Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Thinking about a "new" car - opinions wanted

I admit that the sedan is more appealing to me than the coupe both for the growing kids reason, ease of access to back seat space for stupid stuff like my briefcase (yes I carry one to work every day), and I actually like the look of the sedan better. But, if the condition of this example is as good as it appears I've been told by the owner, the combination of relatively low miles and very low price is just too good to pass up. I'll know more when I see it tomorrow.

Now, to pay for an inspection at a local shop or just look at it myself for known trouble spots and buy it on a bit of faith? I suppose it depends on what the records and test drive tell me. I didn't have my CSVT inspected and it's been essentially trouble-free from 106k miles to now, 143k miles.

Scott

I've heard many people say that BMWs are very reliable. Those Germans tend to overbuild their stuff, although regular maintenance is a must.

For me, personally, I would keep the SVT. Having a BMW would be tempting, but I couldn't live with the 2-door thing. With only 2 kids, maybe, but I've got 4 now, and a minivan, to boot. I have given passing consideration to a later 4-door E36 M3, but they are still a bit pricey. A later 4-door E36 325is (if there is such a thing?) might be just the ticket.

As for performance, RWD is nice, but I'll admit that I haven't owned any RWD car since about 1986, and all I remember about it, specifically, with my Beetle was that on slick roads the thing just wanted to come around all the time. (It was butt-heavy, too, though.) So if hp:weight and tq:weight are close, and the only difference is FWD vs RWD, ask yourself how much better can the BMW really be? And can you really get 20hp from a BMW chip? Or is that just the claim?

I've agonized with this same question--should I upgrade performance and convert to RWD by trading in my Contour? Do I want to? I've considered several potential replacements, but I've always come back home, for many of the reasons you cite in your initial post.

MHO.

The prospect of replacing a 143k mile 1998 vehicle with a 111k 1993 vehicle seems rediculus. The value of either cannot be more than $3k. If you wnat all the benefits of that 325, just buy it and keep the SVT as a reasonable backup or for winters.

Roger, thanks for the thoughtful comments. I've driven plenty of new cars and never been able to justify paying monthly payments on the $18k+ more than my CSVT is worth. I love my CVT but I've got an emotional thing with BMWs. While I'd love to be looking at a '99 or so E46 4-door 323, they're still in the $20k range used, even with 50k or more miles on them. For what I think I can get this particular example for, I can't walk away from it.

On the chip thing, it's pretty well accepted that they're dyno proven to give 22 hp (211 total) and 20 lb-ft. (210 total). Prety stout gains for the buck.


As for going from an 8-year-old CSVT to an 11-year-old 112k mile BMW 325is, there's a big difference. The E36 BWM was what SVT was trying to catch when they did the CSVT. While they did a great job, it's still not the same. As for age, it seems that BMWs age exceptionally well I'm not concerned. Heck, 2 of my last 3 cars were bought with over 100k miles on them, each lasted 2 years and won't have hardly cost me anything to run. On one I sold it for more than I bought it for; on the other I'll have paid around 1500 for 18 months of driving, plus misc. maintenance. Not too bad IMHO. That's the thing with high mileage cars, they really just about stop depreciating after a certain point, yet they retain a whole lotta usefulness.

Scott

8 year old CSVT?

You say your CSVT has been very good, than why get rid of it?

For that kind of dough you could fairly easily get a Saab 9000 Aero or Volvo 850 Turbo of the same vintage, in better shape I would bet too. True they won't have quite the handling finesse of the BMW but they would be arguably better in the snow.

I think perhaps you are better off driving your CSVT until it dies or starts becoming a money pit, in the interim you could easily save up some dough for a newer BMW, like a 330 or 328 if you really fancy them that much

FWIW,
Pete

I've already owned a 9000CSE and a Volvo V70. Both good suggestions but I'm not afraid of RWD in the snow - I drove a Miata as my daily driver for 2 Buffalo winters. Snow tires are my friend. I really don't want to wait until the CSVT becomes a money pit; I think it's still got some decent value right now.

I'm really smitten with the idea of owning this car, and I hate that I'm being emotional instead of rational. Oh well, I'll try to be cold and calculating when I test drive it an noon today.

Scott