Arrival

There she is, ain't she ugly...err pretty...yeah...pretty. That's what's described in "dealer-speak" as paint is pealing slightly...yeah. And yes, that is a battery charger in the picture. When I picked the car up there were jumper cables and the rear seat wasn't completely in place, so that's a dead giveaway of charging issues. So I figured I'd hook up the charger and see what shape it's in. The car has an aftermarket alarm, so that's the likely cause of drain issues if there are any. After charging a little the battery doesn't seem to be taking a full charge. I'll check the water level and replace it if needed.

She's a good candidate for restoration though, here is the good and bad (good first, as the bad list is longer)

Good:

• Solid body, no rust or obvious body damage, minor dings, but everything lines up
• Only 118k miles
• 5-speed
• Engine runs well, minor hunting at idle, but not much, very little valve noise
• Zero drivetrain vibration, and no shimmy under braking
• All stock

Bad:

• Paint...yeah...that won't buff out, she'll need a respray
• Minor oil leak, very small
• Very new radiator, so good chance of cooling issues in it's past. No sign of head gasket issues though.
• Shocks and associated bushings are shot
• Small knock from the front end when going over bumps, likely a bushing
• Don't quite understand how it doesn't shimmy given the condition of the front end, but won't know for sure till I get under there
• Cracked front bumper
• Headliner sagging
• Seats have the normal "twist" issue, minor on driver's side, significant on passenger's side
• Rear door panels are trashed
• Has green coolant, need to flush ASAP. Also likely not the correct weight of oil, easy to fix.
• Shifter bushings worn out

Overall, good body, engine and drivetrain, some paint and suspension fixes and she'll be a nice driver. I normally don't like to deal with dealerships, but this was a good deal. Due to the condition of the paint the dealer was able to get the car at auction for $450 (he left the receipt in the door panel pocket). I had guessed he'd paid $350, so I wasn't far off. Overall a win/win, as he made a decent profit, and I feel I got a good deal. Paid $1500 for it.

Engine is very clean. There are signs of a minor oil leak from the front of the engine, might find more when I get it up on stands, but overall it's very clean.

Interior is rough, but I can work with that.

I couldn't resist putting a 16" wheel from the 535is on it (on the rear). It's only 1" bigger, but I think it looks a lot better, and should handle much better. I'll probably stick with 16" wheels on this car, keep it stock/ish, and do the e28 up with 17's. We'll see though.