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That's too much. I paid $4,000 for my previous '83 733i with only 92,000 on it, and I spent too much. A beautiful car, appeared to be well maintained, but I spent a fortune on it. I've owned e30s, an e12, several e28s. So I know a little bit about the 80's bimmers.
My brother in law had a nice 85 735i, also. We agree that the e23 is the most problematic of the bunch. Frankly, I don't think BMW made a very good transition to the luxury market, and I prefer the simpler, lighter and better handling e30 and e28. The HVAC is a BIG prob; my brother in law in Texas rebuilt his 3 times at considerable expense. I had lots of work done on mine, and had the heater core replaced. I live in a more moderate climate, so the poor AC wasn't as big a prob, but driving around in a luxo cruiser sweating like a pig when the guy in a Tercel next to you is nice and cool makes one wonder if it is worth it.
I decided it wasn't and ditched the 7 before it cost me any more money. I was so desperate to get rid of it that I traded it in at the dealership and only got $1800 for it. Man, it was beautiful, but it was all wrong. I frankly don't miss it. And, my BMW mechanic told me he hates working on them. He told me most people take them to him to patch them up so they can sell them. How long has this guy owned the car?

The cars are elegant, the 3.5 engines are supreme, but if you really want luxury, go with MBZ. A used 300E can be had for about $8 to $10 k, and they are the real deal. They even handle better, and everything works. If you MUST have an e23, you better be handy and enjoy doing your own stuff, otherwise you WILL pour a significant amount of money into it.
That's my opinion. There is a guy near me who has an e23 and he loves it, really pampers it. He put 16" rims on it and it looks flawless. But he has given up on the AC also.

I'm thinking of buying a 1985 - 735i with 125k on the clock
for $5500 bucks. The car seems in very good condition and
currently the A/C is working properly. From reading this
board, the A/C seems to be a major problem with this year
and model. Are there any big bucks other problems common
to this model. Any insight would be great. Thanks

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