Middle age crazies
- Thread starter kokoken
- Start date
I wish I could but I just bought an 1985 318i off of Ebay, that looks great and I convinced myself that the 30MPH would make it a great daily driver. I wanted a Convert but my use didn't call for it so much in New England. Make sure you get one that is extra clean you can find them for decent money and have one hell of a classic ride that isn't going to lose value!
Good Luck
Good Luck
Hi Ken,
My first BMW was a used/pre-owned 1989 325i cabriolet (alpine white, blue top and full blue leather...gorgeous!!)
I purchased it from the original owner, who had almost all maintenance work & repairs done at an authorised BMW dealer (Sterling BMW, Newport Beach, CA).
I owned the car for a little over a year, and had almost $3000.00 worth of repairs. It is my personal experience, my aunts older 3 Series and at least 2-3 friends with older E30s, is that while they are fun cars, and can be somewhat reliable....the maintenance is very frequent, and very expensive.
50 miles is quite a distance to be away from a repair center, and if you're not so good with home repairs and diagnosing problems....I would not consider a 1988 BMW. I honestly do not think that BMW became "reliable" until the late 1990's. I know there are going to be a lot of people who disagree with me, but until the 1990's, Mercedes was the most reliable German car on the road. Until the early 2000's, 99% of all taxis in Germany were Mercedes (due to their amazing reliability), not BMW. Now I think BMW is much better than MBZ, but a 1988 BMW is going to be a big headache. Sorry!
My first BMW was a used/pre-owned 1989 325i cabriolet (alpine white, blue top and full blue leather...gorgeous!!)
I purchased it from the original owner, who had almost all maintenance work & repairs done at an authorised BMW dealer (Sterling BMW, Newport Beach, CA).
I owned the car for a little over a year, and had almost $3000.00 worth of repairs. It is my personal experience, my aunts older 3 Series and at least 2-3 friends with older E30s, is that while they are fun cars, and can be somewhat reliable....the maintenance is very frequent, and very expensive.
50 miles is quite a distance to be away from a repair center, and if you're not so good with home repairs and diagnosing problems....I would not consider a 1988 BMW. I honestly do not think that BMW became "reliable" until the late 1990's. I know there are going to be a lot of people who disagree with me, but until the 1990's, Mercedes was the most reliable German car on the road. Until the early 2000's, 99% of all taxis in Germany were Mercedes (due to their amazing reliability), not BMW. Now I think BMW is much better than MBZ, but a 1988 BMW is going to be a big headache. Sorry!
I had an '87 325 for 3 years. They can be very reliable cars, but usually ONLY if the routine maintenance is stayed on top of and if parts are replaced when they first start wearing out. However, if the maintenance is neglected at all, they can be expensive to get back in reliable condition. If you can do the work yourself, they are generally easy cars to work on and maintenance/repairs are fairly inexpensive. However, if you have to take it to a dealer/shop to have repairs done, they become VERY expensive cars very quickly. My local BMW dealer charges $100/hr labor for these cars, and many of the BMW dealer technicians aren't all that familiar with them anymore.
I am a huge fan of the E30 - they are a hell of a lot of fun to drive and own. However, I agree with Adam - if you really have no mechanical abilities and won't be able to work on the car yourself, I would really think hard about buying one unless money is not much of a concern for you.
I am a huge fan of the E30 - they are a hell of a lot of fun to drive and own. However, I agree with Adam - if you really have no mechanical abilities and won't be able to work on the car yourself, I would really think hard about buying one unless money is not much of a concern for you.
Definitely not trying to scare you - just trying to give you a realistic perspective. Keep in mind that the car you are looking at is almost 20 years old and most of these cars have a lot of miles on them. Many of the cars out there have been well-maintained early on in their lives, but as they have gotten older, many of them have been neglected. You just have to be careful about what you buy.
In the 3.5 years I had mine before I totaled it, there were few spare weekends that weren't spent doing some sort of repair on the car. It never bothered me because I did all of the work myself and I love working on cars. Most repairs were usually relatively minor kinds of stuff, but there were several high dollar necessary repairs that popped up (ie, clutch replacement, $500 driveshaft replacement after a u-joint broke in the non-serviceable driveshaft). But those kinds of things should be expected when purchasing a 20 year old car with a lot of miles on it. I will say that I never felt concerned that the car was going to strand me - I never felt uncomfortable driving it anywhere I wanted/needed to go.
