I dont want to go across country for an S.

I want something local, so i myself can take a testdrive/look at it before i hand over the check.

This one in oshkosh will be perfect for my first S. Good condition, needs some work, but not alot, and is a yellow AP1

 

^ Did you look at the one I posted?

 

There is a lot of advice from really knowledgeable people on this thread... (minus my cheeky comments)-- you really owe it to yourself to consider it. Don't marry yourself to the idea of that banged up car, it is likely to have a number of rather major problems that might wind up costing you an a$$load of money. My car is almost exactly like that one in Oshkosh (2001, appx. 82k miles, yellow, seen a coupla winters) but hasn't had any altercations with ditches or other roadside hazards. I baby it most of the time and am still starting to encounter lots of problems that sound like cash registers clinging. Keep looking. Or buy my car.

Just my $.02.

 

^ I agree Charlie, but he's now got the money burning a hole in his pocket.

Mondo - I would honestly keep looking, that first one is pretty well beat up, there are "better" deals out there than that.

 

And booooooy do I ever know how that goes.

As I said the first time I weighed in to this entire discussion like 3 threads ago, "I wouldn't listen to me either."

Mondo-- I hope that whatever purchase you make you do so feeling well-informed and confident that it is the right purchase made at the right time for you and your life. Don't disregard good advice but also keep in mind that life is for living.

That said, I'm going to close my mouth on this discussion before I get myself in trouble.

Cheers all!
CJC

 

In this economy people are looking to dump, rather than buy, pleasure cars. I would think that the chances of you getting a good deal on an S in pristine condition are increasing. Don't be afraid to pass one up in the hopes something better will come along. They're going down in value, not up (unfortunately for us owners ). Also, don't be afraid to throw out lowball offers on cars that look to be above $10k (like the one sw05s2k posted). You never know what's gonna stick. Even if the seller doesn't accept a lowball offer make sure they have your contact info. I've seen many sellers accept a low offer a few days, weeks after they initially rejected it.

 

Also, and maybe it goes without saying in light of my earlier post, but if you do negotiate on this car, please start your negotiating alot lower than 9 grand. If you start at 9, you're gonna end at 10 (I guarantee the seller will be happy with 10). If you start at $7,500, you'll end up at 9 (with a little bit of time and some good negotiation, I think around 9 grand is possible for this car).

Edit: I at first thought they were a private seller, now I see that they are a dealer. Start at 7 grand, you'll get it for 9 or under. (dealer markup is another 500-1000 over a private seller).

 

sw05, where is that one located? Friggin Autotrader is not user friendly at all.

I'd figure i take the one for a test drive in oshkosh, offer 7k, and walk if he doesnt, atleast i'll have gotten the vtec from my system for a little while longer

I will prolly end up waiting anyways. Get more money into savings, then i can spend a little more, and hopefully have the BMW in better shape for tradein/sell.

 

^ It's near Chicago (Court Street Ford - 558 William R Latham Sr Dr Bourbonnais, IL 60914-2320) I know you don't live there, but it was the closest one under $13k within 200 miles of zip code 60515 that looked unmolested.

The one in Oshkosh is fine "if" you can get it for cheap, and I mean cheap. It quite clearly states "no haggle prices" on your link so I doubt he'd be willing to go much lower.

By all means, check it out and drive it, but don't buy it until you look around a bit more to see what literally $2k more will get you.

 

[QUOTE=Kamron,Feb 24 2009, 04:24 PM] In this economy people are looking to dump, rather than buy, pleasure cars.