Thinking of buying my 1st Bimmer

[CCM Pro]

Just looking for some opinions on a car I was thinking of purchasing this week.

It is a 1998 BMW 328 is, 5sp, 2dr...it is in really nice shape! I am getting it for 7500 probably due to the fact it has high KM...I think 265K...original engine and everything...he has lots of service records and has owned it since 30,000 KM...he is a Bimmer enthusiast and just bought a 2007 M5 I think.

Now I have never owned a BMW and am excited to get one but am worried about the high KM...some people tell me that if taken care of properly it will last a long time...it does seem like it has been meticulously taken care of...but others have told me they will burn lots of oil at this point and I should stay away.

What I was thinking of was getting an inspection and possibly compression test done to see.

If you have any advice on this please feel free to let me know! Thanks all in advance.

Rob

[300zxfairlday]

welll, if you own a bmw at least you wont be stupid. lol

Anyways, It is kind of risky buying a car with 250+km on it. I personnally would stay away from it.

[RC-Cola]

A car with that many Km's I would be very careful. If budget is an issue I would rather buy something less extravagent and more reliable (i.e. Honda Civic) that parts and labour aren't going to cost you an arm and leg.

However if you insist, definately get it inspected from your own garage and pay for it yourself. Get the garage to send you the result directly and get a search done on it from Carfax etc...

Either way good luck!

[97'Scort]

These engines are tough, and if you're persistant with a little preventative maintenance (hose inspections, oil/fluid changes, bushings) it'll last you a long time to come. It's a fun car, and for $7500 it's not a bad deal. I'd set aside another $3k just in case you need to do some work off the bat. Of course, I'd do that for any car, not just a BMW.

[funkedelic]

pretty nice car, but those kms would scare me away, no matter how many records you had. Be prepared to spend some money on it in the future.

I would look for something with fewer km

[Weapon_R]

I would NOT buy a BMW with almost 300k on it. That deal sucks.

[JordanAndrew]

yeah save more money and buy a better deal later on. It'll work better for you in the end. Replacing parts is a bitch and it adds up, not only that but it takes up a lot of your time replacing them.

[Silence*]

I don't see why you should shy away from it if it has higher miles on. If it has been well taken care of and properly maintained, it should be fine. Just be sure to continue on with regualr servicing etc... I would definatly get it inspected for safety's sake. Trust me, I'm glad my first car was a Bmw. (I'm on my second 3 Series in just over 1 year.)

I feel I have been spoiled compared to my friends who are constantly complaining that their car is in the shop again. My E36 just keeps on goin', and hasn't even set foot in a shop for unexpected repairs. On the flipside, parts and labour will be quite expensive for when you do need it.

And come on, so of the features offered in the E36 rule! Heated sport seats, traction and stability control, Inline 6 power, good build quality.

Also, its fricken' RWD. 'Nuff said right there! :love:

[phrozen]

Originally posted by funkedelic
pretty nice car, but those kms would scare me away, no matter how many records you had. Be prepared to spend some money on it in the future.

I would look for something with fewer km

:werd:

But, you gotta think about it too, even with all the records and such, if something goes/breaks, you gotta think that
it could end up being a lot more expensive then you think.

With my parents Volvo it was just crazy bought it cheap,
and parts are expensive. I'm sure any respectful BMW owner,
would tell you that if something does go wrong it can be quite
costly, so be sure to have some bank.

[97'Scort]

You might actually want to look for an E30. They're still a fun car but a lot easier to work on. Kind of eases you into it.

[civic_rida]

I Wouldnt buy a bmw with 200 000 km on it.

[rc2002]

Mileage is way too high - Even if you get a good deal, you'll be paying for it in maintenance. I've done work on an E36 before and it's a pain in the ass because of all the specialty tools required.

[j0nblayz]

265,000km is quite a bit of km, even with full maintenence records, you will probably have issues. Car is already 10 years old. E36 are known for electrical gremlins. Search for cars in BC, there usually alot cheaper there then calgary and usually with low km's. I do have to say though these engines are a tank, i recently sold my old E36 94' with about 250000km to a buddy of mine, and still has no big issues. Only the blower fan died on him, which i helped to replace. Its really up to you, i say get it fully checked and if it passes, it might be an ok buy. Dont forget, its still a bmw, so parts/services are just crazy, thats why i do everything myself...

[infected]

Mileage is a little high... I'd keep on searching.

