Re: Purchase Advise (archive)

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: The six series cars can be a little pricy to repair, but you can do a lot of the small annoying stuff yourself.

: Common major areas of concern on purchase of an older six series include:
: - Brake rotors, and possible shimmy in the front end.
: - General engine condition (compresion, driveability, etc).
: - TRX tires vs conventionally sized replacements.

: - Areas of body corrosion (front fenders, rear valence and fenders, rockers, etc.
: - Relative difficulty in sourcing body/interior parts that are model specific (three series would presumably be be easier here).
: - Automatic transmission, just because of high cost and the car's age.
: - Suspension bushings, shocks, etc. because of age.
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I must comment in that the problems you mention are actual, but they are among the cheapest to fix as well. The chasis is basically that of the e28 (for post '82 models) so there are plenty of parts available at very reasonable prices. It's hard to get a Ford or Chevy brake rotor for $40 or a water pump for $35, but it is true for the e28/e24 series.

The interior and body parts are a valid concern, though by buying a good example, it shouldn't be a problem. Rust is not a problem with the e24 with the exception of rust belt cars, which I would avoid. Ditto the automatic transmission.

: If either car has been well maintained, the 100K mileage should not be a big concern for the major running gear. However, as mentioned in the post below, the six can be expensive to "get into shape", so inspect carefully and listen to the previous owner on what he has already completed and when. Also, used parts from a wrecker are more difficult to find, so consider making a fairly detailed list of anoying "small stuff" that you would want to repair in order to factor into the price. Many of the actual components are common to other BMW models.

: $2000 of post purchase work in the first year of ownership would not be uncommon, particularly if the previous owner cannot document recent routine sevice. I suspect this would be the same for either model though. Part of the reason for this is you really want to make sure maintenence is kept up and current, due to the fairly high cost of replacement parts. However, properly cared for, either car should be remarkably durable, and a lot of fun!
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I bought several of my BMWs with far in excess of 100K (and none below 100K) and some near 200K. I have yet to spend $200 on any of them, but I do my own work.

: I am not as personally familiar with the earlier generation six series you are considering, but there was a considerable change between the 633 and 635 models. You may want to check this out carefully prior to your purchase decision. :
------------------------------------------------The '84 633CSi and the '85 635CSi have no real changes save for the engine displacement, the spoiler, and the series Motronic. It is true that pre-'83 cars were based on the e12 5 Series rather than the e28 like the psot '82 cars.

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