I'm looking into buying a bmw. I saw a 325is of my choice sittin at 6800$. Is that a fair price or is it a ripoff? Its a coupe, with 112k and its a 1994. leather interior, fully loaded 5 spd. Also, theres a stereotype they are expensive to maintain, is that true? how reliable are they? Thanks for any help!!
Thinking about a bimmer right now
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92civicb18b1
The Trisexual
yea, I've been looking for one too, couldn't seem to find one under 5 grand or one I could afford to finance, so I'm buyin a Porsche. I've heard they are reliable and handle well, although when problem do occur they can get pretty costly
uhhhh, i couldnt afford an expensive european car so im gonna buy an older expensive european car. 
you kids should just stick with your econoboxes, really.
you kids should just stick with your econoboxes, really.
92civicb18b1
The Trisexual
I hear ya man, I can afford to buy the porsche, and I can afford to fix problems that occur over time. I cant afford dropping 7 grand on the spot.
I'm done with econoboxes, this is my new project 87 Porsche 944. I'm just gonna name a few differences between honda and "expensive european cars"
1.Shows you made it (whether you paid $1 or a million)
2.Already known as performance (even a 944)
3.People will admire your car (girls or just car guys)
4."Usually" their resale value stays up (not in my case)
Dustin_m
Member
I'm in the same position as you , Civicdx92. I am looking to buy either a 325is, 330ci or M3. Either one i buy, it will be a mid 90's. The price you saw seems like it is a good price, but it does have 112k miles. Personally i would pay a little more for one with less miles. I went today and test drove a 98 M3 and loved it. afterwards i talked to the sales guy and he said that BMW's are not really that expensive to maintain, about 400 to 600 a year. That is basically a few oil changes and a yearly service at the dealer. of course not everyone does this, but he was basically saying that to keep it maintained well, that is what you do. And i he also said that the only reason that people say bimmers are expensive to repair is because you cant really buy aftermarket reapir parts, most have to be genuine bmw parts. Good luck 
92civicb18b1
The Trisexual
Same with porsche, although they require a little more maintanence than a beamer and parts cost a little more. These are already performance cars and lack the need of aftermarket parts. Sure they have extra potential to be faster and handle better but they do their job pretty well as it is.
O and to answer your question thats a decent price.
You're still going to have to do a bunch of maintenance because its an older car and has most likely been through the ringer. The performance now won't be as great as it once was new, obviously, either. Also you won't have all of the modern conveniences...and definately not in the same form...that come optional or even stock today[for a mid 90's car it won't be too much different, but an early/late 80's car will have a bunch of differences]
You can get lucky and get a great older car, or get not so lucky and be paying for parts/labor through the arse.
Bottomline;
If you can do the maintenance yourself it won't be too bad, but if you can't...you may be in for a treat.
that doesnt fly for me. i wont buy something that i cant afford or fix myself. if thats what you like, by all means go for it.
imho, the only european car i would buy would be an older vw gti, or an early widebody m3. ill stick to japanese cars otherwise.
car admiration? my buddy has a mint 92 lexus sc400. i dont admire that its a 92 and still cost him 15k, i admire that he worked his ass off even through college to get it. likewise, if i wanted i could have a nice car and etc, but id rather splurge on the stuff i want
and make what i have decent and quick. ive also got a second car that im going to get up and running soon (91 hyundai s'coupe) as a backup.
Dustin_m
Member
I am serious about the BMW because i am sure that i can do a majority of the work, and if not then i do know some people that do cars, and have experience with these. And damn, that m3 is fast as hell. 1st gear is really low, but once you hit 2nd it takes off like a bat outta hell- just what i want!!
sportlinecrx
Banned
my boss owned a 90's 735 and he swears he will never buy another one because something was always broke and it was really expensive to repair. my uncle also owned a 90's 735 and he also says its very expensive to keep it up. my dad just bought a 2000 Z3 2.8 and they told him an oil change is around $100!! he doesnt have to pay though because he has the free maintenance deal.
Loco Honkey
Banned
Even if you do the labor yourself, the parts will kill you. OEM parts for my AllTrac are on par with what OEM parts for a BMW would cost- $165 for one front brake rotor, almost $600 for a radiator, ect. Sure, you could buy cheaper parts from NAPA, but do you really want that shit in a BMW? Buying the car is the easy part. Maintaining it is where, as they say, the rubber meets the road, or in your case, your wallet meets the dealer.
Dustin_m
Member
yeah i know all that shit, but honestly, i am willing to pay it cuz i love these cars and i always wanted one. I always thought they were badass, and if expensive maintenance is what comes with it then oh well, i still want it. I'm sure somebody here knows what i'm talking about, or maybe not, since this IS a honda site. Honda=Dirt cheap maintenance
92civicb18b1
The Trisexual
Exactly what I'm trying to say, these cars are badass, they're high performance cars adn if you want them to stay that way you have to maintain them like that.
Honda does the same thing...uummm, the NSX, now do you want to put some shitty ebay crap on it, no, when something goes wrong its going to be expensive as hell at the honda dealer, just like BMW, Porsche,Lexus, Benz or any other luxury/performance car.
I knew this guy whit a 2000 Cadillac DeVille, somebody distroyed his passenger side mirror in a parking lot, his insurance wouldn't pay and the dealer wanted $600 fuckin dollars for it.
A car doesn't have to be european to be expensive, it just has to be performance/luxury. You get what you pay for, and you pay for what you get.
not me.
Insurance, Labor and parts are going to be murder in the states. I know lots of guys from here that got Bimmers for hella good deals (4000 for 94-97's) and when they got back to the states had to sell because maintainance is ridiculious, and they have about the same tolerance for rust as Hondas do, which here (Germany) is bad because of all the salt on the roads. But if you have the cash, and can keep it up, they are really nice and have very strong motors (look for an Alpina model).
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