I was looking at 97-99 Civic sedans for a daily driver/winter beater, probably around $4-5k range. But I ran across this 92 325i with 144k miles for $4k. The guy's the second owner and seems like he's taken pretty good care of the car. Now, I really don't know about BMW's too much. My question is, how long should this engine last, if it's been taken care of properly? With the Civic, I know it'll last another 100k easy, and if the engine does blow, who cares? The D16's are $200-300. I'm going to take it to a mechanic to see if anything else needs attention. And I do know about the E36's and the weak subframes, but not much else other than that.

Anyway, if any of you are bit more familiar with older BMW's, please chime in. Thanks.

 

These are two way way different cars. One is an economy car which is the purpose of your buying and the other is a small luxury car that is meant to be sporty and luxury.


Civic parts will be easier to find.

Civic will get better gas milage.

BMW will be more fun to drive, but at the higher milage you might need to replace things, the money you could have spent to get an B series engine put into your civic for a car that would be faster than the 325.


The engine should last you, but it might not pass emissions. I think if you don't want a civic keep looking for other BMW's if that is what you are looking for.

I find that 5 series cars don't hold value as much as the 3 series. So you might try a 525

 

...buy the civic.

 

think carefully about getting a beater, or at least get it checked out by a top mechanic.

i just got a 99 Mazda 626 LX with 108,000 miles for $630. I had oil changed and also check for problems..

1. needs auto tranny replacement b/c it's slipping -> yeah right, i'll just drive it til it dies

2. the shop says coolant tank has no coolant, but "white foamy" stuff that smells like exhaust??? WTF?? then why isn't the car overheating? they want $87 for a pressure test too..

3. brakes pulsate badly, but they say the brakes are fine. ??


so again, be careful w/ a beater - i'll be f##King pissed if mine got me stranded 50 miles from home in 10 degree weather in January!!!!

 

Thanks for the inputs. Yeah, I'm sure $ for $, the Civic might be faster, but I still think the BMW would be more fun to drive. Also, being 28 years old, the 3-series might "fit" me better? One of the reasons why I sold my ITR was, because I hated being associated with those idiot F&F ricers(and theft, of course).

I read up on a little more, and seems like water pumps(BMW used crappy plastic impellers), RTAB's, and hoses would need to be replaced, if this guy hasn't done so already. I'll schedule a thorough check-up and go from there.

 

I don't think a beater should have anything to do with "fitting" you.

My dad, who is 6'5 200 pounds and 57 years old just sold a vehicle of comfort for a 8 year old saturn which gets 40 miles to the gallon. Beaters are used to get the job done, cheaply, nothing more...

 

[QUOTE=ProV1,Nov 4 2005, 09:40 AM] think carefully about getting a beater, or at least get it checked out by a top mechanic.

i just got a 99 Mazda 626 LX with 108,000 miles for $630. I had oil changed and also check for problems..

1. needs auto tranny replacement b/c it's slipping -> yeah right, i'll just drive it til it dies

2. the shop says coolant tank has no coolant, but "white foamy" stuff that smells like exhaust??? WTF?? then why isn't the car overheating? they want $87 for a pressure test too..

 

LOL.

I already got snow tires for my bimmer.

The max i'll spend on this car for repairs is $300. Remember, I got it for dirt cheap coz my friend was going out of country and just wanted to get rid of it. So I put in $1000, and then resell it for $2000 (KBB good - $4030, fair - $3580), that's the easiest $1000 i've made!! LOL

 

you should go on a BMW forum and ask what they think of a BMW as a beater. They'd probably have a lot of helpful comments.

 

Sounds like a plan. But who will pay that much for it if it needs a tranny?