Any E24 gurus on the forum? M6 specifically. (UPDATE: E63 M6)

dang

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I'll be checking out an '88 M6 tomorrow that a lady in my area is selling. It's her husband's car and he's having a lot of serious medical issues, in and out of the hospital, so she's handling everything. She told me yesterday that the car was clipped on the freeway by a truck and has right front damage. My kind of car, although I don't need another project right now.

My question to the E24 guys.... I know the basics for checking out old BMW's but is there anything particular that I should look for in an M6? I can listen to it run but I won't drive it.

Also, I'm hoping to either end up with the car or be able to offer it up for sale without having to go through the online selling part. I'll post a followup here.

Dan
 

Arde

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I know my M30 E24 pretty well. Not the M6 engine.
Is it the Euro M6?
I hear the main question with the M6 engines is single vs. double chain and the age of said chain.
Obviously mileage and maintenance are key things to check, and the best avenue is to find out who serviced it through the years and even call that shop.

E24 body is generally solid, I cannot see how an E24 could rust in California other than pouring acid over it.
The only design flaws are: it eats thrust arm bushings and will shimmy when worn, there is an upgraded bushing based on 740 rubber.
E24s came with a weak steering to chassis bracket that would detach or tear (scary) if not reinforced.
You can test for play in the steering box even without driving, a tight steering box is key to the E24 driving experience.

Suspension is important, it should have Bilsteins and you can check their condition. They came with lifetime warranty but non-transferable, so best to have original owner replace or whoever bought the set last.

A non-cracked dashboard would be sweet, though very rare.
Go for it before Gavin Newsom bans them just like lawnmowers.
 
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m5bb

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So Dan, this is the S38 motor. A great motor with proper maintenance.
A expensive motor to repair as only old guy like me and Don know how.
Listen carefully at start up for chain/guide noise. Rattle sound from front of engine.
Should start from cold at 1100-1200 RPM. Then go down to 8-900 idle.
You should drive the car.
See how it shifts.
280 Getrag trans is great but not rebuildable anymore because of skill and parts.
See if it pulls to right on hare braking and listen for clunking sounds.
It probably needs control arm bushings.
The dash clusters can fail.
See if gauges work.
Check AC as car has two systems for rear seat cooler. You like cold beer.
Many more things but see what the paper work looks like.
Fun cars but with great engine. Same as my M5. I had an M6 for about 6 months but liked the M5 better.

Good luck.
Gary
 

RMP

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I have a 88 M6, 15 years. Second what Gary says. I'd just ad, if it looks beat, it probably is - other than the accident mentioned. The AC is much harder to fix, but when working correctly you can run it all day. Save the M6 (87, 88), it's rare in numbers like the e28 M5. Have the M5 and M6, love them both.

Thanks,
Roger
 

sfdon

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We have one in the shop right now for the same problem every time.
Fuel fouled plugs from people who idle the car when it’s cold.
ITB’s and low vacuum and cold engines with FPR’s are a mess.

You never know when one will blow up (if ever) but when they do it’s $15,000.00. When a valve plate (disk) pops it messes everything up.
Some go 50,000 miles and some go 200,000 miles but it’s still $15,000.00
Ive seen engines rebuilt by supposedly good wrenches blow up in 2 weeks and just about close the shop down.
I won’t take that job anymore. Lots of grief timing all those valves and cams and stupid little exhaust nuts.
Gary is right, big heavy car eats control arms.
 

Belgiumbarry

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i had a S38 engine in the rally car.... it lasted 1 year. I was happy to return to a M30.
Problem is , imho, that there are very few good M engines left....most were abused at the time ( for what there were build in fact :) )
 

bavbob

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Yes, many abused, especially if it is a Euro since they were brought here to race.

The SLS system is not unique to the M6 but only put on later E24s. Actually not bad when it works. I removed mine but saved the setup for any purist. I spent months researching different springs to keep the feel/height the same and got BMW "short reds".You need to put together a bunch of stuff to convert but beyond the Bilsteins, not much money. BavAuto used to have a complete kit for conversion...maybe an old thread on part numbers somewhere.

Good news is the starter is easy to get to...for a BMW.

Be aware that some parts are the same as a 635, those unique to the M6 are costly. Go look at the price of an M6 diff mount.
 

dang

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I don't need another car project and I've actually been a little stressed out lately because of all the stuff I have going on. I'll check out the car today and see if I can figure out a ballpark of what it's worth and if she wants me to try to sell it I'll post it here and you guys can help me with it.
 

dang

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Well, I guess I understand her wrong. It's an 06 M6. Nice car though. I can post some crappy photos if anyone is interested.
 

dang

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Perhaps you just dodged a bullit?
It's a nice car and the repairs wouldn't be that expensive. 109k, SMG. The SMG is a big negative but I told her she should be able to get $10-12k for it. An almost identical one is for sale locally for $21k.
 

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Patton

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7672783B-0B9A-426D-B012-034DF558CC19.jpeg

Dan, I’ve got a M6 that needs a good home.

White interior.
Let me know if you need more pictures.

RP
404-226-6678
 

dang

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I think this car will end up selling in the $8-9k range if you know anyone interested.
 

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vince

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One of the guys in our local club had an e63 M6 and it was in the shop more than half the time he owned it. He bought it when it was a couple of years old and, thankfully, he bought an extended warranty. He had receipts for over $20k in warranty work trying to get everything correct. He finally sold it after a couple years of complete frustration.
 

dang

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One of the guys in our local club had an e63 M6 and it was in the shop more than half the time he owned it. He bought it when it was a couple of years old and, thankfully, he bought an extended warranty. He had receipts for over $20k in warranty work trying to get everything correct. He finally sold it after a couple years of complete frustration.
Soooo you're saying you're interested? ;)
 
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