 635CSi 5-Speed

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alpine23
Posts: 34
Joined: May 10, 2020 12:37 AM
Location: Tucson

[For Sale] 1985 635CSi 5-Speed

Post by alpine23 »

1985 BMW 635CSi
Cinnabar Red / 5 Speed Manual / Sport seats
Pearl Beige leather interior
Mileage: 213,500
Asking: $30,000 OBO


I bought this car from a BAT auction in September 2020 for $13k.

I flew to Phoenix from LA and planned to drive it back to Los Angeles. Halfway through the drive, the drive belt snapped and I was stranded for a night in Desert Center. After getting the car back to LA I decided to restore the car above and beyond what a sane person might do, with $49,785.04 of work overall completed during my ownership. The car did not necessarily need all of this work, but I wanted to push the limits of what was possible while still maintaining the comfortable drive of this 635CSi.  The original owner also took very good care of the car. Includes all service records since 1985! 

Invoices of work completed 

Phase 1: Restoration to OEM+ ($16.6k of parts and labor)
  • Replace drive, alternator, fan belts
  • Replace rear subframe bushings 
  • Big brake kit from 750il (front brakes) and E34 540i (rear brakes)
  • R/R Suspension
    • New struts and shocks installed with new mounts and front camber plates installed (B6 Bilstein)
  • R/R Steering Components
    • Idler arm, tie rod assembly, tie rods replaced
    •  
  • Installed front and rear sway bar kit
  • Front subframe reinforcement and chassis front subframe reinforced at steering box mounting point
  • R/R Control Arms
    • New control arms and upgraded bushings installed
  • R/R Motor mounts and transmission mounts
    • Ireland Engineering engine mounts
    • New stock transmission mounts (later installed AKG Motorsport 70A poly transmission mounts)
 Phase 2: Overhaul engine and more ($27k of parts and labor)
  • Engine rebuild at 211,000 miles
    • Swapped with B35 head, port & polish
    • Ireland Engineering billet camshaft 284/280
  • Cooling system updates
    • Wizard Cooling custom radiator with fan assembly
    • New water pump
    • New expansion tank
  • Custom exhaust:
    • Ireland Engineering headers (ceramic coated)
    • Supersprint full exhaust, center and rear sections
    • Original BMW center exhaust section with Catalytic Converter easily can be reinstalled with v-band clamp, included with sale
 Other: 
  • New Goodyear tires installed 9/16/2020
  • 17” BBS RS wheelset 
  • 3.91 LSD installed from a later model E24, very zippy (original diff included)
  • Period correct Zender trunk spoiler installed
  • Brand new battery installed Jan 2025
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1st 5er
Posts: 21881
Joined: Jun 13, 2008 12:15 AM
Location: Cypress
Contact:

Re: [For Sale] 1985 635CSi 5-Speed

Post by 1st 5er »

Noice!!! GLWS.
Punnzzells
Posts: 180
Joined: Mar 26, 2023 6:24 PM
Location: Tdot

Re: [For Sale] 1985 635CSi 5-Speed

Post by Punnzzells »

Love E24's.... do you have more interior pics?
alpine23
Posts: 34
Joined: May 10, 2020 12:37 AM
Location: Tucson

Re: [For Sale] 1985 635CSi 5-Speed

Post by alpine23 »

Punnzzells wrote: Jan 16, 2025 8:59 AM Love E24's.... do you have more interior pics?
Thanks, I will be taking a more in depth photoshoot soon. There are also more interior photos in the original BAT auction I linked in my original post - interior condition is pretty much the same as then.
LarryM
Posts: 1250
Joined: Feb 01, 2008 11:40 AM
Location: SoCal

Re: [For Sale] 1985 635CSi 5-Speed

Post by LarryM »

Beautiful car and you’ve made plenty of upgrades that put it in a different category than a typical used E24. I hope you get your asking price but if you don’t, think about holding onto it. Replacing it with something equally special won’t be easy, considering all the work you’ve done. 
tig
Posts: 9396
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Re: [For Sale] 1985 635CSi 5-Speed

Post by tig »

My kind of insanity. GLWS!
alpine23
Posts: 34
Joined: May 10, 2020 12:37 AM
Location: Tucson

Re: [For Sale] 1985 635CSi 5-Speed

Post by alpine23 »

LarryM wrote: Jan 16, 2025 6:35 PM Beautiful car and you’ve made plenty of upgrades that put it in a different category than a typical used E24. I hope you get your asking price but if you don’t, think about holding onto it. Replacing it with something equally special won’t be easy, considering all the work you’ve done. 
Thank you. I agree the car is special and the amount of work put in to it typically is found in someone's "forever car". However life circumstances change and I haven't really had the time to enjoy this car as much as it should be. I have a collection that I'm downsizing. Hopefully someone out there will see the value!
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