Have you ever parked a car with plans to bring it back to life – only to see a few decades slip by? That’s what has happened to this 1988 BMW 635CSI, which has remained in storage for 20 years and in the seller’s possession for a total of 25 years. The E24 chassis BMW is a terrific grand tourer and one of the best-looking coupes it has ever designed. While the automatic is a bummer, these cars are well suited for long-distance cruising with either a stick or an automatic. Find it here on Facebook Marketplace for $6,500 with just over 85,000 original miles.
With mileage on the low side and all of its desirable parts still attached (rear spoiler, front air dam, Style 5 wheels), it’s safe to say this 6-Series has never been owned by a younger driving doing their best to abuse it. The factory body kit, which included lower front and rear air dams / skirts along with the trunk spoiler, gave the big coupe a seriously sporty appearance, and while it originally came with a more modest set of metric wheels, the updated rollers are an ideal fitment and make tire shopping much less painful. The Alpine White paint is also a favorite among BMW enthusiasts. Check out the rare AWD E30 lurking in the background – a sure sign a BMW enthusiast lives here.
The interior is really the only bummer, as it sports standard leather seats in Pearl Beige. Sport seats with their thicker side bolsters in a color like black or Pacific Blue are much more desirable, but were rarely selected by car shoppers looking for a comfortable cruiser. The airbag steering wheel is a clear sign we’re dealing with a later model 6-Series, and overall, the interior is in fine condition. If you can source a set of Sport seats in the same color of tan, you’ll add a few thousand in value to this car right out of the gate. The dash appears to have a few cracks, unfortunately.
The good news is the M30 inline-six is one of the most reliable engines you can find in a vintage BMW, and it will likely come back to life with ease. The seller is not wrong in his speculation that a cleaned-out fuel tank and fresh battery would lead to this long-slumbering coupe becoming a runner once again. With 208 horsepower and 225 lb-ft of torque, this 6-Series will still make an excellent highway cruiser for anyone willing to spend a few weekends getting it up and running once more. The asking price seems more than fair to me for a car with mileage on the low side and no obvious signs of abuse or modifications.
Oh man, when I had my little E30 318i coupe (black with a 5-speed) in the late ’80s, I dreamed about getting a 6-series. Gorgeous. Someday…
I too had an E-30 in the late ’80s. If this can be brought to life without sustantial investment, someone is getting a good deal.
one of the most beautiful cars ever made in my opinion. if I owned it I would take the spoilers off, all the add on crap, only detracts from the looks. I worked for BMW when this car was produced, they had a serious tendency to front lift when driving fast but always glued to the road. and comfortable on long jaunts. ive driven quite a few of them.
Terrible thing to let a car like this to just languish but if you don’t have the means to fix it or store it properly, let it go to someone else who can. The tin worm has already taken residence above the RR wheel arch & is likely wreaking some serious havoc in that quarter.
I’ve been guilty of letting a couple of cars languish in the past. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is the right thing to do.
6500 for a non- runner with a trashed interior and most likely many other open issues… I am not sure, that it will sell so easily.
Repairs and parts are expensive, so it may be better to spend 12-15K for a much better example.
I really like the 6s, but a good runner in very clean shape can be had for maybe 15k. With the exception of the European market cars and the M6, they are still generally quite affordable. Non-runners are always a gamble and a much bigger one with a premium car like a Bimmer.
I have an ’83 e24 and can tell you these cars are not expensive to maintain. The engines if they have had regular oil changes and valve adjustments are nearly bullet proof; as are the manual transmissions. I can’t speak for the autoboxes. Like any used car – ones that have been looked after are great – ones that have not been are expensive to bring back. These are also relatively easy for the shade tree mechanic. If you like them, buy the best one you can find. I doubt they will get much cheaper.
The autos are also pretty reliable and also underwhelming. The main issue is the torque converter seal-an $11 part, & when it fails, your trans fluid will go away. To replace, you have to drop the trans and pull the torque converter. Not a difficult job, but time consuming & unpleasant. I would love to see one of these converted to a modern ZF8HP.