Newbie in the market for a BMW - help me out!

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StudDawg380

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#1
Hey guys I'm in rather foreign territory right now, I've spent the past three years at NastyZ28.com, a second generation Camaro site.

Anyways, I'm about through with my '78 Camaro, and want something different. I'm looking in the direction of the BMW 3-series. Probably '92-'94-ish because I don't have a lot of money to work with...

That said, I'm focusing my search on a 325iS because it's got the six cylinder and it just looks damn fine. Although I don't want to exclude other models (although I want to stick with the six cylinder)... So I really don't know anything about BMWs and was wondering if you guys could give me a quick run-down of the specs and differences of the 3-series models. And maybe you guys could make a couple suggestions?? (Well-backed, of course.)

>>>After posting on another BMW board (which wasn't a whole lot of help) I found this stuff out...>>>

318 - 1.8L (four cylinder)
325 - 2.5L
323 - 2.5L
328 - 2.8L

Then I had another couple more:
= Do the 323 and 325 differ in performance?
= Also, how do the weight/length/etc differ between the coupes and sedans?
= Any suggestions on which year I should be looking for/avoiding?
= What's the deal with "M3 clones?" Is that like a cool thing to do? Is that looked down on at all? Kinda like making a Z28 clone when it's not really a Z...hmm...

It's a lot of questions -- but I appreciate it!

Edit: Oops, I'll take a look at the BMW info sticky in this forum. :p
 
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Big Daddy

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Hello and welcome. I do not have all your answers, but I have some thoughts and opinions. I do not think the performance difference between a 323 and a 325 is noticable if any at all. I also do not think the weight difference between the coupe and seadan is noticable. I do not care for posers, I mean you either have an M3 or you do not. Consider though that some non-M cars came from the factory with M options. I had a 318is and did not care that people knew it was a 318. I do not know what years to avoid, I like e30 cars, last produced in 1991, but their is nothing wrong with any other models either, I think you can find e30's cheaper and upgrades cheaper simply because they are older. Hopefully some of our members with experience with other 3 series will chime in for you.
 
andreyiv

andreyiv

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323 and 328 models came in later, in 96. Just mentioning that since I am not sure if you know this and because you said you were looking at 92-94. Big Daddy pretty much covered the rest.

I personally look down on any "M clones", with the e36 its not too hard to tell if it is a clone or the real thing expecially with the 318i so why spend your money on that when you can spend it on something better?
 
sm32589g

sm32589g

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go for the 323is its newer thats the only difference they just changed the model name same engine 99 323is would be the best you get the automatic window seal and the double vanos for the engine. that is what i bought it is a beautiful car.
 
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StudDawg380

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Hmm I'd go for the 323is...but they're newer so probably more expensive. So the '93 325is (as mentioned) is probably what I'm going for. That is if someone decides to sell one around here anytime soon.

And yes, the coupes are more pimp daddy. [thumb]

The sedans don't look too bad though! I guess I'll have to see the 2dr and 4dr models side-by side. I probably won't have the money until early October anyway...

The E30 model's front end just looks odd to me...the E36s are just mo' beefy and...hot. (No offense to the E30 guys.) lol.
 
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StudDawg380

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#10
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, some guy wrote this in reply to my "Wanted" ad:

I have a 1997 328i sport convertible 5 speed 90k miles with heated sport
seats the car is silver with black runs really good it has a rebuild title
the blue book is over $13,000 all I want is 6500 so let me know if that
works I will put the car for sale next week in auto trader
Now...that sounds REALLY good! But the price is like $1500 out of my reach...even as low as it is! [bigcry]

What can you tell me about the "rebuild title." I only know how a car comes about attaining one...not the technical aspects of it. Like is it really BAD to have one, other than if I tried to resell it?
 
HornyHornet

HornyHornet

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~SUN-XTC~ said:
Yes, it's bad to have one - especially on a bmw. I wouldn't buy anything other than a 'clean' title honestly.

Do your homework, be patient, and you'll get what you want.
Click to expand...
+1

No clean title, no buy. Patience is your best friend
 
sm32589g

sm32589g

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you wonder why hes selling it soooo cheap its much more difficult to sell a rebuilt titled vehicle. It took me 2 years to find my BMW its perfect i got myn for $2k under blue book, i still dont understand why its beautifull. perfect condition.blue book is 15,500 paid 13,500 so just wait and you'll get the one of your dreams.
 
