New here-possibly picking up a 1988 e34 that needs a possible head gasket-need advice

[Aedail]

Hey guys, new here. Monday i may go grab this 1988 5 series that is for sale in my town. the guy said $200. he said it was over heating so he took it to the dealer and $200 diagnosis later they said it needed cooling system work AND the head gasket was bad. i dont trust this dealer at all tho lol and neither did he. this dealer has screwed a family member of mine over before. anyway, its been parked for a year now since the diagnosis. i don't know much else i forgot the mileage, its about 120k , hes on vacation until monday so i only saw the car real quick last night.
question is, is it worth more than $200 if its said to have a bad head gasket? can i buy it as is and re sell it for a little more, or nah? i dont know the market for these e34s at ALL. if i fix head gasket, what's it worth then ? please chime in if you know the value of these. also, the car has BRAND new tires but they've been sitting a year and also, i don't see these rims being desirable at all , even with new tires?
the car is very nice in and out. the guy just paid $4000 for it ( rip off in my opinion ) from the local town shop a few months prior to the over heating incident and said shop also put a lot of work into the car before selling.
thanks everyone!

[Aedail]

anyone?

i need to get some pics, its been sitting under a tree for a year and mice have moved into the interior.
Exterior just needs power washing but the interior will need to be rid of the mice. i hope they have not cause too much damage.
i'm offering him scrap value pretty much at $175.

[Vuksanovich]

I go mine E34 520i m50 for 400$, with blown head. did the job myself and it cost was around 120$. But i live in Europe, not sure how are they priced in your region, here where i live you can find a top shape E34 for less then 3000$.
If body is in good shape and you fix the engine and interior you can surely get 1500$ for it, don't take my word for it, i don't know the prices in the US, but i don't think that its should be under 1500$ its a good classic.

[moroza]

88? You sure it's an E34?

A rusty beat-up E34 with mouse damage (wiring especially) is worth scrap value. A dirty but decent one with a solid suspension and nothing more than some fur and poop might be worth $4k. We need more info.

[Aedail]

there's NO rust bro if it was rusty i wouldnt think twice about saving it....id let some one else buy it and it'd be going right to crusher

- - - Updated - - -

it is an e34 pretty sure lol maybe its a 1992. sorry i will go back monday and check again on everything

[e30luv318i]

Is it a 525 or a 535 ? Be better off finding another motor they are a dime a dozen

[moroza]

E34s were sold as early as 1987 in Europe, and 1988 in the US, but AFAIK the earliest "model year" (what a stupid concept) sold here was 1989.

[ross1]

You can't get hurt for $200
Can't say much more until you let us know what this car is. A BMW with a failed HG after overheating is entirely plausible if not probable.

[Aedail]

He wouldnt budge from$ 350 ( the guy who gave me his number originally said 200 bucks not 350 ) and so he was offended by my $200 offer. that's OK cause ive been through this before, the car is gonna sit and sit and sit until he scraps it for $175. its NOT worth 300 IMO...i mean...unknown trashed mouse piss interior, could be wiring damage, sat under a tree for a year, blown motor....
it was a 1989 525i.

[south42]

He wouldnt budge from$ 350 ( the guy who gave me his number originally said 200 bucks not 350 ) and so he was offended by my $200 offer. that's OK cause ive been through this before, the car is gonna sit and sit and sit until he scraps it for $175. its NOT worth 300 IMO...i mean...unknown trashed mouse piss interior, could be wiring damage, sat under a tree for a year, blown motor....
it was a 1989 525i.

That has the m20, I would just say no thanks.


Andy