1992 325i -good idea or no?

[92bmw325i]

im thinking about buying a 1992 bmw 325i. its a private seller and is $5,500. its got about 115,000 miles on it and from what i can tell its in great shape. im no mechanic or car expert so what i think is good could easily be bad. my dad who knows a lot more than me thinks its in good condition and all that stuff. i took it to a mechanic this morning and am waiting to hear what they have to say about it. im only 16 and this will be my first car and im just wondering if there is anything i should know before buying it. i like it a lot and there are no major repairs needed. the only things that i am worried about is paying for the premium gas and paying the extremely high prices to have something fixed if something goes wrong and breaks. i have to pay for the car, the insurance, the gas and everything else that you have to pay in maintaning a car. in other words, my parents arnt paying for anything. i have a good paying job but i would like some money for other things too. can you all just give me some advice and the things that i should expect and what not? any links to websites or any help will be greatly appreciated! do you think this would be a good car for me to spend my money on or should i buy a newer civic or something? Please Help ASAP !!THANK YOU!!

[Dudesky_E36]

I own the same car, so maybe I can help. First of all, price. Try to get this guy down to about $4500, which is a little more reasonable. The mileage is no problem since it's a strong inline 6cyl, and these Bimmers have been known to go to 2 or 3 hundred thousand miles. but 100k is about the time you need to replace a lot of things. So if you have a limited budget for maintenance, this might not be your car. Have your mechanic look it over, but here are some things he may not know about that particular E36:

-Water pump failure is a known issue. The original plastic impellers on these cars can are known to fail, and can cause catastrophic engine damage. Other cooling system issues include plastic radiator necks and thermostat housings that crack. All these can lead to a blown head gasket.
-2nd gear failure on manual transmission models, but this is rare.
-Throttle sticking, causing uncontrollable acceleration. This is a recall issue, and should have been taken care of, but some E36's still don't have the fix installed.
-Rear shock mounts fail, causing a clunking noise in the rear.
-Rear subrame mounts can tear off the body, although this is rare.
-DME flooding due to inadequate drainage, causing a no start situation or engine dying out. Another recall issue.
-Instrument cluster electrical failures.
-Brake light switch prone to failure.
-Erratic idle due to aging ICV and/or O2 sensor.
-Wire chafing inside trunk lid.

There are others, and you'll get to know them by browsing other forums as well, like UnitedBimmer.Com and Bimmerforums.Com. But all cars have their share of problems, and it doesn't mean that all these things will happen to your car. The 325i is an awesome car to drive, and it has a lot more to offer than your usual Honda or Toyota. You just have to decide whether you're up for the cost of maintaining one. A Civic would definitely be cheaper to maintain, but hey- a BMW is . . . well, a BMW!