1988 BMW 5-Series

535is Sedan

3.4L Straight 6 Cylinder Gasoline Fuel

Manual

WBADC7402J1717391

Gasoline

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE 1988 BMW 535is - Zinnoberrot Red w/ Black Leather Interior Up for sale is a very well maintained and clean E28 535is. This is not a show car but would make a very solid base for a really nice restoration. That has been my intent since I purchased it in 2009 but I’ve come to the realization that with two young kids and all of the time commitments related to them, my project days are over for now. This is a very strong and smooth running older bimmer with the hearty long-block M30 motor and rock-solid Getrag 260/5-speed transmission. It handles like a dream and is great fun to drive. I’ve done my best to give a thorough description of the car below but feel free to email me with any questions or requests for more pics of specific areas. EXTERIOR This car had one owner from new before I purchased it off of auction. It was bought new in Rockville, MD at VOB and must have been garage kept all of its life and not driven in winter weather because it is absolutely rust free. It has a super-solid underbody, and chassis all around. The chromed trim pieces around the windows and windshields are nice and bright and only show minor oxidation that could be polished out to perfect easily. She does need a paint job and some minor bodywork for a few dings and ripples here and there. The front driver’s side corner panel is pushed in just an inch or so in front of the wheel – I didn’t even notice until I had it for a week. When I bought it the guy that had it up on eBay had it detailed and waxed in effect hiding the real finish, which I soon discovered after a good washing. I suspect it was partially re-sprayed at some point because the hood, roof, and trunk lid are pretty glossy, but all four fenders are dull and chalky looking close up. The glass and weather seals are very good and clean all the way around as well. One of the black rubber trim pieces on the rear passenger side door is scuffed and slightly bent from a scrape on the way out of the garage, otherwise all exterior trim is complete and in very good condition too. The front valance specific to the “is” model is a little chafed up and has one small crack about 5 inches long in the center from some obvious curb scrapes, but is solid otherwise and could be easily patched up and repainted without replacement. One of the fog lights in the valence is cracked and in-op. The rocker panels and fender lips are exceptionally solid and, again, RUST-FREE! The front bumper is nice and shiny. The rear bumper has lost its clear coat and is dull, but otherwise solid. The “is” spoiler on the rear trunk lid is solid and complete. All exterior lights and markers are clear, no cracks, and in working order. SPECIAL NOTE - I have a nice, complete, chrome, European front and rear bumper set with all rubber trim pieces and mounting brackets. The exterior chrome of the bumpers is faded a bit, but not rusted. There is some surface rust on the interior side of the bumpers but they are not dinged anywhere and very ready for refinishing. I also have an even nicer set of Euro front grills and headlights with clear and crack-free glass and bulbs. I will include all of these items with the sale of the vehicle for the “BUY IT NOW PRICE” ONLY. Otherwise, I will sell them in separate auctions after the sale of the car is complete. I can provide detailed pictures of these items upon request to any interested buyers. INTERIOR The interior of this car is very clean and in great condition compared to many I’ve seen. It has the Recaro sport leather seats in black. There is one portion of the seam on the driver’s seat outer bolster, about 4 inches long, that has been sewn back together (prior to my ownership). Other than that there are no other rips, tears, or holes anywhere in the seats. The 8-way power adjustments for both front seats work perfectly. The carpets are clean, dry, and complete. There is some light staining on the passenger side that is covered by the fitted floor mats. The perforated leather door cards and arm rests are perfect on all four doors. All power windows work well as does the two-way (tilt and slide) sunroof. Everything inside is original with the exception of an Alpine AM/FM/CD head unit with removable faceplate and a set of ultimate floor mats that I bought from Bavarian Autosport in NH. The headliner is clean and intact with no rips or holes.. All lights and accessories work fine with the exception of the A/C. The A/C compressor was replaced at some point in its history with an aftermarket unit. It stopped working in summer 2010. I charged it once but it leaked down again after about three weeks. A real OEM compressor and some new high pressure fittings should do the trick, but I have not driven often enough to bother with that expense. There are a few cracks in the usual spots on the dash around the center air vent, none in the tray, none on the instrument cluster. MECHANICAL The odometer is inoperative as of July 2010 and 169,999 miles. If you’re familiar with these cars, you’ve probably read that the small plastic gears that turn the odometer numbers get brittle and crack at some point (usually when the car is about to turn a 10,000’s mark like mine). Since then I have tracked my mileage using a GPS APP on my Android phone. It is not 100% accurate, but the mileage as I’ve tracked it is somewhere between 176K – 177K currently. I recently purchased a set of replacement gears for the odo, but haven’t cracked it open to replace them yet. I reported the in-op odometer when I moved and registered the car in PA this past summer (2011). The car passed PA state safety inspection, but did not pass emissions at that time. I put the original air cleaner assembly back on it (had a K&N conical) and replaced the oxygen sensor, but still didn’t pass. It will most likely need a new catalytic converter to pass. If I were to keep the car in PA, I’d probably just register it as a classic at this point. That was all easier to deal with in MD as it was registered “Historic” and didn’t have to pass either test. Here are the highlights of what I’ve done mechanically with the car. These along with the exceptionally rust-free chassis and clean interior represent the real value in this vehicle: SUSPENSION OVERHAUL – April 2010 - Installed new Bilstein HD gas shocks front and rear, rear spring pads, bump stops, stabilizer bar links, and pitman arms. All parts from Bavarian Autosport. REPLACED FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS – January 2011 – At BMW of Towson (MD) - (2) front wheel bearing hub kits and dust caps, suspected bearing noise and replaced in trial-and-error, noise still present. REPLACED FRONT BRAKES – May 2011 - (2) OEM BMW front brake rotors and pads from Bavarian Autosport, suspected slightly warped rotors causing road noise and shimmy on hard braking, cured shimmy, noise still present, old cross-vented rotors were within thickness spec, kept as spares. Rear brakes are in great shape, with smooth rotors and thick pads. REPLACED TIRES – June 2011 - (4) new Yokohama AVID Envigor 225/50R16 – (same size as the OEM tires on the M5 version of the E28). I had a bad low-speed and moderate high-speed tire noise on the Toyo Proxes 205/55-R16 tires that came with the car. New Yoko's cured that completely, very smooth and quiet now. Also, the other noise and vibration I had been chasing (ala brakes and bearings) turned out to be cured with a very simple $20 set of hub-centering rings that go on the spindles before mounting the aftermarket Mille-Miglia rims. It rides super-smooth, quiet, and straight-as-an-arrow now. Less than 1K miles on these currently. I have complete records and receipts for all of the items/work that I’ve done on the car since purchased in March 2009. I’ve only driven it about 11,000 miles since then and have maintained it with regular oil and filter changes, etc. It has no oil leaks and will make a great, solid, project car or daily driver for someone that wants a true classic Bimmer.Vehicle is located in SE Pennsylvania. Shipping and/or local pickup can be arranged but is at the cost of the buyer exclusively. I will deliver the car to the nearest shipping depot in my area if requested by the buyer. Thanks for reading and happy bidding!