I may be looking at a 1995 BMW 325IS 2 Door this weekend, I just want to know everyone’s thoughts on this car…
1995 BMW 325IS
-Don’t know what an M51 engine is
-160,XXX Miles
What should I look for when looking at this car? What are some problems that these would be known for?
Do they go in the snow?
CALL bmw and ask them how much to fix the door handle. If you can live with spending that much every month to keep the car running then go for it.
On snow tires it will go in the snow.
There is a reason you don’t see many 10+ year old BMW’s
One problem these cars have…
they often make other people think that you’re an elitist prick.
That and typical 12 year old maintenance crap, on a German car. Other than brakes and oil, you won’t be buying much at Autozone.
I don’t have any answers to your exact questions but I will say…that just owning a 1980 bimmer I will never go back …my next car purchase will be a NEW BMW…I still love my civic tho. BUT BMW>
door handles are typical. used they are like 50 and a motherfucker to change if you dont know what you are doing.
vanos is no big deal. see when timing chains and waterpump were last done. as that is not cheap.
intake manifold gasket and injector o-rings are prone to dry-rot and leaking
fuel pumps are subject to goin bad. have two pumps in the tank-- one feeds the other.
tranny should be a zf, they are pretty stout.
front lower control arm bushings go bad, should shimmy around 45mph. all bmw lcf arm bushings go bad…
rear coil springs rust and break. usually at the top or bottom where they ride.
interior wise, the display unit next to the heater a/c controls go bad. no big deal.
all the other stuff is normal wear and tear or hit and miss on what goes bad that is expected for a normal car.
e36 is a nice body. i like them over the newer bmw models. new bmw models are “cheap” interior wise. i was driving an 03 m3, car pulled nicely, but still couldnt getover how shitty the interior was for a german car-- to plasticy. even the normal 3 series carry that interior.
Eh… Sounds a little risky for $4500. Need something reliable.
What’s up, not a bad car but you have to maintain it or you’ll be looking at some big bills in the future. Check service history, the front ball joints are weak spot, they’re solid but do wear, check rear subframe bushings, make sure the ignition switch feels normal and check for oil leaks. If the car has been reasonably maintained and not overheated it could be a decent ride. Not too many of the parts are cheap and they’re expensive to build up, make sure you really like it before you buy it.
Reliable and BMW should never be in the same sentence.
BMW’s are the most reliable German car other than Porsche. No it’s not a Honda or a Toyota, but I’ve worked on many high mileage(150K+) BMW’s. All cars have faults and every company builds a lemon here and there.
have yet to have any problems with mine…
Whole crap load of info on there. Sign up its free, just do it.
E36 Common faults/ pre-purchase inspection
http://www.unitedbimmer.com/kb-e36-common-faults-faq.php
Hope it helps.