1983 BMW 533i
123,000 original miles.
This engine is ready to go well over 200,000 miles!
146 horsepower, electronic fuel-injection
Automatic Transmission
Runs strong and shifts smoothly!
Leather Interior!
Electric Locks, Windows and Sunroof!
This BMW will make a fun and stylish daily driver for someone!
I bought this car over the summer as a daily driver for my brother. He found a BMW 325 that he likes better, so I am selling this one.
This car is in good driveable condition. I haven't driven it long distance, so if you want to drive it cross-country I can't guarantee anything. I would certainly trust it to drive a few hundred miles, though. It is an older car and is being sold AS-IS. I have tried to indicate the problems I know about, and am happy to answer any questions via email.
The known problems with this car are with the climate control and driver's door lock. Also, the rear passenger-side power window does not operate--but it probably just needs a new switch.
As for the climate control, the input nozzles to the heater core cracked, causing a coolant leak. This has been by-passed so the car is drivable as-is. But this means that there is no heat. It seems the previous owner was aware of this, and started to replace the heater core, by disconnecting the blower fan and such, but never finished the job. Anyway, I have a new heater core to put in, but don't have the time or desire to do it myself. If you are handy, you can do it yourself in a weekend, or just take it to a mechanic and let them do it for you. I do not know if the AC works, because the blower fan is not hooked up.
The driver's door lock works by hand and electronically, but the lock itself is very stiff. I even broke a key off in it by turning too hard. This is a common problem in old BMWs, and the solution is to open up the door panel and lubricate the various internal lock mechanisms (just spraying lubricant into the lock is not enough). On the other hand, this has not been serious a problem, since you can lock and unlock all the doors from the trunk with the central locking system. This is what I have been doing.
Beyond the mechanical problems, there are obvious cosmetic items, minor dings, scratches and such. The right taillight lens is cracked. But the car looks great, even up close, and will make a solid and stylish daily driver for someone.
The paint still shines up nice, but has a few miscellaneous dings, chips and scratches from being well-loved. The paint apears to be recent. There is an Ohio dealership tag on it, and I bought it in the Chicago area, so it is safe to guess it spent most of its life in the Midwest. Given that is was an expensive luxury car in its day, and has relatively few miles on it, it is also safe to guess it spent the better part of its life in a garage. Still, the winters take there toll, and there are some rust spots on the car. None of these are structurally serious, and they are barely noticable unless you look carefully. There are also some obvious rust repairs that were made.
The car is fitted with a sharp looking set of 15" aftermarket wheels. These will take standard replacement tires, as opposed to the expensive TRX tires that were required by the original BMW wheels. The tires are in good shape, with about 10,000-15,000 miles left on them.
All the lights work, the power sunroof works, all the power windows work except the right rear (it needs a new switch), and the power locks all work (the mechanical lock on the drivers needs lubrication).
As you can see from the pictures, this car is still a beauty! It would definitely make some student or commuter feel stylish for the price!
This car is upholstered in high-quality heavy guage black leather. It is thick like the leather in a baseball glove, not like that thin stretched-out leather they use these days. There are no rips, tears, holes or seam separations anywhere inside. There are a couple mild stratches in the back seat which took off some of the black coloring, but are not deep enough to damage the leather. The leather itself is soft and pliable, and will look nice for a long time to come.
The dash board has a few major cracks from the sun. Because they are close to the window and above the instrument cluster, you don't really see them when you are driving. They are not wide, just heat cracks.
There is a heater control knob that was broken off. If this bothers you, have it replaced when you fix the heater. It is functional as-is though.
The status indicator light panel works fine. There is also a trip computer which lights up, but I don't have an instruction book and do not know how to operate it.
The AM/FM cassette deck works great. It has a 4-speaker system, and all the speakers work. The power antenna also works. If you use the "Buy It NOW" option, I will throw in a Pioneer AM/FM cassette head unit, 6-disc CD changer, and two 6"x9" Pioneer speakers! I recently removed these from my other BMW to upgrade the system. It is not new, but is still very nice!
There are new black BMW floormats in the front.
The headliner is in good condition.
The trunk is spacious, and most of the original toolset is still there, though it is missing a couple peices.
When I got it, the water pump was bad. This has been replaced by a professional mechanic. He also replaced the spark plugs and ignition wires. I had him go over the whole car. According to him the exhaust, brakes, transmission and suspension are all in good working condition. He's been my mechanic for many years, and works on my BMW 635Csi, so I trust him. The engine only has 123,000 miles on it, which is low for a car this old, plus BMWs are known for going well beyond 200,000 miles without a problem. Besides, the car drives nicely, the engine runs strong, the transmission shifts smoothly, the brakes work great, and the ride is smooth and comfortable. It's everything you'd expect from a German luxury car!
Terms of Sale
This car is sold as-is with no warranty expressed or implied.
The registration on this car is expired. Buyer will be responsible for registration and insurance upon sale.
I have a clean Illinois title for this car--no leins, no accidents, no slavage.
A $200 dollar deposit is due within 1 week, via PayPal
Full payment must be made in cash, or via PayPal within 2 weeks. Payment must be made in full prior to title being signed over. Payments by cashier's check or money order must be sent far enough in advance to clear before you pick up the car and title--I can't tell a forgery from a real one, so I have to wait for the bank to decide. Sorry, no personal checks--it's just not a good idea.
Please make all financing arrangements on your own and in advance in order to meet the above terms.
The car is in Champaign, Illinois about 2 hours south of Chicago at the intersection of I-74 and I-57. Buyer is responsible for picking up the car or arranging and paying for shipping.
I am flexible with the pick-up time, and will help you with shipping arrangements as much as I can.
Please feel free to email me with any questions, or if you would like to see or drive the car before bidding.