Gorgeous 1988 BMW 535i For Sale

As this post is written, interested parties have less than 36 hours to bid on this extraordinary 1988 BMW 535i on eBay, a car featured in our daily dose of desirable machinery, the Bring A Trailer e-mail. Painted Alpine White over Cardinal Red leather, this clean E28 is equipped with refinished BBS Style 5 wheels in Nogaro Silver, rolls on 235/45R17 Michelin Pilot Sport 2 rubber, includes a manual gearbox, and has a tasteful Euro conversion featuring home-market bumpers, lights, grilles. Better yet, this claimed two-owner California car has just 101,600 miles and comes with all ownership and maintenance records, including the original window sticker and sales contract.

As I post this, bidding has not yet met reserve at $15,400. You can’t even buy a basic Chevy Sonic LS for that amount of money. Look, we realize that this car is gonna cost a mint in maintenance, but if you have a modicum of mechanical aptitude and know a good place to service old BMWs, this 535i is worth serious consideration.

– Christian Wardlaw

This is the car I learned to drive with! My dad had a 1984 533i, basically the identical car, with  a five-speed manual gearbox and the OEM Michelin TRX wheels and tires (what a nightmare). With a 181 horsepower 3.5-liter under the forward-hinged hood it did 0-60 in about 8 seconds flat, slower than today’s minivans, but it was tons of fun to tool around in. This owner has wisely upgraded the wheels and done a tasteful Euro-conversion (stock U.S. models had huge bumpers). Boy, what a cool car. Great find Chris!

– Michael Harley