thinking of buying a 325

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whoathere

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Well, I just got a new job that pays well, and I have to do about 20 miles each way, on the highway, and the Explorer just isn't cutting it, and is absolutely sticking it to me for gas. So I figured I might as well get something that is nice and all, so I looked into BMW's, M-B, and Audi's, but the BMW 325Ci's really caught my eye. I really like the 99 and newer ones, E36? I guess. Anyway, I found one in town, its a 2001, Black on Black, 325Ci, 75,000 miles, automatic, fully loaded, from what the guy tells me, he said "every option" and that "if you drive it, you'll buy it". But I haven't gotten that far yet. I'm just wondering if there is anything I should look out for like with recalls and what not.

I can't get a link up to the site, but if you want to check it out, go to www.karkorner.net > search > BMW > 325> and its the only one they have on the site.

Oh, and they are asking $15k for it. Thanks for any info, that would be great. Have a good one.
 
MTBL525i

MTBL525i

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The car on their site is a 325i not the Ci you are looking for - other than that though its a steal if everything checks out and will definitely be a better ride comfort and gas mileage wise - I was recently in the market for a 325 and didn't see anything close to that price for that mileage for an 01(atlanta area) and ended up settling on a 525. Good luck in your search and purchase.
 
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whoathere

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Yea, it was a 325i, when I was looking on eBay, I was like all of these are 2 doors, then the lightbulb when off. I like the 325i, I'm kinda sick of the whole 2 door thing, I like the 4 door though.

I do wonder if since its a german car, is the maintenance and stuff expensive? I like to do my own work on cars, but if something breaks or anything, are parts expensive?
 
Kirby

Kirby

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Welcome!

Their search engine would not come up for me, so I could look at it. If it is a 2001, it is an E46. 1999 was a transition year. 99/older is the E36.

Parts at the dealer will be more expensive than an American or Japanese, and labor at the dealer will be higher; but these days, not a whole lot more.

The best source for BMW parts, especially if you are a DIY person, is on the net. You can find true BMW OEM parts (Bosch, ZF, Lemfoerder, Febi-Bilstein, SKF, etc.) at 25% - 50% on the net. The exact same parts in the exact same box you would get at the dealer. Personally, I have used AutohausAz.com and had excellent service. Others have used PelicanParts.com and had good results too.

With that mileage, typical items that should/will need servicing around 75K-125K include shocks/struts, belts, hoses, radiator (plastic neck will eventually weaken & break). All of these are easily found on the net at good prices and fall in a easy to moderate DIY job.
 
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whoathere

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I was told by the dealer (Luckily, the owner lives 2 houses down) that they took the car and had all the fluid's filled, had all the belts replaced and the hoses replaced. They also did like some 70 point inspection and said they would show me the results if I wanted to see them. The tires are in good shape, it has the back door windows, and the rear window all tinted. It's in good shape.

Another thing I was wondering is if there is some type of VIN decoder for the BMW? They list the Vin # on their website, and I know for a lot of cars their is a vin decoder that will tell you where it was built and all the options and what not. If there is, let me know. It also has the Automatic, are the auto's good trannies? I don't want to pick one up with the auto if they are prone to breaking at a certain mileage or anything. Thanks for all the info.
 
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