Not E30.. but M635 question

[black320]

Ok just a quick one and I know it's not an E30 one but all the same. I have an 320i cabrio which I am very happy with but saw a M635 1985 for sale for Ԛ┚¬5000. I live in Italy.

What is the low down on this car, reliable, expensive to run, unleaded fuel ok on a '85???? etc etc

Any help would be appreciated.

Also I noticed that you can pick up 635 in Autotrader for a couple of grand, but maybe these need plenty of work or is resale market just not very strong for them?

Thank for help, cheers.

Neil

[Ant]

635 is Ok on unleaded, as for the car, value seems about OK, be very very careful when buying one of these, the inner wings rot out in plaes you'll never spot, sills and boot floor corners are prone too.

test for rotten inners by putting your hand up inside the wing, between the inner and outer, pull out all the mud hiding there and then feel along the inner edge with firm finger pressure, if its soft and crunchy walk away !!

good luck with your intended purchase dude, they're good cars, almost as good as e30s....

[black320]

Cheers for the help. I got back a couple of pics from the seller of the car but he wouldn't answer my questions on service history etc (not uncommon in Italy as many cars come with nothing) so a bit suss but have asked again for more info.

If not it will be many more happy miles in the E30 cab for me!!

Cheers,

Neil

[AndyTouring]

I think 5k euros is about Ԛ£3k which is very cheap for an M635 in the UK. Top condition cars are Ԛ£10k + here. Bear in mind that a top end overhaul will cost around Ԛ£3k.

Things to check:

Timing chain need changing every 100k miles or else.

All bushes & joints in the front suspension wear out leading to all sorts of problems like wheel shimmy etc. Can be expensive changing them all.

Rust - everywhere especially the wings. They're Ԛ£520 each + paint + fitting. Might not be so much of a problem in Italy.

Electrics - the less the better really. Electric seats can give trouble if not excercised regularly.

The cars are mechanically tough if looked after.

Just make sure it's solid mechanically & bodily as costs really mount up. You can't make a silk purse out of a pigs ear with one of these.

[Chaos]

Also I noticed that you can pick up 635 in Autotrader for a couple of grand, but maybe these need plenty of work or is resale market just not very strong for them?

Thank for help, cheers.

Neil

big big differences between the 635 and M635