E28 Dilemma

[eliongater 718]

So I'm at a bit of an impasse with what to do with my E28s, specifically my M535i. It's an ex-UK car. It's got surface rust in most places, a dent in the sill, wavy floors, cracked seat base and structural rust in the following places:

• All 4 corners of the sills, including jacking points falling off
• Foot wells
• Windscreen surrounds front and rear (including a hole in the roof in the rear wind screen seal mount)
• Boot seal
• Spare wheel well
• Door hinges
• Rear arches, including where they meet the sill
• Where the right sill joins the floor
• Tail light mounts
• Corners of the boot

 

As far as I see it, I have 5 options

1. Sell both E28s and buy something modern and troublesome, like an M3/5
2. Spend a lot of money with a panel beater to get it fixed. I'm guessing at least $10k and then some
3. Re-shell it into my 525e
4. Buy another M30 shell (not so keen on this one as most E28s are pretty rusty now)
5. Buy another M535i

 

Option 3, whilst it kinda breaks my heart pulling apart a fairly original 525e, I can do for next to no cost and in fact selling off the lower spec parts would pay for the cert. Plus it's still "my first car" then. (Oh and black plates FTW)

 

A re-shell also allows me to have full creative license without feeling like a heathen. (Pfeba front lip, BBS boot spoiler, Mtech flares, worked M90 with ITBs, whatever else I feel like)

 

Thoughts?

Edited August 28, 2018 by eliongater
I can't count

[Mr Vapour 76]

i think you already know what to do and answered your own question towards the end there  

[qube 3570]

very simple, combine the two you have into one, sell the remaining bits to help pay for whatever it needs. 

Have a cheap or reliable daily to keep you going in place of the 525e if it was your daily.

after it is all done, either upgrade the cheap daily to an M3/5 or something else newer/modern.

 

[eliongater 718]

Some pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It looks so good (from a considerable distance)

Edited August 28, 2018 by eliongater

[gjm 3258]

Another way to approach this is to consider: what would you do if you sold the 525e?

[Gabe79 410]

A very good friend of mine specializes in rust repair and recertification. I can put you in touch if you'd like. 

[BM WORLD 1283]

should have brough the red one mate

 

now its on TM with a new price

[Mr Vapour 76]

11 hours ago, Gabe79 said:

A very good friend of mine specializes in rust repair and recertification. I can put you in touch if you'd like. 

i will be needing the help of a rust certification inspector for the e21. 

is he shore only or will he travel to teh dark south 

 

[Gabe79 410]

11 minutes ago, Mr Vapour said:

i will be needing the help of a rust certification inspector for the e21. 

is he shore only or will he travel to teh dark south 

 

He is up here, near me. It's not a long drive. If you PM me, I can link you with him.

[eliongater 718]

@BM WORLD perhaps, but excluding the body I've already got the other parts and since that one is original I'd feel obliged to keep it that way (as opposed to mine where it's far from it). 

@Gabe79 Luckily it's still on hold so doesn't need certification or compliance. Based on the pictures and description, would he be able to come up with a rough ball park figure? I'm guessing it's more than is sensible to spend though.

@gjm I'm not entirely sure at this point. In theory I would've used the E46... I've already built up a sizeable spares and knowledge pool around E28s, so it would be a shame to waste it by moving to a completely different model.

@qube I'm in the fortunate position of not actually needing a daily. I either use a company car or public transport.

@Mr Vapour I think you might be right. I just really don't want to pull apart a perfectly fine 525e. Though where else am I going to find a registered relatively rust free E28 for the price I paid for the 525e.

[gjm 3258]

18 minutes ago, eliongater said:

@gjm I'm not entirely sure at this point. In theory I would've used the E46... I've already built up a sizeable spares and knowledge pool around E28s, so it would be a shame to waste it by moving to a completely different model.

Not quite what I meant... What would you do with the 'M' if the 525e was out of the picture?
Not saying it will be, but it might help decide on a direction?

[eliongater 718]

@gjm in a perfect world I'd fix it and drive it. However that's not looking 100% feasible, hence looking at using the 525e as a base.

