1989 BMW 325i

[Sexymeatball]

Im looking at purchasing a 1989 BMW 325i. Im new to the world of BMW and although having much admiration for them, know little about them. The car im looking at is an inline 6 automatic, not sure of the displacement. Its got 110k on it and the body is in mint condition, no rust or anything. The owner is asking about $4000. Is this a good deal? I cant find much info on this car as far safety ratings and bad weather handling (performance in the snow is of particular concern). Is this a good deal? Any info would be of great help. Thanks in advance for your help
/Sexymeatball

[kaoru-tochiro]

Well sexymeatball (what the hell?) the 325 has a 6 cyl 2.5 liter engine, and a whole lot of driving fun because that engine is really torquy. Too bad its an automatic. $4000 is a really good price, and it is going to be hell in the snow.

[Celsdogg]

the car you are looking at is just like mine, an E30 with the M20B25 engine good for 168 hp and 164 lb/ft of torque. but one thing that may be different would be the bumpers, you may have steel ones.

as it is a 2.5 liter it is nearly 2500 cc. you may want to check out bmwe30.net, they are down for right now, but are expected to come back up, however they have a link to another site that has the same information.

the price for a mint condition, regardless of miles, is around 9k. i got mine for 6 with 59k miles on it. just remember to get the timing belt replaced every 60k miles as this is usually the demise of cars that had the m20b25 engine in it. if it snaps, ure done for. just keep the maintenance up and drive her hard and she should be good to go for a long time.

concerning snow, the general consensus is that bimmers suck in the snow, because well, they do. i am not sure about any X car such as an X5 of 325ix, but since they are rear wheel drive cars with fat tires they just sit on top of the snow and spin out. but everything else is great, great car, and for that price, if i had money i would snag it.

good luck!

celsdogg

[JohnDrakeMI6]

New Head and gasket replaced due to a cracked Head(Over heating) No visible "cracks" . 5-speed, straight 6.
New spark plugs, Oil, filter and K&N Air filter (Clean) All belts replaced, pretty "tight" except the high speed surges.(Choking) O2 Sensor replaced, Fuel filter fairly new too(1-2 years old)
Only has 393,000 miles, second hand owner since 1999. Drives great when tuned up. Fuel-Air mixture adjusted and still surges at high speed acceleration.
I don't remember ever changing the Rotor??
How often do you change the Rotor?
Rubber Boot is fairly new and pliable. NO visible suction holes.
Seems to run slightly "rough" after the last 30 days due to the over heating problem.(Now fixed)
Mechanic is NOT a BMW specialist. But fair on pricing.
I am NOT a rich person now and upkeep is still a high priority no matter what.
Suggestions?
John (Email: [email protected] )