New Bimmer

[wdc330i]

Great choice!

[zach]

Update:

I finally got more pictures from the seller today.

It's in pretty rough shape. I'm not sure it's worth my time to get it no matter how cheap it is.

[blee]

Originally Posted by zcasavant

Update:

I finally got more pictures from the seller today.

It's in pretty rough shape. I'm not sure it's worth my time to get it no matter how cheap it is.

Just from the one photo in this thread, I see paint in bad need of reconditioning, a dent in the front door, a missing wheel cap thingy...but these are all cosmetic things. Is there anything mechanically wrong with it?

[zach]

Originally Posted by blee

Just from the one photo in this thread, I see paint in bad need of reconditioning, a dent in the front door, a missing wheel cap thingy...but these are all cosmetic things. Is there anything mechanically wrong with it?

Not that I know of. She mentioned the engine was smoking today after she drove it for the first time in a while. I really don't have time to constantly fix the thing.

[FC]

Originally Posted by zcasavant

Not that I know of. She mentioned the engine was smoking today after she drove it for the first time in a while. I really don't have time to constantly fix the thing.

That sucks man. Sorry.

[blee]

Not to be too blunt, but no E30 is going to be trouble-free at this point. Reliable, yes...but bulletproof, maybe not. they're great cars but they're old.

Still, not all car problems are terminal. A little oil or coolant leak (as long as they aren't leaking into one another!) isn't going to break anything, and cosmetic issues on a 14-year-old car are nothing to worry about. Even the most meticulously kept E30 is going to need some TLC in the years to come, but you don't have to do everything.

[zach]

Originally Posted by blee

Not to be too blunt, but no E30 is going to be trouble-free at this point. Reliable, yes...but bulletproof, maybe not. they're great cars but they're old.

Still, not all car problems are terminal. A little oil or coolant leak (as long as they aren't leaking into one another!) isn't going to break anything, and cosmetic issues on a 14-year-old car are nothing to worry about. Even the most meticulously kept E30 is going to need some TLC in the years to come, but you don't have to do everything.

You're a bad influence.

The car has over 180k miles on it. The awd e30s also have more moving parts to break. I'm going to think about it for a while.

[BahnBaum]

Pay a pro to determine if it's mechanically sound and then buy the damn thing! My paint was in similar shape, and after a saturday with a porter cable it looked like a different car. I can't imagine a better daily driver.

[SARAFIL]

Originally Posted by BahnBaum

Pay a pro to determine if it's mechanically sound and then buy the damn thing! My paint was in similar shape, and after a saturday with a porter cable it looked like a different car. I can't imagine a better daily driver.

Yep, we took a really nice-but-tired-looking red 318is in trade a few weeks ago, and the first thing we did was pay our recon guys to do a full wash/buff/polish/wax/etc. on it, and the car looked like a million bucks when done. The appearance of the paint would be the least of my concerns on that car-- a Saturday afternoon dedicated to some manual labor or a few bucks to a good detailer will turn that around right away. On a 180,000 mile 325ix, I'd make sure all the mechanicals are working-- the engine is pretty reliable, but the all wheel drive system is more complex, not as common, and expensive to fix. My first concern would be to make sure that the AWD system is in good shape, and my other concern would be to make sure the engine is in good shape. Otherwise, if everything else in decent shape, it would make a fun second car at the right price.

[blee]

Forgot to mention that. "Dull" paint is usually an easy fix. Labor intensive, but easy.