1992 325IS...bad news?

[Quick325is]

I remember someone saying the 92 325's were the worse ones because they are the first ones? Are they really a big hastle? I know of two bmw's for sale in my ares one 92, the other 93, the 93 needs some work for $5000, and the 92 i havent looked at but it is 92 and comes with 17" M3 wheels, winter wheels, clear corners, and M3 side skirts.

Should i just not waste my time with the 92?

thanks,

Jeff

[dmurray14]

Take it for a drive - get the records...see what's been done and what hasn't. You can't really judge the car on the year alone.

[410225]

If it is more 100k, RUN.
Service history? If not, RUN
IMHO, it is pretty pricey for 92.

[Quick325is]

If it is more 100k, RUN.
Service history? If not, RUN
IMHO, it is pretty pricey for 92.

Its got 260kms (don't know if u meant miles, but thats ~161,500miles)

no no, thats a really good price, most 325's in my area are 7-10G(mind u most are 95+)

[SHOracer]

The 92 is older so stuff will start breaking sooner then on the newer ones in general. The first year rule is true, but in actuality it wasn't like BMW fixed all those problems for the 93 model. You will see rolling updates over most of the model years, so the 93 doesn't really have that many fixes, there are even differences inside of model years..

Generally speaking the newer models will be better. i do not really think there is one year that BMW made a jump that is large enough for people to say "after 1997 are the ones to get, 1996 back just suck all over..."

You will be best not to buy a car that needs lots of work before you even buy it, it seems that everyfew months there is something that I notice on these cars, it keeps me and my wallet busy, sure I could put it off but it piles up quick and its not fun dropping a few grand to take care of little problems, and you know another might show up the very next day.

[dmurray14]

If it is more 100k, RUN.
Service history? If not, RUN
IMHO, it is pretty pricey for 92.

?

He didn't give the price for the 92, only the 93...

[410225]

Its got 260kms (don't know if u meant miles, but thats ~161,500miles)

no no, thats a really good price, most 325's in my area are 7-10G(mind u most are 95+)

You mentioned it needs some work. What exactly it is going to need? At 161k miles, you really want to see what has been done and what needs to be done before purchase. Maybe PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTION would be good idea? If 95+ is 7-10G and your 93 needs work worth 2k, won't it be better of purchasing the 95+?

Not to discourage you from purchasing the car of your dream but the dream can turn out to nightmare.

[Spennie]

Get the build date of the 1992. There is one definite difference between the 1992 and 1993: thats' the engine.

If you're thinking of going Forced Induction then the 1992 is definately the way to go. The engine can handle more boost without needing to be rebuilt because a number of things are already upgraded compared to later model years. Here's a quick list off the top of my head:

- Hotter stock cams
- Dual Valve Springs
- Beefy Ass connector rods, run a search and somebody has a pick of 92 and post-92 connector rods side by side and the difference is very noticeable
- No VANOS (Not sure how this would affect a forced induction setup compared to one with VANOS... But it is a significant difference)

There are prolly more differences (I think the block casting is different? in the '92 year?)...

As far as the build date goes. There were two things that I know of within the model year (I can't remember the exact build dates). The first 92's had the sway bar bolted to the strut assembly like the E36 M3, as opposed to having the sway bar bolted to the lower control arm like the other 3 series. Also, between certain build dates there was a difference in the length of the thingy at the top of the strut that goes into the tower to be bolted (Its 9am, don't ask for technical terms :P ).

There's people on these forums that know a lot more about the 1992 325 than I do, so I'd wait for their opinion. But, I say the bottom line is this: Don't take the year of the car into consideration. Look at mileage, service history, price and condition. The only real difference is that the '92 will be a better candidate for forced induction.

Edit: A good idea is to send the car you're interested in to a BMW dealer because they can do a thorough check-over for a couple of hundred dollars.

Also, I remember that the 1992 year in perticular is prone to rear-subframe failure. So check that out (run a search for more info!)

[Quick325is]

the 93 needs a power steering pump and rear shocks, but is cart./e-tested, the 92 isnt cert/e-tested and needs brake cable. I think the 93 is better imho

thanks for all the replies,

Jeff

[twistedbydsign9]

92 motor doesnt have vanos bs and therefore less moving parts. Plus 92 motors run forever, the rest of the car will go to hell however. See which owner replaced the waterpump, did coolant flushes, and check and see if any ball joints were replaced. Those are all common replacements on e36/34 cars.

[BSH]

92 motor doesnt have vanos bs and therefore less moving parts. Plus 92 motors run forever, the rest of the car will go to hell however. See which owner replaced the waterpump, did coolant flushes, and check and see if any ball joints were replaced. Those are all common replacements on e36/34 cars.

My daily driver is a 92 325is that currently has 160k miles. I've had this car for 10 years and the only problem so far was a broken water pump. Mechanically, my car has been a champ! No problems at all. However, I do need to replace all the suspension bushings now and that's going be big $$$. It's worth it, though, for all its years of trouble-free driving. I intend to keep it for at least another 10 years...seriously.