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Thread: Cheap 3 series for limited time use, worth it ? Repair troubles ?

  1. #1
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    Cheap 3 series for limited time use, worth it ? Repair troubles ?

    Hi All,
    It's my first time posting on this forum so I'd like to thank everyone in advance for putting up with noob mistakes that I may most likely make in this post (admins: feel free to shift this thread to another section if needed).
    A. I'm considering getting a cheap, very high mileage 3 series convertible, generally 1998 to 2003 models with 150,000 to 250,000 miles (325Ci, 330Ci, etc). These range in price between $2000 to $4000.
    B. My intended use case for the car is primarily weekend driving and more importantly I don't intend to keep it for more than about 1 year. Reason I'm doing this is cos I have a Prius and I make a LOT of long highway trips on it (good mileage, low service costs, the usual reasons) and obviously it's not a whole lot of 'fun' to drive a Prius, especially on weekends !
    C. Now, the meat of my question:
    Is it worth (if not outright crazy) buying a 3 series convertible like the ones I'm considering ? What would be the service/repair/maintenance costs ? What kind of resale values can I expect after 6-12 months of purchase ?
    Side note: I've driven BMW's in the past and I love them like crazy but have never done any work on them myself. I live in an apartment complex with no garage and it's not possible for me to do much, if any, work on the cars myself (even things like oil changes are an issue because oil leaking on the pavement causes problems with property managers).
    All your insights/suggestions/criticisms are most welcome and thank you all in advance.

    Cheers !!

  2. #2
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    A really cheap neglected BMW will be more expensive than the equivalent more expensive one that was taken care of.

    Most people neglect these cars, and then complain how unreliable they are. Then they will dump their trash to the next person in line.
    I say don't do it.


    It's not about the mileage at all. It's about the careful care.

    Well taken care of ones easily last more than 200k miles.
    -Abel

    - E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
    - 2000 Z3: Many Mods.
    - 2003 VW Jetta TDI Manual 47-50mpg
    - 1999 S52 Estoril M Coupe
    - 2014 328d Wagon, self-tuned, 270hp/430ft-lbs
    - 2019 M2 Competition, self-tuned, 504whp
    - 2016 Mini Cooper S

  3. #3
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    Thanks Abel, would you say that if I took one of these low cost high mileage cars for pre purchase inspection I could have some assurance as to how bad/good the condition of the car maybe ? Would the PPI be insightful enough ?

  4. #4
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    Nice thing about older cars is that the depreciation is small.
    Drive new car off lot: Bang, you've lost 20% easily.
    Maybe 15%/year thereafter, although the curve tends to flatten.
    My '02 convertible (not BMW this time) bought in 2015 for $3200, might bring $2200 (?) or some 30% depreciation in 3.5 years.
    I can live with well under $25/mo in depreciation.
    Yur potential problem is not being able to wrench car yourself; $90+ an hour labor rates add -- up for any car.
    -- The more you study Politics, the more you realize that each Party is worse than the other one.- Mark Twain

  5. #5
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    @Kzin2
    If you don't mind, could you share which '02 convertible did you buy ? I'd definitely prefer BMW but if there's anything out there that I can purchase for under $4000 and not have a lot of maintenance cost and get good return after a year, I'll surely look into it.

  6. #6
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    EXOTICS
    High mileage BMWs are prone to periodic maintenance,
    a maintenance-free BMW does not exist.

    Your lack of a garage, or even a driveway where you can wrench, totally eliminates this choice,
    unless you have a bottomless wallet for BMW shop/dealership maintenance/repairs.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by MIKYZZ4 View Post
    Your lack of a garage, or even a driveway where you can wrench, totally eliminates this choice,
    .
    I completely understand. I guess I'll have to put off this proposition for a while..

  8. #8
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    Not worth it, especially if you arent planning to DIY. Remember parts and labor dont depreciate with the car. Its not hard to rack up a several thousand dollar bill at a shop for neglected maintenance.

    Spend the extra up front and have a car you can enjoy.
    Current:

    - 09 335i MSport, FBO.
    - 98 Euro M3, Estoril Blue
    - 04 M3, Carbon Black, 6 Speed Coupe
    - 06 M5, Black on Black, Full Leather.
    - 73 3.0CS, Tagia Green, 5 speed M30b35 converted

    Ex's: 1984 325e, 1988 325IX, 1992 525I, 1995 540i/6, 2002 330i, 2005 330xi, 1992 850i, 2003 330i #1, 2003 330i #2, 2002 330ci, 2004 330ci, 2007 328CI, 2007 335i, 2001 M3, 2006 M5 6 speed

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by legoman67 View Post
    Spend the extra up front and have a car you can enjoy.
    If you don't mind, could you give me an estimate on what kinda price range should I be looking at to get a BMW convertible that won't entail me getting frequent repairs - at least for the first 6-12 month period ?

  10. #10
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    No e30s, again :(
    4k plus would be my guess on that question. usually cars in that range for the years you are considering are daily drive cars with very minimum repairs, if any, required
    No e30s again.

  11. #11
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    The most expensive bimmer is a cheap one.

    I was GIVEN a '95 convertible. For free. Tow it away (dead battery, second expense after the towing cost). I put time, money and effort into fixing all the Little Things, and two years later I sold it for the total of my expenses, $2500. I have a garage but that's full; the 'vert was parked on the street the whole time. And the top leaked, so every time it rained, it filled up.

    Some would say that I did pretty well, but there were a lot of days when the car was down, and I had to look forward to another late afternoon of wrenching when I got home from work. Oh well, kept me off the streets for a while.
    Charlie

    Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to add value to these threads, either by pictures or by descriptions, so the next person with the same or similar problem stands on your shoulders.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by ritzcar View Post
    If you don't mind, could you give me an estimate on what kinda price range should I be looking at to get a BMW convertible that won't entail me getting frequent repairs - at least for the first 6-12 month period ?
    Exact numbers vary greatly depending where you are and who is selling. There isnt an exact number. The point is spending the extra $(1000, 1500, etc) up front on a clean example is going to be cheaper in the long run then trying to defer the cost into overdue maintenance.
    Current:

    - 09 335i MSport, FBO.
    - 98 Euro M3, Estoril Blue
    - 04 M3, Carbon Black, 6 Speed Coupe
    - 06 M5, Black on Black, Full Leather.
    - 73 3.0CS, Tagia Green, 5 speed M30b35 converted

    Ex's: 1984 325e, 1988 325IX, 1992 525I, 1995 540i/6, 2002 330i, 2005 330xi, 1992 850i, 2003 330i #1, 2003 330i #2, 2002 330ci, 2004 330ci, 2007 328CI, 2007 335i, 2001 M3, 2006 M5 6 speed

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