1987 BMW 535iS 5 speed zinno red, tons of new parts

[AndrewH]

Hello guys, up for sale is my 1987 BMW 535iS (e28) with the 5 speed and M30b34 straight six cylinder engine. Car is zinnoborot red on tan sport interior. I bought this car in of October 2007. I am the second owner. The original owner bought the car brand new in 1987 from Circle BMW back when it was located in Shrewsbury, NJ. Through the years I’ve replaced a ton of parts to bring the car back to shape and serve as a reliable daily driver. The car came with every option from the factory, including LSD rear end. iS front airdam and rear trunk spoiler are still there in good shape. The iS front valences are usually pretty destroyed but as you’ll see mine is in very good shape. The car is in great condition for its age and mileage, especially cosmetically. I have service records for the car since it was new. The previous owner rebuilt the head/headgasket at 100k miles. The car’s paintjob is in awesome shape, very minimal dings and scratches, and I’m not just saying this, I am attaching close-up pictures of the paint on the various panels. The car really cleans up nice and shines with depth. The car has about 263k miles although the odometer gave out in June of 2011. This car has been extremely reliable to me and has never let me stranded. I have driven the car from NJ to Boston. Providence, Philly and back etc. I really hate to let it go but I have three BMW’s and it’s not financially responsible for me to keep all of them at once.

The good:

The car starts every time, winter or summer, like I said it has never failed me once or left me stranded in the 4 years I’ve owned it. All the windows work, but the rears go up pretty slow. I never had the rears down when driving the car so it never really bothered me. All other electronics work, all the dash and OBC features. Sunroof works great, all motorized seat functions work, even the elusive headrests and motorized sport seat thigh bolsters! Power antenna even functions correctly. Car will come with an OEM BMW security system that includes 2 old school one button Alpine remotes (these remotes are extremely rare and almost impossible to find today) that emit a glorious “80’s chirp” when locking/unlocking the doors. Interior is in great shape minus the ripped drivers seat. The other seats and leather are in beautiful shape including the door panels. The car still runs amazing, it pulls very strong in any gear and will cruise at 85mph all day long on the parkway. NJ inspection good until August of 2013, which it will be eligible for antique plates anyway. Forgot to mention the toolkit in the trunk is 98% complete which is a very rare occurrence. I even had the little blue BMW rag that came with it but alas I think I may have thrown it out accidentally over the years. The car was NEVER overheated and the temperature stays dead on, even in traffic in 100 degree temperatures in the summer. The needle sits right to the left of the center of the gauge. It’s funny, I’ve spent all my modification money on my e34 and yet I still manage to get more comments, compliments, and inquiries about the little old red BMW rather than the newer e34. Car’s exterior was also claybar’d, polished, and waxed recently. Any spare parts I have will be included with the car as I have tons of things, extra headlights, relays, toolkit parts, jack, sunroof wind deflector, old injectors, etc.

Here is a list of the parts I’ve replaced since I’ve owned the car:

-New Bosch starter
-new seals in master cylinder
-sunroof drains have been blown out with compressed air
-good inspection until August 2013
-Bosch Icon frameless wipers
-elbow hose from MAF to airbox
-new rear OEM strut mounts
-completely rebuilt Bosch yellow injectors, all new seals, o-rings, and pintel caps
-valve cover gasket
-brake fluid flushed and refilled
-differential mount
-water pump
-radiator cap
-fix ebrake button and recently adjusted e-brake
-15” e34 style 5 rims with centercaps
-thermostat
-power steering hose
-pitman arms AKA dogbones
-complete coolant flush including block
-hose to CSV
-all belts
-new catalytic converter
-Bosch 02 sensor
-many vacuum lines
-hood shocks
-valve adjustments, most recent in July of 2011
-fuel pump
-sway bar links
-fuel filter
-fan clutch
-trunk gasket
-brake bomb
-interior temperature sensor for HVAC system
-completely rebuilt shifter; all new bushings
-rubber boot that blocks heat under shifter
- many new lightbulbs
-replaced EVERY bulb in the dashboard
-OBC light bar
-coolant temp sensor
-coolant temp sensor for ECU
-antenna motor with new mast
-stock headunit
-crankcase breather hose
-flushed transmission with Redline
-flushed differential with Royal Purple
-spark plugs
-new roundels
-cap
-rotor
-bezel for headlight and foglight switches
-cleaned AFM and ICV
-new fuel pressure regulator
-power steering fluid flush and refill
-new hazard light and rear defroster switches
-reset oil lights
-paint airbox
-fix iS front valence
-fix foglight mounts
-kidney grills, headlight grills and sideview mirrors were all resprayed with PlastiDip
-main relay
-fuel pump relay
-new battery
-new battery cut-off switch

lThe bad:

