looking at a 1997 BMW M3 sedan.. advice?

[HardTech]

Hi everybody

I'm a lurker, not a poster. I test drove an M3 today with 137k miles. Exterior and interior was in great condition, but I couldn't see very well since it was at night.

There was some stuff wrong with the car, though. First, it's been sitting for 5 months, so the battery is dead. When you start it up, a LOT of white smoke comes out of the exhaust. It keeps on coming out too, until you start to drive it pretty hard. Whenever the car is stopped, the smoke just pours out.

Also, the rear wheels "click" when driving slow. I'm not sure what it is, sounds like it might be bearings.

The front headlights were really foggy, so that's something that I'll have to fix when I get it.

Other than that, there wasn't much wrong with the car. I didn't like how it drove... it felt like the engine was replaced, but it was the original motor. Rough idle?

Are these problems easy to fix?

[Mistermotorist]

Never buy a car in the dark! Never evaluate a car at night....

White smoke and rough idle/running suggest head gasket problem - BMW should not smoke

Do not buy a car (especially a high mileage car) without pre purchase inspection (Edge Motorworks or equivalent) Speaking of Edge - go to the Edge website and check out the list of stuff that needs to be checked/done @ 75k miles - verify replacement of water pump, radiator, rear shock mounts, etc. Clutch usually doesn't last that long - verify remaining pad life and rotor thickness...A lot of things can be wrong with a 135k mile car unless proper maintenance has been done.... pre-purchase inspection is essential.

Examine bills and records - get CarFax report

[HardTech]

I know I should never look at a car at night, but it's kind of hard not to when you work 8am-6pm and it gets dark at 4pm.

the smoke didn't smell like oil... I can't remember the smell, but remember it not being bad. I'm thinking it's a mixture of gas and oil.

The car was sitting for like 5 months before today, so I blamed the rough idle and smoking on that. The person is asking $6500. I was actually going to fix all the problems and try to flip it, but now it seems unlikely

[Mistermotorist]

well, for head gasket you can look in the radiator for bubbles, look at the tail pipe for water and look in the oil (on dip stick) for evidence of water contamination in crankcase - also look at oil cap for water evidence (yellow slime). Check tires for wear and uneven wear, signifying poor alignment. Check all panels for vin tags to see if panels are replaced.

Question: why was car not driven for five months?

Edit: rough idle can indicate the dreaded money shift, but car would probably run really crappy if that was the case...

[HardTech]

well, for head gasket you can look in the radiator for bubbles, look at the tail pipe for water and look in the oil (on dip stick) for evidence of water contamination in crankcase - also look at oil cap for water evidence (yellow slime). Check tires for wear and uneven wear, signifying poor alignment. Check all panels for vin tags to see if panels are replaced.

Question: why was car not driven for five months?

The tires seemed to have some camber issues too, but it was at night and I couldn't see the tires very well. The tires and rims looked to be brand new, though, but they just weren't my style.

The car wasn't driven for 5 months because the guy who owns it has other cars but only has limited parking space, so it was parked at his parents' house. His younger brother (the guy who showed me the car) was driving it around for like 6 months or so, until the engine started to get weird (i.e. rough idle, smoke out of exhaust, etc.), so he stopped driving it and it's now sitting in his driveway.

[HardTech]

as for your ninja edit: I wasn't impressed with how it drove, but I'm coming from a 2004 Acura TL, which is the smoothest car I've driven. I just don't know what to expect

[Mistermotorist]

I suspect moneyshift by younger brother....

[HardTech]

that might be the case.. he was a freshman in college now, so the problem happened when he was a senior in high school. I know I was stupid and reckless with cars when I was that age.

Anyway, the search for a 1991 318is continues. I figured I'd flip the car for a few thousand, but the "dreaded money shift" problem sounds expensive.

[Mistermotorist]

Don't take my word for it - I haven't seen the car, but it is customary to do maintenance and repairs on a BMW to keep it running - even if you're only the "little brother", driving a free M3 (I should be so lucky...) To rebuild a head (assuming that the head needs to come off to (1) replace head gasket or (2) replace valves) costs at least $2,500 (guess) and would be a worthwhile thing to do to an M3 worth at least $10k (guess)

[HardTech]

well, I don't have much money to fix the car up... he simply said "rough idle due to sitting for a long time", so I figured it was a case of somebody who didn't know what they had and simply wanted to get rid of it. I was thinking $500 max into the car and it'd run great. Now, I'm not so sure