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Thread: What fits me the best?

  1. #1
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    What fits me the best?

    Hi! I've dreamed of having a BMW since I was a wee child, and finally I have the need to buy a new car, as I drive a 2003 ford ranger to deliver pizzas in, and it is not cutting it MPG wise.

    I've been searching craigslist for the past few days, and quite a few BMW's have perked my interest.

    I was curious if there was an easy way to define what will last me longer based on model, time built, what is too much mileage, what costs more to maintain, etc.

    I almost bit on a 1984 325i in great shape for it's age, with about 150k miles on it for about 1500-1800. But I was told by many that a BMW that age would be a bad idea if I didn't want to put a ton of money into it right off the bat.

    I'm looking for something smaller, prefer not to drive a saloon but am OK with Sedans and love Coupes.

    Apologies in advance if my searching criteria was my reason for failure to find anything else on this subject.

    http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/2805659402.html

    http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/2916216416.html

    http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/2928224727.html

    http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/2926818393.html

    The 4 that perked my interest the most.

    Thoughts?
    Last edited by squage; 03-30-2012 at 02:24 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  2. #2
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    If you deliver pizzas for a living, forget the BMW, you can't afford it. The cars you are interested in are great cars, and with meticulous maintenance will last a long time, but this requires significant amounts of money. If you have the $, go for it, but be sure you have extra for repair and maintenance.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by cheech1 View Post
    If you deliver pizzas for a living, forget the BMW, you can't afford it. The cars you are interested in are great cars, and with meticulous maintenance will last a long time, but this requires significant amounts of money. If you have the $, go for it, but be sure you have extra for repair and maintenance.
    What type of maintenance would be required on a car like this compared to something like a civic?

  4. #4
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    I think the best fit for OP is the 318 sedan,the parts are cheap,it's newer, reliable, gets good gas mileage and their pretty fun to drive. If you don't have a lot to put in to the car when you first get it, I don't think you should consider the e30 (1984-1991/2) because they typically have poor fuel systems and replacing a gas tank or other parts of the fuel system can be quite expensive. The e30 also uses a timing belt that has to be replaced every 30k where as every e36 has a timing chain that doesn't fail as often.
    Last edited by Dylans3960ccs; 03-30-2012 at 03:34 PM.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dylans3960ccs View Post
    I think the best fit for OP is the 318 sedan,the parts are cheap,it's newer, reliable, gets good gas mileage and their pretty fun to drive. If you don't have a lot to put in to the car when you first get it, I don't think you should consider the e30 (1984-1991/2) because they typically have poor fuel systems and replacing a gas tank or other parts of the fuel system can be quite expensive.
    Thanks for the info

  6. #6
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    Yeah, I would go with the 98 318. The engine is reliable but the parts are extremely available. anything 1800-1995 =) is usually harder to find parts for. TBH I would much rather just save up until you can afford a nicer BMW. For me atleast, I would want to keep my love for BMW and give myself the best chance of getting a great experience.

  7. #7
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    Squage,
    I'm sort of doing the same thing. Looking at older models looking for a "bargain."

    What I am finding out from this forum and elsewhere is that while I can ignore some maintenance suggestions with my Honda, BMW's are sort of a precision instrument that require more. For example I just did the Timing Belt on my Honda. It was not broken, but wise people say replace it around 100K or expect it to fail with expensive results. The 328is I am looking at seems to have several things like that: replace the water pump at regular intervals, flush brake fluid at regular intervals, consider removing one of the fans - even something as simple as tires. Yeah I can get away with milking my Honda tires but the 328is is a rear wheel drive beast of a car, you want good tire tread and should think about two sets (summer / winter).

    So what I am taking away is:

    The purchase price is just the cover charge to get you in the door.
    Have a stash of cash on hand for maintenance.
    A lot of the maintenance can be do-it-yourself if you have that tools/time/aptitude.
    Preventive maintenance can save on expensive repairs.

    After all of this a bud just pointed out that for the same out of pocket expense for 2 years I can almost lease a 2011!
    Last edited by jshaley; 03-30-2012 at 03:49 PM.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by jshaley View Post
    Squage,

    What I am finding out from this forum and elsewhere is that while I can ignore some maintenance suggestions with my Honda, BMW's are sort of a precision instrument that require more.

    The purchase price is just the cover charge to get you in the door.
    Have a stash of cash on hand for maintenance.
    A lot of the maintenance can be do-it-yourself if you have that tools/time/aptitude.
    Preventive maintenance can save on expensive repairs.
    This is spot on. BMW's don't like being neglected like a Honda or old American car will let you do.

    It is a pretty typical number to hear people say that they put $2k into a used BMW the first year of ownership. This is often to fix the things that the previous owner was neglecting.
    Current fleet:
    1999 BMW e36 M3
    1999 BMW e36 328is with rotary valve engine head
    1999 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight
    1990 Jeep Comanche Eliminator
    1962 Austin Healey Sprite

  9. #9
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    Yup, chuck 2-3k into it soon as you get it and it will never bother you again (long as you keep up maintenance from there).

    Half the reason I went to BMW is because it's so cheap and easy to run/fix... IF you can fix it yourself.

    I'd suggest finding a nice little base model six E36 and making sure its decently clean.

    However, if you don't have the money to sink into it in your first year of ownership I'd avoid.


    2000 530i Cosmosshwarz
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  10. #10
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    There's a saying around here: Its not whether you can afford to buy the car, its whether you can afford to own it.

    Any German car thats more than a few years old will require work, even more so if you're looking at cars from the 80s and 90s with lots of miles. Cooling systems are very picky on BMW's, suspension wears out and can drive you nuts with vibrations, electricals can decide to quit at any time, and lots of other issues that a Toyota or Chevy will likely never have.

