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Brother in law and sister are expecting their first child in June and as a consequence their 88F 325i Convertible has to go, (being replaced by a 92K 325i touring) I've been offered their car for £2,000 bearing in mind it has done at least 125,000 miles (speedo broke before Christmas and has yet to be fixed). It doesn't use any oil or water however may need a new water pump as a squeak/rumble coing from the front could possibly be power steering pump. It is in black with black leather and a new roof 18 months ago. I'm very tempted anyone got any ideas.
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convertible or cabriolet?
My father had a 85ish 323 cabriolet, which was a great pleasure to drive.
The engine on the 325 is a pleasure, and will go on for ever if looked after - and as you know the "history", hopefully it hasn't been thrashed by some yuppie!
New roof makes it an even bigger bargain - those are NOT cheap!
However, consider
(a) Will you get much use out of it in the climate?
(b) is it securely parked at work or home? (Vandals love these)
(c) What the insurance is going to set you back.
Apart from that, sounds like a great idea!
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Out of interest, how much is the K reg Touring setting them back, I'm in a similar position (expanding family) & have been thinking about one of these as a replacement for my Mk2 Golf.
thanks
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Between £4,000 and £5,000 (not agreed a price yet) off a mate of theirs it is an auto and has been chipped and resprayed
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>>Between £4,000 and £5,000 (not agreed a price yet) off a mate of theirs it is an auto and has been chipped and resprayed
That chipping could be a *real* issue. Get details of the chip and an insurance quote *in writing* before buying the car.
M.
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Very Tempted ? I would snap his hand off !!!
A beautiful car - much better than the next incarnation, and will only just be run in at that mileage - Mobil ran one to one million miles in a test of Mobil 1 oil.
If you don't fancy it you will easily sell on it for twice that price
I would buy it and enjoy it
Good Luck
Marcus
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Sounds good to me, too. Presumably it's pre-cat and pre-ABS, so no worries on those scores, either. On a slightly more modest scale, we've just found a '91 Mazda 323F GT (1800 twin cam) in nice condition for £1000, that I'm rather pleased about. It's for my other half, but I expect I'll be borrowing it...
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Make sure there's no emulsion in the rocker box. These E30 325s and 320 sixes had a nasty habit of cracking their cylinder heads, as Martyn the Moderator knows only too well. Also, there are very few straight ones around. What's the history of the car before bruv-in-law bought it?
HJ
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Honest John wrote:
>
> Make sure there's no emulsion in the rocker box. These E30
> 325s and 320 sixes had a nasty habit of cracking their
> cylinder heads, as Martyn the Moderator knows only too well.
Don't I just! So also, apparently, did BMW, because it was the subject of one of their Technical Service Bulletins, so I was told. But it wasn't acknowledged to me at the time. Other than that, though, the 320i was a wonderful little motor.
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I had a good look at it last weekend and the reservoir was full of fairly clean coolant, my brother in law is not in the habit of routine DIY maintenance although has it serviced religiously and often at a lot of expense so likely it hasn't been touched since the last time, he has owned it for at least 5 years if not from new.
On taking the oil filler cap there was no sign of any emulsion, a mate has a 320i and was having a problem with blowing coolant hoses as the head gasket was going and was pressurising the system. When it was fixed you could see where it had gone and it was thought it was due to the car being parked on a slight slope as it had been stood for some time when bought however it was only £200 and although tatty has turned into a real gem. Never been a huge BMW fan until then always preferred SAABS so everyone is quite surprised however I reckon they are pretty good value for money and parts are not too expensive compared with the Subaru's.
Will keep you posted and will have another good look at it tomorrow as replacing a cracked fuel hose!!! which I noticed last weekend.
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Tom SS,
If you decide against it, I would be very interested in buying it seriously !!
Let me know
Marcus
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I didn't think Tom was a girl's name.
If you buy it, be VERY careful as to your choice of CD's.
Village people is a no-no.
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