| Author | Message | ||
| John Delvac (Johndelvac)
Member Username: Johndelvac Post Number: 437 Registered: 11-2001 |
Thanks, man. | ||
| Kds (Kds)
Junior Member Username: Kds Post Number: 224 Registered: 5-2003 |
John... They are daily drivers....for sure. Just follow the practice of letting it warm up for 2-3 minutes before the first drive of the day, and don't take it over 4,000 rpm until the engine is at operating temperature. Actually, this is a pretty safe rule for any car that you want to keep for a long time. Driver access in the sport seats is easy and everything works as it should. No quirks that I can remember. Please be careful about rust on 6 series cars. I can't state this enough. These cars have several "moisture traps" in the body work that are great starting places for it. Pay special attention to the front fenders and the shock towers. | ||
| John Delvac (Johndelvac)
Member Username: Johndelvac Post Number: 436 Registered: 11-2001 |
Thanks for all of the response. I drove a newer M5 and an M3 this weekend. Very nice!!! The power is GREAT. But, the brakes are from Mars! Wow! What I want to know is: is an M6 a daily driver car (for real), or is it kinda a pain in the butt to let warm up & climb in/out of (can you tell I own a Ferrari)? Does the M6 have any quirks that make it a not-everyday car(i.e. 2nd gear in a 308/328)? Does the AC work good, etc? | ||
| Greg (Greg512tr)
Junior Member Username: Greg512tr Post Number: 219 Registered: 2-2002 |
BTW, I would like to sell my 635 turbo if anyone is interested let me know. | ||
| Kds (Kds)
Junior Member Username: Kds Post Number: 222 Registered: 5-2003 |
John.... In January I sold a 1988 M6 with 120,000 kilometers on it (75K miles) and a complete BMW service history. The vehicle was cosmetically 95% perfect...literally...it was Zinnabar Red on Black leather with the original BBS wheels with TRX tires and a set of Racing Dynamics 17" 5 spokes. It went for $22K CAD....about $15K USD. The owner had a PPI from the dealer and spent "another" $19K to make it perfect mechanically. Total investment $41K CAD....(about $29K USD) for what is now a totally different car. The main areas of concern in this case were....rusting under the front shock towers inside the fender, new exhaust, head gasket and head rebuild, rear self levelling shocks (a $2K touch per side), and various oil leaks around the PS and brake system. Oh....R134 conversion as well and AC recharge and hoses. Of the $19K recon....about $5K was spent on engine work. The car now makes about 375 HP. Really watch out for rust on these cars. You've got to own one once in your life......I sold them new....they are fantastic. | ||
| Greg (Greg512tr)
Junior Member Username: Greg512tr Post Number: 218 Registered: 2-2002 |
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| Greg (Greg512tr)
Junior Member Username: Greg512tr Post Number: 217 Registered: 2-2002 |
not sure how well it will show up, but my car has been featured in a couple magazines. Its been a good car for 11 years i have had it.  | ||
| Greg (Greg512tr)
Junior Member Username: Greg512tr Post Number: 216 Registered: 2-2002 |
My car was featured in Roundel..here is the article  | ||
| Greg (Greg512tr)
Junior Member Username: Greg512tr Post Number: 215 Registered: 2-2002 |
here is mine  | ||
| AMK (Amk)
New member Username: Amk Post Number: 2 Registered: 9-2003 |
You mean like this? I loved this car. Looking for another. | ||
| martin j weiner,M.D. (Mw575)
Intermediate Member Username: Mw575 Post Number: 1220 Registered: 5-2001 |
Had a euro M635i.Great car-had 287 hp as I remember,about 20 more than the M6.Handled beautifully.No problems in the 2 yrs I owned it. | ||
| Michael Wogronic (Michael_fvm)
Junior Member Username: Michael_fvm Post Number: 83 Registered: 4-2002 |
John: I have a early euro model that has given me no problems at all. It has about 60k miles on it and has ran flawlessly for the last 8 years I've had it. I do have to lean it out a little though when I take it to the emission test. Also, tires will likely be a pain because they use the same type of metric tires found on early Testarossas. | ||
| William Huber (Solipsist)
Intermediate Member Username: Solipsist Post Number: 1329 Registered: 9-2001 |
I had a 1980 633csi, fun car but a pain in the arse as for electrical issues! From what I remember about the M6's was the cost of replacing the timing chain. Jon is right, it can run a small fortune if a car is not properly maintained. I would still like to have one again someday, the car has a timeless style to me. | ||
