Advice on a 1996 328i

[ronnieshih]

hi, i'm new to the forum and new to the car. My wife is looking at a 1996 328i 4D with approximately 82000 miles on it. The problems currently present on the car are bad rear left power lock, bad sensor that's causing check engine light (as the owner claims will cost $300 to fix), broken front speakers. How much should I pay for a car in this condition? My wife is in Toronto Canada and the canadian red book is rating it $5000 to $8000 CDN. With $8000 CDN being in excellent condition. I don't think the car is in excellent condition due to the problems it has. She will eventually bring this car to the states. But in the state of Illinois in Chicago, a check engine light is an automatic failure when tested for emission. Is bad sensor a common issue in 1996 3 series? I do not want to pay $300 to fix it everytime it fails, if it does fail so frequently as it seems. Please advise. thank you!

[thumper525]

sensors do not typically fail. But you need to know what sensor it is. You should have the car taken to an independant mechanic, and diagnosed. It may cost $100, but he will give you a fair assesment of the repair costs, and what the car is worth.

I would not buy a car with problems unless I knew what they were. I would think that it would not even be in "good" condition as you describe it.

[SilverBeam]

oxygen sensors and cam shaft sensors are known to fail, I don't know about what other sensors it could be. Honestly, if I were the owner, and it only cost 300 bucks, I'd fix it before I tried to sell the car. I got quoted for nearly 400 for a cam shaft sensor, I don't know about O2 sensors.

I can't give you a price due to the exchange rate and the fact that canada is a very different market from the US. Prices are different up there. Actually, from research I've done on newer BMWs, they tend to sell for MORE up there then they do down here. If you are bringing the car into the US you are better off buying a car in the US, you will saving some money that way.

I would pass that one up.

[BahnBurner]

Check the e36 car forum for typical problems for this car. Unless you find out what the problems are exactly and how much it will take to fix, go with the lower price in the book. BMW are not he cheapest cars to repair/maintain. Find out as much as you can and if possible take it to a BMW dealer to do a pre-purchase inspection. Should cost around $100. Good luck