1985 BMW 6-Series

Coupe

3.5 Liter 6 Cylinder

Manual

WBAEC8401F0612090

Clear

GAS

Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE “I’ve” hit “middle age.” “We’ve” downsized to a two-car garage. I am not happy about it, but it is…, what it is. It’s time. My knees hurt when I shift and I don’t drive her much anymore. My dream car must find a new “forever home.” OK, let’s do this. Let’s do it before I talk my wife into adding another garage bay and buy cortisone from the offshore pharmacy that keeps calling me offering “the little blue pills your wife will love you for buying.” After thirty-three years the “pills my wife would love me for buying” would make me sleep forever. “She” is a 1985 BMW 635CSi with a five speed. My third one. The best one. She has just under 77,000 miles on her as of today. I bought her from a gentleman, Glen, in San Diego just a few years ago. It was an opportunity I could not pass up. She was beautiful. She hasn’t needed much, but I have had a lot of fun fixing little things. When I bought her, she had some non-factory upgrades, like the Recaro seats, which are wonderful. The original radio was replaced with a Sony CD unit and speakers. At some point, one owner put the European flares on her, Glen didn’t know whom or when, it was like that when he bought her. The power windows are tinted. The dash was recovered with a plastic shell liner (see the link below), which is very common with eighties 635CSi’s. I found a set of 17” Type 5 wheels and put a nice set of Michelin Primacy 235/45 R17’s on. They are wonderful and look fantastic. They have about two thousand miles on them now. I love the smooth ride and grip. I just realized I paid $1,000 for those tires and another $1,000 for the wheels. I can’t believe I am selling this car. Middle age really sucks. You can eat at Denny’s on the senior menu, but you have to give your car up? This is so wrong. I drove her mostly on weekends, as time permitted. I fixed the idle miss (MAF dirty,) replaced the electric antenna, replaced the bad hoses, put a new power steering/brake pump in, replaced the belts, new air filter, and I recharge the r134a air conditioning about once a year. I replaced the crankshaft seals (there are two,) oil pan gasket and a timing cover gasket, all were leaking from sitting too long. I replaced the radiator for no other reason than I thought it was time. I found a brand new factory unit on a bulletin board and snatched it up. I replaced the coolant at the same time. I put new "bonnet lifts" in (aka hood struts,) because they were starting to get weak. I put front brakes and rotors in a few weekends ago. I don’t know why, I just thought it was time. I will do the rears probably next weekend; I already have the rotors, pads and sensor. I can’t think of anything else you will want to do once you have her. She obviously runs beautifully and the transmission, synchros and clutch shift like butter. BTW: Glen replaced the air conditioning compressor and dryer in October of 2010. I know the compressor was remanufactured, not new. The sunroof, windows and mirrors all work, no worries. The power seat & memory buttons are not operational; (the Recaros are not power seats.) I pulled the fuse because the wiring is still sitting in the center console, taped up, in case someone wants to put factory seats back in. The mileage is real. The CarFax will verify it. How does one end up with an ’85 and only 70,000+ miles on it? I don’t know. If I had it when new it would have 300,000 miles on it now. In 1985 I bought a 735i, we had a one year old and another on the way. I wanted that 635CSi, but couldn’t see giving the kids up for adoption during their break-in period, thus the 7 series. I should have thought about it more. Is it as pretty as the pictures? Yes it is. I have taken her out twice in the last few weeks and been honked at with big smiles both times. I get “roll down your windows!” at every light. People love this car, especially those that recognize it as BMW’s most loved Ultimate Driving Machine. Is it as much fun to drive as it looks? Oh, hell yes. There is nothing like driving this car with the sunroof open and listening to that melodic straight six hum. Nothing. It’s the entire reason BMW makes cars. Elegant, fast, slips through corners and those sounds, oh those sounds only a BMW with a five speed can make. (I am going to talk myself into that third garage bay, I can feel it coming. Deep breaths, we’re downsizing, we’re downsizing….) She needs a good home. She needs to be with someone who will drive her and remember the window