Hello...I am thinking of purchasing a 1989 325 conv. The car has about 75 ,000 miles on it and appears to be in decent shape. I have a 2002 mercedes e320 wich is my daily driver. This car would just be a summer cruiser; as i live at the jersey shore. Any opinions and comments on the
89 325 conv would be greatly appreciated. Charles- Monmouth County NJ.-- Message posted using
The mileage is low enough that the engine and drivetrain should not give you any problems, provided they have been maintained. Your problems will be with the age of things. You can expect 18 years to take a toll on anything rubber, many things plastic, and even cloth and leather. Be prepared for the expense of replacing such things.
I owned two E30 BMWs, and the '91 325i was by far the best and most reliable car I ever had.
Bob
I have an 1989 325 convertible that I have owned for 4 years. It is a great car. It has been so tremendous that I have considered selling my primary driver (2000 323i) and just driving the E30.
Check to see when the last time the cam belt was changed. I think there supposed to be changed about every 4 years or 50,000 miles. Don't forget to change it. If it breaks, trashes out very expensive engine pieces.
I understand that the power tops of these cars are expensive to fix also. Mine is manual, and I've never had any trouble.
Oh and the best part: The sound of the engine / exhaust of these engines can only be bettered by one that has 12 cylinders.
Have fun with a great car.
I have a 1988, bought it maybe four years ago and it has been a lot of fun.
Another thing you need to check is the head bolts, which were probably replaced as part of a recall. Remove the oil filler cap and look in inside the valve cover, I think down and to the right. You will see one of the head bolts and the new ones have a head that looks like the tip of a large torx screwdriver. If you have the old standard head bolts, they need to be replaced.
That said, unless you have a garage, nice set of tools, some patience, and are a good at working on cars, you could end up spending a lot on minor repairs. This is mainly due to the age of the car, as someone else said the belts and hoses and anything else rubber will probably need to be replaced soon. I've also had some minor electrical problems in the past which were tough to track down with the numerous relays.
Sometimes when working on my car I have thought there was some Rube Goldberg engineering involved. The germans couldn't do anything the easy way. Then again, when it is running properly it is a really good ride.
Christopher
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