BMW Questions (1994 325is)

Dave N

Dave N

My PC goes to 7...
I'm in the market for a used car and this popped up on my local craigslist yesterday:

(1994 325is, automatic, 100K, $6500)



http://homepage.mac.com/daveberliner/Personal19.html



Buying a BMW never, ever crossed my mind until now, but I've been looking at larger $7000+/- V6 sedans and $7K really doesn't buy much. I know this car is smaller, but how can you not like a BMW for $6500?



Not knowing anything about BMWs though, I have a few questions for the BMW experts.



1. This car has 100,000 miles. Will a reasonably maintained BMW go another 50,000 to 100,000 miles without significant problems? I would trust a Toyota or Honda with this many miles, but not an American car.



2. This car has an automatic transmission. Are BMW automatics good for high miles?



3. What are the maintenance costs for a BMW like this? I do all of my own routine maintenance, and can do minor repairs like water pumps, alternators, belts, hoses, etc. But I'm just a little scared that if this thing needed something more (like a timing belt/chain) it would cost me an arm and a leg.



4. Do these things go in the snow? I've driven a rear wheel drive compact car through a few winters and it didn't do too badly. But a guy I know had an older 3 series and he said it slid quite a bit on snow. Driving habits may have played a part though.



Any other comments welcome. :spot
 
Have it checked out at a dealer before you buy (PPI - pre-purchase inspection).



Personally, I would pass on a bimmer that does not have a full service history and a passionate owner.



Go to bimmerforums.com or bimmerfest.com. There are a lot of issues you need to consider.
 
Two words "money Pit". I have German friends and they trade in their BMW every 3-5 years because they get too expensive to maintain.
 
Corey Bit Spank said:
I would pass on an automatic Bimmer. You're losing out :(
Click to expand...

That's kind of what I was thinking too...



Anyway, it sounds like maybe this wouldn't be the best car to buy, considering the replies so far. Like I said, I just never had given any consideration to an older BMW, and then I saw several with well over 100,000 miles and thought maybe they were on par with Japanese cars for durability and reliability.
 
I bought an '84 318i back in '91 with about 58k on the clock. I got rid of it in 2000 with 185k on the clock. At one point it needed brake work equal to what my girlfriend at the time had to do to her Honda Civic - mine was cheaper. All in all it was a great car, but I did find a great mechanic who specialized in MB and BMW vehicles. He gave me great service at a great price and kept that little baby just humming.



If the car you're looking at has been very well maintained, and that's often easier to find with BMW owners than owners of "lesser" cars (I say that very tongue in cheek), then you'll most likely be getting a good ride.
 
zippymbr said:
Two words "money Pit". I have German friends and they trade in their BMW every 3-5 years because they get too expensive to maintain.
Click to expand...



What he said ^. I owned a '96 325i and it was repair after repair for a year before I sold it. I like bimmers a lot, but I will never own one out of warranty again. Just my opinion, of course.
 
It was a little while ago, but my mom had a 1994 325is. We hated it. Bear with me...





-2 clutches

-1 tranny

-Alarm didn't work from day 1

-Soft paint that marred at the touch of a finger

-Hard to clean wheels





I can't remember what else was wrong with it, but my dad never wants another Bimmer :(. We bought it 3 years old with something in the ballpark of 25k on the clock. We sold it with 60k. My mom drove it 85% of the time and she's 1)not bad at stick and 2) didn't beat on it. My dad and I did some semi-spirited driving with it, but nothing that should've blown a tranny and 2 clutches.



Good things about it...It has excellent road manners, great headlights for night time, and still has nice lines to it, to this day.
 
If the car was maintained properly it will make a good car. There are a lot of enthusiasts that do maintain their cars properly and are single owners will full maint records selling their cars on bimmerforums, bimmerfest, etc. Check the classifieds there. Also have a dealership go over the car...they do a complete checkout for like 100 bucks. good luck!
 
I love my M3. I realize an M is a slightly different animal but from what I've seen on forums as long as the cars are serviced and maintained they can be very reliable for a very long time. There are a few horror stories but keep in mind EVERY manufacturer makes at least a few "lemons". [GASP] even honda and toyota.
 
Do you like to tinker a bit with your cars? At the very least oil changes? Bimmers (especially older ones) need more TLC and preventative maintenance than, say, a Honda or Toyota. You've really got to stay on top of things or you'll pay later on. If you do that, they can last a very long time.



If you decide to go with a BMW:



Look for one with all maintenance records/receipts.

Get a pre-purchase inspection (I would recommend a good indy BMW specialist). Make sure they do at least a compression check along with their visual checks.

Ask about the cooling system (what has been replaced). With that many miles, I would hope the whole system has been replaced (rad, water pump, thermostat, hoses); otherwise, it's on borrowed time.

Ask about the bushings (LCABs, RTABs). Those need to be replaced by this point.

Ask about the rear shock mounts. Should be replaced already.

Ask about the shocks/struts. Should also be replaced by now.

Ask about the flex disc.

