96 325i

[fl1day]

I looked at a 1996 328i this afternoon. the seller is asking $4200. There are a number of things wrong with it and I was wondering if I should go near it or offer him less? if less how much should I offer. I am new to the BMW world, but love the car.
Problems:-cv joints, but has all the parts --rocker arms etc.
front breaks squeel, power steering makes noise. not sure if its the pump or maybe rack and pinion? and the passenger side window does not roll down.
and it has a "rebuilt/restored" title --guy says it was in an accident 6 years ago.
any thoughts?
am I asking for trouble?

Thanks

[jshearer]

How many miles?
rebuilt/restore title - Is this the same as a salvage title?


hmmm, I bought my car for a little more and it had minor problems. Thing is that BMW's are expensive to fix up. So these minor things start to add up quickly. I personally would look for another car that is in a little better condition. Cosmetic problems you can always live with until you get them fixed, mechanical(cv joints and such) you really can't. My sisters car failed inspection due to cv joints and something else(can't really remember). It ended up costing over $1500 to replace the joints and get it ready for inspection.
Check around for quotes on getting the repairs done and use that when you are thinking about what it is worth. Check kbb.com and see what it is worth there and deduct the cost of repairs and see how close he is price wise to that.

[TMac325is]

i would never buy a car with a rebuilt engine. thats just my opinion, but i think you would be better off laying down a little more cash and finding a better car. good luck!

[new guy]

The 328 doesn't have cv joints. rocker arms are a valve component, unrelated to cv joints the car doesn't have. Restored title is trouble, meaning the car was stolen, salvaged, or majorly damaged. If you buy the car, you may have secured trouble.

Old rule of thumb, if in doubt... say no. No price will restore peace of mind.

New Guy

Originally posted by fl1day@Apr 9 2005, 08:17 PM
I looked at a 1996 328i this afternoon. the seller is asking $4200. There are a number of things wrong with it and I was wondering if I should go near it or offer him less? if less how much should I offer. I am new to the BMW world, but love the car.
Problems:-cv joints, but has all the parts --rocker arms etc.
front breaks squeel, power steering makes noise. not sure if its the pump or maybe rack and pinion? and the passenger side window does not roll down.
and it has a "rebuilt/restored" title --guy says it was in an accident 6 years ago.
any thoughts?
am I asking for trouble?

Thanks

[snapback]329198[/snapback]

[mrkbik]

Yeah I would definitely stay away from that car. You want to buy a car where there is evidence that it was very well taken care of and this one obviously was not.

[tomctx]

Originally posted by fl1day@Apr 9 2005, 08:17 PM
I looked at a 1996 328i this afternoon. the seller is asking $4200. There are a number of things wrong with it and I was wondering if I should go near it or offer him less? if less how much should I offer. I am new to the BMW world, but love the car.
Problems:-cv joints, but has all the parts --rocker arms etc.
front breaks squeel, power steering makes noise. not sure if its the pump or maybe rack and pinion? and the passenger side window does not roll down.
and it has a "rebuilt/restored" title --guy says it was in an accident 6 years ago.
any thoughts?
am I asking for trouble?

Thanks

[snapback]329198[/snapback]

My advice to you is, unless you enjoying working on the car, or you have plenty of disposable income, walk away. sounds like it wasn't kept up and that spells trouble.

[kyle_baker]

lol, the thread name freaked me out, i was like wtf? 96 + 325 = B.S.

I guess it was just a typo or something, but i try to always be on my toes,