soon to be my first car

[lobbolt]

I just went to see this used BMW 325 at the dealer's and think I have myself a good deal here. It's got 100,000 kms on it and is about 10 years old. Comments and suggestions welcome, thanks.

 

[CBulla]

Get a JEEP! Then you can go where asphalt roads don't.

 

[J75]

Get something that you can fit dive gear into and won't cost you a small fortune to repair.

 

[Vie]

Looks like that car has been fitted with non-BMW tail pipes, front lights and rear lights, as well as a pointless rear spoiler. If I were you I’d check thoroughly to see what else the previous owner has done to the car.

As for used BMWs in general, IMHO it’s hard to beat the original M3, if you can find a well-loved one one in good condition.

 

[frenchy07]

As the proud owner of a 87 535is I can first hand tell you this "if i didn't do all my own work on the car I wouldn't own it". Not that I am automotivelly challenged (ASE certified tech and Automotive Repair Instructor here) but with the cost of labor (parts are the cheap part, labor starts around 80 bucks an hour in this day and age) I won't even set foot in a repair shop. Coupled with the 2% of crooked techs out there that give the other 98% a bad name and you have a very expensive habit, well, another one at least .

If you buy it either get good at fixing the little nagging bugs all European sports cars develop (usually comes from the owner exercising the little auto a bit to aggressively), find a really good friend who is good, locate a "honest" technician (this is usually a enthusiast and drives the car himself) or get one of those high paying jobs. The techs working on cars today (really good ones) make in the high 5 figure to mid 6 figure incomes. Tells you what the market will bear huh.

Oh it is a fun little ride. You will savor the drive. It is the ultimate driving machine. A BMW corporate rep related to me the reason they only build rear wheel drive cars, "we build our cars to drive, not just to look at"

Brian

 

[lobbolt]

As the proud owner of a 87 535is I can first hand tell you this "if i didn't do all my own work on the car I wouldn't own it". Not that I am automotivelly challenged (ASE certified tech and Automotive Repair Instructor here) but with the cost of labor (parts are the cheap part, labor starts around 80 bucks an hour in this day and age) I won't even set foot in a repair shop. Coupled with the 2% of crooked techs out there that give the other 98% a bad name and you have a very expensive habit, well, another one at least .

If you buy it either get good at fixing the little nagging bugs all European sports cars develop (usually comes from the owner exercising the little auto a bit to aggressively), find a really good friend who is good, locate a "honest" technician (this is usually a enthusiast and drives the car himself) or get one of those high paying jobs. The techs working on cars today (really good ones) make in the high 5 figure to mid 6 figure incomes. Tells you what the market will bear huh.

Oh it is a fun little ride. You will savor the drive. It is the ultimate driving machine. A BMW corporate rep related to me the reason they only build rear wheel drive cars, "we build our cars to drive, not just to look at"

Brian

After looking at some more cars I'm now more inclined to buy a 1999 honda accord 3.0. I would've liked to have that BMW but seeing the lights and the wings on that car made me rethink. Japanese makes have a great reputation for being reliable here; my whole family drives toyotas and others. The reason I'm getting a car is for a job I'm about to start which will be in a far out place, where reliability is a must. I can't have too many bugs coming up in my ride. Maybe I'll get a ferrari sometime when I can handle the bugs, and by then i'll be sure to post the pics up.

 

[diversteve]

I just went to see this used BMW 325 at the dealer's and think I have myself a good deal here. It's got 100,000 kms on it and is about 10 years old. Comments and suggestions welcome, thanks.

Unless it's been flawlessly maintained, you're just now coming up on the time that a lot of the 3series cars start having problems due to breakdown of the components. Mine at 92K spent two different weeks at a private repair place - at close to a thousand dollars each time. The first time was a little coupling in the rear suspension, part cost $60, labor cost $480 to get to it. And the tuneup was another $320.

The second time the computer went whack and the mixture was running so bad that when I shut it down one night, the exhaust was glowing red. I don't remember what that all cost, but it was a bunch of money for a few hoses and some adjustments.

And although my repair people did a great job, it was a little disconcerting to see the mechanics in real polo shirts while working on a sanitary white painted floor. When I got the bill I understood why.

I sold it and a couple years later bought a Nissan Maxima SE. Almost the same ride, except for the FWD and bulletproof reliability. Although people who rode in my car frequently mistook it for RWD.

I blew a hose once, but not knowing what it was since it was under the car - and I was dressed for work - called a tow truck. While I was waiting two different people stopped not believing that there could be anything wrong with the car and asked if I needed a ride for gas. Mine had leather, a body color sunroof and a killer Bose stereo. Wish I still had that car...

 

[CBulla]

Again I say jeep.. solid reliability, so easy to work on you can do it by candle light in the mud should you do something to break it, a hundred dozen after market manufacturers for all the parts, and virtually every part can be bought either OEM or aftermarket at a reasonable price and installed or replaced by the owner with really no need for a shop to help.