Ask about any problems with the differential.

If it has an aftermarket sway bar, ask about reinforcement of the sway bar mounts.

DRIVE the car and listen for any weird noises. How does the tranny feel?

Look for any electrical/electronic glitches.

Look for white smoke in the exhaust when you first start it up.

Check that all body panels have the same VIN number.



If all that turns out okay, you MAY have a winner.



Option 2: Get a honda. Go nuts.
 
I didn't mean to infer BMW was a bad brand at all, I still own a 330i, but it's under warranty. Just generally their cars tend to require service (minor things normally) at a higher rate than say, a Toyota, and the service is usually more expensive. My 330i has been in for a number of electircal problems, all minor, just little nagging things that were all covered under warranty but would have been expensive had they not been covered. That's all I was saying. It really helps if you can take the time to maintain the car yourself. Of course you can argue about manufacturer reliabilty all day - when it comes down to it most car makers are pretty close in terms of overall reliabilty, just know what service is going to cost should something happen. In terms of "fun to drive", it's pretty tough to beat a bimmer. The 325/328/330i's are all really, really fun to drive that's for sure.
 
After looking through the various bimmer for sale forums and autotrader, I'd really like to have one of these 10 year old 325/328's, but the maintenance factor just scares me off too much. It's amazing how good the interiors look on these cars though, for being 10 years old. The leather is so tight and crack/crease free on most of them, I just love it. Now check out the leather interior on a 4 year old Buick. It looks all creased and loose, like a 350 lb. man has been driving it (which may be the case...).



Oh well, I think I'll have to pass on the $6500 BMW and keep looking at the Regals and LeSabres.
 
Like I asked in my previous post, do you mind wrenching a bit? Or do you just want worry-free driving in exchange for a little less performance/feel? You've really got to be honest with yourself about this. Otherwise, you'll pay. I used to drive just Hondas/Nissans and I just never had to think of anything. I got in the car, drive the heck out of it, go home, done. 275,000 miles later, more of the same. Now with the BMWs, it's like I'm always thinking (in the back of my head) about overheating, moneyshifting, rear subframe, etc. But I love the car, so it's worth it--barely. I may go Japanese again--who knows?
 
I certainly don't mind a little wrenching. The last time I paid someone to change my oil was in 1996, when local shop overfilled my Nissan. I am happy doing other routine maintenance (plugs, tb cleaning, ATF, diff fluid, etc.), and have replaced water pumps, alternators, installed a supercharger and electric fan on my Tacoma. But on the other hand what I'm looking for in a car is a reliable daily driver for my 50 mile commute that I don't have to always be worrying about or tinkering with.



I kind of hate to buy an American car because that's what everyone else is driving. If I could find something a little different that is still reliable, that would be nice. If I could be sure that this $6500 BMW would go another 50K with general maintenance plus a minor repair or two, I would seriously consider it. But it sounds like that chance and maintenance commitment may be a bit more than I'm willing to take.
 
Sorry, I just reread your original post that said you do your own maintenance. Sounds like you're pretty handy so this may not be a bad idea. Although i would go with a 5-speed--you'll really appreciate the car.



It certainly possible that the car will go another 50K or even 100k with just maintenance and minor repairs--it really depends on the how well it was maintained to this point. If you follow my list above, it will increase your chances of getting a good copy, as it addresses specific issues that e36 BMWs are known to encounter. You can find a lot more information from bimmerforums.com.
 
1994 thats sure getting up there. Sounds like a money pit I must agree. You can always look at it and see what condition it is in. I like the newer BMWs that old I dont know...kind of ordinary. See if you can get a newer one with a stick. This car does have avery loyal following. see if they will take 5k for it unless it is perfect.
 
I would pass on this one. Automatic and the price are the main reasons for me. E36's are a car of passion, if you don't like to work on them, they will show it. Little things are always breaking, but reliability is never a problem. We have a 325 ITR race car with 2-13hr races and a full race season and haven't touched the engine after the initial race prep. Expensive things that go wrong- Door handles stop working (250 a side), Door sills are ate up (275 a side), and clutch/fan delete. The coolant systems are notorious for breaking all at once in the cars life time. What I recommend is the fan and clutch deletion, or else the fan likes to break apart for no reason and take out hoses, radiator and expansion tank all in one go. The headliners like to start falling apart as well, but don't take long to do if you know what you're doing (swapped out 2 headliners and sunroof cartridges in an hour and 10min. yesterday). Another issue I often encounter is the cruise control, ICV, vacuum hoses to the fuel rail/injectors and door catches. But, like I said, even will all that in order the car should still only be 4,500-5k in this area. Good luck.
 
My uncle has a 95 318is and hasnt has had many issues, but it is his commuter car and I think hes got roughly 150k on it now. Its an auto, not sure if its the same one as the car your looking at though. He just does regular maitinence, but he has replaced some oddball things like the fuel level sender and vaccum lines. his interior isnt holding up that well. The headliner is peeling down and some of the rubber gaskets around doors/windows are fallng apart.
 
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