Buying Tips

[shifty101easy]

im currently restoring a 68 mustang coupe but in order to that i need a daily driver to get to school and just everyday things in......

im looking to go to the dealerships tomorrow and see what used E46 models they have... prob 99-02-ish... (keep price reasonable)

any general tips or things to look for???

how much more is the all wheel drive model going to cost than a rear wheel drive? i ask without caring a whole lot about it, it would just be nice to have the possibility to take it snowboarding instead of trying to trade my mom cars for the weekend (4wd expedition). i kind of doubt i will end up going for that much money as i feel it will be quite a bit more....

which models of these cars have positive traction differentials?

is there any major flaws to watch for? etc, etc, etc...

anyways, thanks for any help or advice.




EDIT - Is a 2-door coupe gonna cost more or less?

 

[William330]

Shifty, take a look at kbb.com to see values for used cars based on model,
condition, and mileage. Helpful to give you a ballpark estimate for price.

If it's a BMW certified pre-owned, you're probably in good shape
regardless. Might be worth running a carfax.com report to see if
the car was totalled and repaired. (Many autobody shops do nothing
but this -- they get truckloads of destroyed cars from other states, repair
the cars, and resell them.)

I have a coupe, and dont have four wheel drive, and it's not bad in the
winter. Not great, but decent after the streets are first snow plowed.

The coupe has different body panels, and the car is wider and lower. If
you don't need 4 doors, the coupe is the primo ride in my book.

Hope this helps, and good luck shopping.

 

[shifty101easy]

yeah...im figuring somewhere between 12-17k i guess...lower the better as im trying to restore another car at the same time, but still....


i pretty much only want the 2D coupe but if this particular group of dealers (one dealer owns many others in the area....) dosent have what i want for the right price id take the 4 door....the reason for limiting myself is because my dads friend can cut me some money off if its from one of these....

how good is the traction control on the 2wd cars? can u say its made a noticeable difference?

 

[codex57]

I like the traction control. Do you really need 4WD? You just go to Tahoe I imagine, right? I dunno if 4WD is really necessary. In my experience, they do a good job of keeping the roads clear. And is the 4WD in your mom's Expedition AWD or 4WD? There is a diff.

AWD only came in the 4 door for the 3 series. Since you're only using it for trips to Tahoe, I'd just borrow your mom's Expedition during those weekends and get the 2 door.