[colt22]

Dont listen to spoiled fools driving late end Mercedes as above.

my 92 325is has 260,000 and its running flawlessly. It's had fewer repairs than my brothers 95 with 162k

If the car has been taken care of (regular maintenance, repairs being done right away,ect..) then it should be fine, these E36 also are extremely easy to do it yourself on, Things you'll most likely have to replace immediately are waterpump, shock mounts, sway bars.. and problem miscellenous clips here and there.

[Hernando]

Originally posted by CCM Pro
...he is a Bimmer enthusiast and just bought a 2007 M5 I think.


BMW enthusiast with a miled out e36 3 series? Pretty big upgrade from a '98 328 to a 2007 M5???

Sounds fishy to me dude!

[GT4rally]

I agree with colt22... guys that drive 2-year-old cars don't have the same perspective. They usually have more money than patients, while most of us have more patients than money.

That said, it would likely be in your best interest to pay more up front for a lower km Bimmer, but if you truely can't afford that route, a higher km example, that has been taken care of, will likely last a lot longer than you think.

I had an '84 533i that was owned by a family member since new and it had 355,000km on the original motor when I sold it. It didn't burn any oil and was still very tight.

[GT4rally]

Originally posted by Hernando


BMW enthusiast with a miled out e36 3 series? Pretty big upgrade from a '98 328 to a 2007 M5???

Sounds fishy to me dude!

Not really... A friend of mine was a fresh oil company engineer and had a '92 325i with 250,000km that was in a sad state (body damage, thrashed interior). After a few years, he upgaded in a big way... to a C32 AMG Benz!

[infected]

Originally posted by colt22
Dont listen to spoiled fools driving late end Mercedes as above.

my 92 325is has 260,000 and its running flawlessly. It's had fewer repairs than my brothers 95 with 162k

No need for jealous remarks by judging me on what I drive. Thanks for proving my point by comparing your car to the 6 year younger one the OP is interested in but with approx the same kilometers.


Originally posted by GT4rally
blah blah blah

[GT4rally]

^ And thanks for proving my point... more money than patients.

Look, I'm not saying that you guys don't deserve your new(er) cars, just that when you are that high up on the auto ladder, it's hard to see any value in a 250,000km car.

I have to say that am leaning in that direction myself, as I am growing more and more impatient with anything breaking, or needing maintenance. There was a time when replacing an entire front suspension, or valve train, didn't make me flinch... but now, I'd rather spend more money on a newer car, so I don't have to deal with all that crap.

Point is, if he's willing to get his hands dirty to save some money in the short run, then go for it!

[CCM Pro]

Thanks to everyone who posted! I am not sure what decision I will make...I suppose common sense says wait one more year save some more and perhaps get one with lower KM or even a 99 or 2000 at that point but whoever wants to really wait a year right?

It definitely is in fantastic shape and if I were to get it, aside from an inspecton, would you spend the money on a compression test? I have had a couple of mechanics say if the car idles nicely doing a test isnt worth the money so???

[colt22]

Originally posted by infected


No need for jealous remarks by judging me on what I drive. Thanks for proving my point by comparing your car to the 6 year younger one the OP is interested in but with approx the same kilometers.



jealous remarks? are you serious.. I would never drive your car nor want to be seen in it.. I just know your a spoiled little fker thanks to your designer clothes because ur an idiot and go on beyond in the middle of lecture so everyone can see you posting shit

i know i may be singling you out but god damn do people like you ever piss me off

[410440]

I havent had a car with less than 250,000kms, well i had a ranger with 135,000, and it fucked over on me at about 136,000.

My Accord has almost 300k its a 91, and probably drives better than most 2000-2002 lower milege cars.

[infected]

Originally posted by colt22


jealous remarks? are you serious.. I would never drive your car nor want to be seen in it.. I just know your a spoiled little fker thanks to your designer clothes because ur an idiot and go on beyond in the middle of lecture so everyone can see you posting shit

i know i may be singling you out but god damn do people like you ever piss me off

If that's the case, then thanks for summing up most of the members on here. :rolleyes:

[CCM Pro]

ya ok guys...lets keep it on topic here maybe??

[97'Scort]

Yes, it's worth the $300 for a full inspection plus compression test. I had mine done at Edmonton BMW when I was buying mine, they go through and check on the condition of a ton of parts, give you a check sheet, take it for a test drive and let you know the opinions. I thought they did a very good job and it was worth every penny to me.

