Thinking of buying an 06 325xi wagon auto 100k mi

[Alelanza]

Hi there,

I'm thinking of buying an 06 auto 325xi wagon and was hoping to get advice on what to check for. It seems the engine cooling system is a typical thing to watch out for, but what exactly do i need to look at? also i read about the boots, i guess thats an easy one to check. Valve cover leaks should be easy to spot right?
How about rust spots? any particular things to look for beyond the usual wheel well and underbody stuff?
Thanks in advance!

[cochise325]

I have a 2006 325xi Sport Wagon. Mine has 97k miles.

The car uses an electric water pump and thermostat. It costs close to $500 in parts to replace. They usually fail at less than 100k miles, so it may have been replaced already.

My car has no rust spots at all. It is the cleanest car I have ever owned wrt corrosion.

I just replaced front struts, control arms, ball joints, tie rod ends. And rear shocks. The stuts and shocks were completely shot at 96k. The front control arm bushings were getting worn to the point that you could feel a little wobble in the steering wheel at 50 to 60 mph if you touched the brake lightly. btw the suspension rebuild is around $3k in parts.

Mine has been a fantastic car. Averages around 24 mpg in all around driving. And will do 30 mpg all day long on the highway.

And x-drive is awesome.

[Alelanza]

That's very helpful thanks, and 30 mpg is certainly more than i was expecting. For a second there i thought you were going to offer your car up for sale :)
Now they're asking 10k for this car, and i can probably haggle my way down, but thoughts on that price as a starting point. And i realize it's hard to say without having seen the car, but ballpark?

[esp42089]

My parents just bought an 06 330xi in good shape with 100k on the clock for 11k. Just as a data point.

[cochise325]

That's very helpful thanks, and 30 mpg is certainly more than i was expecting. For a second there i thought you were going to offer your car up for sale :)
Now they're asking 10k for this car, and i can probably haggle my way down, but thoughts on that price as a starting point. And i realize it's hard to say without having seen the car, but ballpark?

Paid $39k for mine when it was new way back in December 2005. If I could find one as nice as mine is at 100k miles, for a price of $10k, I would consider that a very good deal. A car like that would give me another 100k miles and 10 years of good service.

[Alelanza]

Thanks guys, appreciate that very much. I'll go see it tomorrow and see what happens. BTW, it's really hard to find wagons... :(