M Buyers Guide
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M Buyers Guide

Inspection checklist

M6 E24, 1987 to 1988

Printed October 29, 2026. Tick each item at the viewing, and write down what you find.

Before you go

  • Open recalls. Run the VIN through NHTSA or a BMW dealer and ask for proof every recall was done.
  • History report. Check the title, accidents, owners and mileage record.
  • Service records. Ask for them in advance, ideally from a BMW dealer or specialist.
  • Independent inspection. Book a pre-purchase inspection with a shop that knows this engine.

Known problems on this car

  • Self-leveling rear suspension about $1,300 to fix

    Ask whether the system is original, rebuilt or removed, look for leaking struts, lines or accumulators, and have a converted car checked for leftover parts.

  • Hydraulic brake booster accumulator about $500 to fix

    Feel for a heavy brake pedal, especially after the car has sat, and look for accumulator, booster or pressure switch work in the records.

  • Front and rear air conditioning

    Run the air conditioning on a warm day and check that both the front vents and the rear console blow cold.

  • Rust around the rear window, sunroof and trunk

    Check the base of the rear window, the sunroof panel and drains, the trunk lid and the quarter panels, and look at the undercoating on a lift.

  • Timing chain tensioner about $400 to fix

    Start the engine cold and listen for a rattle at the front that fades as it warms up, and look for tensioner work and valve adjustments in the records.

At the viewing

  • A compression and leak-down test.
  • The self-leveling rear suspension (working, or removed completely).
  • A brake pedal that is not heavy and records of the brake accumulator.
  • Both air conditioning systems blowing cold.
  • A gearbox that shifts cleanly (good used Getrag 280s are scarce).
  • Rust around the rear window.
  • Sunroof and trunk.
  • The leather dash on 1987 cars (many shrank or warped in the sun).
  • The original metric wheels or a record of what replaced them.

Notes

From the M6 E24 guide at M Buyers Guide. Repair costs are the guide's estimates, not quotes; the guide says where each comes from. Problems and costs as of the date printed.