1988 BMW 635 CSi - "Highline"
Year 1988
Colour Diamond Black Metallic
Mileage 196000
Owners 2
VED 6 Months from date of purchase
MoT 12 months from date of purchase
Service History Full and comprehensive
Price £4450 ovno
Contact bbeattie@bavarianretro.co.uk - or via PM
This car rolled majestically down the Dingolfing production line in December 1987, heading for its first of only two owners in over 20 years some weeks later.
In early 1988, the UK was in just starting to see the first results of a boom, house prices were rising quickly, the City was in overheated ecstasy, bonuses were high, City traders were the new film stars, red braces and matching 911s were de rigeur and Harry Enfield's "LooaadsaMoney" sadly, wasn't a caricature.
Then, as now, the flash City boys bought Porsches and Ferraris. BMW's E24 six series was already 12 years old and had seen a few mutations from the wheezing, rust prone, carburettor-equipped early 630CS up to the 286 bhp, 158 mph, Ferrari and Porsche beating, rust prone M635 CSi of 1984.
By 1987 the E24 was looking a little old fashioned, and could no longer really attract the money of the newly wealthy. Its replacement, the extravagant and technically inventive 8 series was behind schedule and over budget. So what do BMW's marketing geniuses do? Correct. Make the E24 even more extravagant, even more luxurious, even more expensive and aim it not at the newly wealthy, but at the people so spectacularly wealthy that price just didn't matter.
Add air conditioning, electric leather memory seats, cruise control, leather door trims, leather centre console, leather rear trim, leather parcel shelf with blind, leather gear selector and handbrake gaiter and a hand stitched leather dashboard. And just when you thought that they'd finished, they bunged in a leather headlining as well. The only way to get more leather in the interior of a Highline was to wear the traditional Bavarian lederhosen and risk being mistaken for a member of the Cabinet.
This car has obviously been owned for most, if not all, of its life by one of those aforementioned people for whom money simply didn't matter. It is the only way to explain the amount of cash lavished on this lovely car over the past 20 years.
If it needed done, it was done. Not a Kwik-Fit exhaust at £200, a genuine one at £1100, not wing repairs, but new wings, not serviced by Minty and Gary down the Arches, but by the dealer network, Munich Legends - who make the dealers look cheap - and respected specialist BMWorx.
This car has wanted for nothing. It may be approaching 200000 miles, but its condition belies its mileage. However, the paperwork and history - including every MoT - explains its condition perfectly.
[size=18]Bodywork
Diamond Black Metallic with dechrome and Shadowline with clear indicators for the full stealth, "black cat in a coal bunker" look.
Ever the E24's Achilles heel, and the single most important factor when considering buying a 6 series, this car is in excellent order. I can find no rust.
Both wings have been replaced at significant expense - as evidenced by the history.
Inner wings are equally good.
The number plate panel has been repaired too.
The area around the sunroof is perfect.
There is some bubbling on the corners under the tail lights. I knew I'd find some if I tried hard enough, but that really is about it. The arches are good, the screen apertures are perfect. The sills seem solid and the jacking points are OK.
This really is one of the most solid E24s I have seen.
While there are no guarantees with a 20 year old car, because of the condition of this car and the knowledge of where and why these rust, careful use and a bit of preventive maintenance means that I don't think there is likely to be any need for expensive bodywork repairs on this car in the near future. Tidy up the bit below the rear lights at your leisure and that should do it.
These cars do rust. Buy one needing the classic "a little tlc to make concours" and you can kiss goodbye to your sanity, wife, girlfriend, job, home, dog, mates and the guts of £10,000 on a bodywork restoration. However buy one from a single, homeless, friendless, jobless lunatic and look after it and you shouldn't need to spend a great deal on it. Most of the rust issues are from when the cars were daily drivers, now they have moved into the classic market, experience prevents the same thing happening again.
This car is about as good as it gets. All the expensive work has been done.
[size=18]
Mechanically
Really, just as you'd expect from a car of this build quality with this amount of attention lavished on it over the years. It drives perfectly.
It starts instantly and settles immediately to a smooth even idle.
On the move, it accelerates strongly and smoothly. The auto box changes up and down seamlessly - unless you use the kickdown of course - and the brakes pull up straight and smoothly. There are no clunks or knocks from the suspension or drivetrain.
The acid test of an E24's suspension is to drive on a straight, smooth piece of road at 58 mph and jump on the middle pedal. Most E24s (and E28s) then do a very passable impression of one of those "Bucking Bronco" type fairground rides and try to throw you out of the driver's seat.
