1973 3.0 CS. Buy?

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RokuMado

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Soooooo, this CS pops up again and again in the islands, I posted here on 7/19/09 about one of the cars. This time instead of $15K for two cars, it is now $8K for two cars (automatic car + exact same car considered a parts car). What do you folks think? Not like I need to add to my collection, but what are these going for now? The car is clean on the exterior (visually), I'm sure if I dig deeper there may be the usual rust spots in the unseen areas which leads me to believe that the car has been worked, but I can't tell without getting under the car. I love the older styling, but I keep looking at BIG $$$ to get these babies squared away. My initial knee jerk reaction was to swap my spare 265 trans in one of them, but then I will surely be opening another can of worms. Plus sleeping in the garage will be required, hahaha.

http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/cto/2709062631.html

Looking for advice on what is available.
 
Hi RokuMado:
Judging from the lack of response to your questions, I guess It's that time of year on the mainland when everyone else is thinking about the eating turkey with a good California zinfandel, so I'll respond, FWIW.
We need more pictures, but no matter what you should have the car/cars looked at by a BMW knowledgeable mechanic who knows about E9s, at the best, or someone who will do a thorough inspection for rust. IN the meantime, immerse yourself in this wonderful site and read all the excellent advice given by very smart people herein (not me....) IMHO, the price seems reasonable for two cars but that's me: I'm pretty handy and can do most things that need to be done to our beloved coupes. Good luck and keep us informed.
 
Well there is only so much one can learn from two craigslist pictures. Here is my take:

I like that color, I don't like that the car lives outside a garage (otherwise you would not have the sun screens). It deserves a 5 speed so factor in that work, it also deserves Hella headlights instead of the US DOT, and seems to stand a bit too tall in the front, may have the US spacers you can remove when you install new Bilsteins.
Personally I do not like the wheels.

Electric antenna probably broken or it would not be up. It may be manual antenna.

If you have the time to sort it out, the price is right.

Should have no rust or seller would not have stated GREAT condition.
 
Thanks for your comments and advice. I found a few more photos of the car.

480632.jpg


blueCS-1.jpg


blueCS-2.jpg


480633.jpg


480634.jpg


Hope these help get a better picture. Where are the best places to find old parts? I know it is much more expensive then what I am used to with E24s. Thanks again!
 
Without some higher resolution pics, it's kind of hard to tell the actual condition of the car. From the pics available, it does look like a highly presentable coupe.

As for used, rare and obscure coupe parts, www.bimmerdoc.com and ebay...German ebay and off course right here @ e9coupe :p are the best sources. For new parts, www.wallothnesch.com, www.bmwmobiletradition-online.com/, and BMW are your best bets.

Roku, if you still have the E9 bug, take your time in finding the right coupe. Don't do the "impulse buy", your bank account will drain faster than it can be replenish if you were to get a CS that requires quite a bit of work.
 
Roku,
there is another member of this forum in hawaii who goes by name of honolulu whom has I beleive many years of ownership of these cars. He might be an invaluable help to you in determining exactly what this car needs
 
You really need high resolution photos of the strut towers, fender skirts and the rain gutters on the upper edges of the fenders to get anything near a worthwhile assessment from members by using photos. All of that was painted the color of the car so if it’s undercoated or if you see any signs of Bondo figure on very expensive repairs. You will have to cut the wheels all the way in both directions and inspect inside the front wheel houses (also called wheel wells) with a high powered light. There are no inner fender skirts to obstruct your viewing which is why most of the E9 rust problems started in the first place. Pay close attention to the front of the rocker panels as well as any under coating that seems to be coming lose from the bottom of the floor, it is likely being pushed off by rust. Anywhere you see fresh new undercoating suspect the worst. A push or two with a very sharp ice pick will tell you if something undercoated is metal or Bondo but I never told you that.
Tell your wife you should be able to get back a good chunk of your investment money from the parts car and a really nice E9 is worth as much as 3 or 4 of the later coupes so it’s a great investment. Good luck ----- sound E9 coupes are getting very tuff to find. ~ John Buchtenkirch
 
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the guy echappe is referring to maintains a blog on his e9:
http://e9erust.blogspot.com/
an in-person inspection (not photos, videos or sound clips) is well worth the cost of gas, beer, dinner whatever it takes to get someone there who knows what they're looking at.
pomaika i!
 
Kwyjibo: the blog is not mine.

I have sent a PM or two to Roku, ball is in his court. I think maybe "Morley" (not a forum member to my knowledge) is the owner. But he and the car are on the other side of the island, a whole 20 miles away. Since I've been out of work two months and counting, and don't have a place to put another car, I haven't any real interest in another CS, but offered to go look with Roku. I have my '73 CS and the wife's MB C280 in the garage, 325i on the front grass, non-running E32 735i on the side of the garage, and '85 K100RS tucked under the eaves in the lee of the garage...

I have looked at a few of these over the years, for myself and others. I had a major-ly rusted 2800CS for a time, so I've seen how bad they can get.

Now if I could trade for the 7er...
 
sorry honolulu, my mistake, got mixed up from the location/forum name.

to rokumado, if honolulu offered help, i'd take him up on it - he did a great job checking out a coupe about 4 years ago for me.
 
Thank you all for your words of advice. Like Honolulu, I am tight on space as well. Never thought my three car garage would not beenough for a two driver family. I have lots of room on the property, but do not want to start storing classics out in the open. My E24s are keeping me plenty busy and the 3.0CS would just add fuel to the fire (more like burn the house down). It was definitely a knee jerk reaction everytime I see something interesting. I would like to at least go take a look at it one of these days and I'll definitely make arrangements to get educated by Honolulu. Did I tell you folks that there is an complete 1957 Isseta 300 for sale in the islands as well...Hahaha
 
I think I remember that Isetta (there can't be too many others).

The BMW CCA had a clean car meeting at the community college parking lot. The Isetta showed up in the back of a moving van and six of us lifted it out and put it on display. I don't recall that it ran that day, nor do I recall whose it was. Supposedly it was affiliated with a furniture company, but my memory on this is a little foggy.

The car did then appear to be in good shape then. It was the first I had seen, though I knew they existed.

BMW CCA's '95 Oktoberfest in Colorado had a running Isetta used for "exercise" purposes. One was supposed to drive it up on a teeter-totter and balance... geez the thing sounded like a tinny motorcycle engine. Which is of course, what it run on.

Maybe this will be the next cool town car, with great gas mileage. Yah. And maybe I can retrofit the K100RS (90 HP) drivetrain into it. But my bike would suffer so that's out.

So, kwyjibo, was that John Lee's Polaris coupe for you? Beautiful car, great engine by CNPR, but body full of Bondo and only noticeable from underneath. It rained that day.
 
I believe Jon Lee's Polaris Coupe made it back to the Motherland (Germany). I have never seen it though. We live in the same valley so we see each other every once in a while driving our 6ers. He still has his nice euro Black 6-Series. I still can't believe he bought it brand new in 1985.
 
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