e12 BMW FOR SALE:


- This Car Has Been SOLD ! -


Elizabeth’s 1979 528i
Asking $900, or best offer.
(310) 558-1603

(For the record, the author of this web page is not affiated with the seller. I'm just reporting the car as I saw it.)

I answered an ad in the Recycler for an e12 528i, the early 5 series BMW.
The girl selling it sounds totally British,
- needs to rid herself of this sierra-beige 4 door.
Car is located in Los Angeles near the corner of National and Robertson Blvd, off the 10 Freeway


Right-front view. This side was vandalized slightly by some school kids.
The front signal lens was broken, and
they had keyed the car, but not too severely.



The car is faded, minor scratches, one minor dent.


OVERVIEW


Early production version of a ’79. Neat!

No major collision damage

One significant blemish.

Body is straight, one very minor dent.

Car is fairly clean.

It is drivable, but only on city streets.

Not registered and not smogged

Has DMV Non-Operation Certificate.

ENGINE




Starts easily, motor runs very smooth.

Engine compartment is dusty, should clean up well.

Idle speed was always high even after warm-up.

Engine hesitates BADLY about 2500 RPM.
Something is very wrong! Possibly Air Flow Meter, fuel filter clogged or distributor advance problem. Whatever, it should be fairly easy to fix. Until then, this car can not be driven on the freeway.
As is, I doubt it will pass smog testing. Los Angeles county and her suburbs are considered "enhanced areas" and therefor have more strigent emissions testing. It includes running the car under load with engine RPM at 2500. Under this stress the engine WILL hesitate causing the computer to abort the test and issue a fail.

Minor oil leak, looks like valve cover gasket.

Checked the oil, it was full and clean.

Minor amounts of smoke out the exhaust during revving.

Sorry, I did not bring my compression tester.


Notice the orignal oil filler cap has been replaced.
(Damn! The original is a collector item.)


TRANSMISSION


Standard 4-speed manual.

Hydraulic clutch seemed to need bleeding, had to pump it a few times, then it behaved OK.

Shifting and clutching were fine. No significant problems.

REAR TRANSAXEL


Seemed intact, but showed some oil leakage from the main differential housing.

I think it’s OK, but should check the oil level and fix the leak.

BRAKES, TIRES AND WHEELS



All brakes are excellent including parking. There is no brake shimmy.

These wheels are like the 530i wheels. They were standard for 1979 with alloy wheels as an option. Alloy wheels became standard for 1980 and 1981.

Wheels are stamped steel with chrome concaved rings that snap in like hub caps. Only 3 of the 4 rings are present.

Wheels and chrome rings (in general) are kind of dinged up (wear and tear over several years).

Tires are a combination of Yokohamas and Michelins, all in good or excellent condition.

Wheels seem to be properly balanced, but we did not take the car up to high speed to verify.


EXHAUST


Valve cover leak caused some oil to drip on the exhaust runners above the catalytic converter; mild smoking.

Minor rusting in the middle and aft portions of the exhaust.

No holes, no noticeable exhaust leaks. Hangers are OK. Runs quiet.
Exhaust is very good.

BODY

Only major issue is some rust below the right front windshield.
Study the picture below.

The rust is highly unusual for a southern California car. So, I'm not sure what to think about it. I suspect the window was mounted poorly years ago? It is very possible that if we removed the windshield -- there would be a big gaping hole. Fix could be simple. From sanding, primer and paint, or could be messy like cutting out the rust and weld in some new metal.

The body is straight. Minor ding near the rear hood latch, about 2 by 1 inch – not ugly.

One side has key scrape. Not terrible, but still annoying.

Bumpers are straight, some rubber pieces need replacement, but only cosmetically.

Paint is dull and faded. I think with some polishing compound and quality wax applied by hand will bring it to life again.

Rear trunk latch is a little tricky to open, I think some WD-40 should help.

Trunk is clean and carpeted, spare tire is good, all the original tools are intact.

This car does NOT have a sunroof. Makes it simpler to convert it into a BMW CCA race car.


The severity of this rust is not known.
This is the risky part of this car.

An auto body friend says that he is 90% sure that the rust is has eaten through the sheetmetal under the window. Without repair, the window will start to leak water - if it doesn't already. Procede with caution if you choose to buy this car.

Being this car is a 1979, it was just before BMW started to use galvanized sheet metal which would have inhibited the corrosion better.



SUSPENSION


Standard struts and shocks.

Both are in good condition.

Front-end components are tight, no shimmy, slight roll in the turn.

Handles well, good turning radius.

Power steering works well.

INTERIOR


Seats are cloth, many minor tears. Cushions are extremely comfortable.

Would benefit greatly with simple (cheap) seat covers.

Carpets are all there, minor fading.

Color is sierra-beige or similar throughout.

White vinyl headliner is in good condition. Typical rust showing through about the rear posts.
Front dash is covered with a generic charcoal colored cover.

Original dash has 3 standard cracks, but very clean otherwise.

Rear dash is faded badly, but intact.

All glass is OK, no cracks or breakage.

Not all the electric windows work, I suspect it’s just the switches.

Again, no sunroof in this car.




Air conditioner blows ICE COLD. Previous owner paid more to repair the AC than he sold the car for.

Odometer reads 82,835 miles – but it has about twice that amount because the odometer does not work.

Standard 1979 format – speedometer works and reads to 140 MPH !



My Opinion

Well, other than everything I wrote is my opinion, . . .


Car needs a tune-up to resolve the upper revving/hesitation problem. Once that's done, it should pass the CA emissions test easily.

I’ve heard freshly rebuilt motors that cost over $5000 in machining, and this one sounds just as smooth.

This is a nice car. Only thing that (we) baulked on was the rusty window frame - otherwise it would have followed us home.


The motor is not a rebuild, it's original.

Elizabeth has ALL the repair records dating back many, many years.

The previous owner took good care of this car - it was well loved in the San Marino area. By the repair records, the P/O could afford to take good care of this car.

I called my favorite Foreign Auto Parts store for a quote on vacuum and water hoses, 3 belts, distributor cap and rotor, spark plugs & wires, oxygen sensor, thermostat & gasket, all filters, reconditioned water pump & gasket, valve cover gasket, coolant and cheap seat covers. Cost of parts for a complete tune-up was about $400 total. Please note: this does NOT include repair of the rusted window frame. (New weather stripping from BMW is $112)

With some very basic repairs,
This puppy could easily become a very reliable transportation car.
It has a strong motor, good exhaust, excellent brakes and tires, great air conditioning, comfortable seats, good suspension and handles well.

Elizabeth is asking $900, but she said that she will take any reasonable offer.
It's parked near her apartment and is currently the target of LAPD parking tickets.
Just to have it gone will save her money and stress.


ANY TAKERS?