Anyone here drive a BMW 325i?

[Old Ironmaker]

Looking at an earlier model 325i convertible as a weekender. The 325i hasn't changed much for years. Any specific pro's and cons. I know they aren't cheap to maintain, I've had a few over the years. But then again what is cheap to maintain today?  Nothing.

Thanks all.

[BillM]

What body style are we talking about?  e46? e90?  

[Old Ironmaker]

Much older Bill, 1995 E36. 3rd gen 3 series. An M3 with the 286HP 6. Looks to be in great shape, a removable hardtop and 3 sets of wheels and tires with service records and asking a fair price. Doing the  service on a Beemer is an absolute must, as important as on a Ferrari and most higher end European sports cars. Not cheap but will save you many thousands in repairs in the future. For example many buy or lease new or buy slightly used and come to 60,000 KMS and find out the HVAC service is around $900.00 and put it off. When the AC goes out at 100K that 900 buck service turns into a 2500 buck or more repair. Years ago I read an article in Motor Trend (when you had to flip pages) there was an 86' 3 series I read about that has 1 million miles on it. That's when I had a 86' 3 series. 320 if I can remember that long ago.

We had a family vote when my wife got home tonight. Her 2 veto votes outweigh my single Yea vote. That doesn't mean an absolute "no way Jose." I have a way to get her to cross the aisle sometimes and come together in a bi partisan fashion. But I may need to save this one for something fishing related to fund in the future. There are always millions of used cars for sale in the future.

Talking about old fashioned magazines I recently asked the 20 something receptionist at a Dr's office where are all the magazines were and she replied "Just use your phone, we have WIFI." Man I'm getting older.

[ketchenany]

All I know is I do work (ads) for BMW and they are a PITA!

[BillM]

Rear subframe bushings on an e36 are a pain in the butt.   I drive a e90 335d(Full deletes and tune) and do all my own maintenance.  So far in my year and a half of ownership, it hasn't required anything by VWs didn't.   The only e36 M3s with the 286hp I6 were the Canadian Edition 'Euro Spec' models (Which they only sold 45 of in 1997)..    If that's a genuine car, make sure the plaque is on the dash

A 1995 e36 M3 has the standard 240hp engine.   Great car though, probably one of the best pure driver cars out there.  

Edited February 8, 2018 by BillM

[boombap]

Only thing I can say is that if this is a car you want to keep then buy it now.. a clean one won't be cheaper in 10 years. 

[Rizzo]

Most importantly....why does she have 2 veto votes to your one? You my friend have a very very flawed process.

[Raf]

a 23 year old M3?  i'd be inclined to stay away, but it also sounds like it's a bit of a collector's car which tips the scales in the other direction.  tough decision.  i'd love to drive one, not sure i'd love to own one. 

all vintage BMW owners i've talked to say it helps a great deal if you have the time/space/inclination to get your hands dirty.  

Edited February 8, 2018 by Raf

[Headhunter]

If it were me, I'd be looking for water marks on any vehicle being purchased in the states. I can't help but think that there are a ton of cars being reclaimed from the floods.

HH

[DanD]

14 hours ago, Raf said:

a 23 year old M3?  i'd be inclined to stay away, but it also sounds like it's a bit of a collector's car which tips the scales in the other direction.  tough decision.  i'd love to drive one, not sure i'd love to own one. 

all vintage BMW owners i've talked to say it helps a great deal if you have the time/space/inclination to get your hands dirty.  

X2

If you buy one of these you need deep pockets, just to feel you can trust it to get your butt back home; let alone being fun. Been in the trade for a lot of years and 90% of the time that a customer buys an older top end car; it turns into a disaster for them. 

I don't know the acronym for these cars' but I bet it's close to a big pleasure BOAT. "Break Out Another Thousand"

Dan. 

[Old Ironmaker]

On ‎2018‎-‎02‎-‎08 at 10:46 AM, BillM said:

 

Got a call today the guy said that he got a full ask offer and if I wanted to beat it, I told him congratulations, one of the oldest tricks in the book. More shopping. Thanks for all the comments boys.

[ratherboutdoors]

5 hours ago, DanD said:

X2

If you buy one of these you need deep pockets, just to feel you can trust it to get your butt back home; let alone being fun. Been in the trade for a lot of years and 90% of the time that a customer buys an older top end car; it turns into a disaster for them. 

I don't know the acronym for these cars' but I bet it's close to a big pleasure BOAT. "Break Out Another Thousand"

Dan. 

Bring Money in Wads???  lol  I do like the look of the M line, all years...

 

[John]

I would probably go 20 years older and half the horsepower but waaay more fun to drive...1970's 2002ti

[BillM]

1 hour ago, Old Ironmaker said:

Got a call today the guy said that he got a full ask offer and if I wanted to beat it, I told him congratulations, one of the oldest tricks in the book. More shopping. Thanks for all the comments boys.

