325 wagon questions

[Meka]

My daughter is going to be driving soon. She has been saving every dime for years to purchase a car. I told her I would match the amount she has save for a vehicle.
I was a bit surprised that she wants a 325 Wagon. It would be a perfect type of car for her.
And personally I have driven a couple 325's and was very impressed.
We have looked at many 325 wagons, 2001 to 2003. All with over 100,000 miles. Priced from $9,000 to $11,000.
A few of these wagons were in beautiful condition.
My question is if these cars with over 100,000 miles tend to be money pits?
Are they reliable with this type of mileage? Are they very costly for repairs expected with a vehicle with over 100,000 miles?
Any advice on this purchase would be great!

[Manolito]

They are not money pits if you do your own repairs. If you go to the dealer, however, you can spend a lot of money fast on a BMW with 100k+ miles on it.

I own three 3-Series BMWs with a total of around a half-million miles on them, and my cost per mile to date has been very reasonable.

The good news is that most of the things likely to fail on these cars are things that the average person with a modest tool set can repair.

My boss has a 2003 325 that he bought when it came off lease. He loves it, but it has been to the dealer several times getting its sunroof and window regulators repaired, as well as several other superficial problems. He can afford it.

When the driver door window regulator failed in my wife's 2004 330, I fixed it myself with two zip ties. Total investment was about $1 and an afternoon, and it is now stronger than a new one.

Both climate control computers have failed in my '97 e36s, and I fixed each of them by replacing one capacitor on the circuit board, about $1 each. The dealer would have put in new computers at about $450 ea.

Both e36s have broken nylon gears in the seat recliner gearbox. Dealer would replace the motor/gearbox for around $300. I bought a new nylon gear for $30 and put it in.

For the few things that you cannot do because they require special tools or a hoist, find a good, trusted independent mechanic. Here in Sacramento, we are fortunate to have a number of excellent independent shops that specialize in German cars.

More examples of how expensive things can get if you pay dealers to work on the car - my daughter took her '97 328 to the BMW dealer with a no-start problem. They charged her $700 for a new starter that it turned out she did not need, and then they told her that the car was unsafe to drive and needed $1000 worth of work on the steering system, which was a bold-faced lie. Then the flunkie who washed her car at the dealer jambed her seat belt buckle and set the SRS light, and they wanted to charge her to reset it.

A few months later when I fixed my wife's window regulator in her '04 330, I carelessly turned on the key to test it while the door air bag was unplugged (stupid). That set the SRS light. My younger daughter took the car to the dealer to get the SRS light reset. They wanted $180 to spend 30 seconds plugging in the SRS tool and pushing the button to clear the code. That was not going to happen. My trusted local independent mechanic reset it for free. I took him a box of doughnuts.

[Baby]

I logged in tonight to ask the same question. (And btw, Meka, I'm looking for a 911 of the same vintage as yours.)

The more I read about all of the electronics, the more I'm intimidated by the potential problems I imagine---especially diagnosing them. On the other hand, most of the owners with whom I've conversed have had few such issues, other than sensors failing. How frequently do things go wrong that turn out to be related to the electrical system?

Much thanks for any insight.

[Manolito]

If you really want a car that is likely to go from 100k miles to 200k miles with no significant repairs, get a 'stripped' Toyota or Honda. But then, who really WANTS a stripped Toyota or Honda?

We bought my wife's '04 330 with 45k miles on it, and now it has 80k miles. The only problems we have had with that car are the tail light grounds, the driver door window regulator, and a mysterious surge on uphill grades that I have not yet resolved. The only expenses have been gas, oil changes, a set of spark plugs, a fuel filter, a set of tires, and a set of brake pads. That is not bad. She loves her car.

I told my wife when we bought her car that for $25k, we could buy a brand new Toyota, or we could buy a used BMW. A new Toyota is only a 'new' Toyota for about a month. A BMW will always be a BMW.

[Meka]

Originally Posted by Baby

I logged in tonight to ask the same question. (And btw, Meka, I'm looking for a 911 of the same vintage as yours.)

The more I read about all of the electronics, the more I'm intimidated by the potential problems I imagine---especially diagnosing them. On the other hand, most of the owners with whom I've conversed have had few such issues, other than sensors failing. How frequently do things go wrong that turn out to be related to the electrical system?

Much thanks for any insight.

If you are looking for a 911 like mine. Or exactly like mine, do a search in Porsche cars for sale with user name "Meka".
It should come up as 1984 911 Carrera.

[Meka]

I would expect some repairs with any used car.
My kid found a 323i Wagon with 60,995 miles for $10,995.
Seems like a good price. I have only seen pics but looks like it is great condition.
Can anyone tell me the main differences between the 325 and 323 models?

[agabriel]

If I were you I would give it the same treatment you would an old 911 that you don't know. I would find a good Indy BMW person (with a BMW computer) and have them go through it. From experience you should also look at the control arms and bushings, make sure the idle is correct and the gas mileage is near 28 - 29mpg. If that stuff looks good I think you have something that is worth going to the shop for a lift and a computer read out. If it is an automatic you should make sure it is GM(?) slush box - the other ones have an issue with reverse that is around $6k to fix. You should also make sure the sub frame is looked at - it sounds like they mostly tear when abused, things like donuts, etc...

I have 2 e46s a 2000 328Ci and I just got a 2005 325iT, both with sticks, and the coupe is just coming off an expensive year (2008). The items outside of maintance were VANOs needed to be replaced, which caused the idle to surge, the cam sensor, and the oil seperator froze on a ski weekend in Vt and it needed a tow home. With all of that said I think the e46 is great platform that is fun to drive - I would really like to get at least 300k miles out of both of mine.

I'm sure you have taught your daughter well, but BMWs are like Porsches in the sense that when the oil light comes or the car is overheating they need to be shut off immediately.

Anthony

[agabriel]

Thats some interesting code right there...