Whats a 1977 530i worth?

[Over Boost]

Whats a 1977 530i worth? The one im looking at looks and runs great but has a little rust on the front wheel wells. The guy wants $1500.

[Over Boost]

Can anyone tell me what they are worth?

[mish]

It really depends on how much gas is in its tank.

[sdwhitney]

Does it look like its worth $1500?

No pics, just some basic info, I gotta say it is up to you Bro.

[Over Boost]

well it looks like its worth 1500 at least but I dont really want the car. I just wanted to know if it could be sold for a profit.

[323I Junkie]

1977 530 is one of those cars that could be worth 250 or 10 grand

Snap some engine, interior, and exterior pics and well work on it

[sdwhitney]

1977 530 is one of those cars that could be worth 250 or 10 grand

Snap some engine, interior, and exterior pics and well work on it

Umm, we is a strong word when the guys says he is looking for a profit.

If he wants to split that profit with us, then I can be part of that 'We' Group..

[323I Junkie]

see, I dont have a business mind like that

[Over Boost]

Well the outside and inside of the car look great. However there are minor things here and there like paint bubbles in some cracks if you look real close. The engine has 130,000miles and "looks" really good. It sounds really good too but the exhaust is rusted out so that would need to be fixed. My only concern is the rust on the strut towers. I would snap pictures but the guy lives a town over and I didn’t have a camera with me at the time. However when you walk up to the car your like :ogen it really looks great inside and out its just the little things. If you guys could ask me some more specific questions I might be able to answer them. I think I am going to buy the car though because I am 99.9% sure I can at LEAST get back the 1,500.

[323I Junkie]

In the least , it would be a very interesting car

[Gunslinger]

From what you described, it seems like a lot of work to get ready to sell for a profit if you don't to potentially screw your buyer.

On the other hand, it sounds like a cool car to own.

[Over Boost]

well I would sell it as is. However exhaust isnt that big or a deal for someone to fix and the rust dosnt need to be fixed right away and dosnt effect the car. It should be dealt with though. With those two things in mind is it rational to try and get $2500 for an other wise mint all original car?

[Mblaster]

Back in the day when I was a pip young squire my big brother had the fastest turbo'd E12 530 in LA. It would smoke the tires in 3rd gear no BS.
The thing was a total sleeper, but would ruin many a unwary challenger's day. Imagine having your ass handed to you in your mega-car by some old bimmer. Great memorys I tell ya. :buttrock

[Cacatfish]

It really depends on how much gas is in its tank.

Dude, that is TOO funny!!

E12's are pretty much the red-headed step-children of the 5 series world and generally dont value much. The 530i's are especially preposterous with the wretched head-cracking thermal reactors and 12mpg fuel efficiency.
For perspective, I bought a '77 530i a while ago with poor paint, but tons of mods: Topline Recaros, Dinan Stage 4 suspension, old school BBS Mahle wheels, Quaiffe diff (no joke, sold it for $1100), 3.2 with cam and Stahl headers, etc. I paid $2300 for the car with those mods. Unless that car is particularly pretty outside and interior, I wouldnt bother! Smogging those things is a nightmare too, especially if someone decided to remove the nightmarish thermal reactors!
*pass*

[Dark Helmet]

it sosunds like it need $5000 in body work.... never get your money back IMO.

and you can get one heck of an E28 for 4K...

[k5r]

I owned this car for 10 years. Sold it to my brother and he had it for a year and a half and bought a 2002 330i sport. He then sold the 77 530i to my twin brother who still has it now. The car is awesome but I replaced the thermal reactors with the bavarian autosport mini-headers. It's a beautiful car. It has it's mechanical shortcomings but it's still too nice to sell for under 4000.00CAD and that would be impossible to get.

[Over Boost]

Well the car is very pretty. Whoever did the paint some years back did a good job. Do you really think it would cost 5grand to fix the little rust on the two shock towers? I have seen many cars rust in that same spot and fixing it dosnt seem like that big of a deal. The guy said now he will sell for $1300

[Andryuha]

I doubt that there would be many potential buyers - primarily because of the age.

[Izzy]

This may sound weird but I often use Ebay to help determine 2 things:
1. Is there a market for an item?
2. What is the average price of that item on Ebay selling for?

I just checked and there is not a single BMW of that age range for sell there. Sounds like you would have a hard time selling it for a profit and not worth the headache.

[HOOJ]

They go for $300-500 on eBay, for an average one.

[k5r]

Yeah you'd have to want the car for yourself. I love the car but I would need an engine swap or something to deal with the bad design. Without the pollution controls I find the exhaust too strong like a ski-doo. I notice this with many hot rods or hobby cars. But my brother likes it for now and he did get the shock towers redone for 700.00CAD. He says it's running very good and onlookers seem to appreciate it as well. My sister once obseved that all the bright trim makes it stand out more then many newer BMWs(Although I realize there are many people who say they want the performance and not the attention.).

[Over Boost]

Yea I dont really want the car so I guess I will pass and keep saving for that E30 M3 :drool:

[323I Junkie]

with an m30b34 with exhasut and chip, would make a fun sleeper