1988 BMW 635CSi Highline

Bought new from Waldron Specialist Cars in Maidstone, this delightful 635CSi was in the care of its first owner for around 18 years – and she seems to have ticked almost every option when she ordered it bar the manual gearbox.

It then went to London briefly before making its way to Fareham, where it spent the next five years in the care of Colin. We are told that Colin was something of an enthusiast having owned four E24s before this one – and being a bit of an obsessive, he serviced it himself every year regardless of the mileage covered.

He even took apart the notoriously fragile and hard-to-repair headlight wipers to get them working again when they seized up; Colin is, in short, exactly the sort of chap you want to buy a classic car from.

Which is exactly what motoring journalist Alex Robbins did, five-and-a-half years ago. He has used it regularly since then including two European road trips, one to Italy and one around France incorporating a Bucket List drive along the Route Napoleon, a trip about which Alex wrote: “[it was a] consummate grand tourer on the journey down, but what really surprised was how skilfully it dealt with the twisty bits once there, even with its automatic gearbox. I was expecting a bit of a barge; instead I got a raspy straight-six sports saloon, in the finest BMW tradition.“

Alex says it proved to be completely reliable for both journeys but then he did ask Turner Automotive, an independent BMW specialist, to go through the car from stem to stern beforehand; the final bill was considerable but then he also used the 635CSi as his wedding car, so better safe than sorry, eh?

Only selling it because he “can't shake the itch to move on to the next chapter”, he describes it as being “as dependable as a 33-year-old car can be.”

A well-known car in the Pistonheads community, a link to Alex’s thoughts on it can be found here: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-germancars/bmw-635csi-ph-fleet/36454

Oh, and it’s being offered with no reserve, so it will sell from the very first bid…

The Royal Blue Metallic coachwork looks wonderful. The shape helps of course but the condition is equally impressive; with very good panel alignment and straight panels and flanks, the general fit ‘n’ finish is every bit as good as you’d hope for. Alex describes it as “in good, honest, original condition.”

And it is original: as an example, it still wears its original dealer plates and even still has a matching dealer sticker within the rear window – and the bright condition of the sticker, with little to no fading from exposure to sunlight, suggests the car has been garaged throughout its life.

The factory steel sunroof opens and closes as it should, and seals tightly. A new retractable aerial was fitted two years ago, and it also has the factory ‘badge delete’ option.

It wears a set of genuine BMW split-rim 'Style 5' 18-inch wheels, which Alex thinks were originally fitted to the 7-Series. He tells us that they were refurbished in 2015 and have no marks on them. They are fitted with matching Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres, all of which have good tread.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The paintwork is very good overall but it does have a few stone chips and minor flaws including some rust bubbles just starting to appear on the front wings – something enthusiasts will recognise as a common fault of the model - as well as some rust on the leading edges of the rear arches and a small bubble on the rear valence.

There is also a scrape on the nearside of the rear bumper and a mark on the offside corner of the front bumper. Alex was keen to leave the car ‘as is’ so the car’s new owner can decide what degree of refurbishment is necessary to meet his/her standards.

As a Highline model the interior features leather on pretty much every surface including the dashboard, door cards, centre console and even the sun visors as well as the seats.

And even the seats are better than usual because the first owner specified the optional sports seats, complete with electrical adjustment and two-stage electric heating. Only mildly patinated, they’re still firm and supportive and free of damage – and the individual rear seats are in an even better condition.

Other interior optional extras include the Motorsport steering wheel, cruise control and an extra set of rear speakers. The car is also fitted with a modern head unit but a Pioneer KEH-5080 from 1988 is included. This may or may not be the original that was fitted to the car but it is period-correct and while it lacks the Bluetooth capabilities of the one that’s fitted, enthusiasts might prefer its aesthetics.

We’ve tested the electrics and they all work including the trip computer, warning light panel and the electric windows. Alex is honest enough to admit that the cruise control can fail to engage occasionally but he tells us it usually works after waiting five minutes or fiddling with the stalk.

The car has also been converted to run on R134a gas and the air conditioning blows cold. One quirk we have been made aware of is that the air conditioning switch works in reverse: when the switch is in the off position the air-con is turned on, and vice versa.

Security comes via a Cobra Cat 1 alarm/immobiliser, and two fobs are provided along with two keys. We are told that the immobiliser kicks in after 40 seconds of the car being unlocked if it is not started; just press the unlock button again to disengage.

The boot is very clean and home to the spare wheel, a complete factory toolkit and the first aid kit. Lifting the carpets shows a strong, rust-free metal floor.

The most significant flaw we can see is some rubbing and wear to the leather-covering on the B-pillar where the seatbelt buckle has worn it away. Other problems are minimal and appear to be limited to a cigarette burn on the leather of the driver’s seat and some mild easing to the seam on the door pull on the same side.

The car comes with an almost completely stamped service book. Alex points out that there is a gap during which the previous owner serviced the car himself; he did this annually irrespective of mileage but there is no evidence of this other than word-of-mouth and the car's condition.

Otherwise, all services are stamped up and there are several invoices from Alex’s time with the car.

The engine bay is clean and well-organised, and the underside is strong and solid. The only corrosion noted in the car’s online MOT history is to the differential cover and suspension components, so there’s nothing structural to worry about, which isn’t always the case with this model.

Fitted with a limited-slip differential, we’ve driven it and can confirm that it starts, ticks over, and drives every bit as well as you’d expect of such a well-fettled example.

The BMW’s MOT certificate expires in June 2021. It also comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus some old invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it since Alex has owned it.

It also still has its original owner’s handbook and book pack, the well-stamped service booklet, a manual for the Pioneer head unit, and two keys and alarm fobs.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

And please be reassured, we’ve undertaken a full COVID-assessment and put into place strict control measure to enable us to safely facilitate a no-contact, socially distanced viewing that includes disinfection of the vehicle before and after your viewing.

However, if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

A good BMW 635CSi remains a safe place to put your money, especially when they’re as original and well-presented as this; when the market dips, it looks to what it knows - and everyone knows and loves a ‘Sharknose’ BMW coupé.

And, despite its condition and pedigree, we don’t think it will sell for the sort of silly money that some are asking for theirs; Alex has agreed a sensible reserve price with us and we think it should end up somewhere between £9,000 and £14,000, which seems very reasonable when others are asking considerably more for inferior examples.

Plus, the need for a little fettling here and there means that you’ll be adding value with every job, so you might find it’s cheaper to own over the next few years than you first thought…

Perhaps best of all, Alex has such faith in you lot that it’s being sold with no reserve, so play nicely, eh?

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.