thinking about buying this 85 325e! bad/good idea?

[d94]

So iv been checking CL for the last few weeks on a good deal on a stick shift..and yesterday i came upon just that:

* 1985 white / black leather interior BMW 325E
* 180k (no leaks) will run forever
* 5 speed manual
* Good breaks
* Good Motor
* Good trans
* Good price!!
* Power Sun roof works
____________________________________
so last night i went to go check it out and the car drove alright, had big loss of power due to no muffler but that's to be expected. interior was fine, engine started up every time, heat works, ac prolly just needs to be recharged. right window doesnt come down, no rust on bottom of doors but the body is a little right and has a bad spot in perticular. I suppose i could just swap that whole part out from another car at the junk yard though. And, this morning the owner put a new muffler on so now i guess the questions is - is it worth $620?

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b203/d94/CIMG0325.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b203/d94/CIMG0326.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b203/d94/CIMG0329.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b203/d94/CIMG0336.jpg

engine light is on but id imagine that's due to the muffler as the owner said it came on when the muffler came off (Came apart from old age)

[KonaKona]

620$?

I paid 1K for my VW, and it was in worse condition then that. I'd say go for it.

[Niku-Sama]

$400 tops

"replacing" rear quarters is basicly cutting it off of one car and welding it on to the new car after cutting out all the bad sppots.
a check engine light shouldnt be on because if a missing muffler, theres no muffler sensor, as long as exhaust exits and the pipe isnt pinched some where (causing restriction) it should just be loud with out and loss of power.

i dont know what the lack of power could be, could be ignition timing or valve timing (dont know if valves are adjustable on this car) loss of compression in a cylinder mabe bad sensor of sorts?

[Xenocide]

nope, not worth its weight in scrap metal.

e series (eta) motors are turds, they are slow as crap. atleast go for a 325i or a 318i.

[Niku-Sama]

oh i thought it was an i

yea e might as well be d

d stands for dump it

[Elif Tymes]

Go with an I. Mmmmmm I Series :D

[Mr. Roboto]

No way, what a piece. Those motors are awful, the lack of power you thought was due to the muffler was probably just because its a slow car.

However, if there's no muffler, there are no O2 sensors, which is why you're probably throwing a check engine light.

That quarter panel looks terrible. What a bad bondo job.

Stay away from this.

[Xenocide]

However, if there's no muffler, there are no O2 sensors, which is why you're probably throwing a check engine light..

:screwy: Wrong

[Mr. Roboto]

:screwy: Wrong

Excuse me? There is one O2 sensor before your cat, and one after it.

[Xenocide]

Excuse me? There is one O2 sensor before your cat, and one after it.

only on 96 and newer cars (obd2).

Older cars, have one before the cat and thats it.

The one after the cat is to monitor how well the cat is functioning. (emissions)

[Quailane]

only on 96 and newer cars (obd2).

Older cars, have one before the cat and thats it.

The one after the cat is to monitor how well the cat is functioning. (emissions)

On top of this, the muffler, or entire cat-back assembly, is a distinct piece from the midpipe with the catalytic converter. Removing the muffler will not trigger a check engine light nor will it cause a loss of power. You can feel a difference in the power band, but in no would you call it a power loss.

[Mr. Roboto]

only on 96 and newer cars (obd2).

Older cars, have one before the cat and thats it.

The one after the cat is to monitor how well the cat is functioning. (emissions)

Ah, I see. All the cars I've owned have always been OBDII

[Niku-Sama]

you know it could be worse and he could have 2 cats....like my car....i dont know what the hell they were thinkin when they made it but i think one of them is going to have to go

[d94]

well i got it for $500 cash..for that price i can live with messing with it lol.
owner put on a cherry bomb muffler and discovered there was a crack in the catalytic converter. he patched it up and it was quiet! till the stuff came off as he didn't let it dry long enough

[Lionsault_100]

Most junk yards around here pay $400 for scrap cars, so for a $100 true investment I would say its worth it.

[Niku-Sama]

good luck











gonna need it

[Old Thrashbarg]

gonna need it

Luck prolly won't be enough for that pile. Wreck damage with a terrible repair job. Did you even check to make sure the suspension wasn't damaged there too? It has 180K miles and a check engine light that you don't know the source of. (To be fair, when running properly, the Eta engine actually does make decent power. Getting it running properly, though... heh.)

Oh, and god help you if you have any electrical problems. You will be in for hell trying to fix that. And being an '80s BMW, you will have electrical problems.

[benbaked]

Luck prolly won't be enough for that pile. Wreck damage with a terrible repair job. Did you even check to make sure the suspension wasn't damaged there too? It has 180K miles and a check engine light that you don't know the source of. (To be fair, when running properly, the Eta engine actually does make decent power. Getting it running properly, though... heh.)

Oh, and god help you if you have any electrical problems. You will be in for hell trying to fix that. And being an '80s BMW, you will have electrical problems.

QFT! An 80's european vehicle with that many miles on it and body damage? Old Thrashbarg is right about electrical problems, LOL, wait until the power sunroof quits working one day when it starts pouring outside. :p Did you look at the engine? Inspect the underside? Are you required to get emission checks in your area and if so do you know it will pass? How much money are you willing to put into it? Old cars such as this (especially old european cars) are money pits, like a boat on pavement. I guess on the plus side if you get a few hours of fun out of it beating it to hell and then have a buddy push it to the junkyard with his truck, I suppose the fun of that might be worth $500 minus what the yard gives you for it. Probably a good deal for the cash for clunkers program, but if it qualified for that I imagine the previous owner would've already turned it in.

[McTimson]

You have to have owned the vehicle for at least a year to use the Cash for Clunkers deal, so he couldn't do it anyway.

For $500, I guess it's not a bad deal, but I wouldn't expect much out of it. That repair job really does look awful... I would also expect the other windows and other power stuff to stop working soon, once they get used after sitting for a while and being that old, they tend to break.

I don't know anything about BMW's, is the engine carbed, or FI?

[wa77ss]

Man that car looks R O U G H good look with that one d94 hahaha! Always looking for the deals