Worth it? (car)

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/3389116199.html

Saw this looking around on craigslist and am considering buying it. I have a good amount of money on hand right now, and would like to get a car with a little... personnality.

I think it is really under-priced, about $2500 below the blue book value, and with ~$1000-$1500 worth of work on it (fix the rear end, paint the front end the right color, replace windshield) it could look a lot better. Plus M3s are nice ass cars, and pretty fast too.

Has a straight-6, 3.0 liter engine, 140,000 miles for $1,950. The only experience I have with a manual is driving my dad's a few times, but I dont think I'd have too hard of a time getting used to it.

thoughts?

Be wary, Break My Window' tend to have all sorts of problems when they get old. It comes to a point that the owner knows everything is about to go south of cheese so they're looking to get rid of it. Furthermore, pre-1996 I believe, the cars did not have the more up to date computers so they're not as efficient.

I'd say let it go. Luxury cars especially luxury sports cars are bad news when they have get old, they certainly do not follow the fine wine route from what I've seen.

Yeah my mom has a BMW and its a POS really, the windows don't go up and you have to wait for the car to heat up on cold mornings.

They're good if you can afford to replace them every other year >.>

BMW brakes are super expensive man.......gonna be dropping like 500$ if they need replaced just for rotors and calipers

Not to mention you'll probably be forced to take it to the dealer to get any kind of repairs on it, where they upcharge everything by like 300%

MY dads BMW is from '94 and runs fine got for about 2000 EURO or so. Works fine ... looks almost brand new.


Our 2007 Hyundai Sante Fe on the other had the rotors get fucked up while in France...and it has almost 200,000km on it... We got it new. That thing has been abused and used.

You're in Europe aren't you lemon? It's a bit different in terms of maintenance and costs there I think than it is here. EVERYTHING is more expensive for a European car.

Sym wrote:BMW brakes are super expensive man.......gonna be dropping like 500$ if they need replaced just for rotors and calipers

Yeah my worry is that there are few more things that need to be repaired which arent being mentioned, and with foreign parts being so expensive, getting it in driving shape will cost more than the what i paid for the car itsself.

As said, it being a 1995 model it's nearly TWO DECADES old. Look for a Honda or a Toyota man, way more reliable and affordable IMO.

Zillah wrote:

Sym wrote:BMW brakes are super expensive man.......gonna be dropping like 500$ if they need replaced just for rotors and calipers

Yeah my worry is that there are few more things that need to be repaired which arent being mentioned, and with foreign parts being so expensive, getting it in driving shape will cost more than the what i paid for the car itsself.

And like Art said.

75% of the issues with that car can only be dealt with by the dealer. Im a certified mechanic and Ive seen it more times than I can count.

Need a tie rod end? Dealer

Need a new air pressure censor? Dealer

Need a new alternator? Dealer

Need a new starter? Dealer

You get the idea

<- Dad was a mechanic for 37 years

I got lucky to have someone on the inside who knows how this crap works lol.

It's only $2k? For that price you could buy it and take it off-roading for fun!

Or target practice >.>

Shit I wish I had 2 grand to blow right now

Artimise Flare wrote:You're in Europe aren't you lemon? It's a bit different in terms of maintenance and costs there I think than it is here. EVERYTHING is more expensive for a European car.

NO I aint... the Sante Fe was bought in Victoria, BC, Canada...went across canada and some...traveled all over europe too.

The BMW is from europe though, but handled by American Airmen (NATO Base used car lot for people getting sent home, etc). But ADAC, the german group for everything car related and some, is really stick;ler to maintinance

Zillah i really don't think you should have an M3 for a first car unless you're confident, that car is a bit fast.

IMO you shouldn't buy this, it obviously has some cosmetic damage which even if you can look past it most likely needs work. You really want to stay away from out of warranty German cars unless you have extra cash to drop on repairs and what not.

Also i'd be worried that they're trying to hide something because there aren't many pics for someone who's trying to sell a car. It may be cheap but if something major goes wrong you'll be paying over 2k to fix it.

As for book value.. In the end it means nothing. It can be a baseline but it still doesn't mean much.

chunckylover53 wrote:Zillah i really don't think you should have an M3 for a first car unless you're confident, that car is a bit fast.

IMO you shouldn't buy this, it obviously has some cosmetic damage which even if you can look past it most likely needs work. You really want to stay away from out of warranty German cars unless you have extra cash to drop on repairs and what not.

Also i'd be worried that they're trying to hide something because there aren't many pics for someone who's trying to sell a car. It may be cheap but if something major goes wrong you'll be paying over 2k to fix it.

As for book value.. In the end it means nothing. It can be a baseline but it still doesn't mean much.

yes, well ive been driving every day for nearly two years so it wouldnt be my first car, and the car isnt really that fast.

But youre right, the whole thing will probably be more expensive than the upfront cost. I know my cousin was considering selling his 2002 Acura TL, maybe ill talk to him about that...

Anyways, thanks for the input guys.

Always be wary of any foreign "sport" car. if ANYTHING is wrong and needs fixing its hard to find mechanics who are familiar with the vehicle, and parts are expensive as hell.

Just buy it you pussy.

Don't be sad. I was just teasing you.

So... did you buy it? If you did lets take it up into the forest and drive it till the wheels fall off then leave it there.

Naw

I talked to the guy and it would take a good amount of work ($$$) to get it running smoothly. I guess I'll be sticking with my current shitty car until I can find something else.

If you wanna buy it though metal I'd love to go do donuts in the woods then shoot all of the windows out