MyE28.com

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

 

Noice!!! GLWS.

Love E24's.... do you have more interior pics?

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.

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. 

My kind of insanity. GLWS!

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. 

Gorgeous car man. It’s not quite my dream spec aside from the paint(88/89 with the world bumpers and a black or red interior), but it’s stunning! I’d jump on it in a heartbeat if I had the money. The e24 is my favorite car ever, so imo they’re the best looking and driving cars BMW ever built. Selling my 89 635csi is something I regret daily and have for the past 10 years. Your car is going to make someone very, very happy.