BMW 635i

acri

Hey lads. Was hoping to pick your collective brains for a minute.

I drive a van all day every day and, as much as I love my Trafic, I'd like to get a car for the weekend. I'm in love with the old Beamers, and this has caught my eye:


http://www.jimrockmotors.ie/viewanad.php?ad_id=996364&r=%26z%3D8

Thing is, I've not bought a car of this vintage before and I'm not really sure what to look out for (apart from rust). Do any of you or have any of you owned one before, and can offer me advice? Also, I travel Dublin-Galway the odd weekend, do you think this would be up to the task? I know it's the sort of thing grand tourers are made for (sort of), but I'd be worried age has caught up with it.

ANYWHO, thanks in advance for your input.

Harry Palmr

Awesome car if you find a good one, Hifive (who posts occasionally had or has one)

bazz26

You should ask one of the mods to move this thread to the classic car forum, there will be a wealth of information over there:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=514

acri

Sound, request sent.

Another potential beaut:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/view/8492551

At least with the 735, I wouldn't have to rob a bank to tax it.

noelf

Did a Google on bmw 635 front wings clicked on the Irish bmw forum www.bmw-driver.net and a poster has spent 6000 replacing wings and sills so get a thorough check done ..

acri

noelf wrote: »

Did a Google on bmw 635 front wings clicked on the Irish bmw forum www.bmw-driver.net and a poster has spent 6000 replacing wings and sills so get a thorough check done ..

Given the age, it's probably worth my while taking a mechanic to have a look. It looks pretty solid from the pictures, going to swing by tomorrow morning to see it in the flesh. It's been listed for a few weeks now and the price is pretty low compared to others on Irish (or any other) sites. Hopefully it's the engine size and year putting people off.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Kenny Logins

My daily. Rust is the biggest killer. Seals can dry out and leak, hoses too (brake, oil coolant). Banjo bolts in the oil sprayer bar can work loose and let the cam run dry, ruining it. 18mpg.

I had to do the head gasket on mine last year, easy enough job, but the machining alone came to about 500 quid.

Dades

Lovely cars, those 635s.

That Jim Rock one still needs VRT paid on it which could be a couple of grand on top of the asking. To be honest, if you want one that will be up for semi-regular long runs you'd be better off paying a bit more.

It also needs to be NCT'd which, until you get it to the centre, you'll never know what you have to do to get it on the road. Personally I wouldn't buy an Irish car that didn't have an NCT as I'd suspect there was a reason why.

Given the potential motor tax & VRT bill, perhaps you should focus on finding a good pre-1985 car. Even a UK one with recent mots that at least gives you a chance of getting an NCT. VRT would be only €200 as well.

That 735i looks like a money pit! No NCT, rust... potential disaster!

This looks like a better bet.
http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/car-advert/bmw/6-series/1983/205996/

Kenny Logins

Sorry, just spotted that it's a series 2 (mine is 1) so it may have had the steering box mount break off the subframe and rewelded, or bolted back, if not, it will. Brake accumulators (bombs) can fail too.

With the high mileage, VRT, and tax also in the equation, I'd walk away.

acri

Thanks for all of the input. It looks like this might a classic case of my heart being bigger than my head. I'll have one some day, but it is not this day.

Thanks again, you may have just saved me a whole world of heartache

Kenny Logins

I bought mine on impulse, and had no idea about them at all. I just spotted one I liked, and bought it. Worked out OK though I think, but could easily have been a money pit - I've seen a few scrapped since then, despite appearing to be very clean and solid looking, they rusted from the inside out.
I can't understand how luxury cars of this era weren't galvinised, when even the entry-level Porsche (924) was. Hmmm...

Dades

acri wrote: »

Thanks for all of the input. It looks like this might a classic case of my heart being bigger than my head. I'll have one some day, but it is not this day.

Thanks again, you may have just saved me a whole world of heartache

Didn't mean to put you off! Owning and driving a classic is really rewarding if heart is in it and your eyes are open (and occasionally your wallet).

Agricola

Agree with Dades. 180k miles, no VRT or NCT. Wouldnt go near it, even at that price. Better to pay a bit more in the beginning and get something that isnt going to be a potential headache from day 1.

Duke O Smiley

The E23 might be a better buy if you were interested in buying a classic. Just check for rusted front wings (expensive to replace new), spring perches that have rusted front and rear. Fully functional evac heating/blower system. Splits in floor pan where people havent used the jacking points. Other than that its the usual rust on old cars but those are the main weak spots. Engines are fairly bulletproof. Would love an old Beemer.

