I Got My First Car! A Broken 525i...

[imthatmvrk]

What's Up!

Today I did a few "firsts". I bought my first car.. My first BMW.. My first car craigslist deal... I got a 1995 E34 BMW 525i for $500. Yeah, I know, It seems sketchy. And trust me it was.

When I pulled up to his house, my mother (Im 15 BTW) saw the car and told me that I shouldn't even look at it. I told her that its gonna be a project and that i can "buff it out".

The guy came outside, said hello, and for about 20 minutes, we walked around the car looking at it. Here's a list of stuff that is wrong with it that I know of right now.

1. Passenger Front Seat Twist
2. Major Damage to Rear (Rear Bumper and Hatch needs to be replaced, Damage to rear quarter panel, I'll end up pulling the dent out, followed by Bondo and repaint.
3. Crank Position Sensor (He provided a new one, i just need to put it in, not hard)
3. Fluid Change
4. Tune Up (Spark Plugs and Wires, Filters)
5. Stupid "Trans Program" error (I looked on many different forums and i don't know where to start, gonna try battery. Drives fine to me.)
6. Window Regulators (The motor works, just two stuck up and one stuck down)
7. Headliner (Spray Adhesive will fix it)

So I took it for a test drive, also my first time driving a BMW (loved it), but i noticed a clicking noise.

I though about it for a minute and found myself saying: "How about $500?". He said yes and we started filling out the paperwork (Bill of Sale and Title)

My mom told me i had to drive her car back home, its about a hour drive, not too bad.

So, the whole way home, I stared at the back end of the BMW, looked past the damage, and really.. I know I'm be a BMW owner for life.

Anyways just wanted to share my experience on buying my first BMW, any tips for a young BMW owner?

Thanks!

PS: I looked back at my BMW twice when I went inside for the night....

[whiskychaser]

Get a copy of Bentleys. Find the search button. Visit realoem.com. But most important - enjoy the experience

[Smoky540i]

Welcome to the obsession...The 1995 525i has the M50B25tu engine which doesn't​ have wires you would replace. It could need new could though.

We wanna see pictures too!

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

[pauliescff]

$500 is not sketchy. I picked up a 1994 530 with 150,000 mile, for $300 about a year ago. Clear coat on the top was peeling and it needed an alternator, steering center link, and water pump. I replaced all those along with a thermostat and 2 rear shocks. Then I sold it. But, for parts, check out fcp euro. They have great prices on parts. They have a clearance section and they have a lifetime guarantee on the parts they sell

[ross1]

All pretty typical stuff. The only scary thing is the "trans program". Which window regulators do you need? I have spares Oh, not sure why the crank sensor was deemed bad as the car won't run with a bad one.

[BleedsBlue]

Welcome, welcome. I was bitten by this bug @ 17 years old, so I love seeing younglings (even pre-license ones) jump right in! You have great taste far beyond your years

I recommend the Bentley, and the slow acquisition of tools and knowledge to tinker on your new car. It's not only a lot of car experience for the money, but a great platform to learn how to drive, as well as fix yourself.

We'll need pictures of the thing, however...