Getting an E28 tomorrow

#1

1984 533i. Everything works, no rust, recent head refresh. new tires, fairly new paint. 2yrs on new bushings and Bilstien/H&R Sport springs/shocks/struts. Highly desireable Recaro front seats.

http://s465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/RangerGress/E28/

#2

I hate to break it to you, but that’s not spec-legal.

Nice car!

#3

Any oiling or cooling upgrades planned. :smiley:

#4

New tow vehicle?

#5

Well, sadly, it seems that I’m still in the market for an E28. 11hr roundtrip drive with 3 little kids for nothing.

Seller said “NO RUST”. My observation, “dang, that’s a lot of rust.” Big ulcer on a rear quarter panel and lots of rust in the engine bay deep enough to be structural.

Seller said “paint is terrific. Was repainted 6yrs ago and looks very bright”. It looked awful. The paint had been applied right over problem areas. It wasn’t a 5’ paint job, it was a 20’ paint job.

Seller said the condition of the interior was “very very good”. Sheeze, the interior needed to be ripped out and burned.

But dang how the guy could take pictures. I can handle mechanical work well enough, but I’m not going to empty an engine bay, strip everything down to bare metal and attempt to repair all the weakened places. It’s one thing to buy a serviceable engine for $400 and spend a day doing an engine swap, but it’s gotta be a whole 'nother adventure sourcing and replacing an entire interior.

A man’s gotta know his limitations.

Maybe it was foolish of me to think that I could get an E28 for $3500 that would be pretty darn good as-is. I accept the idea that an E28 will always be a bit of a project. But right now it can’t be the primary project. If I took on another big car project right now, I might as well invite a divorce lawyer.

Irksome.

#6

I take it you have some unexplained love for e28s. I don’t even know chasis codes for non 3 & 1 series cars. I’ve always wanted a 635 but I wont be getting another vehicle in the next 5 years.

#7

Picked one up a really clean one last fall, currently stowed away for winter.

1987 535is
Lots of character = fun to drive

Just helped a friend part out an 88 so I picked up few misc bits and some spares. Still need a uncracked driver’s side fog.

edit: One thing I’ve learned over the years from buying lots of cars long distance is that unless you have high res pictures showing 1-2 feet of the car at a time, you can’t understand the true condition from pictures.
<-- very picky used car buyer

#8

[quote=“jlucas” post=62939]Picked one up a really clean one last fall, currently stowed away for winter.

1987 535is
Lots of character = fun to drive

Just helped a friend part out an 88 so I picked up few misc bits and some spares. Still need a uncracked driver’s side fog.

edit: One thing I’ve learned over the years from buying lots of cars long distance is that unless you have high res pictures showing 1-2 feet of the car at a time, you can’t understand the true condition from pictures.
<-- very picky used car buyer[/quote]
You’re just taunting me

I’ve bought a number of cars and one Harley off of Ebay over the years and without exception the purchases went fine. I see now that I was kidding myself to believe that I could really determine the cosmetic condition of the car from pics. That makes this a lot harder.

With 3 boys I can’t do a 2 door DD. I tried and it didn’t work. Twice.

#9

[quote=“Ranger” post=62941]
You’re just taunting me [/quote]

Find me a deal on a needs nothing e28 M5 and I’ll sell you the 535. :evil:
Missed an unbelievable deal on one last year.

Still toying with the idea of putting a TCD turbo kit on it like Skeen had on his – the beauty of 8:1 compression for the factory.

#10

[quote=“jlucas” post=62951][quote=“Ranger” post=62941]
You’re just taunting me [/quote]

Find me a deal on a needs nothing e28 M5 and I’ll sell you the 535. :evil:
Missed an unbelievable deal on one last year.

Still toying with the idea of putting a TCD turbo kit on it like Skeen had on his – the beauty of 8:1 compression for the factory.[/quote]

http://delvalbmwcca.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=515

TCD?

