wtb m535i on the west coast, Portland, Boise area

[hubble1953]

Hi: I am looking for a m535i that is on the west coast area, The closer to Boise, idaho the better. Not looking for a perfect example, and will consider a 'project' car.
thanks,
jm

[hubble1953]

There has to be someone that might be interested in selling their m535
jm

[alpinass]

on the for sale board topics and you will find a '85 diamondswartz M535i in MI. 4-sale $6K...will go $5K without wheels. I was very close to buying the car....no CLEAN TITLE.

[hubble1953]

Just sent a pm to the owner, but I thought you were buying it or had bought the car
thanks for the info.

[alpinass]

Changing direction - I just bought that super ETA - really clean white one. It is all origional paint - perfect interior. Going to pull drivetrain - Install a M30b35 with some goodies - including lightweight flywheel +Headers, custom wiring harness+#179ECU with MarkD chip. Close-Ratio Sport Gearbox - LSD. FULL DINAN suspension.

[hubble1953]

I have a 88m3, lots of fun, even more fun this summer when it comes out of winter storage
Enjoy your new car, don't think the m535i is for sale anymore??
jm

[E28CFX1]

I've PM'd the seller of that car and waiting to hear back. But does anyone know if that M535i is still available?

Thanks,
Fox
Denver, CO

[hubble1953]

Well, just got home from Omaha, man is it cold there .
Still looking for a project m535i for sale. Just wanted to say thanks to all the people that have been helping me on the search for one.
jm

[ddstl]

on the for sale board topics and you will find a '85 diamondswartz M535i in MI. 4-sale $6K...will go $5K without wheels. I was very close to buying the car....no CLEAN TITLE.

To clarify: My M535i is still available, in MO, not Michigan.

I am asking $6k with the style 5 wheels, will go $5k with original Mtec TRX's--I doubt I would have much luck selling the car without wheels!!

As for Paul's statement to the car having "no clear title", let me clarify that rather broad statement:

I had clear title in hand and submitted the title to the state of MO when I registered the car back in November of 2006.

The previous titles on the car were very clean--the problem came when I submitted the previous PA title to Missouri. In MO, you must wait for 2-4 weeks while your title is "processed" Upon doing so, they run the VIN through a rather simple computer. The VIN assigned to my car(and all other M535i's, from what I can tell), does not mesh well with the American VIN software--i.e. the numbers don't decode the same way, sending a red-flag. I believe this to be a fairly common problem with european cars imported to the US.

The state sent me a letter asking me to get the car inspected by the state patrol office to verify that all of the VIN's match(they do!), and to make a long story short, no one there cares about my issue enough to take the time to inspect the car. I have made numerous trips, called several times, and approached many different agencies to try to comply with the state's request, but have not had any success--to the point that I am sick of trying and may just sell my car without a title.

Paul seemed very intent on buying my car, and I held out for him, but apparently the title issue is major in CA, unlike other states that do not require a title on a car this old.

here's my car ad in the FS section:

http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?t=39364

That's what is really up with my car. Email me at fattiresrus@yahoo.com for photos and info if interested.

-Jim[/url]

[Ted in T.O.]

Just to add to this thread. The Euro VIN is not recognized by the US or Canada because the tenth digit is a 0 and not a letter of the alphabet. I got a letter from Mobile Traditions in Germany to verify that my car was a 1986 M535i. I gave this to my insurance company and to the DOT and they were happy that the VIN and year matched the car that I was platting. In my case it also helped that I had the original ownership from the previous owner in Germany.Hope this helps. Ted

[stuartinmn]

It's interesting to see how different states handle this. When I bought my M535i and went to the DMV to transfer the title, they never said a word about the euro style serial number, but that was probably because I bought it from another Minnesota resident and it was already in their system. My insurance company did call me back to verify the number, but after I confirmed it they went ahead and issued a policy.

I think it's a good idea to make sure any euro car you buy comes with the EPA/DOT papers that show it was properly federalized. If the papers are lost I believe you can get copies from the government. I don't have the address of the agency that will do that but I believe it was discussed here a few years back, so it should turn up in a search.

[hubble1953]

Everything is a problem for cars in CA. One time I forgot to have my daughter smog her car in LA and then I bought it back from her when I lived up North. No way were they going to let me smog that car up North, oh I could drive it down South and get it smogged or go to a ref. What a pain.


Anyway, Jim your car is really nice, and the title issue is not much of a problem here in Boise. But I would have to sell my m3 first.

I am still waiting for someone to get back to me about their m535 in Tenn. Maybe I can find a project car to work on.??
john

[grahamular]

I had no problems with registering and insuring a Euro VIN in Maryland, although I was ready (and prepared) for the fight.

Maryland also recently relaxed it's "Historic & Antique" registration requirements making just about any vehicle at least 20 years old very easy and inexpensive to register and keep on the road. It seems almost inconceivable to me that actually happened, but there must be a few car collectors or lobbyists somewhere in the political scene...

[ddstl]

Thanks for the help guys!

I feel like I could get the title situation cleared up if I get the right person, on the right day, to work with me on it. My insurance company didn't give me any grief at all about the VIN, even though the euro-vin set off alarms in their system too.

There are a few hurdles that can get in ones way when it comes to euro cars:

-Insurance
-Safety inspection
-emissions testing
-title
-registration

To date--insurance, safety and emissions, and registration have been no problem. Only the title issue. That's 80%!!



I do in fact have a receipt from the shop that federalized my car, along with some other paperwork, including a signed affidavit from the original owner showing that the DOT/EPA papers had been filed and that the car was in compliance with all regulations prior to it's registration in the US.

[alpinass]

Jim is to have the actual EPA and DOT releases. All EURO's that were fed'z are registered in Washington, DC

I owned a Hartge H5S showing it was processed. I contacted both agencies - One document was FREE the other for $24.00 - Both faxed to me within a few days. Just nice to have.

California has a separate processing system for GRAY MARKET vehicle's. That is a car that was NOT SOLD in the USA - correct me IF I am wrong.

The smog police:California Air Resources Board

This is the sticker - DINAN engineering needs to have evaluated and tested to pass.

Every Euro must meet their STRICK requirements.
This can cost $1,000 - $5,000 depending on the test results.
Its a BIG $$$$$ making operation for the State of CALI.

Most Euro's are NOT fitted with a factory CAT and 02 sensor - so that has to be installed and the car re-tuned for this addition. Slap a CAT and 02 sensor on a 'DIRTY' motor and it will run like shit!!!!! That's why folks figured out how to incoporate a #059ecu (US).

JIm's car already has that setup and that's a good selling point.

[Ted in T.O.]

The previous owner in Germany put a piggy back G Cat system onto my dirty motor and it ran fine for me with the 061 ECU. The cat and the O2 sensor are now off my car and it still runs fine. Ted