97' BMW 318i

Prodigy146

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OK guys i really need your help. I'm buying a car to have for atleast a year. Until i can get a nicer one. Now what i am looking at is a

1997 BMW 318i 250,000 miles 1.9 liter, 4 cylinder, 5 speed, 1,000 watt stereo 12 inch sub. Front end has been redone alignment etc, New Tires, Great Stereo, but the front end struts need to be replaced (how much would that cost?)

Hes selling it for $2800. Hes expressed that he will not be 'hustled' and that 2800 is actually a good deal and said that most bmw's go to 425,000 miles.

Should i do it?
 
Does he have any service records on the thing? I don't know about them going 400,000+, but they do last a long time.

Personally, I wouldn't spend $2800 on a car that has 250,000 miles on it. Your looking at possibly too many problems on a car that is very expensive to fix. I purchased a 1984 BMW 325e with 150,000 a while back for only $1000.
 
how does he know that "most" BMW's are good to 425 000 miles? That's a lot of miles for a 1997.
 
well alvin will help you with the cost of the suspension parts etc
has it been modded any more apart from the stereo ??
dont let the mileage put you off on the whole German cars (not just BMW's) are well built and will last a long time but i would check his service history and take someone along who is mechanically minded to give everything a once over cos yer that is high mileage still and if not looked after it could take its toll on the car


i think he is BS'ing about 425k miles on most BMW's though , some BMW's maybe but i wouldnt say most , mainly ones who have good owners that have owned the car since brand new and look after the car very well could get 425k out of it but not most
 
id get another car man,thats tooo many miles and as posted before bmw are not cheap to repair i would try to find something else but keep that as a last resort man.
 
Well hes already helping me on the exhast, rotors and the back end struts. Which at first he told me i had to replace but then he said he would take care of it. Also he has over 100 pages of car history on the bmw (it even includes speeding tickets)

Yeah i am really scared of the miles, but alot of my friends told me that bmw's can really last to 500,000 miles and i test drove it and the shifting was really smooth. (it still has the orginal clutch too). But idk i mean even if it runs good what if the head gasket blows or something, i wont have the money to fix that. Has anyone drove a high mileage bmw?
 
With 250,000 you would truly be inviting inevitable trouble. I won't buy anything over 65,000, But that's just me with my experience knowing cars/Engines.

And no offense, But whoever told you a Beamer is reliable up to half a million miles is a moron in my opinion. I would never base a car buying decision off of luck, Which is nothing more than what that was.

But to each their own.
 
If you're looking for a daily driver, not a project car, don't buy one with that many miles on it.
 
Yeah, I wouldnt get something like that. How old are you? Sounds like you just got your licsense. I would get something with cheaper insurance... My truck cost $200 more then that, its 1 year older, engine is twice the size, and it has 150,000 less miles on it...
Beamers have a name behind them, so they will cost a decent sum more, dont get me wrong, they are great cars, but for your first car, you want something a little more reliable. Maybe an earlier model with less miles.
 
Well hes already helping me on the exhast, rotors and the back end struts. Which at first he told me i had to replace but then he said he would take care of it. Also he has over 100 pages of car history on the bmw (it even includes speeding tickets)

Yeah i am really scared of the miles, but alot of my friends told me that bmw's can really last to 500,000 miles and i test drove it and the shifting was really smooth. (it still has the orginal clutch too). But idk i mean even if it runs good what if the head gasket blows or something, i wont have the money to fix that. Has anyone drove a high mileage bmw?
The car still needs exhaust, rotors and front and rear struts?

Keep looking son. There are much better deals out there.
 
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