Re: Looking at a 88 735i 5-spd tomorrow

Troy, I had a stick 84 735i and now I have an 88 735i 5 speed. I luv the car, the power, the ability to dust some kids from a stop. The engine, clutch and tranny are still solid at 164k miles. Paint is almost like new, but the pinstriping is coming off.

I have problems, but not enough to prevent me from always enjoying this car. Just remember it is a 12 year old car and things break. On my car,
Sun Roof cable, door wiring broke at the pivot, the LKM module needed soldering to keep the lights on, some Dash lights need replacing, I have to replace the capacitors on the mother board, the HVAC stepper motors are broken off the base, seat heaters not totally there.

All in all, if you can work on it yourself for the little things, it can be super. Remember, there are not many 5 speed 88's around.

I'm looking at a '88 735i 5-spd, 140k tomorrow to replace my 635csi (baby seat space needed in 4 mos!). It looks to be in great condition inside and out from the pictures that I have. There has been a lot of front end work done, new clutch and engine gaskets, R-134 HVAC conversion, brakes, plus other misc. fixes. Major know problems: HVAC heat intermittently cold, "pistons rattle upon startup" - which I suspect to actually be an oil starved camshaft (banjo bolt?), and a seat motor that's kaputt.
What should I look for? I'm sure that the sagacious bunch of E32 owners on this board will have some great tips for me.

Thanks in advance,
Troy

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