Goodluck!  

[Old Ironmaker]

Whatever I buy will be a weekender. I know only too well the pitfalls of European cars not new. Been towing them home for 45 years. My very first car I bought was a 67' MGB, blew the timing chain on the QEW the week after I bought it, I paid $500.00 for the car in the summer of 73'. I repaired that sold it and bought a 72' TR6 the same summer from the British Leyland dealer in Hamilton for $3200.00. I must have liked pain. Still must.

I will hold off until spring after we sell and get settled in the new place. I might even have some money in the bank then! If I decide to sell the boat I will put it towards a different toy. These days I don't really need my own boat, the boys told me I always have an open seat in one of their many boats. We are always arguing about which of our boats to take out. One of the few advantages of aging. You know more freinds with boats!

Edited February 9, 2018 by Old Ironmaker

[Canuck]

I had only one BMW.  A 2007 X5 I bought new.  Last BMW I will own.  I should have sold it when the warranty ended since it had many many many repairs while under warranty.  But I buy cars and try to keep them 10 years.  I finally had to bail on the X5.  It was costing more in repairs each year than I could afford.  It was truly insane.  The last trip in to the slealership was to replace a cracked coolant overflow container (how many times do you see something like that break???).  I knew it would be expensive, so I braced my self when the estimate call came.  $450.  Yes to replace a piece of plastic.  That's BMW.  But wait there is more.    The dealer "noticed" a few other things that should be done.  Oil pan leaks, head gasket leaks, bushings, etc etc.  The total estimate was........ wait for it...............$9,500.

I sold it within 2 weeks.  The buyer was a Lebanese buyer of overseas cars.  It was shipped to Beirut to be sold there.  Good riddance.

I did however, rent a brand new BMW 430i convertible in San Francisco last April for my bucket list drive down Highway 1 in California.  That was a fantastic car to drive.  Perfect for that trip.  When I got home I was tempted, but I dug out that X5 estimate (I am saving it, in case I ever think I should buy another one), shook my head and moved on.

BMW's are FANTASTIC cars to drive.  But HORRIBLE cars to own.

[DanD]

15 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said:

Whatever I buy will be a weekender.

I know I'd miss this old Chevy; she's at the spaw (body shop) this winter, having a face lift,

Built in Oshawa in 1950; by Canadians for Canadians. Heaters were an option that was only offered in the Canadian plants. In the States, a heater was a dealer installed option. LOL 

Dan.

[huzzsaba]

21 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said:

Got a call today the guy said that he got a full ask offer and if I wanted to beat it, I told him congratulations, one of the oldest tricks in the book. More shopping. Thanks for all the comments boys.

Not sure how you feel about Volvos, but have a look at a 2004 C70 t5.   A bit hard to find, but their drive-train is bulletproof and very fun to drive.  Way cheaper to maintain. Very DIY friendly, and not to mention, very safe!

 

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/oakville-halton-region/2004-volvo-c70-ht/1235836673?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Edited February 10, 2018 by huzzsaba

[Old Ironmaker]

Nice ride Huzz. A safe car? You have never seen my wife drive. People I have never met have asked me to tell her to slow down. "You tell her." It must be said that I don't condone speeding and I have told her to slow down until I'm blue in the face. The last ticket she got the Cop asked her what's the rush? "I knew you were here waiting for me so I got here ASAP." I give up. But do admit she has slowed down quite a bit when our insurance skyrocketed 10 years ago. Back to the normal too expensive now.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

4 hours ago, DanD said:

I know I'd miss this old Chevy; she's at the spaw (body shop) this winter, having a face lift,

Built in Oshawa in 1950; by Canadians for Canadians. Heaters were an option that was only offered in the Canadian plants. In the States, a heater was a dealer installed option. LOL 

Dan.

We have spoken about your ride before. My Uncle and Dad had one when I was a kid. Always loved the soft lines. Cars of that era were works of Art. The car looks like it's moving when parked. When I was a kid Dad had a 50' Chevy like yours, a 55' Chevy 2 door hardtop, green on white and a 59' Chev wagon, forest green. I learned to drive on the 65' Impala. The next car he bought was a 69' Impala SS. He has always loved nice cars. That we have in common. Right up to his last vehicle at age 85' he has always asked me to shop with him. I asked the salesman at Queenston Chev Olds in 66' I was 11, how much he would give me for my bike towards the car? He's 90 now (91 in April) and wants to go car shopping with me. Ask him what he misses the most now and he says driving.

Edited February 10, 2018 by Old Ironmaker

[captpierre]

Unless you are locked into rear wheel drive think about a used Scion or Lexus.  Considerably more reliable and also fun to drive. 

