Looking for my first Bimmer, need some input.

I'm looking for an e30 325 (not too picky about whether it's an e, es, i or is, although I'd prefer it be an is :smokin:). Can you guys give me any suggestions on what to look for when I go to test drive some, any problems that are common, things to look for and/or avoid, or any tidbits of wisdom?

I've already test driven two, an 89is and an 86e, and they both drove well. The e had a rust problem, and the is was too expensive for the condition it was in, and the owner wouldn't negotiate on the price, so I passed on both.

Also, what are the 91 318is's like? There are a few in my area in pretty good condition, so I might check those out, too.

i personally like the 94-98 (i think e35)

they have a lot better realiability my frends 86 jus dies on him... and then doesnt and then dies... over and over... his old 94 was the shit though... u'll be happier with a 94 too i'd say only 7k too

Something to be aware of with the e30's is that three things tend to go bad: 1. the dashboards crack badly, 2. the driver's seat mounts start to wiggle, and 3. the gauges behave erratically. Maybe you know about these problems already, but in case you don't, they are to be expected and should not cause doubt about the overall condition of the car. I don't know about '88 and up, but in the '85 to '87 model years, you probably want to look for a 325. The manual rates the 4 cyl. of the 318 at 108 hp. and like 120 lbs. of torque, where the 6 cyl. has 125 hp. and 170 lbs. of torque. The 6 seriously feels like it has twice the power of the 4, and it keeps a perpetual smile on your face being in such a small car. :iceslolan

Something to be aware of with the e30's is that three things tend to go bad: 1. the dashboards crack badly, 2. the driver's seat mounts start to wiggle, and 3. the gauges behave erratically. Maybe you know about these problems already, but in case you don't, they are to be expected and should not cause doubt about the overall condition of the car. I don't know about '88 and up, but in the '85 to '87 model years, you probably want to look for a 325. The manual rates the 4 cyl. of the 318 at 108 hp. and like 120 lbs. of torque, where the 6 cyl. has 125 hp. and 170 lbs. of torque. The 6 seriously feels like it has twice the power of the 4, and it keeps a perpetual smile on your face being in such a small car. :iceslolan

Yeah, I saw that the dash on the 86 was cracking. In the is I was grinning like a dumbass the entire time :iceslolan That's too bad about the 318, cause there are a couple good looking 91's around. I don't see why they're that slow though, with ~135hp and 120 something ft/lbs of torque, a 4.10 rear end, and only weighing 2600 lbs :eek7:

It seems kind of hard to find decent ones in my area (northwest OH). People generally don't know shit about them, don't really take care of them, and try to charge more than they're worth. It would be nice to take a trip down to Georgia or Florida and pick up one down there...

i personally like the 94-98 (i think e35)

they have a lot better realiability my frends 86 jus dies on him... and then doesnt and then dies... over and over... his old 94 was the shit though... u'll be happier with a 94 too i'd say only 7k too

It's e36. And I don't want to spend 7k. More like 3-4k. I'm a cheapskate :biggrin: E30's seem like they last quite a while if they're taken care of.

u can get a 92-94 for under 4 grand and they are ten times better plus theres more stuff to do to them

u can get a 92-94 for under 4 grand and they are ten times better plus theres more stuff to do to them

There are three that are only even remotely close: two are $4,500, one is $3,500, all have high mileage, one has damage to the interior, one has a screwed up drivers side fender, and they are all about a 3-4 hour drive.

Here are the autotrader.com ads:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=162332813&dealer_id=&car_year=1992&make=BMW&distance=200&max_price=&model=&advcd_on=n&end_year=1995&min_price=&first_record=226&certified=n&address=43515&search_type=used&advanced=n&start_year=1992&=&color=&cardist=154

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=160138759&dealer_id=&car_year=1992&make=BMW&distance=200&max_price=&model=&advcd_on=n&end_year=1995&min_price=&first_record=201&certified=n&address=43515&search_type=used&advanced=n&start_year=1992&=&color=&cardist=154

This is the one with the fender that looks like it might be messed up:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=162664712&dealer_id=52247322&car_year=1994&make=BMW&distance=200&max_price=&model=&advcd_on=n&end_year=1995&min_price=&first_record=201&certified=n&address=43515&search_type=used&advanced=n&start_year=1992&=&color=&cardist=170

