Son of Farquhar

Hi all,
On the heels of my earlier post about the E28.
I've come across an 82 633csi for sale.
The stats;

Charcoal gray/tan leather
5 speed
49,000 original miles

$7,500

I haven't driven the car yet, but gave a good lookover this afternoon. This car is like a timewarp;
Body- 9.5 (some minor chips on the hood) No rust. lower front valence is aged, but in perfect shape
underside of doors are spotless, as are inner fenders

Interior- 9.9 No cracks, seats perfect, everything works

Engine appears to have no leaks, underside appears dry. Engine compartment is spotless (of course I assume its been detailed)

Now my questions,
Any previous or current owners out there withe some thoughts??
How durable is the 3.3 engine?
Will this car last a very,very long time?
What do I need to look for on the test drive?
I will of course have a PPI done.

Thanks!

Paul







71 240z (mmmm)
92 Mazda Mx-6 (timex, just keeps tickin)
73 911 (soon, very soon)

sweanders

Sounds expensive for a 633 that old.

Son of Farquhar

I agree, I think $5,000 would be more like it (given its condition). If it was another 100-200K+ car, it would most likely only be worth $3,000 or so.

Thanks,
Paul

special tool

Paul, thought of a 636csi Euro??? Dogleg trans, no door bracing, 218 hp higher comp. engine, cloth Recaro sport seats, etc., etc.

Dirk Tanner

At that age, price is entirely dependent on condition. Sounds like you've stumbled across a gem. Ask yourself, what else could you buy for the $?

Hey, isn't that the car Maddy drove on Moonlighting? I feel a song coming on.

I would talk w/ an independent BMW garage to see what the weak points/problem areas are for the year/model, and see if they've been addressed. A Bimmer dealer wouldn't have a clue in all likelyhood.

Like buying a cheap Ferrari, parts don't care if they're bound for a $5K car or a $5M car, they're all equally expensive.

Good Luck,
DT

ettsn

Maddie drove a 635CSi, but nonetheless it sounds like a nice car. The E24 is mechanically similar to the E12/E28 5 series upon which it is based, so much of the advice from that post still applies. $7500 sounds steep for a 633. If it were a 635, then it might be a different story, as the later car is more refined. If he'll take something south of that (say about $5500 or so), it might well be worth it. Certainly sounds nice from your description. If you like it, get a PPI, negotiate to a price you feel is fair and get the thing! You'll enjoy it, no doubt.

-Paul

Son of Farquhar

Thanks, guys, for the thoughts....

I drove it yesterday, and it was cool. Very classy. The interior looked brand new. But of course, with any 20+ old car there some minor issues but it doesn't matter; the guy will not budge on his price of $8,800(!); I thought it was 7,500 for some reason.
So I walked.......

Just as well because:
a) I liked the 535i we drove a month ago MUCH better (more power/more nimble)
b)My girlfriend (who the car is for), has decided to bail out of the hunt for a used bimmer and is getting a new Civic (oh well, at least its a 5 speed) since she must turn her leased Jetta in next Thursday.

Caveman

Hi Son,

Bad luck on not moving your girlfriend into an old beemer. I tricked my wife into taking over my old 528i (1985 E28 model) when we sold her old Peugeot and she loves it. So much so that when this one eventually dies she'll let us get a newer one to replace it (mmmmmmmmm 535i anyone?!).

At least the Civic is a manual and you can always rice it up a little.

Cheers,

David

Jonas Goldsmith

In my opinion the 6 is a very cool car, if you have lots of money for upkeep... they are notoriously the most troublesome bimmers on the road. I love the way that they look though... they are freakin land sharks!!!

John..

I can speak first hand on those older 6 series cars.

In a nutshell they are great if well maintained, if not they are a hornet's nest....sort of like a 928

I always liked the styling of those, but my favorite Bimmer is the 3.0 CSi...about 1972