[Old Ironmaker]

I owned a 86' 3 series BMW convertible, it never cost me anymore than any other cars as far as reliability went. The least reliable car was my wife's 98' Pontiac Grand Prix bought in 2000 low K's, I bet I paid almost twice for that car. From alternators going out every year to power window switches frying. The rotors wore like they were made of wood. Those 3.8's were a tank though. All the windows leaked, and, and, and. Next worse was a 79' Audi 5000 bought in 80', how does a frame crack at 75,000 kms? I didn't drive it hard. It was breaking down constantly. I found out many VW parts fit at 50% of the cost as OEM parts from Audi thank goodness. The BMW was one of the most reliable cars I ever owned, but you have to do the service. I had her for 10 years. In 92' I owned 6 cars, sold all but the Benz and my daily driver, bought a rental home with a good down stroke. See below, 1969 Mercedes Benz 280.Some confuse scheduled service with unreliable. There can be a lemon in the basket of cherries sometimes. 

I'll tell you about sticker shock, what they want for a 15 to 18 year old Jeep TJ with high K's floored me. 6 to 10 thousand dollars, Wowza. I'll take my chances on a rag top BMW compared to a Jeep. Yes I drove a YJ for a few years. Fun yes but not that much for the price today.

Never considered a Lexus or Scion. I don't think Scion has a convertible. Service on either wouldn't be any less than a European sports car I imagine.

[BillM]

On 2/10/2018 at 4:32 PM, captpierre said:

Unless you are locked into rear wheel drive think about a used Scion or Lexus.  Considerably more reliable and also fun to drive. 

I dunno if anyone has said a Toyota is fun to drive, lol.

[Old Ironmaker]

I'd drive one of those Acura's that have stolen some Pina Farina designs. You don't see many around. what are they called SX something?

We drove a 011' XTS Caddy and a 14' the other day. Even my wife said it is a boring car. It drives like a 1980's Cadillac, loose, bulky and boring. Tomorrow I am going to look at a CTS and an ATS, weather permitting. It really is a good time of year to test drive a car, especially a rear wheeler. When I asked the guy what they would give me for my Silverado I knew it wasn't going to be good but what he offered was ridiculous, 12 grand for a 2011 4X4 crew cab, chrome package with 100K, still under extended warranty. I told him if he had any I will take 3. He's only doing his job. They would turn around and ship it south and make a quick 8K, minimum.

Canuck, sorry about your luck. I have wanted to do that entire coastal drive too, Seattle to Tijuana . Always has been on my wish list since I drove about 100 miles on Pacific 1 as a passenger in the 70's and I don't remember much of it, cheap Tequila .

I wish manufacturers would stick to what they do best, manufacture cars not SUV's, crossovers whatever that means, or trucks. But they must compete. Stick a sliding door on the side and voila, a mini van. I have noticed many of these companies don't do well on their crossover/mini-van clones. Lamborghini actually has a 650 HP SUV out this year. They were however an Italian Tractor producer before they started making Super Bulls when Mr. Lamborghini was kicked out of Enzo Ferrari's office. That gave him incentive to beat Ferrari nd he did for a few years racing. Old man Enzo said "We are a race car company that makes passenger cars on the side."

Edited February 12, 2018 by Old Ironmaker

[leaf4]

On 2/10/2018 at 8:05 AM, Canuck said:

I had only one BMW.  A 2007 X5 I bought new.  Last BMW I will own.  I should have sold it when the warranty ended since it had many many many repairs while under warranty.  But I buy cars and try to keep them 10 years.  I finally had to bail on the X5.  It was costing more in repairs each year than I could afford.  It was truly insane.  The last trip in to the slealership was to replace a cracked coolant overflow container (how many times do you see something like that break???).  I knew it would be expensive, so I braced my self when the estimate call came.  $450.  Yes to replace a piece of plastic.  That's BMW.  But wait there is more.    The dealer "noticed" a few other things that should be done.  Oil pan leaks, head gasket leaks, bushings, etc etc.  The total estimate was........ wait for it...............$9,500.

I sold it within 2 weeks.  The buyer was a Lebanese buyer of overseas cars.  It was shipped to Beirut to be sold there.  Good riddance.

I did however, rent a brand new BMW 430i convertible in San Francisco last April for my bucket list drive down Highway 1 in California.  That was a fantastic car to drive.  Perfect for that trip.  When I got home I was tempted, but I dug out that X5 estimate (I am saving it, in case I ever think I should buy another one), shook my head and moved on.

BMW's are FANTASTIC cars to drive.  But HORRIBLE cars to own.

I worked at Budds in Hamilton for 3 years and most issues arise with all the high end models with all the bells and whistles, a phrase often heard was it's the best and worst car I've ever owned ?

The smart thing to do is lease if you can afford to or able to write off

Edited February 12, 2018 by leaf4