new member

[carlova789]

Hi everyone. I just joined the forum today and im looking for a project car and found a 92 bmw 325is thats for sale. I really like it but dont know if I should get it instead of some other cars on my list such as the nissan 240sx, mazda rx-7, or 80s bmws. Are they expensive to maintain, fix, ect? Are they to too expensive to work on? thats it. thanks


-andy

[hellrot Ofl]

well welcome
as for the car, it all depends on how it was taken care over the years. good luck

[dahas325is]

Welcome Andy :buttrock - have a thourough pre-purchase inspection and go from there before buying the car. Good Luck

[JohnnyWash1]

Welcome, I am new too. I have been a member for years, but never posted because I haven't owned a BMW until now. Good luck with the decision, and yes, I would say maintenance would be a bit more expensive on the BMW.

[mikese36]

Welcome!:)

[Naw T 3]

welcome to the boards

[888]

hi

[stowe9man]

To be honest, parts for these cars really aren't that expensive. I have found that the dealer is actually very cheap for parts and they are always willing to give me a 25% discount if I just ask for them to "sweeten up" a deal.

The biggest problem with doing work on these cars is that most owners don't do their own work so places like Advance Auto usually don't have parts in stock. The dealer and mail order places will become your friends.

[E36Guy]

Welcome. :D

If you are fairly auto savvy, you shouldnt have a problem with the BMW. Pricing is fine when you do your own work. Like was mentioned, it is a little slower since most the time you order parts and wait for shipments.. rarely have anything in stock.

I looove these cars. Very fun to drive, fun to mod, sometimes even fun to work on :) :shifty

This forum will help GREATLY. Good luck :thumbup:

[randytt]

well if ur doin "project-car" i think u would have some auto experience...but if this car is goin to be in a shop alot.. a bmw might not be the best car.. but overall if u know ur stuff... bmw is the way to go :thumbup:

[abbot555]

Welcome :)

[mykey]

Welcome to the best forum for bimmer lovers, here u will get all the help u need.

[AdDiCtIvE 3]

BMW FTW! If you are worried about maintainence cost you shouldnt even be concidering an RX7, rotory motors almost never last past 60K, I love RX's but they are never a good choice as an inexpensive daily driver. 240's are slow as fock with the stock KA, unless you plan on swapping a SR20DET for serious cash steer away.... and many BMW owners get well over 150-200K on original engines, I have 202K on mine and it still runs strong. With the right care, you can make them last forever, the most important theing is to make sure it has been taken care of though. GL with your search!

[rlante]

It sounds a bit like a term paper but "the availability of parts, advice, and procedures on the internet greatly reduces the costs of maintaining and repairing vehicles"

my annual repair and maintenance for my 325 over a 5 year and 100k miles period was roughly $1.5 k per year. the largest individual expenses were replacing leaking gaskets and seals($2k), a broken timing chain (1.6k), and a new starter and alternator($750). The cost breakdown for the timing chain and seals was about 30% parts 70% labor. The starter and alternator (at a different shop) about 75% parts and 25% labor.

When my odometer turned 300k miles (last year), I started doing all my own non emergency repairs based on the blue book value of the car. The starter and alternator were "side of the road broke down and tow it to a shop fixes."

Add to that a new water pump, thermostat, radiator and reservoir bottle $350 for parts and about 10 hours of my time getting my hands greasy and you get a realistic idea of costs.

Be warned that the amount of time you spend reading this list and others like it can be alarming. All things considered....providing you don't have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder , both the bmw you choose and this list will provide you with years of enjoyment. requoting my first post to this list ...my 325 is the best car I've ever had. --rlante@excite.com

[cr22]

$1.5K did u get a PPI because that seems like more than most people seem to say they are paying

[spielen]

Welcome!

The thing about the e36 repairs rlante is talking about is that e36s are starting to get lots of miles on them and it's getting to be time to replace things so you don't end up with a broken down car in BFE.