FS: 1988 535iS 5-speed w/LSD 199k

[steve52sbd]

Good evening, please check out my 535iS listed on Hagerty Marketplace. Some additional details not included in the listing are highlighted below. 

1988 BMW 535iS For Sale: Hagerty Marketplace

1988 BMW 535iS 5-speed manual w/LSD
Diamantschwarz Metallic
199,050 miles

Maintenance

2025/198k: Battery replaced
2024/198k: In-tank fuel transfer pump replaced (Nick’s European Auto Repair)
2023/198k: Oil & filter, new battery, A/C recharged (One Way Automotive)
2021/196k: Clutch kit, pivot pin, fork lever, pilot bearing, rear engine seal replaced, new reference and speed sensors (Lubo’s Bavarian Motors)
2020/194k: Oil & filter, new fan clutch, fan blade, and radiator cap (Lubo’s Bavarian Motors)
2018/192k: Oil & filter, maintenance inspection (Lubo’s Bavarian Motors)
2017/185k: Rear wishbones replaced (Wolfgang’s)
2017/180k: Main & fuel pump relays replaced, A/C converted to R-134, driveshaft rebuilt (Bavarian Professionals)
2016/173k: Passed CA smog
2016/173k: New muffler and catalytic converter; valve adjustment and valve cover gasket; transmission, differential, and brake fluids changed; cooling system flushed; new thermostat and housing; power steering hoses and filter replaced; new fuel filter; front struts (Bilstein HD) replaced; new front upper and lower control arms, bushings, and tie rods; clutch assist spring, motor mounts, front brake pads and rotors replaced (Bavarian Professionals)

Known Issues

A/C doesn’t blow cold
Sun roof stopped working in summer 2023
Power mirrors have never worked
Passenger seat thigh bolster doesn’t operate
Front head rests don’t operate

Included

3 BMW keys (1 original, 2 uncut)
4 original BMW bottlecap wheels
Full trunk tool kit (minus blue BMW rag)
Original jack, wheel chalk, and spare tire
Bentley manual
Maintenance binder with records back to 1992
Covercraft sunscreen
Period correct BMW first-aid kit
Original 1987 BMW 5 Series dealer brochure

[Punnzzells]

Looks great... and nice write up too.

[steve52sbd]

Thanks. Someone needs to buy this car before I change my mind about selling it. 

[steve52sbd]

Picked the car up from the shop today for an oil change, coolant exchange, and brake fluid change. Mechanic visually inspected the cooling system and found no leaks from the water pump and all coolant hoses are in good shape. I also snapped a bunch of pictures of the underside while they had it up on the lift. It looks pretty clean underneath. I can send pictures to any serious buyers. 

Miles now show 199,088.

[steve52sbd]

I've decided to keep this. Genuinely surprised by the lack of interest. Figured I'd offer it here first, but now I know if I ever need to get rid of it fast the auctions sites are the place to sell. 

[LarryM]

Yes, venues like BaT and eBay are probably the places to sell a nice E28 these days. I'm considering selling a couple of my cars and that's where I'll be going if I get really serious about it.

Looks like you have a very nice car; it should do well once you go where motivated buyers with cash are. GLWS

[ApexGuy]

Hello, pretty e28 there! I'm finally getting time to get back to my true love. The real BMWs! I've had a few e28s in the past. I'm not sure if I'm just blind. But I'm trying to get a feel for the market on them nowadays. What was the asking price on her before you decided to keep her? I'd like to find one in similar condition. Mileage doesn't matter to me. The only thing I would be concerned about is rust... Maybe someone can tell me what the market is doing nowadays .

[steve52sbd]

Perhaps I'm not the right person to ask, but here is my overgeneralized market analysis. Sub-$5000 E28s are getting harder and harder to find and most are going to need a significant amount of work, but I think there are still some to be found. The real bargains these days are in the $5-10k range...much easier to find a 528e or 535i in this range, but there are still some bargain 535is cars to be found if you're patient. Anything in the $10-15k range should be a pretty well sorted example...won't be perfect but it should be something you can get in and drive regularly without needing too much attention. I consider my car to be in this range. At $15-20k you start to get into your lower mileage survivors or tastefully modified cars. Anything north of $20,000 for a non-M E28 seems to be an outlier and there are certainly some sweet E28s in this range.

The market has softened a bit from the post pandemic craze, but overall I think the values of these are still "up and to the right" as time marches on. I've seen some pretty strong E30 sales lately, and while that's not necessarily an apples to apples comparison, I do think the rising E30 market has helped pull the E28 market up over the years. This is all just my opinion, however.

[Chicagotrader92]

Perhaps I'm not the right person to ask, but here is my overgeneralized market analysis. Sub-$5000 E28s are getting harder and harder to find and most are going to need a significant amount of work, but I think there are still some to be found. The real bargains these days are in the $5-10k range...much easier to find a 528e or 535i in this range, but there are still some bargain 535is cars to be found if you're patient. Anything in the $10-15k range should be a pretty well sorted example...won't be perfect but it should be something you can get in and drive regularly without needing too much attention. I consider my car to be in this range. At $15-20k you start to get into your lower mileage survivors or tastefully modified cars. Anything north of $20,000 for a non-M E28 seems to be an outlier and there are certainly some sweet E28s in this range.

The market has softened a bit from the post pandemic craze, but overall I think the values of these are still "up and to the right" as time marches on. I've seen some pretty strong E30 sales lately, and while that's not necessarily an apples to apples comparison, I do think the rising E30 market has helped pull the E28 market up over the years. This is all just my opinion, however.

I agree with most of this. I bought mine for $15k; it wasn't a steal, but I was willing to overpay by a couple of grand after searching for so long. It's a 9/10 exterior, 9/10 interior, very tasteful and subtle OEM+ mods, and I've put about $10k into service... I think on BaT with professional photos, i may be able to get my money back. 

I'm not sure what your asking price was, but I think you should do the BaT route. The issue is obviously the paint; The car looks sick as is, but whoever buys it will have to love it as a patina or be willing to pay $5k for a somewhat decent paint job. Unfortunately, paint shine sells cars more than an awesome service history or interior.