Is this used BMW a good deal?

[nicia]

I'm considering purchasing a used 2001 BMW 325Ci from a dealer. It has 188,450 miles on it. The car seems to be in great mechanical shape, the only thing I noticed on the test drive is the suspension sort of pulls to one side when I drive over dips in the road (the road was in horrible condition.) I'm not sure if this is just the way sport suspension is--I've never driven a BMW before. I also did a brake check at 60 mph and let go of the steering wheel--no pulling at all! And wow, was it fun to open it back up to 60 again! The exterior has a few scrapes; some scrapes have rust. I'm sure this is pretty normal for a 10-year-old car. The interior has lots of cracks in the wood trim (I didn't even know that was possible.) It seems like the protective clear coat on the trim is cracked.. possibly due to extreme heat? The lumbar support stitching seems loose on both passenger and driver seats. It seems a little dingy, but I'm pretty sure the dealer didn't even detail it (something easily fixed.) The passenger side visor has been completely ripped off and I can see copper wiring where it used to attach to the rest of the car. The reason why I'm sharing all these small problems is because it seems to me that if someone that didn't take good care of the interior, they probably didn't maintain mechanical parts of the car either (I could be wrong.)

The AutoCheck shows one accident report but the dealer said it was from a shopping cart door ding. There was a police report filed for this incident in 2006.

The dealer wanted $4,877 for it, but I was able to talk him down to $4,370. I went to look at the car Saturday and was a little iffy about purchasing it on-the-spot. The dealer said he would have his mechanics check it over to make sure there are no mechanical problems and get back to me Tuesday (today.) Of course, the car is being sold as-is. I'm considering paying cash for this car, but I'm a little worried about buying it since it has such high mileage. I've decided to ask some experts (you guys ) to see if this is a good deal.

[mattjw916]

No, a rusty car with 188k miles that has had an accident is not a good deal!!!

For the love of god take someone with car buying experience with you next time you go shopping.

Sorry but that sounds like a total POS that's been ragged out its whole life. Find something else.

[BradR127]

Sounds pretty beat... I'd pass, unless you're interested in doing thousands of dollars worth of maintenance and repairs. (I assume there are no maintenance records with the car?) Cars like that just become a headache, and you quickly forget that you got a "good deal" because you never get to drive it since it's always getting repaired.

[pizzaman09]

$4000 on a 10 year old BMW with 188k miles on it? I don't care what type of condition it is in, that is not worth it.

[GTRSv]

i doubt the accident was just a door ding

[joshtradomus]

I agree with everyone else. That car sounds shot.

[thenerb]

If you'd like to buy an older BMW for a low price, you're better off being patient until you find a private sale on a car that has all of the records on maintenance and has clearly been taken care of and loved. A high mileage BMW can be a major headache with repairs if it hasn't been taken care of.

Check the for sale section on this forum. Many of the cars sold here have been well maintained by people who care about their cars. You may pay a bit more up front, but it will hopefully be less of a headache and cost less in repairs. Buy from an enthusiast if possible.

[spoonerDee]

A police report for a shopping cart????? Pass, there are plenty of decent cars out there that have not been beat to piss like this one probably has been.

[nicia]

So I take it that's a no? lol

Thanks everyone

[Jgordon0505]

Sounds like a junker! Wait to find the right one.

[auslese]

Patience is essential, in order to find one of these cars in the kind of shape you'll be happy with.

[soohot59]

That car sounds shot.I think everyone else is right...good luck

[SilverBeam]

Dealer is flat lying about the crash. Police aren't called out for door dings nor are door dings reported to insurance. He probably bought the car at action and has no idea what the crash is for. I'd walk just because the dealer is a liar.

And the pulling is called tramlining, it is normal.