Looking into a 535iS...

[Jarvis]

I got lots of $ man ... I've got rare ACS side skirts, and NEW euro grilles

You mean mommy has "lots of $", right?
And yes, I'm sure that rare and expensive cosmetics will make you a better driver and prevent you from wrecking another BMW.

Oh, and you said that you're looking for a 535is for yourself as a daily driver? What ever happened to your $20K 2004 Hyundai Tiburon "winter beater"? Why can't you just wait til the spring when you get your Z4? Wait, or was that a Porsche Boxster? Either way you'll have "lots of $" for the automatic transmission option.

[M3 Ryan]

back on topic children

I would be happy with the car having insane brakes and good accel. big brakes are fun to impress people with from high speeds 8)

Thanks guys.
Jon- I know Jay, his car is SWEET. Its way out of my price range though, and I need something cheaper to beat around in... I found the car I will hopefully get, so its all good.

[Charlie]

back on topic children

I would be happy with the car having insane brakes and good accel. big brakes are fun to impress people with from high speeds 8)

Thanks guys.
Jon- I know Jay, his car is SWEET. Its way out of my price range though, and I need something cheaper to beat around in... I found the car I will hopefully get, so its all good.

So do you want a beater, or a 6-7k project car?

Get a 528 with a 5 speed, decent mileage, it'll run forever, and cost like 12 bucks to insure.

-Charlie

[M3 Ryan]

"beater" but I buy cars CHEAP and fix them...
I won't buy a peice of shit... I will buy one that needs a headgasket or someother repair that makes it cheap to buy.
I don't have 6-7k for a "project car" I have my M3, thats all the "project" I need right now in my life... 8)

[Numbersix]

Ryan--if you're interested--I know of a one woman owner red/black 535is 5sp, ~135,000 miles, stock, all dealer serviced--that will probably be going up for sale soon. I'm guessing $4k or a bit less.

I nearly bought the above car--it's owned by a work associate. She was looking for an E39 540i, and hadn't found the one she wanted when the E30 came up for sale.

I've driven the 535is quite a bit. ( See below. ) They aren't all that quick around town, but as you're probably aware the M30 is near-bulletproof. Timing chains cut down on maintenance a bit, and the bottom ends are totally understressed; I've seen a couple come through w/300k on the clock and were still running fine. They tend to use a bit of oil, though, and IIRC they can suffer flat cams due to improper oiling; there's an upgrade for it, but if not caught in time you'll need to do the cam.

The factory Motronic programming runs them VERY lean; the Jim C chip makes a notable difference in idle quality, step-off from idle (especially with a manual) and mid-range drivablility. I also know people that reccomend gapping the plugs just slightly wider than stock (as long as the rest of your ignition system is 100%) and adjusting the valves just slightly more loose than stock; I've never ridden in one set this way, so I can't confirm it makes any difference.

They are kind of heavy cars to drive; clutches are usually quite heavy in comparison with an E30, even an M3. Most will suffer front end shimmy (that may feel like warped rotors when braking at freeway speed) if any of the components in the front end are worn; there are upgrades, however. As someone else mentioned, the big brake conversion from the E32's is a bolt-on, and is advisable with track work.

The front sport seats are prone to frame failure (especially if the prior owner was a fatass), and occasionally cables will break. I highly reccomend you make sure the seats aren't damaged in any way before signing the papers; those seats are very expensive to fix.

I've driven a 5 speed with H&R/Bilstein suspension, Jim C chip, Tri-Flow, 16" 850 rims with 225/50/16's, 750iL front brakes, and upgraded bushings. It's no M3, but I was very surprised about how capable it is.

[rwh11385]

GO FOR IT!

What happened to our eta project?

That Red e28 is damn sexy!

I think you'll like a nice M30 sedan.

[Jordan]

Well... my words here...

If you must get a e28 make sure it is a 535iS or a M5.

and first thing you should do, is loose the awful.. horrible... diving boards, they are 2x as bad as e30 diving boards, and they RUIN the lines of the car.

Get plastic euro bumper/aprons.

[BloodLine]

Hey Jarvis;

If I get a big urge to buy a new car after I land a real job this summer I will prob buy that Z4 I want so bad. If I want the thrill of having a brand new car and want to keep my E30 then I will go with a new tibby as a DD. If i want to keep my E30 and go nuts with it (leaning more and more towards it everyday) then I'll buy a cheap used $5k daily driver toyota pick up truck and S50 the E30 with a 5spd too. It's not that hard to learn how to drive stick. That's my plans.. I have the $ now. I'll decide what do do with it later on during the new year.

Back to E28's;
I'd love to have a E28..But having 2 older bimmers. I'd spend too much time on cars in general then. My current philosophy of owning 2 cars is that all you need is 1 car ur dedicated to..and one to be a DD to save it's ass ;)
Did I mention that I have a 67k mile M30 engine from my ol' 87' royal blue metallic 535iS that I wrecked when I was 16. I even still have alot of parts..Rear spoiler, front spoiler, interior, doors, etc. I gave it & all the stuff to my younger bro for his 535iS (172k miles) when He got it in 2001. Yeah were tight like that. ;)

[Jarvis]

Jim - I won't hold my breath.

[MIZTERIO]

i know this guy around my house that is selling a 1988 ///M535is for $2000 $... i don't know is he put m badge or its like that... I asked him where he got it from but he said he bought like da he got no clue. the car is in great conditions.. its white, cloth interior,, no sunroof,, ummmm and it have euro bumpers. :shock: it is a good price ??? :?:

[M3 Ryan]

there was a M535iS... my shop at home imported one... they are pretty cool, and cheap too...
we will see, I am also looking into an E34...

[Jarvis]

Didn't the U.S. spec E28 M535i's have a weak c/r ratio? like only 8.0:1?

The only problem I see with E34s is that there's so many more electronic gadgets and do-dads that (especially in the earlier models) were considerably less reliable when compared to E28s. I read in a 5-series buyer's guide that E28 owners were very disappointed with how the electronics would eventually become unreliable in their new E34s. I guess the M30 in both generations were both very tough though.
The only E34 I've driven only had 120Kmi on it, so all of the electronics still worked. If I were you and I was looking for just a daily driver for cheap, I'd go with the more reliable (but less attractive and powerful) E28. I see ads for E28 535i's and 528e's all the time with well over 200K, or even 250Kmi. I haven't seen that many of the early ('89-91) E34's with nearly as many miles on them, and the difference in cost from one and an E28 is always very noticeable.
Also, it seems like there's more 5spd E28s. Way too many automatic E34s for sale.

[MIZTERIO]

ummm does anybody know whats the difference between M535is and 535is ?

[TCD]

Mitzerio,
A M535is does not exist. The US got the 535i and 535is. Europe got the 535i and M535i. Does the car you are describing have chrome bumpers or body colored bumpers?
Todd
1985 euro 535i Turbo

[BloodLine]

The euro M535i came with 218 stock hp, while the US 535iS came with 180 something stock. that difference plus the diff bumpers. My bro is getting euro bumpers. Also a cool thing is that he has the rare black leather sport interior.

This is prob off topic but here is my brother's E28: A very fun car for a "fam sedan"


[img]http://www.fototime.com/E5E0E4EB70CB422/standard.jpg[img]

link for more pics:

http://www.fototime.com/inv/FEBA961CF156226