Hifive

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Awesome car if you find a good one, Hifive (who posts occasionally had or has one)

I bought this one in the UK in 2007 for around 4k.

It was my daily driver for 4 years and I loved every minute of it!
However, it was kept outdoors and it became a real hardship trying to keep the rust at bay and I eventually changed it for a 928 which are largely made from aluminium/galvanised steel and resist the tin worm a lot better.

As mentioned, steering often gives trouble, rear suspension bushes can go, front control arms wear out quickly and the body rusts on the front wings, rear of the sills at the wheel arch and around the rear lights and rear panel. Also sun roof drains block easily and can cause the front floors to rot.

The "6" was in many ways a nicer car than the Porsche and was certainly much more admired on the road. It was fairly rapid and made a glorious rasp from the exhaust when pushed. The interior on the Highline models is beautiful with absolutely everything covered in quality leather.

I may well get another one (M6) in the future, but if I do I'll be spending a lot more and buying as good an example as I can afford.
VRT was €950.00 at the time and if I got 15 mpg I'd would have been delighted!

carlosfandango

Similar car ownership to myself.
Loved my big six but the road tax was prohibitive. Got a 928 (a '79 one) and it fits the bill well. Still hanker after an M6 though.

CFD

Hifive wrote: »

I bought this one in the UK in 2007 for around 4k.

It was my daily driver for 4 years and I loved every minute of it!
However, it was kept outdoors and it became a real hardship trying to keep the rust at bay and I eventually changed it for a 928 which are largely made from aluminium/galvanised steel and resist the tin worm a lot better.

As mentioned, steering often gives trouble, rear suspension bushes can go, front control arms wear out quickly and the body rusts on the front wings, rear of the sills at the wheel arch and around the rear lights and rear panel. Also sun roof drains block easily and can cause the front floors to rot.

The "6" was in many ways a nicer car than the Porsche and was certainly much more admired on the road. It was fairly rapid and made a glorious rasp from the exhaust when pushed. The interior on the Highline models is beautiful with absolutely everything covered in quality leather.

I may well get another one (M6) in the future, but if I do I'll be spending a lot more and buying as good an example as I can afford.
VRT was €950.00 at the time and if I got 15 mpg I'd would have been delighted!

tom petty

I bought mine two years ago after looking for eight months for one . In that time I followed up on about 18 cars getting the owners to forward detailed and precise photos of the car . Some sellers were keen to do this some declined for obvious reasons .....
I went over three times to actually view and get down and dirty checking out the cars .
I didn't buy any of them ( and that blue one in London listed earlier was one of them ) . I had a healthy budget to buy but couldn't find one that didn't require immediate or impending restoration work to keep it alive .In the end I decided to buy and restore but even that was a difficult task as there was little monetery differance between a " good one " and one to restore . I've spent two years now slowly restoring mine removing every bit of rust throughout the shell and fabricating all but the rear wheel arches by hand . It's had a full mechanical restoration too .
What I'd say to every potential buyer of these cars is that they are or will be inherently rustier than you think. That is simply down to the design of the car and the failings therin.
My phase 1 ,E12 based car was almost original so I could see the number ( or lack of ) and penetration of the spot welds , sunroof drains that were too short from manufacture and emptied into sills , wheel arches encased in the toughest porous expanded rubber , cavity wax injection that stopped two inches above the lowest part of the sills in a perfect horizontal line ,more shelves,nooks and cranies than the Rockies throughout the chassis and a general lack of any "designed to last " approach .
They aren't complex cars but are heavy and time consuming to repair properly , body parts are slowly becoming available from other than the main dealers , mechanical parts are freely available for every model/year configuration.
It's difficult to put a price on a "good one " and each one should be approached with utmost caution and a sharp pointy implement !

Hifive

tom petty wrote: »

It's difficult to put a price on a "good one " and each one should be approached with utmost caution and a sharp pointy implement !

Very good advice there from someone who's learned the hard way.

Hifive

carlosfandango wrote: »

Similar car ownership to myself.
Loved my big six but the road tax was prohibitive. Got a 928 (a '79 one) and it fits the bill well. Still hanker after an M6 though.

CFD

My 928 is sadly now gone too I'm afraid. I used it as my everyday for three years, but the family outgrew it so I had to pretend to be all grown up and bought a Saab 9/5.

Still have this for when the sun shines though.

3 amigos!

charcosull

Red doors all round