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Friday I'm going to look at/drive a '93 BMW 325is. If the price is right (about what I figure my CSVT is worth) and it checks out I think I'm going to bring it home. It's a tough decision though. Here's my thoughts on replacing the CSVT with the BMW: PROS: * About 32k fewer miles * It's a BMW! What the CSVT always wanted to be. Stock vs. stock, very similar HP & TQ and performance #s. * Conforti chip = +20 HP & TQ for around $250. * If it's like the high-mileage '95 325is I drove today it'll handle as well as my CSVT but ride much better * Body is in better shape than my CSVT (minor rust is starting to creep in) * RWD, 'nuf said * I6 vs. V6 - no contest * Aftermarket only Honda can rival * I'm already a member of the BMWCCA * Sure is pretty, and did I mention it's a BMW? I always wanted one... CONS: * I know everything about my CSVT from its birth, and I know where the warts are and the potential problems are down the road * Not as exclusive as an SVT * A/C does not work at all on the BMW, it's only leaking on my CSVT  * RWD in Rochester winters (though it does come with snow tires) * Space is actually better in the CSVT, especially headroom and rear seat room, and the trunk is bigger too * I have 2 kids w/ car seats who occasionally have to ride in my car, and that's a pain in the butt with a 2-door coupe * Its already 11 years old * I'll have to learn the quirks of another car * No forum nearly as good at this one for BMWs What do you say? Chances are there'll be a relatively cheap CSVT in the classifieds in a week or so... Scott
Troll! '99 BMW 328i
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It is not ODB-II compatible, and the '93's had headliner falling problems. Not to mention its age.
If I had a regular Contour it might be an upgrade, but from an SVT no BMW 3-series short of a '96 would be considered better.
Just personal opinion 
Oh yeah, you said it's a 325is and you already have two kids? That just supports the no factor even further ... sorry ...
Last edited by 98 SE; 05/13/04 03:30 AM.
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I'd stick with the SVT. A '93 BMW is going to need maintenance and it wont be cheap. RWD is not an advantage in NT either.
Bless our servicemen & women overseas.
L.Cpl Ian Malone, 1st Battalion Irish Guards, R.I.P.
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Originally posted by 98 SE:
It is not ODB-II compatible, and the '93's had headliner falling problems. Not to mention its age.
If I had a regular Contour it might be an upgrade, but from an SVT no BMW 3-series short of a '96 would be considered better.
Just personal opinion
Oh yeah, you said it's a 325is and you already have two kids? That just supports the no factor even further ... sorry ...
Apart from not being able to use the Shark Injector, I really don't care about OBDII - in fact OBD I is niceer in some repsects in that I don't need a code reader to pull codes. Never heard of the falling headliner issue, but it's certainly something I'll notice if it's a problem. I do know the door panels had issues though...
As for the 2 kids, (a) the wife drives a minivan and 9 times out of 10 if one of us needs to haul the kids somewhere that's the car that's used. Heck, I had a Miata as my car for the first 2 years of my second child's life! (b) there won't be any more kids - surgically guaranteed! 
Keep 'em coming.
Scott
Troll! '99 BMW 328i
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As a daily driver I wouldn't do it. European cars can get pretty expensive very quickly in terms of maintainence and repairs. If you can do all the repairs yourself it will help but parts are still far from cheap, even from discount web sites. Every time my Volvo brakes (which isn't all that often) my wallet cries. If the A/C is dead and it's a 93 it still might be on R-12 (Freon) and you would have to have it converted probably, more $$$.
As a track car I would say jump on it, gut it, mod it, take it to a road coarse or autox, as a daily driver I would pass.
Auto? how many miles and how much are they asking?
HTH,
Pete
"Bros before Hoes" <-- More men need this mentality.
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Originally posted by Pete D:
As a daily driver I wouldn't do it. European cars can get pretty expensive very quickly in terms of maintainence and repairs. If you can do all the repairs yourself it will help but parts are still far from cheap, even from discount web sites. Every time my Volvo brakes (which isn't all that often) my wallet cries. If the A/C is dead and it's a 93 it still might be on R-12 (Freon) and you would have to have it converted probably, more $$$.
As a track car I would say jump on it, gut it, mod it, take it to a road coarse or autox, as a daily driver I would pass.
Auto? how many miles and how much are they asking?
HTH,
Pete
I've owned a high-mileage Saab before; I know all about European car repair part prices. BMWs are actually pretty reasonable on that front - sure, the parts cost more than Ford in most cases but less than M-B. For example, a replacement water pump is about $78, a bit more than I paid for te metal impeller one in my SVT. The biggest maintenance thing with E36 BMWs appears to be suspension bits - subframe bushings, shock mounts, control arm bushings. They also have problems with the plastic impeller on the factory water punp shattering  - where have I seen that before? - and radiators splitting at plastic-to-metal seams.
The one I'm looking at has about 112k miles on it, and I figure I can get it for less than $5k. Second owner, past 5 years maintenance done at a good independent shop, was right up front with the problems it has. Has had the suspension recently gone through, so it should be good for a while. It is a R-12 a/c system, but I spoke to an independent auto a/c shop and he indicated that it would probably be in the $300 range to repair it, which I can live with.
Thanks for the input.
Scott
Troll! '99 BMW 328i
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b0x @dm1n
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Get ready to bend over cause BMW parts are expensive!
-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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CEG\'er
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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.
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Originally posted by Cartman Reincarnated:
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.
Your post makes no sense... they realize that's the price of admission... that's why they're complaining  And you don't have to "own" one of these cars to know that they're expensive to service/maintain.
Diesel owns you
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I had a BMW 325 for 15 years before I got my Mystique, and I've never been happy trading down from the BMW. Yeah, insurance and maintenance costs are high, but the prestige of driving a BMW, not a Ford economy car, is worth a lot, to me. When I get rid of my Mystique (soon, I hope), my next car with be either a BMW or a Lexus. I put 253,000 miles on my BMW, and it still looked showroom fresh and ran like new. I really hated to trade it in. On my BMW, the engine was extremely easy to work on, as it was an inline six, and there was plenty of room to change the oil filter, spark plugs, etc. The factory stereo was infinitely better, too. Not to mention the seats and quality of the interior trim in general. And at 253,000 miles and 15 years old, I still got $2,750 out of it when I sold it. My five year old Mystique won't get that.
-Mark-
'99 Mystique LS, totally original (including the original water pump and the premium stereo)! Bought new in December 1998 for $21,000.
208,000 miles
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