Rare 1988 BMW 535is Barn find, Project

Vehicle Description

Firstly, I'm not a BMW fan. Never have been. I don't know much about them. I'm 73 and got a call from my daughter saying her uncle had left her this car. Could I get it running. I saw this car 20 years earlier in Denver. Her uncle had just taken it off the road to restore. He was a BMW fanatic and a genius sound engineer. He'd finished going through the engine and was putting in a new interior, new leather, carpets and dash pad. The real reason for the new interior was the unbelievable "pimp my ride" stereo system he was installing. The project stalled as his health started to fade and it just sat. I went over and looked at the car buried under a ton of boxes. It was EXACTY the same condition as it had been 20 years earlier. The car looked brand new, not a scratch chip or ding in the paint. No bodywork, accidents, and most importantly, zero rust. There is not a pinhole of rust in the entire body tub, the product of being a Colorado car and kept in heated storage. A rarity in the rust prone BMWs of that era. The new engine gaskets/hoses/clamps/freeze plugs are still visible. The interior is brand new. Blue leather seats never used. New carpets and BMW floormats. Some of the all-new seals still in the BMW packaging. The passenger seat had yet to be bolted back in place. The driver's seat was installed. I got it running after replacing the fuel pumps/filter/new battery, put new oil/filter and had the exhaust fitted with new catalytic converter and muffler. I know zero about electrical stuff and had the basics checked. The lights/turn signals/wipers (they are slow from non use) and windows all work. I had the unfinished insane stereo removed. It's the kind of car that is still so nice and rare that after all these years, you'd want to keep it original. I do have the original radio if you choose that route. The car starts right up, runs awesome. The 5spd transmission/clutch/brakes also fine. No smoke at start up. Now the bad, or the most annoying. In the 80s, before BMWs became the crappy cars they are today, they earned the well-deserved reputation as the Ultimate Driving Machine. However, what they left out was that they are not the ultimate idling machine. The car runs great, but there is the slightest miss at idle. I went on u-tube and there must be 50 different suggestions to fix it. I've done the expensive ones: the injectors replaced, air valves, hoses replaced. Nothing made any difference. There are still 20 piddly things on the checklist I haven't done. It'I more of an annoyance than a performance issue. I have not re installed the passenger seat. I'm 73 and these seats with all their motors weigh more than a sofa sleeper. I just can't maneuver them to put the bolts in them. The sunroof, AC and heat aren't working. They are not broken just not plugged into their respective harnesses. The plugs and wiring are all there. I'm sure everything was unplugged during the interior redo and isn't going to be anything major. I'm basing that on my brother-in-law's meticulous nature and love of this car. I'm not trying to hide anything. I've been on ebay 25 years, never had a bad anything. The title says 1988 BMW 535i. Doesn't have the "S" on it. Only 3300 IS models were imported during the 1987 and 1988 model years. The pre curser to the famous M model. I'm sure people will let me know what if any difference there is. I've taken it to a body shop to see if it's been repainted as the car looks brand new. I was told its original except for a small crack in the rubber front bumper by the license plate that has been fixed. I've restored British cars all my life, and what I'll say, if any of them had arrived with the body/paint in this condition, I think I'd won the lottery. With the internet, any mechanical part can be found for any car. What's not easy to find is a 37 year old rust free, non butchered/patched body tub. To me, this is the value of the car. If old BMWs are your thing, this is the one that's worth keeping, it's so nice and original. The rubber seals around the windows still look new. It still has the original tool kit in the trunk. There are a set of upgraded headlights included and a bunch of other stuff including the factory manual.I've taken a picture of what looks to be a an original vacuum hose I found laying on the engine. I've looked everywhere to see where it goes to no avail. Maybe the vacuum leak that's causing the idling issue. Who knows. I just loosely laid the center console and interior pieces in. The interior is complete except for a plastic grill that covers the squirrel cage above the ash tray. Basically, all the car needs is the interior re-installed. I looked at the lowest priced comparable car that sold on bring a trailer, in way worse condition and set the reserve 2k lower than that. It's cheap because this became an out of the blue annoyance in my life at a time in life, I just didn't need. When you're old, your time, not money takes precidence. If you have kids, you know my pain. ha ha. Good luck bidding. The car is located an easy 30 minute drive off I-9, on the North Carolina/South Carolina border. Please don't bid on the thing if you can't afford it. Thank you and good luck bidding.