I'm not trying to turn you off to the car - they are great cars. Just be aware that if you are going to have to take it to a dealer to have it worked on, it may get costly. Before you buy, make sure you take the car to the dealer or a local BMW specialist and have a pre-purchase inspection performed. It's well worth the ~$50. When buying one of these cars, the most important thing to know is what you are getting.
In the 3.5 years I had mine before I totaled it, there were few spare weekends that weren't spent doing some sort of repair on the car. It never bothered me because I did all of the work myself and I love working on cars. Most repairs were usually relatively minor kinds of stuff, but there were several high dollar necessary repairs that popped up (ie, clutch replacement, $500 driveshaft replacement after a u-joint broke in the non-serviceable driveshaft). But those kinds of things should be expected when purchasing a 20 year old car with a lot of miles on it. I will say that I never felt concerned that the car was going to strand me - I never felt uncomfortable driving it anywhere I wanted/needed to go.
I'm not trying to turn you off to the car - they are great cars. Just be aware that if you are going to have to take it to a dealer to have it worked on, it may get costly. Before you buy, make sure you take the car to the dealer or a local BMW specialist and have a pre-purchase inspection performed. It's well worth the ~$50. When buying one of these cars, the most important thing to know is what you are getting.
When I first purchaced my bimmer a while back it needed a fair amount of small things done, (broken bolts on the strut towers, electrical problems, rust removal...etc) only because my poor old 323i had one hell of a hard life (through a couple of m20's and a diff) luckily for me im a mechanic, and have access to a hoist and tools to do the job, but thats besides the point.
If the car your looking at is in okay condition with none or few of the problems like I had, you should be ok, ask lots of questions about your car (and its possible problems!) and treat it as a learning experience!
If the car your looking at is in okay condition with none or few of the problems like I had, you should be ok, ask lots of questions about your car (and its possible problems!) and treat it as a learning experience!
Looks nice, I might ask the seller to give some details about the service history and the body. Its hard to tell from the pictures if its dented and scratched.
Depending on your use I might look for a five speed IC they seem to hold their value better and are more desirable on the open market.
Just my two cents.
Depending on your use I might look for a five speed IC they seem to hold their value better and are more desirable on the open market.
Just my two cents.
I know how you feel. I had a late seventys 320 and then a much loved 320s back in the day. I have fairly good mechanical skills and like doing some work but dont LOVE IT like others. I find it a nessasary evil for my love of cars. That said I too jumped at the chance to purchase an even older bimmer. A 1984 325E that is in good mechanical shape but does need work.
I have found so far that with the help of this board and relativly inexpensive parts new or used abound that it is not that bad to own the great 80's bimmer!
I can think of alot of cars 20 years old that have been dead for years. You still see lots of these so called expensive cars around. Must be made somewhat strong to survive the years.
Heck, Look at all the dead Volvos for sale on craigslist. I remember being told I was crazy for loving BMW. Volvo were made to last or so to speak.
I am glad I made the plunge.
I have found so far that with the help of this board and relativly inexpensive parts new or used abound that it is not that bad to own the great 80's bimmer!
I can think of alot of cars 20 years old that have been dead for years. You still see lots of these so called expensive cars around. Must be made somewhat strong to survive the years.
Heck, Look at all the dead Volvos for sale on craigslist. I remember being told I was crazy for loving BMW. Volvo were made to last or so to speak.
I am glad I made the plunge.
I'm also a BMW owner and I live at about 60 miles from s BMW dealer. But still, I've never been frustrated with repairs...You see, you have your manual to check on and have a monthly visit to your dealer to check on your auto parts will help a ,lot. So at least if there's any problem, it can be solve right away before any further damaged be made. Look at my BMW 325 Parts, it is still on its best condition...Hope, you'll made up your mind soon...Good luck and All the best!
I have an 88 ix that i've put about $2500 in since I bought it last summer. That was for a new gas tank, starter, and handbrake cable.
I couldnt do the handbrake or the gas tank so I had to pay a freind to do them. The starter was a pain, but I got her done.
Next is Strut tower bearings, sway bar links, and a new muffler.
I love working on this car when things are going right...I worked on the starter for 5 days but that is because I had to chill out...I was getting frustrated with the install and almots burnt the car to the ground a few times, lol.
I couldnt do the handbrake or the gas tank so I had to pay a freind to do them. The starter was a pain, but I got her done.
Next is Strut tower bearings, sway bar links, and a new muffler.
I love working on this car when things are going right...I worked on the starter for 5 days but that is because I had to chill out...I was getting frustrated with the install and almots burnt the car to the ground a few times, lol.