Now here’s one that I can really appreciate and have experienced, though it has been quite a few years. The car in question is a 1983 BMW 633 CSi that has, IMHO, just killer looks. My late father-in-law was a car guy through and through, though he knew little about what went on under the hood – he just appreciated refined driving characteristics and good looks. Other than the color, his was black; he owned an identical version of this subject car for about sixteen years. Allow me to take a trip down memory lane as I review this West Hills, California resident, and try to recall what I remember from my own experience with what I consider to be one of BMW’s best aesthetic designs. Here on eBay is where you’ll find this one, and it’s available for a BIN price of $3,995; there’s a make an offer option too.
In BMW-speak, this 633 CSi is known as an “E24”, and that refers to a two-door model produced between 1976 and 1989. The actual model designations included 628CSi, 630CS, 633 CSi, 635 CSi, and M635CSi. Research indicates that the 633CSi was offered between ’76 and ’84, and according to bigcoupe.com, 23,432 633CSi’s were assembled over those nine years. Designed by Paul Baraq, the automotive design and construction outfit, Karmann bodied the initial 633s, but then BMW took over the task in ’78. The seller states, “Clean rust-free exterior and underside, with the exception of some paint bubbling over the rear passenger side wheel,” and that became a notable problem with my father-in-law’s car. Beyond that, our subject shows exceedingly well. The finish is deep, and the black rubber trim parts aren’t faded or split (another weak point observed in our case).
Power is provided by a 181 net HP, 3.2-liter in-line six-cylinder powerplant, driving the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. The seller adds, “Runs and drives well, starts right up every time, and is an absolute pleasure to drive.” What I recall about my FIL’s car, which I drove extensively and tried to keep up with minor repairs of the simpler things, was that the power was smooth and progressive, though hardly ever overwhelming – it was a refined experience and conducted smoothly through its five-speed manual gearbox. It was hardly a hotrod, but it was definitely a pleasant and spirited experience. The seller mentions that he’s added an aftermarket exhaust that “sounds amazing running through the gears.” There is an embedded video in the listing that you can review.
Inside, the seller advises, “On the inside, seat coverings need some attention and the dash shows some cracks, otherwise clean and presentable.” The tan leather upholstered environment is a very functional, Tuetonic, driver-focused layout, but its durability was a weak point in my FIL’s car – it’s the area that started to show wear as things would wrinkle, shrink, crack, dry out, and generally just start to fall apart. The seller advises, “Known issues: Speedometer and tachometer work intermittently, shifting is a bit stiff at first on cold mornings, power antenna does not retract all the way.”
And that “minor stuff,” as the seller notes, was the bane of my FIL’s car. He used to tell me that owning it was like having two car payments per month, one to pay for the car and the other to repair everything that stopped working, stopped working correctly, snapped, split, broke off, went missing, etc. I didn’t fathom the extent of his ownership description until some time after his passing, when my wife discovered a huge stack of repair invoices among his effects. And they pretty much covered everything from soup to nuts as far as that Bimmer was concerned. He didn’t care, however; he really liked the car and was willing to put up with its shenanigans. And I’m not mentioning this as a warning to anyone; it’s just the experience that was realized in our case. These 633 CSi’s are remarkable cars, and for those interested, this is a beautiful specimen, but I would be concerned about its 200K mile recording. So, a show of hands, please, has anyone ever owned one of these 6-series BMWs, and if so, how was your experience?
Seems inexpensive, bid to $2,550 when it ran through an auction on eBay last week.
Steve R
Too many miles?
If maintained it is not too many miles, also the price reflects the miles. Just bought an 06 Silverado RCSB 2WD with an LS over 200 K miles one owner and looks pristine. I got it for at least 5 K under the same truck with low miles. I don’t think a decision should be based on only miles.
A 633 is the first car that I remember seeing going fast; there was a local BMW dealer on a road that has a long straight, 90 left, short straight, 90 right, long straight. Me and a pal were walking home from school – on the short straight – we heard it approaching, it went past in a blur of noise and then vanished. Metallic brown, and I clocked the 633 badge.
Not sure about this vintage Bimmers, but modern ones are pure junk. Miserably unreliable and a fortune to fix. Want a real inline six? Try a Chrysler 225. With a little massaging, they could have been legendary in the 80s. Brings tears to my eyes.
The company name is Bavarian “Motor” Works for a reason and not “coach” works! It seems that they have been this way since the US 320 series. Such a shame as they run well but age badly.
This car was on my radar in the 90s but after some research, I was targeting the 635!
I had a 79 635 gray market, 5 spd, loved it until tranny went a second time…
Let me start out with the fact that I really like these cars. The body style, the smooth torqiness of the engines and the driving unique feeling is an all around great thongvto experience. I was able to drive a gray market M car. That was a wonderful animal to drive. Please note that all the following comments are clinical in nature because of my experience as a,former BMW service manager. The engines (providing head gaskets are not included) will run for ever. The same with the rest of the drive train. (Leaving out clutches) But the issue with these cars is age. Everything from interior, electrical controls/switche, suspension bushings and steering components age badly on these cars. Even rear axle mounting bushings show age badly. Just to rebuild the suspension, steering and axle mounts you areceasily looking at $2,500-$3,500 dollars and that is doing the repairs yourself. Once you get inside the car with what is talked a out in the write-up and what I know will also need to be replaced. You are looking at $2,500-$5,500 to make the car original. And in most cases, you have no alternative but to go with original parts. Once you have completed all the nessasary repairs. You will have a great car to drive for the next ten years. Then age will again start the process all over again.
One more thing. When I talked about the “M” car being an animal. The word animal should have been ANIMAL! I took one for a test drive fir a guy who was thinking about buying it. I accelerated hard onto the freeway and the car was a rocket! As I was shifting from I think 3rd gear into 4th at 100 MPH I said “you have to buy this car!” I glanced over at him and he was white as a sheet! He shook his head and said “no, it’s too fast”. Other than a twin turbo 850 6 speed that I had the honor to drive on a regular basis. That “M635″ was the fastest BMW I had ever driven by quite a bit. M5s were not even close. Just the primary header tubes were in excess of 2” in diameter! Just a wild car!
Bimmers are like spending time with someone else’s child. Fun in short spurts of time, then you can return them and go home to freedom and no expense.
I have an ’83 633csi in my collection right now with over 200K. I am the third owner and the first two took care of it. It lives in my garage, and the materials are fine. No dash cracks, driver seat (original) needs re-upholstered, car needs paint, but is straight and no rust since it was always a Southwest car. I work on it myself and drive it to work occasionally. Not the quickest car I have, but always fun to drive.
This one advertised looks like a great deal. If I didn’t already have one, I would be interested. Fix the little stuff yourself, and enjoy it. You don’t so much own any classic car as much as you are the caretaker. Don’t buy one if you are not up to it either with time and enthusiasm or money.
I currently own an 83 633csi with 375,000 miles. 5 speed. What a wonderful car and anyone who thinks 200,000 miles is to much has never had the pleasure of owning nor driving one. These cars are easy to work on and definitely a blast to drive.
I always wanted a 633 or 635, but when I finally got one biggest mistake in my life. I literally found out that BMW stood for Breaks My Wallet, every time it went into the shop it was $750 to $875. So my advice is to run !!! But it is the best looking car they ever made.