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favorite this post 1985 BMW 735i E23 5 Speed Manual Transmission - $4995 hide this posting unhide

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1985 BMW 735i

condition: good
cylinders: 6 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 180000
paint color: grey
title status: clean
transmission: manual
type: sedan

For sale is my 1985 e23 735i 5 speed manual transmission car. This car had a manual transmission from the factory and I can include supporting documentation to prove that. Judging from info I found on bimmerforums at http://www.e30ic.com/BMWProductionData.pdf, this is 1 of 460 USA market 735i cars with a manual transmission from the factory. Knowing this, I bought the car ASAP.

I have owned the car for just a few months now, and it has recently gotten the following:
2x front wheel bearings
2x front brake rotors
2x front brake calipers
4x front brake pads
1x driver strut
1x passenger lower control arm
1x passenger upper control arm

I also flushed both the transmission and differential fluid as well as oil and bled the brakes. I now drive this vehicle daily, whether just a few miles to work or all the way across town. The night I purchased the car I drove it home from 2 and a half hours away. Though it still needed a minor front suspension tuneup at that point, I drove it home without a single hiccup. This m30 runs like a top. The odometer stopped working on the car around 180k miles but when you drive it you can tell that means nothing. It happily pulls hard all the way up to redline in every gear. Underneath the valve cover looks clean and in great condition. The camshaft oil spray banjo bolts have been drilled and safety wired to be held in place and keep from backing out. I have absolutely no concerns of insufficient oiling in this motor. The car has also recently had custom exhaust work done, mating the two collectors to a single pipe leading to a magnaflow muffler out the rear. The exhaust hangers, however, could use replacing.

I'm getting 25 mpg around town in this land yacht and loving it. On the highway it will cruise at 80 or 90 mph with ease. But at these speeds, it appears that the radiator is over cooling the motor with too much air moving over it. The car runs just a little below normal operating temperature. Also at idle, it will get hot if left sitting in place for too long. This is because it is missing its fan shroud and I just haven't gotten around to buying a new one to put in. But the clutch fan does work, it just isn't very efficient without its shroud. Simple solution is to just drive it and that is exactly what I have been doing. I have never let it reach the ¾ mark on the temperature gauge.

The car has front seats out of an e38 that have 12 way power controls (including the mid seatback tilt which is fantastic!) It has e32 front and rear bumpers that could be a little more securely fastened, but again since it isn't a dire issue, I haven't done anything about it yet. It has a kenwood single din radio properly wired up to the stock speakers and OEM powered retracting antenna. This radio has a USB input and it works great with my ipod, though FM works great as well. The cigarette lighter works, all powered windows work, powered sunroof tilts and retracts with no trouble.

The driver interior door handle started coming apart, I have been opening it from the outside as opposed to replacing the handle. The left side high beam bulb is out, other than that all lights work as they should. The car also just passed Maryland state emissions testing fair and square; plugged into the sniffer and checked out A-Okay! All front interior wood trim has been refinished and reinstalled, the back could still use it though it really does look to be in fine condition. The wood in the rear is just slightly lighter than the front looks at the moment. There are 4 holes in the driver door card where a cup holder was once installed, I will be including a replacement door card with the sale. Also included will be a new front strut, an extra ECU, an extra air flow meter (AFM) and fresh rear brakes.

The car does need some work done to its cabin air system. All components for functioning heat and AC are included and installed in the car, but the A/C needs to be charged with R12, and the dash controls need to be fixed. The fan speed knob is stuck in the low position. Temperature control knob does still work, I leave the heat on and the windows down to keep the engine running cool.

The last noteworthy flaw of the vehicle is the rust and bend at the very back right corner of the car. Right next to the tail lights to the outside of the vehicle the car has been tapped in slightly and has since rusted over. Minor cosmetic flaw that I NEVER think about when looking at the car. People have to remind me that it's there asking me if I plan to fix it. I keep it simple, no I do not plan to fix it.

What I would do if I wanted to keep the car:
Rear subframe bushings, rear CV boots, fix driver door handle, rehang bumpers and exhaust, fix climate controls, drive it forever.

I will entertain trade offers, I will entertain cash offers, just get in touch and we'll see what we can work out. Hope to hear from you soon.
  • do NOT contact me with unsolicited services or offers

post id: 5824064572

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