1989 635 csi

Someone here in Dubai is selling one that's run 110,000 km and is quoting $5,000. Being used daily, he says, and looks solid enough without any apparent problem (did a test run yesterday).

Two questions - (a) is the price fair or thereabouts, and (b) are spares for that car still available?

Thanks,

Ramapriya

Reply to
D Ramapriya
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Probably, but this is an old car. OTOH body work etc. should be very good.

110Mm sounds a little low for a car this age.

Does it need leaded petrol?

Yes, but not sure about in Dubai

Assuming its provenance is OK you could ship it to Europe and sell it as a classic when you are finished with it.

Reply to
R. Mark Clayton

Does *any* BMW car?

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

That's 60k miles, barely worn in :-)

Wonderful cars, see my site's buyer's guide. Parts are not a problem.

If it's a genuine Dubai car it will have a factory installed tropical radiator.

Reply to
John Burns

I once had a 1983 735i (e23), which did and worse could not be converted to unleaded.

Whilst the engine was changed to unleaded when the 7 series went to e32, the (e24) 6 series may well have continued with the same one until the 6 series was replaced by the 8 series in 1989

Reply to
R. Mark Clayton

Strange - My 76 E3 3.3LiA had hardened valve seats and the only real problem was the compression ratio as the engines in EU and US were almost identical except for EGR and compression.

Sir Hugh of Bognor

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. Intelligence is not knowing the answer but knowing where and how to find it!

Hugh Gundersen snipped-for-privacy@h-gee.co.uk Bognor Regis, W.Sussex, England, UK

Reply to
hsg

My '86 635CSi was the same engine and ran fine.

Engines made after mid-87 were officially OK. Those made before are OK if they've been run for 30k miles on leaded and built up a tolerance (any metalurgists around?). In practice all BMW engines have hardened valve seats so I'd not worry.

Reply to
John Burns

I can't think of any ally head engine that isn't in practice ok on unleaded - unless really caned for long periods, which of course with our speed limits is difficult. Many makers *said* their older models were unsuitable either to be sure to be sure or to try and push new sales.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

I don't know[1] about the other german cars (vw, audi, porsche) but I've always read all mercedes and bmw's since wwii have had hardeneded valve seats; do not require leaded fuel and may suffer only from higher octane requirements than is found sometimes.

[1] but I'd like to.
Reply to
Richard Sexton

Yup - that is effectively the case. I don't know of any car with an ally head that can't stand unleaded. You just wouldn't bother making valve seat inserts out of poor quality steel.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Somebody snowed you, but good. *Every* modern BMW engine (since 1962, anyway) is able to run on unleaded fuel. Unleaded fuel is really only a problem in two ways. It may not have the same resistance to preignition as leaded fuel, but other additives or adjustment of ignition settings can take care of that. The other way is valve seat recession in cast iron heads without hardened valve seats. Since there are no BMW engines with cast iron heads (and *all* BMW alloy heads have hardened valve seats), this is a non-issue.

I'm still amazed that so many people in the UK persist in believing old wives' tales about unleaded fuel damages to engines that we've been running here in the US on unleaded since the early '70s. That particular 3.5 in the 735i is essentially identical to the one in my '88 535is - which has never run on anything *but* unleaded fuel.

-- C.R. Krieger (Been there; done that)

Reply to
E28 Guy©

And prior to the general U.S. introduction of unleaded around 1974, some of us remember running Amoco Premium in the late 60's & early 70's. It was proudly advertised as the only "white" (unleaded) gas available - and it was

95 (R+M)/2 octane until the late 70's.

Tom K.

Reply to
Tom K.

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