Questionon the 1989 BMW 3 Series 2 Dr 325i Convertible, test drove and inspected and have mechanic,"bmw specialist" checking as well. has a bit of a tough time accelerating and latch seals to conv. top need replacement (about how much should this be?). the owner has told me the timing belt will need to be changed by jan, 07 and back passenger side window has trouble going up, but does after 3-4 pushes on button. strangest is the radio reverts to original stations when it turns off/on, much like when a battery dies and car turns off.
does this sound like a particularly bad problem? oh, and odometer stopped at around 175,000 miles.
really, about how much fairly will this cost to fix so i know when the mechanics check is done and before money is exchanged?
AnswerPC,
I will be honest here. I love these little cars and I wouldn't tell anyone to stay away, but if you have NO mechanical abilities or you dont have tons of money... I would be careful with what you purchase. The only way to make these cars affordable is to do the work yourself when work needs to be done. Don't think that this car will be perfect and give you trouble-free operation once you fix the few items that are wrong. Due to the age and mileage you will likely be replacing parts on it for a few months to get everything back to new.
The window problem is 99% in the switch. Change it out or clean it and it will work fine. Every 100k miles the timing belt needs to be changed. Since you are in there.. you should also change the water pump and timing belt tensioner as well.
I bought a 87 325i convertible with 135k miles on it, and I spent the next few months replacing the worn suspension and misc. driveline parts that needed attention. So with your purchase I would factor at least $1,000 to replace worn-out parts. Hopefully you will not have to spend this at one time, but I guarantee within 3-4 more years you will have spent that on the car (which isn't terrible).
Tops need replacement roughly every 6-8 years depending on how it is maintained. You will likely need a replacement top before too long. Factor that cost into owning the car.
This is not an attempt to scare you from the vehicle, because it is a fun car to own and does its job relatively well. However I am just stating the reality of owning this car. You WILL spend money replacing parts, and if you are paying labor for someone else to do it... that can double the expense.
I would check the suspension to make sure everything is tight (hopefully it's been taken care of). Make sure there are no coolant/oil leaks. You can drive the car and then park it on top of a flat piece of cardboard and check for leaks that land on the cardboard. A/C can be expensive to fix, so I would check to make sure it works correctly. Also when driving the car and pulling away from a full stop (redlight/stopsign) make sure to accellerate quickly to check the driveshaft. They are notorious for U-joint failure, and make a thumping sound on the bottom of the car. Unfortunately you cannot replace the U-joints, you have to buy a new driveshaft.
To be completely honest, I would look for a lower-mileage pampered car if you are not skilled mechanically. You will be happier and have less headaches with a car with lower mileage (less than 100k). It will be hard to find, but just keep looking. Do the math, by the time you buy this older, cheaper car and replace all the parts to make it nice... you could have bought one in better shape for the same price.
That's all I can think of at the moment, but if you have anymore questions, please let me know.
Good luck,
Josh
