1987 to 1988CoupeM car
Photo: Schanzeml, CC BY-SA 4.0, plate blurred, via Wikimedia Commons
The M6 is the US version of the E24 M635CSi and by model year the first of BMW's M cars sold here: it came for 1987, a year before the M3 and M5.
Each part is scored from 0 to 100 on a fixed outside scale. Acclaim comes from published expert lists, launch reviews and awards; the more acclaimed a car, the less its ownership cost counts in this all-time score (its dollars below are unchanged). A part marked not measured carries no weight for this car, and the others share its weight.
11 prices from sources that allow this use (bonhams.com, classiccars.com, enthusiastauto.com), read October 27, 2026: the middle one is $65,995, about 112% of the price new (38% once the price new is put in today's dollars). Asking prices sit above what cars sell for.
Long-term value starts to count in the score once 75% of the 69 generations have permitted prices. Today 43 do.
About $4,218 a year to own ($3,015 to $6,268), about $21,039 over five years, bought at five years old or its own age if older, kept five years.
Expect about $3,000 to $6,300 a year; the bills that decide it are rust, timing chain tensioner and self-leveling rear suspension. Ownership risk: costly.
Guide Score method v5-final.14, an editorial score built only from permitted, sourced data. How it works.
Colors it came in, most wanted first. Pick one to see the page in it.
1988The best year to buy, reading 92 of 100, about $4,205 a year to own.
From our log of the changes between model years, each with its source. Only changes the score reads count as reasons; recalls BMW fixes for free, options and tuning notes do not. The cost a year is for a car bought at five years old, or its own age if older, kept five years. How the score works.
It uses the same 256 hp catalyst S38 six as the 1988 M5 in place of Europe's 286 PS M88, drives through a five-speed manual, and came loaded: Nappa leather, front and rear air conditioning, a rear sunshade and a self-leveling rear suspension.
BMW built 1,767 for North America, 1,632 of them for the US, over the 1987 and 1988 model years and two final Canadian 1989 cars; the 1987 cars have the big 5-mph bumpers, the 1988 cars slimmer bumpers and ellipsoid headlights. The metric TRX wheels and tires, the self-leveling suspension, the air conditioning and the brake accumulator are the costs to check.
What to look for. 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), and the original metric wheels or a record of what replaced them.
What goes wrong on this generation, roughly what a fix costs at an independent shop, and how to spot it before you buy. Every M6 generation compared.
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.
US M6s left the factory on metric 415 mm cross-spoke wheels that need metric TRX-size tires (240/45 R415), now a classic-tire item from Michelin at about $570 to $585 each. Many owners have switched to 16in or 17in BMW wheels that take modern tires.
Check which wheels and tires are fitted, the tire date codes, and whether the original metric wheels come with the car.
US M6s have hydraulic self-leveling rear shocks. Most cars have had the system removed in favor of the regular 635CSi setup, which Korman Autoworks says does not hurt value much, but conversions often leave parts of the system behind.
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.
The brakes are assisted by a hydraulic booster with a pressure accumulator, and a worn accumulator or booster gives a heavy pedal. BimmerWorld sells the accumulator for about $270.
Feel for a heavy brake pedal, especially after the car has sat, and look for accumulator, booster or pressure switch work in the records.
US cars have two air conditioning systems, one feeding the rear console and its beverage cooler, and the valve that splits refrigerant between them often fails, leaving one end warm. Sellers' records also show evaporators, expansion valves and compressors replaced.
Run the air conditioning on a warm day and check that both the front vents and the rear console blow cold.
Korman Autoworks says US M6s rarely rust unless the undercoating is damaged, but cars on the market show corrosion around the lower rear window, the sunroof, the trunk lid and the quarter panels.
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.
A worn tensioner lets the timing chain rattle for a few seconds after a cold start; the tensioner from the later E36 M3 is a common upgrade. The S38 also has solid lifters, so its valves need regular adjustment.
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.
No recalls returned by NHTSA for the 1987 to 1988 model years.
Live from NHTSA, across the 1987 to 1988 model years.
Our estimates at an independent shop, parts and labor; fuel from the EPA.
Pricing tires for this car? Compare the factory sizes at Discount Tire, and ask a local shop to match it.
Fuel from EPA fueleconomy.gov: its yearly cost is for 15,000 miles with 55% city driving, moved here to the miles a year the two-year budget uses. The rest are our estimates at independent-shop and retail prices from September 2026. Service is a year of routine maintenance at 10,000 miles: one or two oil changes, brake fluid, filters, and spark plugs spread over their interval. Repairs are separate. Tires are a mounted set of summer tires; brakes are pads and rotors on both axles. Prices vary by region and shop.
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Set your ZIP and this page shows the asking prices of M6 E24 cars listed for sale within 100 miles of you today, with the cars themselves.
Representative listings, last reviewed September 2026. Examples chosen by us, not a live feed.
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The cars this one gets weighed against, by lineage and by price.
The US version of the M635CSi and, by model year, the first M car sold here, for 1987, a year before the M3 and M5: a 256 hp catalyst S38 six and a five-speed manual. BMW built 1,632 for the US over the 1987 and 1988 model years.
The S85 5.0 V10 at 500 hp, as a coupe and a convertible.
The M6 began as the US name for the E24 M635CSi. It returned with the E63's V10 and the F13's twin-turbo V8, and the M8 took its place from 2020.
The M Index, once a month: any change to the M6's guide or score, with the reason, new recalls on M cars, and one thing to check before you buy.