noob

Hey, folks, I just bought a 84 3 Series from a prvate seller for a couple hundred bucks. I know NOTHING about BMWs, but I just could not pass it up. New tires, new brakes, the clutch is tight. The interior is in good shape albeit in need of a good vaccuum. Th exterior has some rust, but is in otherwise good condition.

And, the best part, it is one heck of a fun car to drive.

As I have no idea what I am doing - I do have a few questions:

1. Did I get ripped off? It is has 180K miles on it - any estimates on how many more I can get out of it? These will not be my primary mode of transportation - just something to tool around in on the weekends.
2. The handle to pop the hood is, well, gone. I found the wire and gave it a good yank with some pliers and it popped. But does anyone have a better solution?

ANY suggestions you might have (especially a good BWM mechanic in the Minneapolis/St Paul area) would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome. It sounds like you got a good deal. If you have time, check eBay for old 318's and see what low 180,000 milers sell for. My friend's '85 318 has 190,000 and runs like new, and my 325 has 238,500 miles and runs far better than most domestic cars do at 100,000 miles. If your car isn't significantly rusty and you care for it well, you can probably expect to get 250-300,000 miles out of it. Your driver's seat won't last that long, though- mine is already broken in every area.