SKIP THIS PART IF YOU DONT WANT TO READ ALL EXTRA INFO
Well i’ve been looking for a car, for a while now & now i need it soon since my search time is coming to an end, goal is to find a car now in 2weeks.
The thin is my 2 main requirements in a car 1. Manual 2. RWD
I want those 2 things in my first car, manual more then anything else.
My dad isnt a fan of the older American cars, cuz of bad things hes heard about them (unreliability)
This means American cars are out of the question.
Now this doesnt leave me with many options with my budget of $5000 i could spend more but tbh i dont even want to spend $5000.
I got beemers & a few more.
START READ HERE, EVERYTHING BEFORE THIS IS JUST EXTRA INFO IF YOU WANT TO READ:
My dads friend told him bmw’s are very unreliable, (his friends owned quite a few) he said that they have electrical problems (this i was already aware of) to the extent that they basically dont work in the winter, & fixing them is extremely expensive $1000 in repairs they cost.
The way he said it & my dad told me sounds like greater majority of beemers are like that O.o the used ones atleast. Now the thing is any bmw owners i know own new ones, i dont know anyone who can confirm or deny or let me know, if buying a old bmw is a good idea.
I Love my bimmers to death but they do cost a little more than your average domestic or JDM car. I have had an 88 Merc 300E, a 98 BMW 328is and an 88 VW Golf Cabriolet. The amount of money I spent on them…well lets not think about that…lol !!
No they are not lemons, but they do need a little more and their parts do cost a little more. Not everyone knows how to work on them. Its a niche vehicle, expect to pay niche prices wherever you go.
If you are a student or money is tight, believe me when I say. Try not to go the Euro route just as yet. Plenty of affordable and fun JDM and Domestic stuff available. Enjoy them for a while. Get your life and career stuff figured out and then drive one off the showroom, when the time is right !!
My old mans buddy has m3 and he took it to BMW due to electrical problems and a check engine light. He walked outta there with a new ecu and a 5k + bill. That’s just one occasion he was in the shop and dropped that kinda money. He told me he never leaves there without at least dropping a grand.
My s14 is no m3, it’s a sr dd and it’s reliable as fuck. really the only maintance I do is a oil change and brakes. Which is cheap as fuck really.
Unless you got the flow to keep a BMW on the road, I’d go Japanese for sure.
electrical problems will occour like all older cars. I mean I’ve seen some S13 with worse electrical gremlins than my E30.
Its pretty sound mechanically and parts are not too expensive to maintain. (for my E30 at least) Some Common things to worry about are rear subframe bushings (stock sucks replace with eurathane or solid) and trailing arm bushings going. Leaking O-ring gasket in the fuelpump will have your car smelling like gas in the inside.
If you get an E36 reinforce that subframe STAT! they punch holes into the floors and rip out.
and E30’s are cheap. But this is my biased opinion i guess.
My wife and I have an e46 that we got new in '04. To date we have changed the oil (every 20k - bmw service interval) and changed the brakes when needed. There has not been one issue or failiure with this car with over 140k on the odo.
Thats the problem, its really hard to find a reasonably priced 240sx… otherwise its a no brainier for me.
The good conditions ones have mods on them so they cost a lot more then my $5000
& others nice clean ones are fine, but when my dad sees them goes like “i am not paying $5000 for a 15year old car driven 250k+” (he would pay like $4000 but plz find a me a good clean one with minimal rust for $4000… driven no more then like 250k-280k) preferably
He doesnt understand that 240sx can drive to 400k easily those engines are made from iron… so the easier route was showing him beemers, they meet my requirements,
on top of that are easier to find a good one for a good price, then it is to find a good 240sx for a reasonable price.
ill drive a is250 b4 330 anyday. even 335 i know they are crazy but euro is euro.
ever since i did a 24 sparkplugs, left and right ignition coil, hydrualic system flush and drain and valves i would never ever drive euro again in my life.
unless its a porsche… ill get bent over for porsche anyday…
they are either hit or miss, either you get a really reliable one or you get the biggest bucket. Me personally i would never buy a bimmer unless its a e36 or older
I rape the crap out of my S14 every day and after 45k, on a 12 year old car, i’ve had to fix a maf wire and a loose battery ground. the thing is awesome.
i have 100s of friends all over the world with bmws – they can be awesome but also nightmares if you dont take care of them well…They are more complicated then your average car- so your average joe HONDA mechanic will not be able to keep them perfect.
The only guys who have issues are the ones who dont maintain, or cheap out on the mods that they buy.
For EG, do not get a remote starter, stereo, or anything to do with wiring done on the car outside of the dealer, keep it simple and maintained well and you wont have any issues !
They are great cars and will last forever if you pay attention to them.
So when you say Silvia i assume you dont mean the 240sx, you mean the Silvia rite?
I am 18… have had my G license for a few days only, & those things are right hand drive my insurance is going to be of the charts.
the main problem with that is, the deal me & my dad worked out is if i get to pick a car of my choice
i pay for insurance, if i get what he wants he pays for everything (i refuse to drive a Sentra tho)
180sx, i havent seen too many, but the onyl way my dad will buy something that old is, if its under 200k.
& if what you say is true(& i choose to believe you) i am guna go snoop around.
Actually i need a favor, i found a car that looks really good.
Now i’ve never bought a car before so i dont know much about buying one at all.
& i dont want to get screwed over on my first buy & have a bad impression on a 240sx (yes its a 240sx XD)
I basically wanna know if the car is reasonable, looks good & if someone could vouch for it.
izzo i am going to pm you, since you look willing to help =].
If anyone else also wants to gimme advice on it plz let me know.
thanks.
