View Full Version : FS: 1997 528iA Silver/modded/wheels/exhaust $7900.00


NORCAL/335i
10-03-2007, 04:36 PM
I purchased this car at the beginneing of May and now I want to get rid of her. The E39 just is not for me. I need to free up some cash. Plus I have my eye on a really clean 1991 318is so I am very motivated to sell. The price is open to a small degree of flexibility but not by much. I will entertian ALL seroius offers. Lowballers will not be responded to. READ THE AD!!! The craigslist link posted below has most of the needed info about the car. Ignore the price in the link. It has been lowered a bit for BFC. I would like to see this car go to someone who will enjoy it more than I and possibly fix it up the rest of the way. If you want more pics post your email and I will send them over to you.

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/car/437146610.html

I had the car inspected by the Indy BMW shop I use after I purchased it. They told me the cooling system and the tranny had been replaced sometime during the car's life. Probably within the last 50K or so. Though I do not have the service records they can be obtained through Brecht BMW. I think the dealership is in San Diego, CA but I'm not certain. I do know it is somewhere down in Southern California. For my fellow BFC potetial buyers I will get very picky about what is wrong with the car. As with any used car it is not perfect. I will start with the most costly and work my way down. Here it goes.

- Per shop's recommendation the thrust arms will need replacing in about 5-10 thousand miles. The car gets the usual 50-60 MPH shimmy. However this only happens after the first few miles of driving after the car has been sitting overnight. I was going to have this done when I got the springs/struts/sways put in. I was quoted $325.00 to have this fixed.

- One of the power steering hoses seeps a bit of fluid. It's not even enough to hit the ground or keep topping off the PS pump. I was quoted $165.00 to have this fixed.

- The passenger side power seat does not move forwards or backwards. ALL other seat functions work though. Someone on BFC has the switch for me I just have not bought it yet. I was quoted $165.00 to have this fixed.

- The previous owner put non-OEM pads in the rear. They clatter a bit when going over bumpy roads. They also don't have the sensor in them so the gauge cluster shows the brake warning light. I was quoted $120.00 to have OEM rear pads installed.

- One touch up function does not work when you try to close the passenger side front window from the driver's controls. The driver side rear window switch does not work either. I don't think this switch is bad. I think it just came unplugged. These switches are both cheap and easy to replace.

- The cup holders were broken so I took them out completely. This part is $30.00 dollars from the dealership.

- The previous owner put a really cheap fleamarket headunit in the car. It has now gone out. An OEM deck can be purchased off of Ebay or you can go down to a stereo shop and have a nice HU put in. The speakers though not premium do sound good. None are blown out.

-About six weeks ago the car was vandalized while sitting at my Mother's house overnight. The WHOLE car was keyed except for the roof. Luckily I was fully covered. The paint, which is only two weeks old is of top quality. ALL bumpers, lights, mouldings, and trim were removed with the exception of the windshield, rear window, and sunroof. The cost was about $4200.00 dollars. I did, however put a small ding in the car the other day. I parked too close to my Tahoe and opened the door of it into the top of the passenger side rear door right above the door handle of the BMW.:mad

- Lastly, After I bought it I found out it would not smog. Yes, I know it is the seller's responsibility to smog but I was being Mr. Niceguy and it bit me in the ass again. After taking it to the Indy shop I used they found out that the portion of the cluster that contains the CEL and some other warning lights was burned out. I was also throwing a code about the cats being bad. That is why the Maganflow units were installed. To get this mess figured out I bought a used cluster off of ebay. The current cluster shows 127,XXX. The car actually has the 142,XXX I have advertised. DMV knows of this milage discrepancy. I am also supposed to get a sticker of some sort from the Indy shop so that the real milegae is known by those who may work on it.

The asking price is $7,900.00 or best offer. I am more than willing to lower the price a bit in order to offset the cost of these repairs. The uninstalled suspension parts mentioned in the craigslist ad will come with the car at no additional charge. It is for sale locally and on autotrader too. As I said before it really is a great car that gets superb gas mileage for being a somewhat heavy I6 powered vehicle. It is a fantastic cruiser and gets lots of looks/compliments when I drive it. I have driven it nearly everyday since I took up ownership. It has never given me ANY trouble. I hope this list of problems does not scrare any potential buyers off. I am only trying to be as up front as I possibly can about it's condition. Both mechanically and cosmetically. If you have any other questions please ask. I will check this ad frequently. As I said before. For more pics just post your Email. Thanks for looking. ONCE MORE THE PRICE IS $7,900.00 OBO.

Abe

jamesdc4
10-04-2007, 01:18 AM
GL on selling it. Sorry to hear that you aren't going to remain an E39er. May I ask why you have abandoned the E39 calling?
Maybe an upgrade to a 540 would do the trick.:devillook

Jamie

Yankee802
10-04-2007, 05:33 AM
Too bad you are on the west coast! I have a beautifull '91 318is I'm going to replace with another BMW, we need our 3rd BMW to be an automatic so the wife can use it as a daily driver to keep the miles off her M3. And yours looks a lot like my M5. Want to meet at the Mississippi? :)

NORCAL/335i
10-04-2007, 10:03 AM
Too bad you are on the west coast! I have a beautifull '91 318is I'm going to replace with another BMW, we need our 3rd BMW to be an automatic so the wife can use it as a daily driver to keep the miles off her M3. And yours looks a lot like my M5. Want to meet at the Mississippi? :)

Anything is possible. I'm always up for a roadtrip. I have family in Missouri too. That sounds like a nice halfway point. I would need at least 4k if not a bit more on top of your 318is though. The ones I'm looking at out here are priced anywhere from $2500.00 all the way up to $4500.00 depending on the condition and mods it has. Why don't you send me some pics? As to why I'm getting out of E39 ownership. I like BMWs with round headlights, I.E. any 5er 95 or older or any 3er 91 or older. An E39 540i6 might have gotten me hooked a bit more on this particular model but I simply can't afford one of those or I would have just bought one in the first place.:)

Abe

reelizmpro
10-04-2007, 08:03 PM
E39's do have round headlights, they are just enclosed.

NORCAL/335i
10-05-2007, 12:45 AM
E39's do have round headlights, they are just enclosed.

I'm aware of that. But I think you know what I mean.:rolleyes:D

Abe