There’s a guy in Charleston that wants $6k for a turbo 535. It has a huge intercooler instead of an air damn. It looks so ugly I discounted it. Maybe a person could put a smaller one behind the valance or something?

#11

TCD http://www.turbochargingdynamics.com/product-35-6-14-e28_533i_535i_Stage_1.php

Re your link: if a car needed rust repair like that, the insides of the frame rails can’t be good (see previous comment about me being a very picky used car buyer)

#12

Dang, that’s as much as the car would be worth.

#13

Who says you have to buy new?

And even new, it’s still less than a good M5

#14

Jeremy,

I know exactly what you are talking about with being picky on the used cars. I’ve learned my lessons over the years.

It sucks living in the north because the only good cars worth owning (that i’ve found) is stuff from the south and you end up taking the word of the seller as gold when you make long trips.

Just like when I bought the E30. Traveled to CO to get it on the hope and dream it wasn’t a piece of crap. That time it worked out, thankfully.

#15

One of the car’s I’m looking at now is a not quite finished turbo project. Apparently since the 745 was a turbo version of this engine that makes a turbo install project a bit easier. But I’m not excited about the prospect of taking on anoher project when new #6 needs total focus, and the seller is pricing the car such that he sees significant value in the work he’s done. Whereas I mostly just see work left to be done.

He also didn’t do anything to richen the mixture under boost and he’s been driving the car. That makes me worry that the engine has been running lean each time the turbo spooled up.

I don’t know that I ever went WOT in my E36 DD even once. I don’t know that having a bunch more hp on tap is all that big of a draw for me.

Thoughts?

#16

Ryan, my last 3 cars came from NC, FL, & WA.

Scott, You couldn’t pay me to take over someone’s half finished project!
There a rising rate fuel pressure regulator that the basic kits use, need to go stand alone if you want to go whole hog.

Just keep an eye on myE28 and a good one will pop up.

#17

[quote=“Ranger” post=62966]

Thoughts?[/quote]

Leave it stock.
I did this whole song and dance about 12 years ago with the 3.5L and loads of M635csi parts. Parts were tough to find, the car became a never ending problem and everything was custom. At the time I didn’t care that my daily was a project. It was still slow, and no longer turbine smooth. Live and learn I guess. At least now there are engine management options. If you need more punch just swap the diff and take some weight out.

Also if you are stuck on an E28; I would suggest looking in the DC area. My last 3 BMW’s have been from the greater DC area. For some reason they are so plentiful around there they are clean and cheap. I think it would be worth a look. Just my two cents maybe my experience is not typical.
Case in point: My one owner all records '87 325is which is now becoming a spec car came with a bra, roof rack, bilstiens, swaybars, springs, car cover, bentley manual, great interior, catback, and boxes of spares (rotors, mounts, ignition coil, wires, filters etc etc) to sell or use. It’s a freaking time capsule. Paid 2k for it, I could probably sell it in Cleveland for $4k based on similar sales I’ve seen. I think once I sell all the stuff I will have offset most of the purchase price.
Incidentally if someone in the Cleveland area wants to take a look at the car before BMWCCA race school in April I’d be willing to compensate with beer, or machining/welding labor. :smiley: I’d rather not DNF race school again.

[back to lurking]

#18

Scott,

If it makes you feel any better, JLucas’s car was bought from a BeerTecher.

Probably a blessing in disguise for you. Those guys are just too damn shady.

JP

#19

[quote=“155MPH” post=63014]Scott,

If it makes you feel any better, JLucas’s car was bought from a BeerTecher.

Probably a blessing in disguise for you. Those guys are just too damn shady.
[/quote]
JP, it’s good to see you man.

Everyone…this is JP Coates. Those of us that you perceive as old hand SpecE30 types?..well, it was JP and a few others that mentored us. Robert Patton and a few others that rarely visit the boards, excepted.

#20

$3500 should buy you a really nice e28…keep an eye on craigslist…one rust prone area, the drivers side rear bumper shock area…

Al

owned 30+ e28’s…