Back In The Saddle Again
Let the rescue begin.

Unknown to you, for months now I have been suffering the pangs of BMW withdrawal. It is a terrible malady, replete with regret and sad staring at used car lots in hopes of sighting a twin-kidney grill of any sort. Worst of all, it has left me a member of BMW CCA and the Sunbelt Chapter without a Bimmer to my name.

Back in November, I sold my beautiful polaris silver `83 633CSi after having owned it just long enough (less than a year) to restore it to cosmetic and mechanical health. Like many of you, I usually sell my cars with new tires, struts, brake booster, etc. A friend at work (who is also now a Sunbelt member) had been eyeing my Sixer for months, and finally made me an offer I couldn't refuse. With cash in hand, I honestly did make an effort to replace it with another BMW, but couldn't find one at the time that was both decent and affordable. So I bought a Diamante. Nice car, but not a Bimmer, and certainly not a 6 Series.

A few weeks ago, while out driving one day on a mission to find a wood stove dealer, a twin-kidney grill suddenly broke into my peripheral vision as I drove past a little used car lot about 20 miles from home. I turned to look and there amongst the Chevys and Nissans sat a sapphire blue `84 633CSi. It was the only BMW on the lot, and it could have been the twin to my other 6.

Instantly, all thoughts of a wood stove evaporated. As I turned in to the lot, I reminded myself that the odds of finding a nice cheap Bimmer are inverse to the distance remaining between you and a likely suspect. Yet this one not only looked good from the road, but close-up. As I walked around it, I inspected the straight body, good paint (original color on a decent repaint), no rust(!), and Michelin XGT4's with a fair amount of tread left.

Opening the door, my eyes went first to the odometer. 172,083. Fairly high, but maybe this one's been taken care of. The dark blue leather on the front seats was worn but not beyond saving, while the back seats looked like new. Wires hung out of the hole where the radio had been, and there were a few small cracks in the dash, but otherwise the interior looked good.

Popping the hood, I lifted and held it (the struts having long ago lost their oomph) to reveal a clean compartment, no rust, and no grunge on the engine. The dipstick oil was pretty black, but when I started her up, she sounded good. The valves ticked a bit, but there was no smoke, no miss, and the idle was steady.

By now I was interested, but lacked one critical piece of information before going further. Walking into the office, I asked the young salesman how much he'd take cash. His reply was astonishingly low, lower than I had ever expected or hoped for.

"Think I'd like to take her down the road," I said, hoping that my voice did not give away the growing anticipation that this Sixer might just be the remedy I so desperately needed.

"Sure, go ahead," said the salesman.

A few miles behind the wheel revealed that the car drove and ran fine, with a slight pull to the right. The A/C and electric windows didn't work, and the struts and brakes were a bit weak, but everything else seemed in order. I drove back to the lot, called BMW master mechanic David Ogden, and asked what his schedule was like for the next hour or so. "Oh, pretty open," he replied. I knew if this Bimmer was hiding anything, David could find it. The lot manager was willing, so it was back on the road for a 20-minute drive to Bavarian Motor Service in Fayetteville to hopefully clear any remaining obstacles between me and this lovely old 6.

David's inspection first revealed a missing A/C compressor belt. It took me about 2 seconds to say, "Let's put one on and see if it works."  While it was still up on the lift, I noticed wetness on the underside of the floorpan on the driver's side back of the firewall. "Brake booster leaking," said David. But the frame looked straight, there were only minor oil leaks, and absolutely no rust was to be found (the windshield wore an Oklahoma inspection sticker.)

Lowering the car to the ground, David started the engine, pushed in the A/C button, and incredibly, the vents gushed cold air. We both grinned at each other. Then he proceeded to lower the driver's window with the switch on the console.

"HOW'D YOU DO THAT?"

"I pushed in the circuit breaker button."

Oh. So, good A/C, good electric windows. The inspection revealed an engine in need of a valve adjustment, weak struts/shocks, leaking brake booster, bad brake accumulator, and power seats that didn't move too well (the cables inside stretch over time and lose their ability to move the seat.) There were no real surprises, except the good ones.

This old Sixer needed some attention, but was well within reason for bringing back up to standard, and certainly for the price being asked by the dealer. So I drove back to the lot with a list David had made of every conceivable maintenance she needed, and walked into the office.  After five minutes of reasonable haggling in which another $200 came off the purchase price, I found myself back in the BMW fold.

All that remained now was to tell my wife.

Being the understanding person she is, I didn't anticipate much of a problem. After all, how often do you go looking for a wood stove and bring home a 6 Series? After a few wary minutes of listening to my admittedly amazing story, she agreed that this 633 was, indeed, a rare find. As, obviously, is my wife.

So I now have another Sixer in my garage (the Diamante is sitting outside). As you may know, the only difference between the `83 and the `84 models are the addition of power seats and 4-speed automatic (non-electronic); this one also has the Bosch fog lights. The engine is certainly more relaxed at speed with the overdrive, and the seats work just fine after David took them out and shortened the cables. With a new brake booster & accumulator, valve adjustment, struts & shocks, Kenwood CD receiver to plug that hole in the dash, and numerous smaller projects, I've been able to check off much of my "to-do" list in the last few weeks since first pulling into my driveway behind that smooth-running 3.2 liter big-six.

In looking through the glove box, I learned that my new 6 had been registered to a lady schoolteacher in Tulsa since the early 90's. According to the mileage on some old registration certificates, she apparently had driven it daily, but had let the problems accumulate until they either became too much (read expensive) to fix, or she just didn't know the right people to help her maintain it. So she traded it.

And I came along.

Now with summer drawing near, the road beckons. There remain things to be done (aren't there always?), but as each task is accomplished, my 633CSi assumes more and more the reflection of the fine motorcar her Bavarian makers intended.

Walking up to it in the parking lot at work the other day, that freshly waxed shape reflecting the afternoon sunlight once again got to me. I think the 6-Series is one of the most beautiful designs ever for BMW, and I'm still in semi-shock that I have this elegant Bimmer back in my garage so soon after selling my other one.

But it feels real good.  -Rick Sparks

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