| Author | Message | ||
     Indybuell |
I'm looking at a 2002 BMW 330i. I've always driven VWs, but some issues that have driven me away from VW with my current Jetta have me looking at this Bimmer. Anyone out there in Badweb land a current or former BMW fan or possibly have any info to shed on this car? What to look for, expected maintenance costs, etc? This 2002 has 90k on it, and they want $13k for it. Here's a link to the listing. http://www.dreyerreinboldbmwsouth.com/used/BMW/200 2-BMW-330-41e1e5b10a0d06690046bb9f28b22fde.htm Thanks Guys | ||
| Azxb9r |
As with any car, you will want to look for signs of abuse and maint. history. One weak link I have run into on the BMWs is cooloing system leaks. Since these cars have "special" molded hoses with plastic ends and o-ring seals you re stuck having to buy them from the dealer. BMW builds nice cars, but all of the euro cars seem to have similar personalities and problems. If you were unhappy with the VW, you might not be happy with the BMW either. | ||
| Jumbo_petite |
Overall the maintenance costs should be cheaper than VW. The window regulators are weak and will start to pop and crack. do not clean dew off the windows by rolling down the windows it will damage the regulator. there is a lot of plastic in the cooling system, power steering pumps have been weak, crankcase vent valve and lower intake boots, valve cover gasket and oil filter housing leaks, power steering line/hose leaks can be an issue at this mileage. When they are right they are great cars but when they are wrong it can be costly. | ||
| Thumper74 |
Biggest issues are, as AZX said, the molded hoses leak and you generally have to buy online or go to the dealer. They also have some issues with the oil separator. They seem to get moisture in them and freeze. It blocks the oil vapor's flow and causes severe oil consumption or oil leaks. VIN comes up clean with nothing more than registrations listed | ||
| Mnrider |
10 year old car for 13k,too much money. | ||
| Thumper74 |
Also agreed that it seems steep. I was looking in the Cleveland area for one and that was the price for one with half the mileage. My boss picked up an 02 M3 with 15,000 miles on it in early 2010 for $18,000... | ||
| Reepicheep |
I rolled the dice on a 2001 Saab 9-3... it had 92k miles or so. $7000 for that (back in 2009 or so). Fast forward to 2012, and the thing is running as good as ever, and has 150k miles. Best car I ever owned. It's not a luxo-car experience though. Some plastic parts are broken and glued, some parts are cracked or peeling. I had to get creative with a few things (replace all vacuum lines, update to a factory fix for the PCV system, replace the MAF, rebuild the AC clutch assembly (which is not supposed to be rebuildable), bypass the neutral safety switch, "reboot" the car once every 50 starts or so when the shift sensor can't tell what gear the car is in, leather getting worn, etc. All those things were easy to fix or easy to live with, but it's a bit of a hobby, and a bit of a sport living with quirks of a nice but aging car. Sooner or later it will strand me somewhere, and I'll deal with it without whining. But it is OOOHHH so much better than a beater Honda or Toyota that would have had similar quirks, but be less fun in between. The core value of the Saab is still there (hauls ass when you want it to, hauls a trailer when you need it, the hatch hauls big things whenever you want, and it will get 22-32mpg the rest of the time. From now on I'll be looking for good high milage high end cars... Just go into them knowing there will be quirks to live with or fix, and that you are to some extent managing a death spiral. So pick a car that you really love, so when stuff starts happening, you don't care that much. | ||
| Jb2 |
Reep, I've seen that Saab hauling multiple bikes on a single trailer and loaded to the gills with treasures from an old moto-shop. Hell, I thought it was an F150!  | ||
| Guell |
What dinan stuff does it have on it? I would assume the p/o enjoyed driving it a little hard with aftermarket performance upgrades on it | ||
| Notpurples2 |
My friend bought a 1999 BMW 323 with under 90K for $7000 about 3-4 years ago. So I'm thinking it's a little bit overpriced. That said it's been a great car and is still going strong with nearly 180K on it now. I believe he had to replace some coolant hoses and a rear wheel bearing. There may have been other things that I don't know about though. |