F

fritchy

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I totally prefer the e36 style as well. Much better than the newer e46. The e30 simply put, looks antiquated. But all Bimmers are awesome. Not sure how much money you have to play with, but the last year for the e36 style in sedan was 98 and 99 for the coupes (including convertible, hardtop, and M3). The later the year the better because as the years went on the more bugs they worked out.

I just got a 98 328i sedan and boy do I love it. I actually think it looks better than the coupe. The sedan just makes it more upscale looking (more luxury car look), without taking away any of its sport look. To see my ride click my user name and go to "my homepage" or click the little image below.

Also, try upscale new car lots that also sell used. I found mine at a Cadillac dealership. Think about. People that are trading in old BMWs probably for another luxury car. The previous owner of mine got married and had a kid and needed a bigger car. So he bought a new Caddy. Don't forget to check out dealerships like Infinity, Acura, Mercedes, etc. They will sometimes not post it or advertise it at all. I looked all over online and found mine by just driving by. I didn't even see it from the road. Something just pulled me into that dealership. It was perfect too. Not black like 80% of the e36s out there. In Florida I have no idea why black is so common for that car, but almost all I could in the e36 market was black.

 
Section_8

Section_8

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#16
CPO or no go - imho.

I almost shopped at a Nissan dealership for a 3 I saw there at a good price - I did a VIN check and found out why it was at a good price, and also why it wasn't CPO.

Check out what you are buying, anyone can make up a story about where the car has been, etc.
 
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finetrophywife

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#17
Wanting to Buy 1990-95 BMW, HELP

Hi,

I just signed on to the BMW forum, because I'm looking to purchase an older model. But, I was wondering, for the older models 1990-95, is the maintenance still really sky high. Or, if you have a good mechanic, are there a lot of sources for aftermarket parts. You see I'm trying to unload my '95 Range Rover 4.0, because the PARTS ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD. This past year, alone, if I average the costs, I spent $600/month. Any part is mnimum $300, because the parts are so expensive, and there isn't much of an aftermarket in Phoenix.

I know with any European car, it's not like getting a Ford or Honda fixed. But, will it be that extravagant, especially if I am lucky enough to find a vehicle that has a lot of new stuff installed?

Is there some sort of idiot's checklist? Also can someone explain the whole nikasil/alusil subject? When or should the engine block be replaced? If it hasn't been replaced, how much or should I knock the price down?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer. I'm sorry for all the questions, but GUYS help me out...

Michele
 
andreyiv

andreyiv

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#18
I don't think maintenance will be that expensive at all. I'm replacing my rear shocks sometime soon and my dad needs some for his toyota too. Just out of curiosity, I checked out how much his shocks would be and they came out to be right in between the regular shocks and sport shocks for my car.

Parts at the dealer are unbelievably expensive; I wanted to get a heated seats switch for mine (not for seats but something else) and that little thing is $101 at the dealer. $101 for a little switch!!! Because of that, I buy most if not every part at Auto Haus AZ. The prices there are very reasonable and practically everytime I buy something, my savings from the list price come over 50%. What I meant to say is that parts shouldn't be hard to find at all and shouldn't be really expensive. If you get an honest mechanic, repairs shouldn't be too bad.

The nakasil issue only applies to the V8s and I am not too sure on the details but I think I remember it had something to do with california gas. Generally people try to stay away from them at all cost as far as I know. Sorry I can't offer you more help on this.

With the E36, there aren't too many problems with them. Expansion tanks tend to break in a specific place. Mine did and overheated the engine, so watch out for that. The piece that breaks is this little tube that the bleed hose connects too and is hard to inspect without breaking. I also heard the autos go fast at around 100k miles but thats only what I hear; manuals tend to pop out of first, at least thats what I hear. Thermostat housing gets a crack in it sometimes (mine did) and watch out for the fan clutch, mine went at around 110lk miles. I can't really remember anything else that tends to break, that wouldn't be taken care of already. Sorry for the long post, but hope it helped a little.
 
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