Back in October (2020) I fell into this 535i that was owned by an old friend's dad who'd passed away a few years back. The friend's family decided to finally sell it but wanted to keep it in the family... I'd been wanting another 2002 for years, found a couple great 2002 Tourings, but couldn't quite find the cash... so now I'm back in a vintage BMW after 10 years without and couldn't be happier about it.
So far it's a great car that just needs some refreshing and TLC. Previous owner found it in Ohio and bought it from the original owner (a dentist). He took good care of it until he passed, mostly with Bullet Motorworks in Costa Mesa.
Here's what I know about so far:
- 1986 535i
- 5 speed
- 120,000 miles or so
- No rust
- No missing pieces
- Very straight body, no dings or damage
- Interior in decent condition but could use a re-dye and a repair on the driver's seat
- Failed CosmosBlau metallic paint
- Failed dash
- Style 5 basketweaves on Michelins
- Lightweight flywheel (supposedly)
- Bilsteins and H&R lowering springs (as far as I can tell)
- Might be chip'ed
- A tiny bit of a rough idle but runs strong
- Odometer gear seems to have been taken care of or never been a problem, mileage is supported by records
- Service interval lights/battery seems to have been taken care of
- Came with service records going back to 2011 and a few from before, shipping documentation from when it moved to California, original owners manual and cassette tape, and original sales receipt!!
- My friend still has the original tape back which will be going back into it after I sort out a bluetooth conversion
Here she is in Topanga Canyon after I picked her up in October:
And here, mid euro conversion (mostly completed in May):
Here's the original owner's manual and window sticker from when it was bought new in Ohio:
We should do an LA meet-up or something.