Is this 97 328i a good deal?

[asiansensation]

Hey, tommorow I am purchasing a 97 328i but having second thoughts, the windshield has a minor crack, and there is a minor quarter size rust spot on the driver side door. It has 155k miles and comes with M3 wheels, the interior on the car is perfect and there is nothing wrong with the car.
$4500 a good deal for this car?

[Roth21]

Maintenance records? Car fax?

[asiansensation]

car fax and maintenance records are good.

[Riick]

I cracked my windshield.-- same 1997 328i.
Local fix (not Stealer) is around $275 installed.
You would need to get it fixed to get car tagged/inspected ....around here at least.

Edmunds says for average condition with that mileage:
Wholesale - $2,000
Pvt Party - $2,700
Retail - $3,800

[asiansensation]

therefore its not a good deal? damn =[

[CrazyCoder]

If your iffy on it, it's not a good deal for you.

[asiansensation]

i really want this car, but at the same time, i dont want to get ripped off either.

[kirbykirbykirby]

i really want this car, but at the same time, i dont want to get ripped off either.

1. See Said car.
2. Fall in love with it.
3. Cry about bad deal, sad.
4. ????????????????
5. Blow it up and Collect.

Heh, Joking but if you don't feel comfortable with the car now, you won't feel comfortable when you get it. Nothing bad can come out of looking into it, but be prepared to walk away--and especailly have it inspected by a person who knows BMWs.

[paniolo]

On older cars like this, the state of maintenance is more important than some arbitrary pricing guide.

Suspension: When was the last maint and what was replaced. By this time the struts, shocks, LCAB and RTAB should probably be on their 2nd replacement, front tie rods and sway bar links too.

Cooling System should have been totally rebuilt; radiator, hoses, tstat, waterpump, waterpump housing.

Keeping on top of the maint is worth a lot ... if the above haven't been done it will probably cost you $2k in the near future.

[goingnowhere]

buyers remorse sucks...even more when you had second thoughts from the beginning...

155k mileage, no maintenance records, walk away.
cars arent made on interiors and m3 wheels, though its a good bonus...
Things got to move inorder to make use of the other stuff....if it dies on you in like 4 days...whats the point...
4500?? let me put it this way, i bought my 323is 98k miles perfect everything for 5900....

[lexisboss]

i just bought my 96 328is for 4,500.00 with 123k miles on it .... it came w a few extras such as clear corners rear lights (bottom half red and top half clear) and m3 wheels this car is hella clean !!! i love this car more then my 02 328i ! but as far as pricing goes on ur pick well it's all on u just make sure that u have plenty cash to keep up w future problems u might have!!!!

[moser3002]

i just paid $9k for my 96 328i with 123k miles, but it just had a new suspension/alignment/cooling system done, and it came with a conforti intake and shark chip and a folder full of service receipts going back to 1998, so the peace of mind was worth the couple grand extra i paid for it. oh, and it already had the angel eye hids, and the suspension was a complete overhaul. bilstein struts/shocks and all new mounts and bushings. parts and labor for that alone was $1400!! i know it was a bit high, but to me, it was a good deal. my point is: you're the only one who can answer your question

[cook28]

I'm a NY dealer and wholesale with this kind of miles is around 3k. Florida is the best place in the country for better deals. A 318 in Tallahassee went through with 91k for $2100.00 a few weeks ago. Wait until fall, prices drop on these.

[goingnowhere]

^^^ amen to what he said. I didnt buy my car from you did i cook28???

[ptldM3]

i just paid $9k for my 96 328i with 123k miles, but it just had a new suspension/alignment/cooling system done, and it came with a conforti intake and shark chip and a folder full of service receipts going back to 1998, so the peace of mind was worth the couple grand extra i paid for it. oh, and it already had the angel eye hids, and the suspension was a complete overhaul. bilstein struts/shocks and all new mounts and bushings. parts and labor for that alone was $1400!! i know it was a bit high, but to me, it was a good deal. my point is: you're the only one who can answer your question

Wow, you could have had an M3.

[asiansensation]

hey good news he has all the service records, and i got him to go down to $3800

[kirbykirbykirby]

hey good news he has all the service records, and i got him to go down to $3800

Get him to say 3500$ and it'd be a nice addition.

[Rallyincali]

3,800 sounds good to me. IDK, I got mine for $6,000 @ 108K miles ('97 328i w/M3 rims, as you describe yours) and it was stick too, but given my location (Los Angeles) and complete records w/replaced cooling and some suspension bits, it ended up being pretty good. After buying it, I had to replace the tires and pads/rotors almost immediately, but the later I got for cheap and it was an easy fix. Basically, you're most likely gonna have to do some stuff no matter what, but with good research you can avoid hard/expensive stuff, at least till later down the road.

[moser3002]

Wow, you could have had an M3.

not within 200 miles of me. M3's are going for low teens where i am. and the week before i was looking at a 98 328is with about the same miles for only a grand less, but without the service records and modifications. for some reason, bimmers are marked up as hell in cincinnati. i looked for 4 straight weeks while i was recovering from surgery. so all i did ALL DAY for 4 weeks was shop for cars. and this was the best deal available at the time. crazy, i know. but it's true