Re: 87 BMW 535is (archive)

These cars are undoubtedly very rewarding because they are the perfect blending of a high performance luxury car with affordability and easy to work on. I forget whose web page emphasized it, but isn't depreciation a good thing!

Expect to spend a lot of money on restoration if the car isn't in good shape. If the compression is good in the motor and there is no rust, start looking at the suspention. You will undoubtedly have to replace just about every bushing and arm on the car with that kind of milage. We're talking about $750 here in parts, more if you need shocks. You can replace the seats with the much more affordable standard 535i seats (comfort seats) to get by for the next few years until you start your own practice and rake in the big bucks. If you intend to keep the car a long time, get a decent paint job ($2k). If not get a Macco job ($700). All-in-all, you can expect to sink at least 4k into a car of this vintage just getting it to "normal" condition.

My purchase list: Auto tranny (tend to fail at 120-160k), driveshaft ujoints (vibration when accelerating through 25mph, wobble at high speed), steering box (looseness at center even after adjusted), front control arms (shimmy on deceleration), worn springs/shocks (oily shock shafts indicate worn shocks), torn half shaft boots, rear subframe bushings, front subframe cracks at steering box, wheel bearings front or rear, frozen front calipers, oil sprayer loose, oil consumption/poor compression (perform a leakdown), a/c not working (convert to r134 - $$$), sunroof cable broken, door hinges worn (sqeaks over bumps), ABS not working (slam brakes hard over slick surface to check), rusty exhaust (if aftermarket, check brand. Some people use cheap parts when they know they are going to sell their car), brake cylinder/booster bad/leaking (on big sixes � check brake fluid replacement history), TRX wheels w/ worn tires (metric tires are expensive � figure $750 for new trx tires or about a grand for new 16� wheels and tires), timing belt on baby six (should be replaced every 60k).
Scottie

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