And this one might be worth calling about, just to see what's wrong with it:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=162082266&dealer_id=1364502&car_year=1994&make=BMW&distance=200&max_price=&model=&advcd_on=n&end_year=1995&min_price=&first_record=226&certified=n&address=43515&search_type=used&advanced=n&start_year=1992&=&color=&cardist=58

who says u have to use auto trader look at more places than that such as ur local clasifieds, look at dealers, cars.com carsdirect, yahoo, ebay, msn u cant look at one place and say thats all there is good luck tho just spread ur search out dont give up and settle heres a place that has really cool shit
even for the e 30 series
http://www.estrictlyforeign.com/

who says u have to use auto trader look at more places than that such as ur local clasifieds, look at dealers, cars.com carsdirect, yahoo, ebay, msn u cant look at one place and say thats all there is good luck tho just spread ur search out dont give up and settle heres a place that has really cool shit
even for the e 30 series
http://www.estrictlyforeign.com/

I've already checked all the local dealers. No dice. There aren't any in the local classifideds right now, and I've been checking them for quite a while. I've tried yahoo and cars direct as well and came up empty handed...

Hey, about that idea someone threw out about going down south for a car, I bought a part on eBay a few months ago that came from Atlanta. The seller packaged it with the classifieds from the Atlanta Journal Constitution. There were over 6 full columns of BMW's in that paper, mostly '94 and up. I'll bet there were at least 300 of them (including all series), and the issue was from September, which isn't the best time to sell cars. If you can get a hold of that paper, or access the classifieds on their website, you could easily find a deal that would make it worthwhile to travel down there.

ya well this guy lives in ohio so that would be quite an expedition down there plus theres alot in chicago where im from

Understood, I just thought he might be the kind of person who likes to road trip. I know several people around here who have flown to Florida or SC for a car and driven it back. But, yeah, there probably would be lots of BMWs in Chicago, too.

Understood, I just thought he might be the kind of person who likes to road trip. I know several people around here who have flown to Florida or SC for a car and driven it back. But, yeah, there probably would be lots of BMWs in Chicago, too.

Good idea. I checked and there aren't any currently, but I'll check back there periodically.

But I did find an is for $2700, 2nd owner, and 135k miles that's up in Michigan that I think I'll look into.

o no i wasnt sayin that to be a dick i just figured he prolly wouldnt want to go that far but i mean hey personally i would but theres no way to be sure the car would make it back with out problems

o no i wasnt sayin that to be a dick i just figured he prolly wouldnt want to go that far but i mean hey personally i would but theres no way to be sure the car would make it back with out problems

:smile: That's true, sorry I hope I didn't sound like I was arguing.

no not at all i just wanted to make sure i wasnt coming off as a jerk

I have a 92 E36 325i

I love it ! !

What kind of things should I worry about if I decide to buy this 99 325? It has high miles but looks ok.

take ur mechanic or wut ever and have him check everything out make sure everything is copesetic
first thing to do if u get one u should prolly get it tuned up

theres nothing sketchier than a 92 bmw 3 series for 2,500 dollars. 2 things are wrong, either it has 200k+ on it, OR its salvaged. Its an either or thing.

thats not true at all alot of them are sold that cheap thats 12 years old now and ppl are sumtimes in a rush so they sell cheap

theres nothing sketchier than a 92 bmw 3 series for 2,500 dollars. 2 things are wrong, either it has 200k+ on it, OR its salvaged. Its an either or thing.

Very true. That's why I'd rather get an E30 that's been taken care of.

thats not true at all alot of them are sold that cheap thats 12 years old now and ppl are sumtimes in a rush so they sell cheap

It's not very often that people sell good condition Bimmers cheap. They usually overestimate their value, if anything. Not saying its not possible, but its not very likely at all...

i bought a 1991 BMW E30 325i for $6500 back in 2001. it had 57k miles on it and has given me no trouble since.

something that i have had done tho is a scheduled timing belt change. if you get an e30 with the M20 series engine in it (all the 325's of the E30 line) replace the timing belt every 60k miles. i find that the most important thing.

as with all performance cars, drive them like they are supposed to be driven, hard, and take care of them well, and they will give you years of ultimate driving. bimmers are not meant to be driven slowly as you often see. with our bimmer being over 13 years old and now with 117k miles on it, i still take it to redline every one in awhile, just to let her know she can still do it. . .

one last thing, i highly recommend the E30, its a blast to drive!

I'll second the above comment. :evillol: About the timing belt- the second belt on my car went 145,600 miles. I was lucky the water pump broke, because I noticed the belt when I pulled the pump out. Another 100 miles and that belt would have snapped. :thumbsdow

I live in the Orlando area I have a 98 328i and a 2000 528i there are a lot of beamers in Florida and a lot well taken care of check ebay for some south Florida dealers dont be in a hurry might be worth wile to save and get a 92 and above good luck