Well, I did it again. Bought another cheap BMW from some guy on Craigslist.
I think I did alright on this one though… It’s in need of some help, but nowhere near the laundry list of projects my ’84 528e came with. And my negotiation skilz must be a bit better than The Chicago Olympics Salesguy In Chief; I got it at my price, which was about half the previous owner’s original asking price (but Barack… didn’t fare so well.)
Anyway the car is well equipped and is in decent shape, but does have a few issues here & there. The paint — Bronzit Beige Metallic, my new favorite color! — is good, with the exception of a little rust at the door bottoms. The interior is very good, and everything inside works as it should (though I’m having trouble deciphering the HVAC controls!) It runs great, but does have some difficulty starting, especially when warm; I’m thinking a little TLC in the intake tract should clear that up. One thing that needs immediate attention is the right front wheel bearing; it makes an awful howl when rolling, and pulls to the right a bit. Replacing the bearing/hub assembly doesn’t appear to be too difficult a job, but a new bearing will set me back about $120 or so. Aside from that, the driver’s door locking actuator needs some attention — very finicky about unlocking from inside or outside — and a couple of missing interior light lenses.
All in all, the car seems to have suffered some neglect at the hands of the previous owner. The guy who owned it previous to the guy I bought it from seemed to have taken much better care of it; I also received with the car a nice stack of repair records detailing repairs done since about 2000. I also had a peek at what the previous owner paid for it when he bought it two years ago; several times what I paid for it. I’m guessing that the PO bought it in excellent shape, but being a college kid, had no garage, no tools, & no time to do the necessary upkeep on a car like this. The collection of mud and tree debris in the gutters around the hood & trunk were testament to the fact it hadn’t been thoroughly washed for a long time, and that probably led to the rust at the door bottoms. The oil in the crankcase was even blacker than what I found in my 528 when I brought it home… That guy just wasn’t suited to driving a car like this; what he needs is an appliance like a Honda or a Cavalier. But he’s buying a Mini. I feel sorry for that car.
Here are some photos of the thing that came from the PO; I haven’t had a chance to snap any because it’s been raining since we brought it home on Thursday. Click on the photos to see the monster-size versions.
My favorite feature has to be the five-speed! It’s a little odd having a big saloon with a manual transmission… A very good oddity!
It’s got the venerable M30 B34 3.5L inline six. The engine runs pretty smooth, but had some trouble with starting. While cleaning it up yesterday I found a huge crack in the intake boot; fixing/replacing that will very likely clear up that issue.
Interior is in dire need of a good cleaning, but the leather is in excellent shape.
It’s got a nice set of 17″ BBS wheels on it with Kuhmo Ecsta tires. Very wide, very sticky, very nice. It also came with the stock set of Style 2’s shod with a set of Bridgestone Blizzaks that have seen a couple too many winters. They may get me through this winter, but that may be it for them.
The years have been good to the old girl; 170,000 and still running well. Can’t argue with Bavarian engineering!
Yes, that is some slightly purple-ish window tint; and yes, it will be departing very soon. It’s bad enough that it’s that color, but the tint film is of pretty crappy quality, and the installation was pretty amateurish. Can’t wait to get rid of it!
Here is some info from a BMW VIN decoder; amazing what can be told from deciphering the last seven digits of the VIN number!
| Chassis number | 1630814 |
| Vehicle code | GB33 |
| Series | E32 |
| Model | 735i |
| Body type | saloon |
| Catalog model | USA |
| Production date | 1988 / 01 |
| Engine | M30 |
| Transmission | Manual |
| Steering | Left |
| Catalyzer | YES |
Additional Information for Vehicle code GB33
| Production | FROM : 1985/03/01 | TO : 1990/12/31 |
| Engine | M30 B34 | |
| Engine Oil | 5.75 Liter | |
| Transmission | Manual | |
| Transmission Model | Getrag 260/6 | |
| Transmission Oil | 1.25 Liter | |
| Rear Axle Oil | 1.90 Liter | |
| Coolant(w/o Air Conditioner) | 12.00 Liter | |
| Coolant(with Air Conditioner) | 12.50 Liter | |
| Brake fluid | 1.00 Liter | |
| Remarks : | ||
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