bigcoupe.com

I have been watching this auction on BaT website. The owner claims it has only 33k miles on the odometer, was never winter driven on salted roads and was always stored winters and kept in dry storage. To me the car appears to have been undercoated with oily rustproofing several times and has more rust showing that would be expected of such a low mile car. My own 635CSi and owned in the same province has more than 150k on it, has not been winter driven but looks much cleaner and rust free underneath. I think the car has more miles on it than indicated and was likely winter driven. Any thoughts?

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1986-bmw-635csi-11/

I've been following this one as well. I agree that the undercarriage corrosion/rust is a bit concerning, but consider the small details:

1. Paint looks fresh and not oxidized. And its zinno, so that is no small feat.
2. Leather on driver's seat looks like a 33K car.
3. No dash cracks.
4. Carpet is pristine.
5. Gaskets around outside door pulls look as new.
6. Engine bay is really nice and original.
7. Rear speaker pods are not puckered.
8. Front and rear bumper ends and fillers are very nice.
9. Headliner looks great. Even the sunroof piece.

About the nicest US/CA spec car I've seen for sale lately. At least in the pics. Hope it goes to a good home.

Yeah, the underside of that is pretty disappointing...If I was guessing, I would say it was parked in a open barn/car port, non heated and a dirt floor..for a while.... looks like the seasons condensation cycles got to it pretty good... most of it looks like dirt and oil, mixed with some fresh undercoat (cover up?). Not sure about the beaten to hell fueltank... a good power wash and some steam cleaning, as well as a little tlc with a good brush and some replacement parts would make that like new.... be a lot of work tho....
I would agree that the milage is probably correct, however it most certainly did not spend its “down time” resting in a climate controlled garage..be a fair amount of work and $$ to bring back and match the top side....but mostly labor and time.. be an easy project... definitely would not pay top dollar fot that one...

On edit, I would look at the non painted/plated parts/nuts/washers on the inside of the car as well, like under dash, inside doors,etc... some times, with those condensation cycles, all that stuff starts rusting pretty bad as well..
Pete

According to some research, this was the mileage 15 years ago. Hasn't traveled far lately (6000 miles in 15 years)...

03/19/2003
44,518 km
Ontario Inspection Station
Services Performed
Passed emissions inspection


06/28/2001
37,277 km
Ontario Inspection Station

The car sold for $15,250 US

I was watching it too and I think the buyer got a great deal. There was lots to like here; it's not every day you find a low mile, manual, Zinno E24 in such great condition. However I'd say it was definitely exposed to road salt at some point which got the rust bug going on the chassis hardware; subsequent exposure to moisture did the rest. Cleaning up that mess underneath would require lots of work but it would be a relatively inexpensive task compared to body work or many mechanical repairs.

Many might consider it verboten to make any modifications to such an original car, but I think a few tasteful suspension upgrades and a nice set of 16" or 17" wheels (such as BBS RS) would elevate this car to an even higher class.

As I mentioned in the comments on BaT, the buyer absolutely stole the thing. Regardless of what appeared to be slightly more rust than normal, this car was absolutely pristine just about everywhere else. Not to mention, it was arguably exactly the right combo for an '86 US car- Zinno with black sport seats, 5 speed. On the right day with some slightly improved documentation I don't think 20K would have been an unreasonable sale.

In Canadian $'s (and to us in Canada a $ is still a $) the car did sell for just shy of $20000 ! Recall that the car was listed on kijiji for $30000 or more this past summer. I think a little time spent on cleaning the undersides, better photos and a couple of videos showing that everything was working and a walk around would have pushed the price to $20000US. Lovely colour and interior combination for sure.