I just rescued '88 M5 #1750 from a customer who moved up to an E39 M5. I had asked a him a few years back to let me know if ever he wanted to sell, so sure enough he did and wanted me to have the car, so he was gracious enough to hold it while I put the money together. To answer the inevitable "how much?" questions, I paid $7,000 for it, and yes I saw the "value" thread.
As a daily driven 185,000 mile car, it's a bit rough around the edges, but well cared for and much loved overall with a stack of invoices and only 3 owners from new (I'm #4). It's been in our care since about 2003, in which time I've had the head off (approx 40k ago) to cure a radiator popping/combustion pressure in cooling system problem, all the bushings have been replaced front and rear in the last year, and a Programa reman'd ECU fixed a no-start problem, plus regular oil and inspection services.
It needs some cosmetic help but the paint is all OE and will clean and polish well, it's straight but for a couple of dings and scratches, rust free, and the wheels have oxidized. The front seats are a bit flat and the driver's left side thigh bolster doesn't anymore, the headrests are inop, the OE radio/cassette is dying, and the driver's door and trunk weatherstripping is failing. It needs shifter bushings badly, the AC is inop (which isn't a big issue here but on the to-do list), and it has some driveline vibration under accel from a stop. Otherwise it's all little nit-picky cosmetic stuff. Even the dash is pretty good, with only a couple of smalls hairline cracks. Could be worse. It pulls hard to redline, doesn't smoke, stops and steers as an M-car should, and puts a smile on my face every time I get in it. This is my 5th BMW, I've had a rusty '68 1600, a hammered '82 Euro 323i, & and an '87 535is that I loved, and still have a not-rusty '68 2002 long(long, long) term project car, among a couple other vehicles. Anyway, that's the car, here's a few pics in as-picked -up condition. Hope I was thorough enough, I look forward to contributing to this board!
Gratuitous pic of the old car...
Tucker Fritch
Foreman
German Auto of San Luis Obispo
Welcome aboard!!!