sticker was bumping $50,000 in 1985 and worth every dime. She needs to be driven, not garaged. Let me know if you have any questions. I would feel better knowing someone was buying her that really appreciated her. CK Questions I am frequently asked: Q) “What brakes did you put in?” A) I put Bosch Quietcast rotors in with Bosch pads. I love them. I have put them in my 3, 5, 6 and 7-Series and had the best luck with them. They’re not drilled for extra cooling but I don’t drive them hard. I am more of a mileage guy. I have never had a set squeal or warp, so I am sticking with them. Q) “Did you convert the air-conditioning?” A) I didn’t do it, Glen did it, but the answer is yes. r134a. I think it has a micro-leak because when summer comes around I usually end up charging it. I don’t drive her much in the summer because black on black, with leather, that’s an Arizona nightmare when you are wearing shorts. Q) “Does it have rear air-conditioning?” A) No, this one does not. I had an ’86 with rear air-conditioning and would not buy another one with that feature. VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX…… Q) “Why the M6 badging?” A) I have no idea. I would guess whoever put the European body work on also put the M-Series badging. I bought a 635CSi factory trunk emblem, I’ll put it in the glovebox. Q) “Does it overheat?” A) No. Not at all. New radiator with factory coolant. Center of the gauge as if it were true North. Q) “Spare Tire?” A) Full size spare. Q) “Is the sunroof glass?” A) No, it’s metal and painted to match the car. None of the three I had came with a glass moonroof. Q) “Will my love life improve if I buy this car?” A) This was not the case for me. But I may be the anomaly. If you watched the ads in 1985, they were marketing these cars to “car guys.” Love department improvement was never part of the equation. Buy the car, you let me know. Q) “What does it sound like? Is it really that different?” A) Here’s a video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-15EIm51Qs0 That car is a true M-Series, you can hear it when he rolls the gas back on in the curve, but it sounds almost identical. Yes, to a BMW car nut, this is as good as it gets. Q) “What does it cost to insure it?” A) I pay $200 a year for a collector’s policy. It limits me to 5,000 miles a year, but that’s pretty reasonable. It’s insured for $9,000. Q) “I’ll give you $7,000 cash and pick it up tomorrow.” A) Sure. Throw in a Cessna 421C Golden Eagle with low engine hours and an IFR glass panel, we’ve got a deal. Q) “I live in California, Nevada, Utah….can you deliver it?” A) Sure. I would love one last ride. But it would have to be in June. Typically I have used a car transportation broker when I buy a car, and I can help you with that. Q) “Are you a car broker?” A) No. I just love BMW’s. I bought my first one in 1976, a 1975 red 2002. I think I have had close to thirty of them over the last thirty-eight years. Check my listings for cars I have sold, nothing but “sincere thanks and appreciation.” I take good care of my cars. I am a nerd, not a car broker. Q) “I want the car, but I need a couple weeks to get the money together, can I buy it?” A) No. I really expect payment within seven days. I want to park my "everyday" 525i back in the garage before the summer heat rolls into the desert. Q) “How many miles will I get on this engine before I have to rebuild it?” A) You know, that is hard for me to tell you because I didn’t own the car in 1985. But my guess is, close to 200,000 miles. It was never abused, you can tell. She only has 76,900 miles on her. She’s going to go a long, long time. The emissions test was flawless, I can send it to you if you would like. One of the three 6-Series I owned had 196,000 miles on it and ran beautifully. It’s a really solid engine. Q) “I want to buy this car for my son as his first car…..” A) Ouch. Please don’t. That’s like giving him a bottle of 18 Year Old scotch for his 16th birthday. He’s going to get in an accident in the car and puke the scotch. I love this car too much to have it get crunched (or puked in.) Buy him something with airbags.Q) "Will it pass California....Ontario......New Delhi.....emissions?"A) Lot of questions again today (three in one hour!) around just California emissions. The car has US & California emissions stickers from the factory for 1985. It'll be fine to take it back to California and have it pass a smog test. If you would like a picture of the sticker under the hood, whistle and I will email you one. We're only allowed 24 pictures on eBay and I don't want to delete any of them.