Thinking about a BMW 633 -- any thoughts?

[NOLAsc]

I'm thinking about picking up an '85 BMW 633CSi (that needs some work). Anybody have one or have thoughts about these cars?

Edit: VIN and paper say it's an '84; seller remembered wrong.

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by NOLAsc

I'm thinking about picking up an '85 BMW 633CSi (that needs some work). Anybody have one or have thoughts about these cars?

An 85 would be a 635, not a 633.

They are great cars, I've had a few. Parts are fairly low cost, plenty of used parts available, most mechanical stuff is shared with the 535.

They are solid, but they are getting to be old, relatively low cost cars now, so there is often a lot of deferred maintenance.

They have a bunch of kind of sensitive suspension bushings that go bad and need to be replaced, or you get steering and braking shimmies and other weird things. The front rotors seem to warp sometimes.

They have a power braking system with a brake "bomb" that goes bad and plenty of areas to leak.

By now, a lot of them have high miles and while the engines are strong, I'm sure many of them currently on the road are burning some oil and could use a top end.

If the coolant isn't changed for a long time, they can corrode head gaskets.

The driveshaft guibo and center bearing often needs replacing.

All the things mentioned above, I've personally done over the years. None of it is super hard, and if you have to do one of them a year, it isn't bad. I wouldn't really want to do all of them all at once, though.

[DanielDudley]

Loved mine, five speed euro gears in the tranny and diff. Bilstein Eibach shocks, springs.

Tend to rust in the rear quarters and rockers.

If I were looking now, I'd be looking at the best or at an 85-89 M3.

[Instrument 41]

Run. Is it at someones shop in New Orleans? If your looking for that car specifically German Auto in Baton Rouge has one on their showroom floor.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Ive had both a 633CSi and a 635CSi

Get a 635CSi.

Much more refined, better suspension and availability of fuel injection parts (ask me how I know about that last one).

Get an 1988-89 if you really want one. Keep in mind that these cars are HEAVY. Meaning suspension bushings will almost certainly be worn out. The brake booster tends to fail, rear speaker pods tend to warp into tacos (go price those new, $$$) 633's also rust, quite a bit.

[NOLAsc]

Thanks Y'all.

The car has some issues. Something's up with the power steering. And it sounds like there's some kind of metal-on-metal ringing whine/hiss noise when running -- I'm thinking the starter gear is not disengaging. The body and paint are in good condition. It's been sleeping in a garage for the past 18 months.

I'll let you know what happens.

Shawn

[KNS]

What's the price range for a decent late 80s 635..? I've always liked 'em. Are they Motronic fuel injection?

[911Freak]

Well, McLovin pretty much nailed it, but, I'll ad this....
I've owned 2 6 series a 3.3 and 3.5, both had lsd and were 5spd. Both needed suspension and trans bushings to keep the ride crisp. One I hot rodded and put a turbo on
I love these cars, I also has a 535is that rocked.
They need a little ocassional love and attention similar to our 911s. But they are worth it in my opinion. Love the handling of the 6 series and the added performance of the 3.5 in addition to the 5spd. The autos are dogs compared to the manual.

I had to do a head gasket on one of them, at 250k miles!
Built like a german truck if there was such a thing.

Easy on parts, there are lots of recyclers and discount part outlets like Pelican and most importantly; some nice performance mods you can do that really wake them up. Standard stuff like intake and exhaust and a chip go a long way with bang for buck.

Be very thorough in the ppi process! Rust and neglect can bite pretty deep into the wallet. Don't buy someone elses problem, that 'deal' won't be worth it IMO.

These things are built like tanks! Fenders are glued then bolted on, beefy feel of the unibody too.

Buy carefully and enjoy it!

If the budget allows find a nice M6

Good luck!

[porsche4life]

I know nothing about them, except that they are stunning looking cars....

[asphaltgambler]

Had a few - I really like them - hard part is finding a good one - if you do find one where the services have been done, no rust and the seats and dash aren't cracked - the owner wants a fortune.

Nice M6's are better but very pricey for a good ones. Overall whether its a standard 635 or M6's - good ones are scarce. Plenty of *****y high mileage ones for sale tho.......

[strupgolf]

I love mine, bought out of a collection. Great road car, smooth, quiet and the looks of a old school "80s car. Rust will get you, so look closely. IMO, get a Euro version with the small bumpers. Good luck.

[schwarz633]

Here's my 1982 633CSi (E24) with 88K miles on it. It's the last year of the E12 based E24, much simpler suspension, vacuum power brakes, manual seats. Starting in 1983 the E24 was E28 based. It's not a hot rod, but I enjoy using it as a daily driver for a month or two during the summer. I only wish I would have dropped the money on a 911 when I bought it 25 years ago, would have been a much better investment.

[Skytrooper]

I also have an '82 633csi. It is white and has 112k on it. Originally a California car, it is pretty clean body wise. Right now I am working on it (hot rodding) . We'll see where I go with it from there.

[NOLAsc]

I'm going back this evening to try to change a flat and extricate the car from the garage.

The '85 633 description bugs me a bit. I had read what McLovin pointed out that by '85 it would have been a 635. The car has no numbers on the trunklid. Is that unusual or indicative of anything? I did see an owners' manual for a 633. I should have gotten the VIN, but didn't yesterday.

Great looking car Schwarz.

[Jim Richards]

Maybe it's a little of both, built from multiple cars. Do as much due diligence as you would for any vintage sports car purchase.

[McLovin]

Maybe the owner told you the wrong year? An '84, '83, '82, etc. would be a 633.

85 was the first year of the 635.

One other thing I forgot to mention - is it a stick or an automatic?

The automatics are worth much less.

I've had both stick and auto in 635/535, and it makes a huge difference on these cars. An automatic would be a deal breaker for me. Stick is a lot more fun to drive. Also, the automatics aren't particularly strong. You'll lose the clutch packs on them around 100K miles (give or take) and the trans won't work anymore. The auto trans makes the car a lot slower, kinda sucks the life out of it. The stick, on the other hand, has nicely spaced gears, slick shifting, nice hyd clutch setup.

[NOLAsc]

Stick. Yeah... not looking for auto.

I should know more this evening.

[strupgolf]

Here is a picture of mine with some new wheels. I'm going to lower it soon.

[McLovin]

Cinnabar Red . . . Euro bumpers, nice!

[nota]

I had a 79 euro 635 alpina ZF 5sp 16''BBS

el-trick nightmire
then the 4 piston front calipers started to lock [not release] $400 EACH !!! to rebuild
lots of odd high cost bits

nice hi-way car heavy and not a sports car like my 2002 was

most 633 came with 14'' wheels and 4 speeds sticks
and the dreaded thermal reactors later cars have cats and fewer cracked/warped heads

I would not touch a problem 633
save your pennys for late 635 in good shape
it will be far cheaper in the long run