[ZorroAMG]

Originally posted by colt22


jealous remarks? are you serious.. I would never drive your car nor want to be seen in it.. I just know your a spoiled little fker thanks to your designer clothes because ur an idiot and go on beyond in the middle of lecture so everyone can see you posting shit

i know i may be singling you out but god damn do people like you ever piss me off



WAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH STFU, you suck at posting, you are a whiner and your grammar sucks BALLS.

You like apples?




CCM, mileage is HIGH....I'd move along...

[Spoons]

I have driven a 1991 Chevy S10 with 320,XXX KMS, a 1992 Dodge Caravan with 300,000 KMS, a 1991 Grand Marquis (the boat) with 350,000 KMS, a 1992 Honda Accord with 260,000 KMS, and finally my 1997 Cavalier with 265,000 KMS.

I don't know about you, but I can say I know my fair share about high milage cars, so colt22 I'm going to start this off with a fuck you to any response your going to think up of.

A BMW with over 200,000 KMS is bad news if you don't have money. Repair costs are through the roof, parts are not cheap, and you can't do most of the labour yourself. I bought high milage cars because thats all I can afford, but I also buy cars that are cheap to fix. You can find any part you want for hondas and other domestics for dirt cheap. BMW's you can't. You are trying to compare your 6 year older car to that one. Your car doesn't have near the amount of computer systems in it.

You buy that BMW, you will be sorry when you get that first repair bill. Way to many people think that just because you can afford that initial cost, means you can afford the car. You have to look at repairs. I always add about $5,000 dollars to my costs when I am looking at a car. It is alot to add, but it is my "Holy shit, I did not see that coming!" Back up fund.

[colt22]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG




WAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH STFU, you suck at posting, you are a whiner and your grammar sucks BALLS.

You like apples?




CCM, mileage is HIGH....I'd move along...


lol.. ohh no are you mad???

and do I like apples? Normal people like myself dont talk like douche bags so im not sure what that means

[GT4rally]

Originally posted by Spoons
A BMW with over 200,000 KMS is bad news if you don't have money. Repair costs are through the roof, parts are not cheap, and you can't do most of the labour yourself... You can find any part you want for hondas and other domestics for dirt cheap. BMW's you can't.

Not true man... the E36 3-Series has some of the best DIY support on the internet, and most parts are available from Part Source and/or a ton of aftermaket tuners. They are pretty easy to work on too! I did a complete brake job (pads and rotors) on my '93 325is for cheaper than my Ford Focus!

[heizervr6]

I personally wouldn't have too many concerns about a high mileage car esp. if all of the records are there and it is clearly in decent shape (pending compression test, etc). Depending on my budget I usually try and get a newer vehicle with just over 170K because in between 120K and 170K is generally where most of the repairs come up (waterpump, coolant expansion tank, brakes, tires, etc.) - at least based on my personal experience. There are lots of great sources for relatively inexpensive parts on the 'net and as mentioned lots of DIY info (these are the easiest cars in the world to work on). I also did the front brakes on my X5 for $360 including shipping for new Brembo rotors and Akebono Ceramic pads! Just stay away from the stealership or deal with US dealers that ship USPS to Canada (1st BMW parts in Ohio - ask for John - and internet pricing - phone is 440-542-0600)

I've also owned my share of low mileage cars but some of these have a reason why they are like that (lemons, accidents, etc. - just ask anyone who's imported a 60K car from Japan) so I stay away from those unless I come across one that was owned by someone that lives d-town, has the car parked underground and walks to work every day.

Based on the info. for the specific car you're looking at, I'd try and get the price down some more and go for it. $0.02.

[eikna]

ill sell you my car
1995 320i
76,000 km only
but i have to get it fix,...2 k to fix

[rawsensation]

Originally posted by colt22



lol.. ohh no are you mad???

and do I like apples? Normal people like myself dont talk like douche bags so im not sure what that means

your calling other people douche bags, and you drive what?? lol

CCM man those k's are wayy to high, go back and get yourself another fd

[max_boost]

Used cars with higher mileage scares me, especially BMW's or anything Euro for that matter.

Shop rate at $125/hour will burn a hole through your pocket pretty quickly!:eek:

[NRGie]

As long as it was kept good, KMs dont matter, my cuzzins `94 325
has close to 300000 miles on it, so about 420000 KM, and it still passes cars on deerfoot with ease, no problems at all.