Is it worth it? - BMW Forum

peregrine40 · 07-26-2006, 07:32 PM

Hey, Im looking at buying a 1993 325i sedan in the local area and the guy is asking $2500...suspicious of the price, I gave him a call, and the reason is that the head gasket is blown, he says I can get it fixed for eight hundred. Other than that the car is in good condition. Is this a good deal? Or should I keep looking elsewhere?

nukeduster · 07-26-2006, 07:41 PM

800-1200 depending.. just hard to tell if there isnt other hidden damage.. like if he was driving around while water was mixing with the oil fouling up your crank bearings, which now could be all rusty, etc etc..

without having the motor cracked open its hard to say...

peregrine40 · 07-26-2006, 07:44 PM

He only drove it about two blocks with the gasket down, and the oil is mixed...so as far as he knows, thats the only problem.

preyash · 07-26-2006, 08:19 PM

Dont even fukin bother to buy that car, a car which has problems already is more prone to have problems afte u get it, beside ur gonna spend at least 1500 after u get the car, to make it perfect, why not get a nice running decent 1994/93 325 for like around 4k, u gotta keep looking on classifieds and websites like autotrader and car.com.

Good luck finding it

Preyash

peregrine40 · 07-26-2006, 08:39 PM

Its actually gonna be my first car, and Im selling a sandrail to get it, him or his friend might want to buy, or trade, but I guess Id really have to check the car out hard and have it inspected, and get a quote on that work

Hamfisted · 07-26-2006, 10:08 PM

Like someone else already said, the head gasket is just the beginning. You'll fix that then find another $2000 in repair bills waiting for you. If the body is in otherwise great shape its worth maybe $1000. But its likely to just turn into a major project car for you, a money pit, a black hole on wheels.

Mike

peregrine40 · 07-26-2006, 10:18 PM

What makes you say that exactly? Assuming that more will go wrong I mean? How much would it be to just drop in a new engine?

Chaosbunny · 07-26-2006, 10:37 PM

i was put in the same situation as you, i bought my 318 for $2300 and all it needed was a new valve cover and before i bought it i had it cracked open and all is well 3+ months later

peregrine40 · 07-27-2006, 07:13 PM

yeah it seems like a good deal. I just want to get rid of my sandrail, maybe I could work out a trade and money situation, so Id get the car and three grand along with it, or something along those lines....I was also looking at a lexus gs300 or sc300/400....how do ya guys think they compare to the 325?

preyash · 07-27-2006, 07:54 PM

Hey
You do think like me about cars, i was also looking at sc300/400's and the 92-97 gs300, they are all great cars, they have the very quiet luxury car feel, in front of ur 325 they will perform a lot better having a 225hp and 250hp engines respectively, the gs 300 has 225hp same engine in the sc300 and the sc400 has the 250hp v8, if u get the sc then get the sc400 it includes all the goodies. but i am not sure u will find a lexus which is below 5500 in a good condition, dont worry too much about miles, these cars last a long time, but if u are just lookin to get a bmw then dont even bother gettin those cars, but they do have rear wheel drive like BMW's if u just want the rear wheel drive handling.

Its ur choice

Regards
Preyash

peregrine40 · 07-27-2006, 11:22 PM

I found a 95 sc400 in good condition for about $5000...great deal...my only concern is that the lexus' have so much less aftermarket than the bmws...I mean they have enough power to where I wouldnt need to blow it, but having a lot of support is a nice thing.

preyash · 07-28-2006, 08:43 PM

GEt that car, its a very trouble free car, goto www.carsurvey.org and look at the reviews, you will be very glad with ur purchase, by the way some pics would be nice.

Preyash

Starmavin · 07-28-2006, 10:01 PM

A lexus' is a double blade sword, yes they are rather reliable, however parts are expensive and hard to come by, new and used.

A few pricy problems that I have found with the sc400 have are:
The power steering pump tends to leak down onto the alternator killing it.
Water seals for the headlights.
Instrument needles and panel light bulbs.
Many coolant system problems.
Timing belt job isn't cheap.
Climate control display failure.
Problems with the starter, electrical.
Can't run it on anything but Unleaded premium (91 oct+)
Rase the motors output and the transmission won't last long without upgrades to handle it.

This is the short list.

mmclaren · 07-30-2006, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starmavin

A lexus' is a double blade sword, yes they are rather reliable, however parts are expensive and hard to come by, new and used.

A few pricy problems that I have found with the sc400 have are:
The power steering pump tends to leak down onto the alternator killing it.
Water seals for the headlights.
Instrument needles and panel light bulbs.
Many coolant system problems.
Timing belt job isn't cheap.
Climate control display failure.
Problems with the starter, electrical.
Can't run it on anything but Unleaded premium (91 oct+)
Rase the motors output and the transmission won't last long without upgrades to handle it.

This is the short list.

The BMW Fuel Caps in Australia have 95+ Octane Only, also a sticker under the bonnet :S

Whats the Min in US a BMW can run on?