[eliongater 718]

Would anyone be interested in the bare shell? Assuming I decide to go down that path. (*cough* Live rego *cough*). Rather than me just scrapping it.

[eliongater 718]

Oh and I need to have the M535i out of the shed by next Friday, be that to a panel beater, scrap or whatever

[Ace Of Spades 51]

Just re-shell and build the M535i.... Old cars a just more fun IMO.

No one is going to cry over the 525e, one or two of us would be happy its gone onto bigger and better things. 

Plus there will be epic amounts of job satisfaction once done ?

..............

If you really want to you could cut the tags out to keep for matching numbers

[KwS 2421]

You've been trying to sell the 525e for a while now, and obviously its not shifted. You're only going to start losing money or giving it away soon, so it seems to me you would be better off just reshelling and sell the 525 bits.

Do NOT cut the tags out, that is full retard advice.

[Contrails 316]

My vote goes to the M535i going out... to the panel beater that is.  

[eliongater 718]

3 hours ago, Contrails said:

My vote goes to the M535i going out... to the panel beater that is.  

Even if it costs at least $10k? Probably more?

[gjm 3258]

4 hours ago, Contrails said:

My vote goes to the M535i going out... to the panel beater that is.  

 

21 minutes ago, eliongater said:

Even if it costs at least $10k? Probably more?

The enjoyment remains long after the cost is forgotten.
And imagine the satisfaction of knowing you've saved a M535i.

Rebuilding the 525e with the 'M' bits is certainly the more economic option, but (in your mind) it will always be a 525e.

[qazwsx 11]

Is the M535i really that special? What M parts does it have apart from bodykit and interior? I'm guessing the original Bilsteins have been replaced anyway. Why not just massively upgrade the 525e? Like you said an M90 or some dohc engine.

[eliongater 718]

@qazwsx it still has the original bilsteins, but not the springs. Not that that matters too much, they’ll probably be due a rebuild.

The only real difference (apart from the name) between an M535i and a 535i is the body is different to accept the body kit (easy to replicate), the body kit, probably the large case LSD and the //M seats. The rest is just normal 535i but with more options (such as sports suspension, moonroof, headlight washers)

[Olaf 3309]

11 hours ago, gjm said:

 

The enjoyment remains long after the cost is forgotten.
And imagine the satisfaction of knowing you've saved a M535i.

Rebuilding the 525e with the 'M' bits is certainly the more economic option, but (in your mind) it will always be a 525e.

this.  your re-shelled 525e will be worth about what, $7k?  And it will always be a replicar.  A great ///M535i goes up in value.

Add a couple of Tom Cruise images into your sales ad for the 525e and it'll GO.

It's all down to committment.  If you can find a good panelbeater who will do it as a downtime job, it'll take a few years and cost less.  Perhaps in the Wairarapa?  

 

[Olaf 3309]

PS:  I think we all told you to buy the Red One.  Is it sold now?

 

[BM WORLD 1283]

11 minutes ago, Olaf said:

PS:  I think we all told you to buy the Red One.  Is it sold now?

 

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1742596254.htm?rsqid=69d80b3668b84aeb937006ebc5f90aad

[eliongater 718]

4 hours ago, Olaf said:

this.  your re-shelled 525e will be worth about what, $7k?  And it will always be a replicar.  A great ///M535i goes up in value.

Add a couple of Tom Cruise images into your sales ad for the 525e and it'll GO.

It's all down to committment.  If you can find a good panelbeater who will do it as a downtime job, it'll take a few years and cost less.  Perhaps in the Wairarapa?  

 

The value of the finished product is only relevant if I’m selling it . 

My M535i wouldn’t be original or matching numbers anyway. Different engine, manual instead of auto, repainted (maybe in a different colour). Nobody else seemed keen on fixing mine either, so not sure what convinced me that I needed to be a martyr. I’m not aware of any good panel beaters that’d be willing to do that, happy to be enlightened though. 

On top of that I do need to have a useable car and save for somewhere to put said car(s). 

 

Buying the red one is all well and good,  but it doesn’t deal with my current E28(s).

Edited September 1, 2018 by eliongater
I can’t spell