well im looking at picking up an 88 535is 5 speed here tomorrow for $1500 and had a few questions i thought you folks may be able to answer for me. How does the cost of parts compare to say, an 80's era volkswagen? Are there common problem I should be looking to take care of right away? As far as I can tell, everything works in the car. The car has a new radiator, headgasket, wires, plugs, cap, and rotor w/ reciepts to back up all the work. All the electrical switches work and lights and so forth. The car comes with a dinan chip, and exhaust too. Its on some sort of suspension as well as sporting a strut bar up front. Is there someone on here that can PM me a source for finding euro bumpers? And lastly, what are my choices for wheels? Thanks to anyone who can answer ANY of my many questions. :)

Hey dude, well first let me say welcome. Second, you might want to check out mye28.com as that place is a great source of information on our cars.

1. Parts aren't terribly expensive. E28s are one of the cheaper models to own and maintain. Good parts sources are Brian Scroggins and BMW of Chattanooga and Steve Haygood. The best source for used parts is the mye28.com classified section. Brian and Steve have their contact info listed at mye28.com.

2. Common problems have been covered in various faqs, again most of which can be found on mye28. Rear subframe and differential mounts go bad, as well as the bushings in the front suspension. Valves need adjustment periodically. High mileage ECUs sometimes die, but they can be found for about 75 to 100 bucks used. I think that's it for the major issues. They are pretty tough cars when they're maintained properly.

3. Are you really sure you want euro bumpers? Trust me when I say that they really are not that durable and that even a light tap from another car can really screw your car up. Plus if the car is a 535is it'll have that front air dam that is getting harder to find these days. I do believe that Brian has a set of euro bumpers at the dealership still, but they will be roughly a grand to buy and they are not exactly a bolt on deal.

4. Wheels...well basically any 5/6/7 series wheels will fit. If you buy wheels that were meant for an e39, you will need hubcentric rings from the Tire Rack. A 20mm offset is ideal, though anything from a 15mm to 25mm offset should fit without having to roll the rear fenders.

Thanks for the advice bro, appreciate it. And the more and more i look at the US bumpers that have been pushed in, the more I like that style. Thanks again, and I'll be sure to post up pics tomorrow morning after I pick it up. :buttrock

Post pictures already !!!

Post pictures already !!!

Shut it chris! Why post pics when I can be driving it! :redspot

I'm posting this..

so that I may get to..

the

required number..

of posts in order..

to be able to..

post pictures of my..

awesome 535is..

which is now sitting in my..

driveway!!

I hope that I can post pics with 20 posts. LOL

I think its 25 posts. Get on it!

I think its 25 posts. Get on it!

:D

de witt, here you go..

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=782825