    Whats your budget? How much money do you make? Age? Mechanical knowledge?

    Start reading the forums, you'll learn a ton, and then see if its worth it. These cars can be immense money-pits if they have not been well-maintained, always see how much work the previous owners have done and any service records they may have. Fortunately, they're fairly simple cars to work on, so if you have some basic tools and knowledge, you can do most of the repairs and maintenance yourself.

    Ranger's are pretty sturdy trucks, we have one going on 270k on the original engine, but we did rebuild the suspension and swap in a manual trans. If you have a tight budget, stick with the truck, it'll be infinitely more reliable than an old BMW. Gas is expensive, but so is spending 2k in parts to rebuild the suspension on a $3,000 car just to get rid of an annoying shimmy at 35 mph haha.

  11. #11
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    Get an Accord or a Civic or a Saturn.....get a BMW later

    -Will
    2006 MS6

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Knight F Mohawk View Post
    Get an Accord or a Civic or a Saturn.....get a BMW later

    -Will
    ^this or get a e36 318i.

    We currently have a 318i and a 328is at the house and so far the only thing we have had issues with in the 318i is a clutch....but that is normal maintnence that you have to do. Also, I would HIGHLY recommend getting a manual because BMW slushboxes (autos) tend to cause issues more then a manual. Also you will get better mpg's with a manual

    But honestly, I would go with what Knight said. These cars CAN be expensive cars if you don't pick up the right one, not saying that all of them are but if you neglect german cars, they will take ahold of your wallet unlike neglecting a civic.

  13. #13
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    Get a civic...
    Get like 40 mpg
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  14. #14
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    I don't understand why everybody says it's so expensive. Sounds like some elitest mumbo jumbo to me. Don't buy an e31 or an e65 if you've got a budget in mind, but an e30 or e36 is a very affordable car. I did it while i was in university. Watch for rust, any mechanical is inexpensive, even if you aren't a DIYer, a professional will be quick working on an e30.

    Be mindful buy parts frugally, but not foolishly. use the web and do as much as you can yourself. It's really not that bad.

  15. #15
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    Buy what ever suits your fancy. Have a BMW dealership do a PPI before hand. Here in Tulsa, they quoted me 150 for a PPI. Trust me. I got boned when I bought my M3. And who ever said that typically you will drop 2k in parts etc in the first year is right.

    Not to scare you or anything, I love my BMW even though she can be a prissy bitch some days...

  16. #16
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    Look you can pick any model you want and year its not going to matter. I went from a 94 Eddie Bauer Edition explorer to a 95 540I with 125k miles on it in 03ish..

    I drove it real hard for about 2 years. I put about 50k miles on over from 03-05 in that time i did radiator, water pump and head gasket. They needed replacing. I did the repairs myself. If you are a DIY'er then your going to be "FINE". Ask for service receipts it doesn't hurt to ask. Most people keep decent records of their luxury vehicles. I haven't run into many people who don't take care of their BMW's unless they are highschool kids. And even then I've been more then impressed.

    I guess my point is whatever you want an e30 or e46 it wont matter. If you stay on top of fluid changes and actually pay attention to her, she will treat you well. I was broke all through college and grad school and I more then managed. Don't let anyone tell you can't have what you want.

    However it is really nice to always have a slush fund of about $1200 incase of repairs, but I never had a bomb dropped on me. If your looking for a nice e30 let me know i have an 87 thats been in my garage for a year now thats not getting much use that i would be more then happy to part with at a very reasonable price located in New England. You can send me a PM.

    I wish you the best of luck and keep in touch let us know what you decided to grab.

  17. #17
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    I would say 2k is typical in the first year because you are more reluctant to DIY. If you do DIY I would say $500-1k

  18. #18
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    I am still searching, I almost bit on a 2000 528i with 103K miles on it for an asking price of 5400, but it was gone too quick.

    I feel confident in the idea that I have backup plans if I do run into problems with my car, the truck will always be there for me if needed as I am only looking to change to get something of my own as well as enjoy my driving and get better gas mileage.

    I do not have a ton of mechanical knowledge, but have family members who have been professionally trained as well as friends who know a thing or two. I have had no problems doing little mechanical fixes on the truck when needed, and am very cautious when it comes to checking fluids, taking a close listen to any odd sounds, etc. on a regular basis.

    I haven't found anything quite worth it that is still available.
    Last edited by squage; 04-03-2012 at 12:27 AM.

  19. #19
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    If your willing to look in the New England area there must be a dozen or so 528-540 for sale sub $5500 many of them are very much worth looking at. Shipping from Andover MA to Lexington KY was only 480 when i used to live in KY. This was less then 6months ago since moving back to the New England area.

  20. #20
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    Oh, and remember that most BMW's want Premium gas, so you'll be spending an extra 20-30 cents per gallon right off the bat, and since you probably drive only in the city, the mpg difference between the Ranger and a BMW might not amount to much. Your fuel "savings" may wind up being nothing in the end.

  21. #21
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    i think this will fit you best.

    http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/2914783235.html

    /thread.
    Last edited by Shinka8U; 04-04-2012 at 05:11 PM.

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by pizzaman09 View Post
    This is spot on. BMW's don't like being neglected like a Honda or old American car will let you do.

    It is a pretty typical number to hear people say that they put $2k into a used BMW the first year of ownership. This is often to fix the things that the previous owner was neglecting.
    haha you almost want to know more about the previous owner than the car sometimes.

  23. #23
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    My suggestion is a used Honda Civic with 50,000 miles. Great mileage and cheap repairs. No BMW can compete with the Civic for economy. And if your only income is from pizza delivery, then save as much money as possible for a nicer car in the distant future.

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