1988 BMW 635 CSi...upgraded to a virtual M6, 89K miles

1988 BMW 6-Series 635 CSi Description

OVERVIEW:You will not find a nicer 635CSi with a 5-speed and sport seats. A high-end two-door luxury sports coupe dubbed the 'Bavarian Ferrari,' the 6-series is considered by many to be the most aesthetically pleasing BMW of all time. Just 86,219 units were built between November 1975 and April 1989. About half of those came to the United States.

This car is not your run-of-the-mill 635CSi. First, it is rare because it came from the factory with a manual 5-speed transmission (fewer than 10% of the 1988 model year cars had a manual transmission); second, it was ordered with sports seats and without the problematic and bulky rear A/C unit; last, it has only 89,000 miles on it.

This car has all the looks and 90% of the performance of its M6 cousin, without the fear of expensive repair and maintenance costs, as the mechanicals in this car are unusually reliable, and the parts are readily available. All of the common issues associated with this model have been resolved with the replacement and the upgrading of many components. All of these factors contribute to a more reliable, better handling, better looking BMW.

CONDITION:This car is rust free, has all of the original body panels with no sign of any body repair ever. The paint is shiny and clear, and the interior is in very-good-to-excellent condition. Check the other eBay, Craigslist, and national websites, and you will not find a nicer E24 with a 5-speed manual transmission. I just had the car serviced and it needs nothing. You can drive it across country with confidence. The AC is cold and the engine performs smoothly…no body rattles, the car is tight, and it handles as well as an M6. The car has always been garaged and covered, never driven in snow and never smoked in.

Just had the cylinders compression tested, and the readings were (psi): 158, 160, 158, 161, 158, and 160.

The colors are Diamonschwartz (black) exterior with beautiful Natural (tan) leather interior.

The car appears to be a stock 635CSi, but, with the 5-speed manual transmission upgrade and the suspension upgrade and the upgrades detailed below, it drives and handles like an M6...without the maintenance and repair costs. All of the upgrades contribute to the handling and performance of the car (‘new’ means within the last 8k miles): All new bushings and front control arms, Bilstein Sport shocks, Eibach Pro-Kit springs, Suspension Techniques adjustable sway bars (25/19 mm), Bavarian Autosport stainless front shock tower stress bar, new ceramic brake pads, UUC short shifter, M635 Euro differential (3.73), B&B Tri-flow stainless steel exhaust, Dinan performance chip, 17" BMW Style 5 wheels, new Goodyear Fl tires, M Technic steering wheel, JVC AM/FM Stereo Bluetooth/iPod CD player, upgraded speakers and amp (trunk mounted). The headlights have been upgraded to Hella HID.

The engine uses no oil, runs smooth and was serviced about 2,500 miles ago; it has no issues. I have the service and maintenance history on the car going back to just after it was sold to the first owner. I also have receipts for almost all of the upgrades. All of the gauges work properly. Both front seat heaters work; a new power antenna was installed about 6 months ago (it raises when the radio is turned on, and can also be powered by a separate switch on the dash); both front seats are fully adjustable with the power seat adjustments; the fog lights work as do all of the other lights. Although the brakes work fine presently, my mechanic told me that the brake pressure accumulator ball might need to be replaced in the near future ($480).

ODOMETER (and IMPORT) ISSUES:There are no title or odometer issues with the car. It was originally sold in Victoria, Canada and spent its entire life on the west coast until a BMW enthusiast from Maryland purchased it—he kept it garaged and drove primarily to show it. Since the car was imported into the U.S. from Canada, it has come up as "grey market"…but it is not. Other than the speedometer, which has been replaced, there are no differences between the Canadian version and the U.S. version, as both are considered North American builds and are mechanically and cosmetically identical. I have all of the paperwork from DOT and EPA to document that the car was legally imported into the U.S. I also have documentation about the mileage and the paperwork to show that the original odometer was replaced with a new U.S. odometer by a U.S. BMW dealer. The original Canadian speedometer, which I have, shows that there were 131,182 KILOMETERS on the car when the U.S. speedometer was installed, which equates to about 81,513 miles. There are under 7,900 miles on the U.S. speedometer currently. This equates to a total mileage on the car of approximately 89,400 miles.

HOW TO REACH ME (and extra photos):Please call (or text) me on my cell phone, 858-775-6710 (or email me at scottrpancoast@yahoo.com), and I will be happy to answer any questions about the car—I will try to answer them fully and honestly.