[it4rz4n]

Hey guys, I am looking at an E24, a 1986 635CSi, and I'm really having a hard time figuring out what this thing is worth.

The current owner said it was appraised in 2014 for $10,900 and he wants $10,000 for it now. When looking at other cars I thought that the appraised values were usually more than the market price. I am up in Canada and even if I search Kijiji or Craigslist there are only 3 or 4 other 635's for sale in the entire country so it is hard to find a car to compare it to.

I have checked NADA but I have also heard their prices are just a guess. How do you determine the market price of a rare(ish) old BMW?

[wdb]

https://classics.autotrader.com/clas...w&model=635csi

http://www.autoblog.com/used-list/ma...54/range-12500 (make sure you set the distance to "any distance")

[sygazelle]

Check this out. It shows all the current Craigslist adds for 635csi. Check out looks conditions, miles, asking prices compared to the deal you've got.

I hope you can turn a wrench. These cars are great but not trouble free.

Good luck!

http://www.onecraigs.com/craigslist-...439j3061389j10

[it4rz4n]

Thanks a lot guys. I went to check it out tonight so I will have some thinking to do.
It has a few problems that will need to be addressed, like the broken odometer and the engine has a tick to it and doesnt idle nicely. From my research the m30s can just be loud in general, but the idling worries me.
I'm no mechanic but if I know what the problem is I'm confident I can fix it.

[Maynard]

There is a REAL common saying that the most expensive car you could ever buy is a cheap Ferrari, and BMWs aren't far behind. The corresponding advice is that you are usually best off buying the model you want in the best condition you can find - there are VERY few restored cars going to sale or auction that aren't a bargain, if you consider what was put into them in labor and time (only those unicorns - super rare desirable cars that were purchased at a discount).

This has all the hallmarks of a car that has suffered 'deferred maintenance' and will start crapping expensive bits of aluminum in short order ('broken' odometer - how convenient; and if that knock was something cheap and easy to fix they would have done it already).

If you don't already have the skills to really know what it is needing, then you will find out the hard way that you are either way upside down by paying for labor, or only halfway upside down by shelling out for super expensive parts. And it will be off the road more than you want while you are doing that.

[Viffermike]

If you can find it, Season 5 of Wheeler Dealers (a Discovery Channel UK production; not sure where it airs in Canada) focused two episodes on fixing up a used 635CSi to resell at a profit. It outlines many of the 'typical' problems that the model has.

(Here's Wheeler Dealers' YT channel. It may be on there.)

Great car -- my dad bought one specifically to drive 'safely' on the autobahn in the early 1980s -- but maaan, that puppy's 30 years old. In the U.S., that qualifies it for an 'antique' license plate ...

[VRG_135]

Originally Posted by Maynard

There is a REAL common saying that the most expensive car you could ever buy is a cheap Ferrari, and BMWs aren't far behind. The corresponding advice is that you are usually best off buying the model you want in the best condition you can find - there are VERY few restored cars going to sale or auction that aren't a bargain, if you consider what was put into them in labor and time (only those unicorns - super rare desirable cars that were purchased at a discount).

This has all the hallmarks of a car that has suffered 'deferred maintenance' and will start crapping expensive bits of aluminum in short order ('broken' odometer - how convenient; and if that knock was something cheap and easy to fix they would have done it already).

If you don't already have the skills to really know what it is needing, then you will find out the hard way that you are either way upside down by paying for labor, or only halfway upside down by shelling out for super expensive parts. And it will be off the road more than you want while you are doing that.

It's like getting a free pair of nice pants.....but they are dry clean only.

[E30_335i]

From what I see in the BMWCCA classifieds, its priced ok.

[TomHudson]

Check for rust on rear quarters; parts for this car are extremely expensive!