HELP NEEDED: Potential BMW Convert (1989 E24 Purchase Looming)

[districtmotors]

Hi - to start, great to see a forum like this one this exists. I'm a lifelong Volvo 240 guy and we have something similar in that of turbobricks.org. Anyhow, I am very interested in purchasing a 1989 E24 local to me. It, for all intents and purposes, looks to be in great shape and the owner seems meticulous in the care of his other vehicles. (An E38 and an M5 E24).

I did what I have done each time I've procured a car checking for rust, leaks, testing the A/C, hearing it idle, driving it, testing the lights, etc etc. BUT...what am I missing?

I want to put it out to the board to help me with any "gotchas" an untrained eye like mine might not be seeing. In the Volvo world, for example, if the heater core is broken it's sometimes a 'pass' as the project itself is a grueling eight hour task for even a skilled wrench.

Also, with 144K on it and the body being in 7/10 condition - what's a fair price?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Best,

M.J. LaPerch Jr.

[1986series6]

Buyers guides, some are dated but shows past history. We need pictures to access the 6's condition.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...-buyer-s-guide

http://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=48

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/...&f=72&t=778684

https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=656374

https://bmwfirst.dudaone.com/6series-2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv8O5qmZPiY

https://www.quotemyclassic.com/buyer...635csi-12.html

[e24mpwr]

An '89 is pretty desirable, especially if it is a stick. Heater cores suck for a lot of European cars, including the E24, but I wouldn't pass for something like that.

No big mechanical gotchas I can think of on a non-M car.

[DesktopDave]

The later cars are the best, apparently, although I've never personally owned the 88-89 version. Mechanically, these cars are very robust...IMHO far better than modern BMWs in that regard. They also share a lot of parts with other BMWs so replacements aren't impossible. Mine is running an 1982 E24 motor with a 1990 E34 DME & harness, '02 Volvo I5 injectors, '94 E32 brakes, and an '00 E36 Z3 diff. You're going to find a lot of similarities between BMWs and Volvos...especially RWD madels like the 240. A few parts will even exchange directly!

Rust can be a major problem unless the car has been pampered. The worst areas I've seen are the rear quarters above the wheels, and the front inner wings. Both are expensive to repair.

I'm personally not fond of doing any trim work in the E24. It's all put together in a pretty old-fashioned way. For instance, the fabric roof liner is retained by the windows. That's a big job that I'd certainly put off.

BMW seems to have cut back on support for these older cars, so you may have to scrounge for a few of the rare parts. Having said that, it's relatively easy to get many parts on this forum. The hardest parts to find in my experiences have been the front fenders, hood and the dashboards. Oh yeah, and the tools. For some reason the cheap tools in trunk kits are unobtanium these days. Bert always seems to have one in stock though, so you're not totally out of luck.

As for price, it depends a lot on the area you're in as well as condition, collectibility, color, etc.. I'd guess a car like that in my SW PA area is likely in the $7.5K range. Here's a high-mileage '88 5-speed for $5K.

[slofut]

Hi - to start, great to see a forum like this one this exists. I'm a lifelong Volvo 240 guy and we have something similar in that of turbobricks.org. Anyhow, I am very interested in purchasing a 1989 E24 local to me. It, for all intents and purposes, looks to be in great shape and the owner seems meticulous in the care of his other vehicles. (An E38 and an M5 E24).

I did what I have done each time I've procured a car checking for rust, leaks, testing the A/C, hearing it idle, driving it, testing the lights, etc etc. BUT...what am I missing?

I want to put it out to the board to help me with any "gotchas" an untrained eye like mine might not be seeing. In the Volvo world, for example, if the heater core is broken it's sometimes a 'pass' as the project itself is a grueling eight hour task for even a skilled wrench.

Also, with 144K on it and the body being in 7/10 condition - what's a fair price?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Best,

M.J. LaPerch Jr.

Follow up? Did you buy this car?
If it was a no rust car, and in good running condition you would probably fall in love with it. Biggest drawback for me... comfort seats. That's something I would go into it planning to change up from the get go.
I have two, an 87 and an 88. If I bought another I would intend on replacing the fuel pumps with a single in tank high pressure pump, expect to replace the dash or live with cracks, and live with comfort seats while looking for manual sport seats of some kind, and budget for getting the air to work better.