Although the car is in good shape for its age please keep in mind it is 24 years old. There are several issues with the car. There is some rust in the rear bumper shocks and in the front rocker panels behind the front wheels. Also a small hole in the rear spare tire well. The rust is NOT visible from the exterior of the car and is very typical for the e28 chassis. As expected, the AC blows lukewarm. The rear windows work as mentioned but roll up very slow. The driver’s seat is the worst aspect of the interior. It is ripped pretty bad on the side bolster and seat cushion from going in and out of the car for 24 years. The drivers side door lock cylinder is broken and the actuator for that door is quirky. It works sometimes and others it doesn’t. The car has an original BMW alarm system with 2 classic old school 1 button remotes (very rare) that still open the doors. The odometer literally just stopped working this summer. I was driving my e34 around and had the e28 stored in the garage and when I started driving the e28 in the beginning of the summer the ODO gave up the ghost. The passenger side chrome strip that runs along the the roofline flew off the first time I ever drove the car on the highway. The muffler came off recently so the car is loud. I’m a ricer (lol just kidding) so I like the sound. Sounds mean when getting on the throttle but alas it is loud. The passenger side foglight is cracked. It also could use subframe bushings. I want someone to continue restoring the car to bring back the Red Barron back to its glory even more. I am disclosing everything I can think of so there are no surprises when you come to look at the car.

DISCLAIMER: If you are a 50 year old guy who has always wanted one of these, or are trying to find one because you had one back in college or the early 90’s and are looking for a concours car, this is not your vehicle! If you have to ask yourself if you are one of these people you probably are. The car is in great condition but it is a daily driver and is 24 years old, not everything is going to be like it just rolled off the showroom.

So sorry for the saga, but as you can probably tell I am a hardcore BMW enthusiast, I have owned 8 or 9 of them since I got my license and I managed to hold onto this e28 for 4 years, a very long time for me, that’s how much I LOVE this car. It’s funny, I’ve spent all my modification money on my e34 and yet I still manage to get more comments, compliments, and inquiries about the little red BMW rather than the newer e34. I like my cars to be top notch in appearance and accordingly perform the same mechanically. All parts were replaced with quality BMW parts that came with the car from the factory, no EBAY Chinese garbage. My friends and family have nicknamed this car the Red Barron and I think it’s pretty appropriate. The car is very special to me and I’d like someone to buy it and continue the restoration. A fair warning to all, you may see a grown young man shed a few tears as you drive it away as I’ve become very attached to this car and really hate to see it go.

$3500 for BF.C members, I have it listed for more on craigslist

Most recent pictures I have on the exterior from a few weeks ago:






















When I first got the car, cleaning the interior:






Replaced EVERY bulb in the dash:



Bright light bar in OBC:

[whoareyou]

For your pictures to show up you need to use the HTML code links that start [img]

[AndrewH]

My 6 series will also be for sale soon!

[shu328]

Awesome pic!

A clean, polished, waxed Zinno E28 is a truly awesome sight ... car looks amazing!

I am close and would love to take her off your hands ... just horrible timing for me

Edit: You forgot to mention mileage

[AndrewH]

Awesome pic!

A clean, polished, waxed Zinno E28 is a truly awesome sight ... car looks amazing!

I am close and would love to take her off your hands ... just horrible timing for me

Edit: You forgot to mention mileage

Nope it's there, about 263k

[AndrewH]

Deposit taken from sonicpentatonic, car is sold as of now.

[shu328]

Deposit taken from sonicpentatonic, car is sold as of now.

Awesome!

[DTMkarnage]

Hey whats up man?..You wouldnt be interested in a trade for a 300zx turbo..would you??.. LOL

[AndrewH]

Hey whats up man?..You wouldnt be interested in a trade for a 300zx turbo..would you??.. LOL

Nah sorry man, have too many cars as is plus I have taken a deposit on it. Kills me to see this car go as I don't think I've ever seen another iS on the roads besides meets besides mine but I gotta sell some of my cars here.

[e39wagondriver]

Love this car i would like to know if it is still available ?

I would love to continue restoring the Red Baron!

[AndrewH]

Sorry, car is sold.