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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,867
Hard-core CEG'er
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Hard-core CEG'er
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,867 |
OTOH,
If you are passionate about BMW's, and this particular deal pans out as a good value at the right time, then this car will have an intrinsic value to you that goes beyond side-by-side stacks of numbers and check marks. If it were a 928, I'd be in your shoes.
Just do all the right stuff that you would normally do when buying a used car. Don't take shortcuts based on your automotive infatuation.
Function before fashion.
'96 Contour SE
"Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 4,397
b0x @dm1n
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b0x @dm1n
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 4,397 |
Originally posted by Cartman Reincarnated:
SVT engines are expensive to replace when they blow up.. 
I can't believe complaining about the maintenance prices, when 99% of the people spouting this crap have never owned these cars. Granted, their service visits are on the pricier side (the 30K service for the Boxster was $800), but that's the price of admission.
I guess your dad owns a repair shop huh! I see the repair bills on Beamers! Much higer than your run of the mill ford!
-Andy
Andy W.
The problem with America is stupidity.
I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment
for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety
labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 70
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 70 |
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,660
Hard-core CEG\'er
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OP
Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,660 |
Wouldn't know about Dad, haven't seen him since he walked out of my life when I was 8.  Anyway... I saw & drove the car. The price is a bit spendy considering it needs the A/C repaired, a full brake job, 2 tires, has some not insignificant rust issues on the fenders between the wheel wells & doors, an apparent leak at the rear trans seal, and scratches and serious wear on 2 of the leather seats. The owner has put a lot of money into it and has fixed all of the common problems with those cars but has neglected basic maintenance such as coolant and brake fluid changes. OTOH, it drove like a dream, perfect clutch takeup & shifting action, nicely weighted steering, good ride & handling tradeoff, and very quiet. Getting back into my CSVT everything felt clumsy in comparison. Overall I'd say it's a $4k max car; he won't go below $5k. Look for it on eBay soon. Sunday going to see a 325iC. Supposed to be a beauty - dealer owned, $1k in recent service rust-free, etc. We'll see. I'm in no hurry. Scott
Troll! '99 BMW 328i
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,867
Hard-core CEG'er
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Hard-core CEG'er
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,867 |
You know, another friend of mine gave me this advice about "exotic" cars: Go for the cherry.
When he bought his 951, he looked at a cherry one that was maybe $12k, and another that was closer to 8 or 9k but had just a few issues. Those "few issues" had a tendency to cause him great regret over the next several years. They weren't major, but they were sometimes expensive, and they hampered his enjoyment of an otherwise great car. He forever wished he had spent the extra money on the car that was in near mint condition.
And yet another friend said this: The right car will come along, at the right time.
Good luck in your search.
Function before fashion.
'96 Contour SE
"Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,660
Hard-core CEG\'er
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OP
Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,660 |
Originally posted by RogerB:
You know, another friend of mine gave me this advice about "exotic" cars: Go for the cherry.
When he bought his 951, he looked at a cherry one that was maybe $12k, and another that was closer to 8 or 9k but had just a few issues. Those "few issues" had a tendency to cause him great regret over the next several years. They weren't major, but they were sometimes expensive, and they hampered his enjoyment of an otherwise great car. He forever wished he had spent the extra money on the car that was in near mint condition.
And yet another friend said this: The right car will come along, at the right time.
Good luck in your search.
Thanks. I know darned well that the cheapest example to purchase may cost the most over the long haul to get right and keep that way.
Scott
Troll! '99 BMW 328i
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 35
New CEG\'er
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New CEG\'er
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 35 |
I would never get a BMW
BMW engine runs on high rpm, I won't trust the engine
if u want quality get Honda
parts will cost u a lot of bucks, be sure there will be probs
If u want a reliable German car get Mercedes, and forget the rest
Murat from Germany
previous automobiles: Citroen CX 2.5 GTI
Opel Kadett 1.4
1996 FORD CONTOUR GL/SPORT
2.0l 16V DOHC
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,960
Hard-core CEG'er
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Hard-core CEG'er
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,960 |
Originally posted by Technohead:
I would never get a BMW
BMW engine runs on high rpm, I won't trust the engine
if u want quality get Honda
parts will cost u a lot of bucks, be sure there will be probs
If u want a reliable German car get Mercedes, and forget the rest
Jesus H. Christ .... where to begin ? 
Do me a favour. Don't EVER post here again !
Bless our servicemen & women overseas.
L.Cpl Ian Malone, 1st Battalion Irish Guards, R.I.P.
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,193
Hard-core CEG\'er
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Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Aug 2000
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Originally posted by RogerB:
You know, another friend of mine gave me this advice about "exotic" cars: Go for the cherry.
AMEN! I know about this from experience with Mazda RX-7's. When buying an older higher-end car, quality is worth paying for. Make sure things work, or if they don't, you can live without them completely (the passenger window doesn't do down with the driver's switch on my RX-7... no biggie, the car is narrow enough to use the passenger switch). Rust is a cancer, if you want to keep this car long term, rust is unacceptable. If necessary, get a southern car and rustproof it if the car will see winter driving.
That said, the reliability and durability of European cars isn't true anymore. The early 1990's BMW 3-series did hold to this. New ones are about as reliable as Contours (average-to-worse). European cars as a whole are the least reliable continent of origin, with Audi and Mercedes models (and the new 7 series) having abysmal reliability records.
My friends A6 2.8 with 90,000 miles has been a horror story. The lastest is the day he got the car back from having the sunroof fixed ($1800), the transmission won't go into Tiptronic and the car won't coast. Needless to say, I told him to fix the current problem (he has an extended warranty) and dump the car.
In contrast, Ross has 180,000 miles, and I have put maybe $1500 into non-maintenance repairs (and only had three repairs under warranty, one due to the previous owner breaking a rear seat belt). My friend's A6 probably has cost him that much in warranty deductibles.
Brad "Diva": 2004 Mazda 6s 5-door, Volcanic Red
Rex: 1988 Mazda RX-7 Vert, Harbor Blue.
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Hard-core CEG\'er
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Hard-core CEG\'er
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Originally posted by MarkO:
Originally posted by Technohead:
I would never get a BMW
BMW engine runs on high rpm, I won't trust the engine
if u want quality get Honda
parts will cost u a lot of bucks, be sure there will be probs
If u want a reliable German car get Mercedes, and forget the rest
Jesus H. Christ .... where to begin ?
Do me a favour. Don't EVER post here again !
Even though it's flame bait, I have to respond.
High RPMs huh? Ever hit the redline on a CSVT? Do you know what the redline on an inherently blanced I6 BMW M50 motor is? Hint: I could use the gauge faces from my CSVT.
Honda = quality? Explain the Certified Used Accord I made the dealer buy back as a lemon, and why the Wife's Odyssey has a new transmission and had to go back 4 times for leaks in said transmission.
Parts for BMWs are not substantially more expensive than parts for an average Japanese brand, or even most domestics aside from GM's pushrod 6-cylinder motors and GM & Ford V8s.
Let me put this succinctly: unless you know what you're talking about, shut your pie hole.
Scott
Troll! '99 BMW 328i
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