'86 M535i: how bad could it be?

[CreepingJesus]

Just opened this month's PC, and out of what is developing into a habit, I sought out the ad for Bob's Affordable Classics. Right there on P141, is that M535i, at what might well be a reasonable price. It's been there for months, and it's calling to me all right!

It is described as having a noisy diff, fair enough; but how hard are these old BM's to work on? I know some of the newer ones are difficult to do the rear beam/subframe work on, but surely these would be a bit simpler?

I was offered a hound M535i shed for not much money, years ago, in my garage trade days, but passed it up. I've slightly regretted it since, maybe that's why this one keeps staring at me from the coffee table. Should I tear the page out and lob it in the fire, and not be so daft as to consider it?

[Owain-328i]

There easy to work on, dont be scared of BMW's, they are no harder to work on than any other car ive owned (mainly fords).

 

Theres a network of aftermarket parts available through ECP and GSF, i get a lot of stuff from the dealer though as its not as expensive as you may think for some things. Used parts are also plentiful with loads of specialist breakers.

 

A e28 535i will have the M30 lump in it wont it? If so thats a pretty straight forward old donk, good for over 200bhp in standard trim, so a good drive in an e28. And being an M535i shold be a manual and have a limited slip diff at the back, so even more fun!

 

I say go for it, old BM's are great, loads of fun. Im about to fit a 3.0 M3 limited slip diff into my e36 328i, so it should be even more fun shortly!

[pogweasel]

Just the job when pez is about to hit £1.50 a litre!

[Owain-328i]

  pogweasel said:

Just the job when pez is about to hit £1.50 a litre!

 

Dont be a wet blanket

 

Go for it man!!!!

[Pillock]

My answer to the soaring cost of petrol is to make every mile I travel more enjoyable, thus retaining the price-per-smile rate.

I'm seriously considering upgrading from the 318i to a straight six of some sort, the drive is wonderful but I just find it a little lacking sometimes.

I can handle low 30s mpg if it's good fun getting them.

[Pete-M]

Aye, as far as I'm concerned fuel is something we're all gonna get shafted on no matter what.

 

As for the E28, diff won't be cheap, rest of it should be easy enough to put right provided it doesn't need too much welding.

[Owain-328i]

You'l be looking at low 20's around town in any BMW straight six, mines manual which helps a bit, and i see low 20's around town, will do 30+ on a run though. And thats a more modern 24v, so id expect less from a M30 12v

 

As long as the diff is quiet it should be ok, if it is a LSD make sure the correct oil is put in it if you change it. Its different to normal diff oil on BMW's.

 

Defo go for it, you'l love it!

[jnoiles]

Do it! Do it!

 

But if you do I expect pictures of you sporting some sort of 80's era German mullet haired, leather jacket wearing, rock and roll yeah baby look.

 

Go on. You know you want to.

[Owain-328i]

  jnoiles said:

Do it! Do it!

 

But if you do I expect pictures of you sporting some sort of 80's era German mullet haired, leather jacket wearing, rock and roll yeah baby look.

 

Go on. You know you want to.

 

top advice there

[Nervy Si]

I had a 1986 M535i, mine was with the 4-speed switchable auto. I loved it, it was a super-mean car but mine had a lot of trouble with eletrical mishaps and overheating.

 

Rust gets to the front wings, sunroof, sills and jacking points, and also the rear beam mounts (had mine welded). Interior is either Recaro cloth or leather, sometimes even leccy seats. Instruments tend to give up the ghost, they have a weird system that uses two rechargeable AA batteries to power the instrument circuit board - over the years they wear out, or leak, and the instruments go haywire or stop working.I got a used binnacle off Ebay, though I don't know how easy they are to find these days.

 

Cooling is with a viscous fan, and even though I replaced mine after it overheated, it never really filled me with confidence.

 

Wheels from E24, E34, E32 and E31 will fit straight on.

 

They are a good laugh to drive, they sound great and go well and look so cool compared to anonymous modern cars. If it's cheap I reckon you oughta. Have a look at the forum for more info: http://www.forum.bmw5.co.uk

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

That one (Bob's Crassics) has got genuine Alpina rimz - worth 400 quid with decent tyres all day long. Unusual for a diff to be noisy but a good used one won't be more than 150 notes.

Tidy M535i manuals are going up in value now. Bob's had that one a while - wonder how grim it is?

[sporty-shite]

I reckon this should be the four door version of my 635*, in as much as it's manual, has LSD and over 200bhp. If that is the case, you should buy it. My 6 is supa-fun, sounds the business and goes like stink, although it can be a bit of a handful in the wet

 

However, don't expect economy. My speedo doesn't work at the moment, so I can't tell you what I'm getting to the gallon, but I can tell you I'm on much better terms with the bloke in the local pez station!

 

 

 

*Much over-simplified comparison.

[CreepingJesus]

Thanks for the replies, I hadn't heard a lot said about these around these parts, but I was sure some of us would have had to have owned one!

I was thinking that if it were do-able, it would be because there won't be many more chances to bag one before the prices skyrocket. To hell with the fuel economy, it isn't much worse than the Mondeo (says a lot for my driving style, perhaps), and it's pointless worrying about the price of go-juice, it's only going to get worse.

If you see me in Specsavers buying yellow aviators, you'll know what's coming next...!

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

  CreepingJesus said:

Thanks for the replies, I hadn't heard a lot said about these around these parts, but I was sure some of us would have had to have owned one!

I was thinking that if it were do-able, it would be because there won't be many more chances to bag one before the prices skyrocket. To hell with the fuel economy, it isn't much worse than the Mondeo (says a lot for my driving style, perhaps), and it's pointless worrying about the price of go-juice, it's only going to get worse.

If you see me in Specsavers buying yellow aviators, you'll know what's coming next...!

 

 

Put it this way - buy it for 1300 quid (he's had it a while), spend 500 quid sorting it, run it for a year and sell it for 2.5 bags.