Need some Advice on this 92 325i

[Blue Beefman]

My Friends Co-Worker is gonna be selling his 1992 325i Sedan. His dad bought it for him from an auto auction. There are a few problems with it :

-Hole in Radiator. (His dads mistake)
-Engine "misfires" and sucks down gas (New O2 Sensor I believe if my research is correct)
-Doors wont unlock manually from the outside with the key (Car was in a fender Bender and had some body work done, my friend believes it might be something with an impact sensor, idk much about that kind of stuff, but what if the computer was reset?)
-Small Rust spot around the gas cap area.

And he talked to his dad about selling it, and he offered it to me for 300 bucks...now this seems like a heck of a deal. He just wants to make sure he actually does it. So I need some advice on if tis worth it (How can it not be?)

Also just so you know, This would be my daily driver, cause I am currently carless, but my ultimate goal would be to make a profit off of this car. ...But who knows I may fall in love with it

[97alpineM3]

Buy that thing... parts alone are well over 300 bucks even if it doesnt exactly run good... or you can fix it up a bit.... you can part it out for probably 2 grand in individual parts sales....

Les

[Dudesky_E36]

Definitely a good deal. It'll probably cost you no more than $400 for parts to fix the problems you listed.

[Blue Beefman]

Alright, thats what I needed to hear, but the issue now is...its not driveable because of the hole in the radiator, and the car is a good 30 miles away. Ill have to find out how much itll cost to get it up here.

Im sure ill be on here asking TONS of questions as this will be my first "Project Car"

Hehe come to think of it, this will be the first car that I will actually Own...and be in my name.

[BMWjesterFAN]

Do you need the car now, or could you just wait, change the radiator, and then drive it back? If not, you may be able to use a quick fix method, just to get it home. Just moniter the temps closely

[Blue Beefman]

Well I need a car pretty soon, I have to rely on other people for rides to work and such. And im getting pretty sick of it.

[BMWjesterFAN]

Do you know how to do the work yourself? If so, or if you have a Chilton or Bentley manual, and have basic mechanical skills, and some patience, you can do the work yourself, and could probably get a radiator delivered in a few days from an online source. Or a BMW stealership may have on in stock, or nearby

[Blue Beefman]

Well this will be my first car Ill be working on, but I have mechanical skills, common sense, and research skills. Plus im not afraid to ask questions.

My friends dad has been working on cars for like 20 years, and my dad worked on cars when he was my age, plus hes an engineer. Mechanical skills do run in my family htough so im hoping itll help.

[97alpineM3]

We have a bunch of good people here... search around... look though our DIY and FAQs... you can learn a lot that way... and ask questions.. its what we are here for...

Good Luck,

Les

[BImmerN2B]

I suggest that you also get a carfax and the Technical service buletins for your car as for also any other car that you buy used. There are other types of things that you have to look for in this cars. Especially the 92-95 cars. Look at Delmarco's pinned "Do you want to buy a E36 car"

There are other pages dealing with DIY subjects and many E36 problem areas like radiators, thermostat housings, subframe bushings, subframe failure and the like. Research what you are getting into.

But then again for $300 what the hell. Go for it :lol:

[Blue Beefman]

So Ill see Monday on wether or not hell sell it for that price, that is what he quoted my friend, so lets hope he stands on his word.

Now when I looked up the prices I found stock replacement Radiator for 200 and a new O2 Sensor for 100.

Now those seem like decent prices to me, but I want your guys input on that. I dont remember the exact website I saw those at, but I know how I got to them if you guys need them.

Also my last question is with the door lock problem. How much would this cost to fix? And also does anyone know if I got a remote for the locks would I be able to lock and unlock the doors? Im kinda paranoid about leaving car doors unlocked...

[Delmarco]

buy it....but be prepared to spend about $2,000 - $3,000 making it new....