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Post it here.. and we'll take a shot at it..
chipcollector, "BMW 3-Series: Prices Paid & Buying Experience" #3038, 25 Feb 2005 9:41 am
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Thanks.
E-bay really isn't a good barometer of a used car price, especially for something that is 12-years-old...
How much is your neighbor asking for the car?
Any car of that age will need much more maintenance than a newer car.. nothing wrong with that, but you should be aware of it...
Really... only 18K miles?
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I noticed in an earlier post dhanley states we should. Have I missed the boat?
Anyone know good BMW garage in Atl. Now that mine is getting up in age, I want to keep it but don't want to pay the high prices now that 100K warranty is up. I only drive it 2 days a week.
According to BMW-CCA there have been quite a few trans failures, and they suggest doing a change at inspection 2. Other uses of the trans also suggest fluid change.
However, after 100K miles a change could theoretically be a bad thing(tm).
I'm personally highly suspicious of "lifetime" fluids.
dave
I have a few points..
1) You'll have to find a good independent BMW garage to do work on the car... It is imperative that your mechanic specializes in BMWs.
2) If you plan on putting 15K/year on this car, it will be expensive to maintain.. I'm not sure this car would be a good substitute for a newer car, if it is to be used as a commuter... Any advantage you receive from buying a low-mileage car will go away fast, if you rack up the miles on it.
3) The fact that you are not mechanically inclined shouldn't make a big difference.. I never turn a wrench, and I've bought 20-year-old BMWs and Porsches.. You'll pay more for repairs, but you won't enjoy driving it any less..
4) $5K-$7K? That would be a great price.. The car should be worth more with the low miles.. but, I wouldn't pay a lot more.. It is still 12 years old, even if it does have low miles..
Maybe div2 can chime in here.. He has a '95 318ti, so he is intimately familiar with the E36 BMWs...
18K.. unreal..
regards,
kyfdx
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What do you mean by this?
"However, after 100K miles a change could theoretically be a bad thing(tm."
You should be able to keep the car pretty nice for a long time...
I'll wait for some other owners to chime in.. I just don't have enough experience with this model.. I wouldn't mind having one, though...
regards,
kyfdx
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However, if BMW is now saying to change the fluid at 100K, i'd feel a lot safer. Plus, it's not me potentially giving you advice that may damage your car. (Probably not, of course. Assumedly they know how to not destroy their own cars. ).
1 Set of front pads
1 Set of new belts(replaced as a precaution)
1 Timing chain tensioner(ditto)
2 Idler pulleys
3 Sets of Z Rated tires(average life 31,000 miles)
As previously mentioned, find a good indie shop and follow the BMW service recommendations to the letter. If it were me, I'd use Mobil 1 0w-40, ATF, and gear oil, Castrol LMA Brake Fluid, and BMW Coolant. That car should make it to 150,000 miles with no problems. I'd take that '93 over any sub $25K new car.
I'm thinking of purchasing a 1998 BMW 328iS coupe,6cyl,4speed automatic overdrive and with 150000 miles ..for 6000-6500$(Kelly Blue Book value 8200$)...is it a normal deal considering high milage of the car..what things I should look at before buying it?What major problems this car can have because of it's high milage?What are the weaknesses of this model?
I guess I'm still a bit nervous now that my 100k
warranty is over. That thing really covered a lot and I had my mechanic check the car over thoroughly when I had a few miles left. I was
blessed to get a new AC compressor.
I'm gonna rest easy but I do agree that an indie mechanic would be best because the dealer is very expensive.
My 04 330 convertible would rough idle and stall even when the engine was warm. Two dealers tried in vein for over a year to resolve the matter. Finally, the car was "bought back" by BMWNA through my dealer (who is wonderful!) South Bay BMW, Hermosa Bch, CA, and I was given a new 05 330 convertible ZHP.
Unfortunately, this car rough idles a bit more than it should but fortunately it does not stall.
My understand is that to make the engine performance strong and fuel economy high as possible the car runs extremely lean thus opening the door for stalling and rough idling.
I have had this problem on both a 04 and 05 convertible, but despite repair it continues to malfunction. Anyone else with this problem? (The problem is most accute when using the all-up botton after raising the convertible top. More than 50% of the time the window malfunctions when exiting the car.
I have an indie mechanic who I trust, and it may be awhile until i succumb to the allure of a new euro delivered 330.
Remember, it us unlikely car repairs will ever be close to car payments.
dave
I have to blip the throttle on mine once in awhile to be sure it's running at idle--it's smooth but has never stalled.
