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2008 BMW 535xi Wagon 6-Speed Manual - $12,800 (palo alto)
2008
BMW 535xi
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I am the third owner of this car. I have put 90,000 miles ago. I daily drive it. I drove it to and from Colorado in August (2000 miles), and to and from Tahoe over Labor Day weekend, without issue.
It has had oil changes every 5k miles with Castrol Edge 0W-40. It burns about 1 qt per 5k miles, which hasn’t changed since I got it.
It got a new clutch this summer, and recently got a new HPFP and Water Pump. I also recently did front brake rotors, pads, and front suspension refresh (I have receipts for all this). It has never been tuned, but I have made some reliability modifications. Most notably, I swapped the turbos for the RB Turbos which have modified waste gates. My stock turbos had the rattle, and the turbos I put on have a redesigned waste gate to counter the failure mode. I have also put on a VRSF metal charge pipe (the factory component is plastic and known to crack), Turbosmart metal diverter valves (plastic stock ones also are failure prone), and a BMS Vacuum Side Oil Catch Can. I put on Dual Cone Intakes because the stock intake kept the engine very quiet, and though it still isn’t particularly loud it’s easier to shift by ear in the manual. I have also extended 3 of 4 of the wiring harnesses in the liftgate (never got around to the fourth one, so the rear defrost currently isn’t working but it’s a 30 minute job with a soldering iron). I’ve had two walnut blasts done over the years. I run N55 spark plugs.
There are heated seats in the front and back, though I don’t think the seat-pad heater is working on the driver seat anymore (back panel still works).
The vehicle is equipped with the 22-way comfort seats, which has surprisingly been one of my most cherished features on the car. Liftgate opens and closes smoothly (I recently topped up the hydraulic fluid). Sunroof opens and closes well. Have cleared the drains regularly and have never had water ingress.
This is a remarkable vehicle. Incredible for long highway drives. Performs great in the snow. Large manual AWD wagons with big engines simply aren't made anymore. Though the mileage is high, it has been maintained meticulously. I have a good sense of what I would do to keep it going to 300k.
Four negatives to note:
1. The car has 4-6 hail dents on the hood and roof. They are not particularly noticeable but can be seen under close inspection.
2. There are a number of rock chips on the front hood, and there are some paint scratches above the rear wheel well from when my dog trapped a squirrel under there. Generally the paint shows 171,000 miles of use.
3. The first owner clipped a curb in a snowstorm, so there is a dent under the front fender on the passenger side. It can only be seen from below. Apparently he dented part of the front frame doing this, because while there are no accidents on the carfax and the title is clean, the carfax does show structural damage from this incident. He claims to have had it repaired by BMW, but does not have a receipt for the work. He is a renowned cardiologist, custom ordered the car, and spent a lot of money maintaining the car so I believe him. This happened over 100k miles ago, I have never experienced anything but confidence inspiring driving dynamics, and no mechanic over the years has been able to identify any evidence of this ever happening. You are of course free to have the car inspected.
4. There are no codes on the car currently, and nothing came up on our recent drive to and from Tahoe (8 hours total). However, on our drive to Colorado we did get a limp mode after about 6 or 7 hours of continuous driving. It went away after turning the car off and turning it back on, so I think it may have been an anomalous misfire.
If this post is up it is still available. Payment by Cashier’s Check at any Schwab Bank Branch we agree on.