Price too high?

[vitaminj75mg]

BC virgin and long-time lurker/admirer here...

I found what I hoped to be my first Shark here in Raleigh, NC.

http://www.cabrioletmotors.com/1984_BMW ... 906830.veh

They want $18k for it. I think that's too much, plus it's more than I want to initially spend.

Is that too much or an I too unrealistic?

[hornhospital]

I think you think correctly. It's a nice Euro E24, but it's not worth $18k. I couldn't get the audio to work for the movie. Did they explain why the trunk is full of replacement parts? Seeing another transmission and other major pieces troubles me. Do they need installing?

[dwcains]

Well, IMO, for $18K you should be getting a very close to perfect Euro 635 with all the best options. That car does look very solid, but I'd want to get it up on a rack and check the condition of the suspension and all the bushings, driveshaft, axles shafts, exhaust, etc. It also has a dash which looks pretty nice, and most of the original Euro gauges (except the tach and mpg gauge). What about the a/c? That can be $$$ to repair/upgrade. It does have the desirable LSD, the original Euro headlights, but no sport seats, no rear headrests, and the ruined rear speaker pods. Here's something interesting - the build sheet mentions "Fuenf-gang-sportgetriebe", which I believe is the close-ratio dogleg gearbox, but there's no shift pattern on the knob to verify. What's that extra gearbox in the trunk, and all those other parts? Any service records?

So, potentially a very nice one, but with those questions, and $18K is likely a bit high. But, if you're looking for a car to keep, and this one checks out, maybe not too high. I wouldn't sell you mine for $18K.

Have you actually gone to see the car?

[vitaminj75mg]

Thanks for the replies.

The transmission is a "short shift transmission", but the GM didn't know where from (e28, e32, et cetera). He didn't know about the other parts.

I went and saw the car. It looks great, but there's no evidence it's been driven since all the"restoration." Those parts and the fact that it's been sitting were two red flags. The price was the third.

[dwcains]

If it's within your budget and time, maybe have an independent inspection done on the car? Korman Autoworks is only 80 miles away in Greensboro, and can check out a classic E24. I don't know what you were looking to spend, but a clean Euro is worth considerably more than the typical US-market car you'll see with an auto trans, TRX wheels, etc. With the issues I mentioned, and if the car checks out well, maybe offer a hard $11-12K and see where they are with that offer.

[vitaminj75mg]

That's good advice. I think an inspection is well worth the peace of mind.

I figure I've got time on my side. I know E24s are slow sellers, so I am going to wait a little bit. Then, if the inspection is good, I'll hit them with that 11-12k offer you mentioned and be willing to walk away.

Again, I appreciate the advice.

[dmac156]

Does it have a dogleg trans, and is that an extra dogleg in the trunk? If so, that is worth a couple $k. Looks like a nice car. Hard to say on the price. Seemed like these were going up in price, but lately I've seen some lower priced ones. Just saw a local well maintained 84 euro on.CL this morning for $6900. Haven't seen the pics, it probably does not look as nice as this one.

[Roku35]

I have to agree that the price appears on the high side. But it also looks quite clean, especially if it is rust free CR euro. Hard to find, but not impossible. There is always a better one out there hidden away from us enthusiast.

I too wouldnt sell my gals, but if I had to, I probably would have a hard time selling them for more than $13K-$15K. And I do have all the bells and whistles with my examples.

[dwcains]

Here's a very nice '84 635 Euro on eBay, but this dealer seems to have his head in the clouds regarding pricing ($31,500):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1984-BMW-6-Seri ... 440906699?

[sansouci]

Well,
Leather not is the best shape and the dash looks like it is beginning to crack. So figure in the restoration costs for that too,