This one doesn't - it just stops.
It really is a proper GT car. You could throw in a couple of bags, get in and blast to to the South of France at 100 mph+ all the way and arrive comfortable and unruffled - provided you don't count the cost of the fuel. Or, the car will potter about the Lake District behind the caravans and enjoying the scenery at 20 mph and you'd still be smug in the knowledge that you were in the coolest car in the traffic jam (where it won't overheat due to its relatively recent new BMW radiator, viscous, water pump and cylinder head rebuild) - provided you don't count the cost of the fuel.
While it is mechanically A1 just now, I see no receipts for a rebushing exercise in the past few years. Driving the car does not suggest that they are due for renewal, but experience tells us that these are big heavy cars and replacement of the suspension bushes on a regular basis is a good idea. I'd budget for that to be done at some point in the relatively near future, though I must stress that there is no need for it to be done - just that it doesn't appear to have been done recently.
Mechanically these cars are simple. You don't need to spend dealer or Munich Legends money on maintaining them, parts are cheap and easy to come by and the work is not difficult for any specialist or well equipped local garage.
The style 32 wheels are in excellent order and the tyres are all good, branded and with plenty of tread. I can replace these with good standard wheels and tyres at no cost.
[size=18]Interior
You'd expect a 200,000 mile car to be scruffy, wouldn't you?
It isn't. The seats are firm and supportive and overall in good condition. The bolsters could probably do with replacement to keep the car up to scratch, but in general terms, they are far better than the have any right to be. I have seen much worse on lower mileage cars. They have been regularly fed and maintained and I suspect the previous owners have been more Tom Cruise than John Daly, if you get my drift?
The passenger seat will get away with a Liquid Leather application and a recolouring I think, but replacing the driver's bolster will see the interior in excellent order. It has had a phone fitted and there are screws in the centre console. The original 1980s phone is with the car along with all its paperwork and instructions.
The rear seats are perfect as usual and the remainder of the trim is in good order.
An M-Tech one steering wheel is fitted and an inappropriate modern iPod/phone/TV/Sat Nav thingy has been fitted at huge expense. Nothing has been damaged or altered in its fitting, but it looks so complicated, that while I want to remove it and replace it with a Blaupunkt, it may not be worth the bother, I'll leave it up to the purchaser. It can stay or be replaced with a period unit. The air conditioning has been upgraded and works.
[size=18]OK, What IS wrong with it?
Other than that which I've mentioned, the lacquer is peeling a bit on the boot spoiler, the offside door lock barrel could do with replacement, the heater only works on full at the moment, but I'll fix that before it goes to its new owner. The fuel pipes front to rear will need replacing at some point. They are not expensive to do, but it's a horrid job. And honestly, that's about it.
[size=18]Summary
One of the best maintained, best looking, most structurally sound, best driving examples of the so-called Bavarian Ferrari that I have ever seen. If it was showing 120000 miles, it'd be being touted by one of the specialists named above as a low mileage car with a sticker price well into 5 figures. As it is, would you rather have a car with 1400000 showing and a few stamps in the book with a couple of receipts (probably from Gary and Minty) and MoTs, or a car with real provenance from day one where you know the mileage showing is correct? Anyway, these cars are 20 years old and should be bought on condition, not mileage. Most of the mileage on this car was done in its first 5 years and it has been maintained to the same standard ever since. It's not perfect, but it is 100% honest and everything is there to be seen, there are no gaps, no missing periods when nobody knows where it was or what it was doing - you know where this car has been since the day it was bought from the dealer.
[size=18]Price
£4450.
I believe that this is probably the best Highline on sale just now for under £10000. Not just the best value, but the best car. The car is in Glasgow , or on its way there and any inspection or test is welcome. I think the description is accurate and full, but I'll happily answer any questions. Hi-res photos are available on request. Please, please don't ask, "How mch 4 csh tomoz, m8".
The E24 is polarising - good cars are getting dearer - even in today's economic circumstances - and poor ones are too expensive to restore and are falling by the wayside. A good E24 well maintained will lose none of its capital value in my view. This car was nearly £38000 in 1988! Classic car insurance will make this a great, cheap to use and run classic car.
The Style 32 wheels and indicators are not to my taste. The purchaser can either keep the car as it is, or, I'll replace them with standard items.
Delivery can be arranged at a very competitive rate.
I will consider any classic BMW in part exchange. I'll also consider a deal involving getting any of the wee bits and pieces needed done for the purchaser.
<edit - to correct contact method - /edit>
Edited by thepits
Topic: FS - 1988 BMW 635 CSi - "Highline"
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