Maybe the zhp has a lumpy cam?
dave
Anyone else run into this? Obviously under warranty, but should I suffer thru, or just let the dealer keep the car and cancel the purchase?
Thanks for your input.
On another note, I'm not sure how you plan to "cancel the purchase". Once it goes over the curb, it is yours..
regards,
kyfdx
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Not an auspicious start, however...
The particular car was shipped in from a dealer in another state. Never test drove it, and I'm sure my dealer and I could have come to an arrangement, had it come to that.
Thanks again for your help!
Treepusher
We also had a great experience with the flatbed (responded in 30 minutes).. They replaced the camshaft position sensor, and it was ready the next day... Over a year later, no further problems..
So, here is hoping it was just a glitch..
Good luck,
kyfdx
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She returned to the dealership and they told her that a sensor behind the gas pedal for 1st and 2nd gear were not working properly. The dealership was extremely apologetic, and they gave her a loaner and told her they would fix it right away and drive the car to her if need be.
Has anyone experienced this before? Should I be concerned with the long term reliability here?
Thanks,
Mike
Don't panic yet.
DL
Seriously, BMWs have more problems with the sensors that are supposed to detect the problems, than with the actual problems themselves.. When the sensor goes bad, it shuts down the system it is designed to protect..
I certainly wouldn't extrapolate a long-term problem off something that happens right after delivery..
I consider those minor problems.. I guess, because they are in warranty. I do worry about what replacing a sensor will cost out of warranty..
regards,
kyfdx
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I just picked up my car, they said it was a bad accelerator pedal and that the problem originated from the factory. Car drives great now, which is what I expected. I'm sure the rest of my experience will be great.
Mike
My question concerns Zenons; whether to get or not to get. I'm getting totally mixed messages on this question. I don't live in the ;country where they might be more useful, but i'M AN older gentleman, and the extra visibility of the zenons would b e useful. On the other hand I'm getting some reactions that the Zenons are easily and expensively stolen even during day=time hours. On the other hand, some people are telling me that the Zenons on the BMW are not easily taken, in particular the 3 series, and I do park in a grage at night. I spend a lot of time in Manhattan's commcercial district during the day, etc. Anyway, I think you get the "message." Any contribution to my resolution of this dilema will be greatly appreciated. I am considering two cars, one with, and one without the zenons. Thanks.
Regarding their usefulness, while my eyes are starting to finally succumb to age (I'm nearing 50 and I'm just starting to use reading glasses for REALLY tiny things), I have always had excellent night vision and even I can appreciate the difference in the lighting provided by Xenon headlights. The only thing that I might caution you about is their abrupt cut-off (ie. if your car is pointed at a wall or some trees or a snow bank, there is a very sharp delineation between what is lit up and what is not). Said abrupt cut-off takes a little getting used to as there will be times when tooling around your neighborhood when you will see a torso-less pair of human legs walking down the side of the road or when you are too close to a road sign at night and just the bottom is visible.
For my part, get the Xenons, and if the extremely rare event of having them get stolen occurs, let your insurance company worry about it. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
This company did the work in my wife's parking lot at work and it looks like he did it with his eyes closed. How can you get putty on the door?
Also, had the car in for another problem yesterday, and my service advisor assured me that this glass shop does great work, and they recommend them for all of their glass work..
I blame it on my wife.... lol
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Algebra
Read my post of 3/13, #1636, entitled "unintended reverse acceleration". Sounds similar to your problem. Did they eventually discover the cause of your problem, and what was the cure.? Hope to hear from you or anyone else on this extremely important matter. Thanks.
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If you stepped on the brake, and the car didn't slow down, but afterwards the brake seemed to operating properly...
Then you probably weren't pressing on the brake the first time..
The chances of simultaneous unintended acceleration and brake failure would have to be ten million to one..
My supposition is that you have a new car that you are unfamiliar with, and pressed the wrong pedal..
regards,
kyfdx
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Best Regards,
Shipo
I am sick of cleaning brake dust off my 330i wheels. The car only has 13,000 miles, but am seriously thinking of putting new axxis pads on the car. What happens to my warranty and maint. agreement when I need new rotors and the BMW dealer finds non-bmw pads? Thanks.
The flip side of this is that if you change your pads to an Axxis/PBR set, wear them out, and then go to BMW to have them replaced, they are going to put the OEM pads back on (assuming that they honor the warranty), requiring you to do another pad swap anyway. So, in the end, that is a part of the BMW "Free Maintenance" that I will gladly do without. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
P.S.
Thinking about this further, I don't think that they will be able to tell the difference between the pads. The Axxis pads for my 530i looked virtually identical to the OEM pads I took off.