| William H (Countachxx)
Advanced Member Username: Countachxx Post Number: 3177 Registered: 2-2001 |
M6 was a beautiful car, 1 of the best looking bimmers ever, right up there with the M1 , 850, & Z8. Ive heard maintenance can be expensive. maybe 15 years ago a dinan turbo M6 beat the pants off all the Ferraris on the Virginia City Hillclimb | ||
| Jon P. Kofod (95f355c)
Intermediate Member Username: 95f355c Post Number: 1064 Registered: 8-2001 |
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| Jon P. Kofod (95f355c)
Intermediate Member Username: 95f355c Post Number: 1063 Registered: 8-2001 |
John, I own the sister car, the E28 M5. Other than body style and a few additonal luxuries on the M6 both cars are nearly identical mechanically. Both use the same 3.5 liter M engine and the 280 Getrag gear box. I have owned mine for about 9 years. It was a daily driver until 1999. Since then it has been converted into a full fledged club racer. Only original items are the gearbox and engine. The M6 for some reason seemed to have more electrical problems but you will need to talk with the M6 owners on the Roadfly forum for specifics. I know at least three owners of M6's that have minor problems. As far as getting parts, Bruce is partially correct they are more expensive than standard parts but all can be found easily. The main problem that people run into is buying a car that has no service records or one that has a spotty past. A well amintained M5/M6 will last forever, a badly maintained one will bust the bank. The costly items are the engine and gearbox. At a minimum the engine will cost 10K to rebuild no matter where it's done and there are only a half dozen or so shops in the US I would entrust this to. Gearbox costs 3K to rebuild and again there are maybe two shops in the US that specialize in the complex 280 Gertrag. My M5 has 135,000 miles on it. About 40,000 of those miles are hard driven track miles and the car is bullet proof. I had both the gearbox and the engine rebuilt at 128,000 miles mainly becasue of the track use. It's not uncommon for an M5/M6 engine to go well over 200,000 miles before needing a rebuild if the timing chain is regularly changed. Same with gearbox...I know two owners that are approaching 200K. Many more M6's than M5's around and if you check BMW's CLub magazine, Roundel, you will find some really pampered examples. I have seen some with as little as 40-60K miles on them. Most of the BMW Club members seem to be downright fanatical about maintaining the cars. I would say that a well maintained car is not a bad choice but just make sure you know the costs associated with an M car. Regards, Jon P. Kofod 1995 F355 Challenge #23 www.flatoutracing.net | ||
| Taek-Ho Kwon (Stickanddice)
Intermediate Member Username: Stickanddice Post Number: 2134 Registered: 11-2002 |
635 CSi M is one of the cars I absolutely must own before I die. My dad had one and I fell absolutely in love with it when new. Have the opportunity to see one every once in a while and it still tugs at the heart strings. Great car. Get a Euro model! Cheers | ||
| Omar (Auraraptor)
Intermediate Member Username: Auraraptor Post Number: 1025 Registered: 9-2002 |
I have an 82 633. I really like the 6ers (often nicknamed Sharks..infact the official 6er club meetings are called Sharkfests) in general. The ///M6 represents the epitome of BMW design post ///M1 in the 80s until the introduction of the 750 and later the sucessor to the 6er..the 8ers (nicknamed eagles). I always wanted to get a high milage and covert it to a 650 using a M73 BMW V12 from the E38 and later E31s. I love my car and it has thus far prove to not be that expensive to maintain, or to buy in the first place. The ///M6s though comand a preimium | ||
| Wayne Ausbrooks (Lwausbrooks)
Moderator Username: Lwausbrooks Post Number: 2590 Registered: 8-2002 |
John, no first hand experience here, but I've always heard the same. Try hanging out on this site for a while first: http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/e24/ | ||
| Bruce Wellington (Bws88tr)
Advanced Member Username: Bws88tr Post Number: 3038 Registered: 4-2002 |
JOHN DONT DO IT...I REPEAT NO........ MY BROTHER HAD ONE, AND A TRUE NIGHTMARE...WHEN AND IF HE COULD GET PARTS, THEY WERE SKY HIGH.... DONT DO IT BROTHER BRUCE | ||
| John Delvac (Johndelvac)
Member Username: Johndelvac Post Number: 433 Registered: 11-2001 |
I'm seriously considering buying an M6. What should my concerns be? Websites? |