Hello! im new and need some advice !!!

[Sebg]

Hello, well a change in desires is making me get rid of my pretty mint MGB GT sebring, to purchase a 1995 320i black 4 door.

I have not bought it yet as i have been cought out before. OK the car has 134k on the clock.
12months MOT,

Mint interior, M3 bumpers, spoiler, wheels etc all in almost perfect nick.

The guy wants around 2k ONO for it which i thought was fair but i am getting lots of mixed reactions from people.
I had a read thought the common faults section and most of which does not apply such as the waterpump as this has been changed along with rad hoses etc, I was wondering what sort of money they make for a 'mint' one, that i can compare it to.

As i said the cars pretty mint no obvious rust at all, Just wondering if there are any Big dangerous areas? such as clutch around that sort of mileage etc?

Any help would be much appreciated, It is a serious consideration because i might get my old job back and need a respectable car rather than the ratty student polo i used to drive!

Any help would be much appreciated.

SEB

[BMR_LVR]

Hey SEB. Welcome to the fest. I sse you haven't had any responses.

I don't know that us US'ers are going to be able to give you any thoughts on the cost. I, for one, don't know diddly about your currency so can't help you there. If you're talking 2K US dollars, over here that would be a great deal. I have had my 95 325is for about 90K miles and really love it. They have some issues, but like you said, you have read up on them. I would say it's probably not a good choice unless you have some decent wrenching skills and like DIY projects. Getting even a good independent mechanic to do your work can run into a lot of $$$.

Hope this helped a little.

[OshatRMS]

Hello, well a change in desires is making me get rid of my pretty mint MGB GT sebring, to purchase a 1995 320i black 4 door.

I have not bought it yet as i have been cought out before. OK the car has 134k on the clock.
12months MOT,

Mint interior, M3 bumpers, spoiler, wheels etc all in almost perfect nick.

The guy wants around 2k ONO for it which i thought was fair but i am getting lots of mixed reactions from people.
I had a read thought the common faults section and most of which does not apply such as the waterpump as this has been changed along with rad hoses etc, I was wondering what sort of money they make for a 'mint' one, that i can compare it to.

As i said the cars pretty mint no obvious rust at all, Just wondering if there are any Big dangerous areas? such as clutch around that sort of mileage etc?

Any help would be much appreciated, It is a serious consideration because i might get my old job back and need a respectable car rather than the ratty student polo i used to drive!

Any help would be much appreciated.

SEB

Wish you were close. I would love to have your MGB GT...

As far as the 320 i, 134k is not very high millage. if it has been cared for you should have a good driver... Have a good BMW mechanic look it over before you take the plunge. Check for accidents, rust, front and rear suspension, all the electrics, compression and leak test on the engine. etc etc. better off get an accurate condition report so you know what you're in for.

Good luck

[the_brouhaha]

Hey SEB. Welcome to the fest. I sse you haven't had any responses.

I don't know that us US'ers are going to be able to give you any thoughts on the cost. I, for one, don't know diddly about your currency so can't help you there. If you're talking 2K US dollars, over here that would be a great deal. I have had my 95 325is for about 90K miles and really love it. They have some issues, but like you said, you have read up on them. I would say it's probably not a good choice unless you have some decent wrenching skills and like DIY projects. Getting even a good independent mechanic to do your work can run into a lot of $$$.

Hope this helped a little.

+1

Wish you were close. I would love to have your MGB GT...

As far as the 320 i, 134k is not very high millage. if it has been cared for you should have a good driver... Have a good BMW mechanic look it over before you take the plunge. Check for accidents, rust, front and rear suspension, all the electrics, compression and leak test on the engine. etc etc. better off get an accurate condition report so you know what you're in for.

Good luck

+1

All e36's are going to be expensive to maintain, I agree with these guys get as much info about maintenance as you can so you can tell us what it said and we can tell you if it's worth it or not. 134k, nothing at all, bmw's can go up to 300k easily if maintained well.I know the general time when bmw's parts start to fail is 90k-120k, I think 130's is when alot of suspension starts to quit on them. I'm not too sure. Get the records and see what hasn't been fixed, then keep your eyes on those parts. I just tried a currency calculator, couldn't find ONO anywhere. :dunno: I'm curious now to what money this is. Haha

But good luck

[Sebg]

Cheers for the replys guys! yeah 2k UK sterling.

ONO= or nearest offer.

Yeah the gt has to go, its not a good daily driver and is more of a race car than a road car. Which a year ago i would have loved but times change and my insurance renewal is insane! basically im looking to sell the MG to pay for the BMW with all the insurance.

Yeah the car has been looked after and the owner is a mechanic, I have asked him to change the belts for piece of mind along with tires.

I want to knock him down a bit in price as there is a tiny surface rust area on the boot lid.
Other than that i have had a look on the underside and its mint, it appears to be undersealed and there seem to be no dodgy areas such as the sills. One thing that did strike me is that the gear box and engine has no oily areas like i would expect. (altho i am used to VWs and MGs!)

Im going to investigate a little more on its service history but it is dead nice and come over like a little kid when i stare at it!

[E36 Phantom]

Even with a mechanic owner, it's still nice to have a mechanic you know does good work give it a second look. Surface rust on the body panels would scare me, though if there's not any rust on structural pieces I guess it's OK.

Parts are cheap, labor can be expensive, so if you're a DIYer then it's not expensive to maintain at all. I'm assuming it's manual. I6 + manual = bulletproof. Clutch depends on how it was driven. I sold my E36 at 191,000 miles with the original clutch that came from the factory. My grandpa's 1990 S-10 has 230,000 on the original clutch from the factory. I know friends who replace clutches @ 40,000 miles....:rofl: It all depends.

When they're well maintained, Bimmers will be reliable, fun cars that will treat you well for years. When they're neglected, they have no tolerance like Japanese cars. Neglect a BMW and reap the consequences....:rofl:

[Sebg]

yeah its a 5 speed but 2l straight 6. Yeah ive built a few cars and thats why im getting shot of the mg. I want a more reliable car that i can use as a daily. Are there any good sites for general maintenance. I need to do a bit more research to be honest

[E36 Phantom]

bimmerdiy.com & pelicanparts.com

[Sebg]

Cheers everyone honestly i have to say its a great help. It looks like i will get it should i get my old job again and sell the MG which i hope will be easy! Well many thanks great forum!