M535i Price Guide
Excellent: $7,000-$15,000 (E12)
Car has few original miles, usually under 75k or 100k. These cars are in absolute PERFECT condition. Recent Maintenance done, with no worries. These cars are also known as: GARAGE QUEEN! Please note that the E12 M535i could have been heavily modified. Some modifications add value (such as Alpina aerodynamics). Others do not (like badly wired in CD changers). If the modification has been made so that it can be removed and the car returned to stock with no major work, and the stock pieces come with the car, then the modification adds value accordingly. For example, if the car comes with Alpina 16x7 and 16x8 wheels, ALONG with the original 14x6.5 wheels, and are all in excellent condition, then the modification adds a value.
Very Good: $5,000-$8,000 (US)
Car has less than 100k or 125k miles, usually. Paint in excellent shape. Interior very good (no warped/cracked plastic, leather/clothin good condition). Suspension tight (no wandering, shimmy), brakes excellent (pads good, rotors good). Maintenance recently done. Bumpers/m-tech kit in good condition (especially front spoiler). No drivetrain noises/vibrations. Strong compression in engine. Hoses and other underhood rubber in good condition, tires good. No mechanical worries, but may have a dent or two and scratches. These cars would generally be BMW CCA owned, maintained examples worth their money.
Good: $4,000-$6,000 (E12)
Mechanicals need to be in good shape. Top end of engine must be in good-excellent condition. Maybe needs some maintenance soon. Interior good. Main issue is coming up maintenance items or DIY or easily repairable items (such as my cloth seats which need reupholstering).
Fair: $2,000-$4,000 (E12)
These would be tattered examples in need of TLC. Cars which have been stored for some time. Need new rubber, brakes, major engine maintenance, drivetrain work (even new driveshaft), front end work. Nothing an experienced Do It Yourselfer can't fix over the winter months. However, MUST HAVE NO RUST or structural damage.
Poor: up to $2,000 (E12)
These are really bad. Tattered examples in need of top end work. (Bottom end, FORGET it!). Cars that need TLC in other words. Bumpers are HARD to find, and other parts that are expensive, may be needed on these. Would need a LOT of time, effort, and money to turn these around. Rust may be prevalent.
I left a lot of room to move around in these criteria because you never know what type of car you may find. Most daily drivers are in the Good to Very Good condition. Certain parts for these cars are $$expensive$$ so budget any repairs. E12 M535i's are "generally" more desirable, and thus the really good examples cost more than the E28 versions. Remember, the E12 M535i's are the first M5's. So they will always be on par, to slightly more than the E28 versions, even though they're older. Also they're MUCH rarer and more desireable because they were not a tarted up consumer version of the real M5 (much like the E28 was). And What you're ACTUALLY going to pay will depend on where and from whom you get the car of course.
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