1981 BMW 635CSi

• Bronze-gold paint is glossy in the outdoor photos, doors and fenders line up straight and the chrome bumpers and window trim look bright — no paint or body budget from these photos.
• BBS-style cross-spoke wheels are clean in the wheel close-ups, which are the same wheel photo repeated twice, and the Continental tyre shows good tread — no wheel or tyre budget from these photos.
• Tan rear leather seats look clean with only light creasing, a good sign in the one interior photo — budget for leather treatment, not a retrim from these photos.
• The rear parcel shelf seen through the back window looks badly sun-faded and discoloured — budget for re-trimming the shelf, not the seats, from these photos.
• Engine bay is complete but aged and dusty, with a discoloured coolant tank and tired plastics — budget for a thorough service and detail, and photos cannot judge how it runs.
• No underside, sill or front-seat photos are in the sampled set, and E24s rust in exactly those places — budget for a full rust inspection from these photos.
• At the listed price the photos show a presentable car, but they are small and few for judging a shark-nose coupe — budget for seeing it in person before anything else.

Money: At $1,000 the photos matter less than the metal — glossy paint and clean rear leather are encouraging, but the unseen sills and underside decide whether this is cheap or very expensive.