Wil 1989 325ix

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I wouldn't get this and expect to drive it around every day. It needs some work.

That said, that is a fucking RARE car. If it were 2 door I would kill someone.

In frunna day own momma.
 
But alas, this car is totally different than the other generations in conversation.

You see, BMW had a brilliant concept. BMW needed more rich people to want their cars, so they could in turn develop new luxuries and stuff for the car, and sell it at higher prices - you know - Success.

So what they did was improve the image of the car first. To do this, they reduced the amount of cooperation to the aftermarket in parts. This meant more people coming to BMW for the best / only parts and service. They guard their tech docs jealously. Or at least did. But whatever - I'm sure Wil is gonna have a take on this.

So what they did was control their perception with the public. They brought the cars in to the dealers more often so that less and less of them would be alongside the road. They plotted out the life of their BMW OEM parts exactly - And then put warnings on the dash to bring you in to get that work done. It's all about conditioning the owners of these cars to simply care for them better than say.. a Cavalier.

And the result was pretty dramatic - Even my E46 is a normal car. It's the absolute bottom of the line car for that generation of BMW. But the quality is so damned good because they had the money and market to back up their efforts.

Now we see from B's Hyundai that they did it the other way around. They built up a car brand for the poor and then sprung high-end maintenance on them and tried against all odds to convince the world that the Hyundai Excel was suddenly the Sonata and you should spend a ton of money to own one.
 
Holy crap. Best Celerity post ever. Equus, though - not Excel. The Excel was the first thing Hyundai exported here, typical 80's shitbox.


But, aside from the posting being deleted, you don't want an AWD 89 BMW. Other than the AWD's, all of the 3-series from 81 forward are damn decent cars, although as you get older the conditions may vary and there may be more rickedy shit to deal with. For maximum comfort, driveability, and ease I'd recommend sticking to 96-up
 
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not to mention, complete opposite sides of the spectrum :lol:
 
Now we see from B's Hyundai that they did it the other way around. They built up a car brand for the poor and then sprung high-end maintenance on them and tried against all odds to convince the world that the Hyundai Excel was suddenly the Sonata and you should spend a ton of money to own one.

Not exactly. I certainly don't miss the $180 oil changes on the bmw. They are $35 on the hyundai. And i usually have a $5 coupon from a mailing. I CANT do it cheaper myself, as the filter is about $18 and it takes 5 quarts.

I did the 36k service.. it's a bit of a joke ("inspect" + oil change really), but required to maintain warranty. 500 now or not covered at 80k when it blows up? it's an investment back in to the car, and frankly, bmw would do the same thing. And inspection I was $1400 last time i went.

So, I'm failing to see where the service is super expensive? I'd put in line with a chevy, honestly.

Sure, the brakes are expensive-- but they aren't even a hyundai part. And yeah, I ran through a clutch pretty quick, but name me one honda that held 100+ ft lbs over stock through it for any given time?
 
They can't void your warranty...

Last time a dealership told me that, I asked them to put it in writing. Oh wait they can't that would be breaking the law.
 
So, you're saying if i never change my oil (required maint.) and my engine blows up, they have to cover it under warranty before 100k miles?

lol
 
So, you're saying if i never change my oil (required maint.) and my engine blows up, they have to cover it under warranty before 100k miles?

lol


I did the 36k service.. it's a bit of a joke ("inspect" + oil change really), but required to maintain warranty. 500 now or not covered at 80k when it blows up? it's an investment back in to the car, and frankly, bmw would do the same thing. And inspection I was $1400 last time i went.
It came off as you meant you had to take it in for the 36K mile service or the warranty was void. If you keep the oil changed, there's nothing they could say unless they could prove without a doubt what you did and or didn't do caused the problem.

Also if you never changed your oil and the engine blew up for a non oil related issue, yes they'd have to warranty it. They'd try to get out of it, but no matter what, even if you let the dealership to 100% of service to the T. They'll still try to get out of it.
 
So, I'm failing to see where the service is super expensive
Sure, the brakes are expensive
I ran through a clutch pretty quick

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So, you're saying if i never change my oil (required maint.) and my engine blows up, they have to cover it under warranty before 100k miles?

lol

No, he's saying that if the dealership tells you "You have to get your 36k maintenance (or any maintenance) done here or your warranty is void" is illegal per the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act of 1975. A grand jury ruled that a warranty cannot be voided simply because service or repair was not performed by the dealer itself, as long as proper service was performed per the manufacturer's guidelines and OE or OE-equivalent parts were used in the service and any repair of the vehicle, regardless of the manufacturer of the parts.
 
The "parts" are expensive, because of what they are. They are the same price on 350z, sti's, etc as well. the clutch is expensive because oem is a dual mass crapper and to replace it, you generally do the whole thing with a new flywheel and get rid of the dual mass. And i ran through the clutch because I modded the car to the tune of 80hp and 120 ftlbs over stock figures. most cars would eat that stock clutch alive.

I never said the work had to get done 'at the dealer', just that it needed to get done.
 
i was quoted about 350 bucks for the 30K service (air and cabin filter, oil change, tire rotation, rear brake inspection / lube / e-brake tightening) i got out of it at 105 plus 10% off with a mailer coupon. all they are going to do is change the oil and adjust my rear brakes since i did everything else.
 
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