I am toying with the idea of picking up a '95 325i, 4 door with only
43K miles. Car is near mint and has new tires as of 3 days ago. Used as a short commuting car to and from work, that's about it - hence the low miles. Asking price is 10K firm.
I currently have a '96 Honda Accord so definitely would be upgrading both in luxury and miles, the Honda has 86K.
Anybody willing to chime in...10K a reasonable price? Any reason NOT to pull the trigger on this deal because of unreliability reasons, maintenance costs, nightmare experience with this year etc.
My '94 has interval wipers, but the interval is fixed - not adjustable. This is a really bad reason to pass on the car though.
My '94 325i (M50 motor, E36 chassis) has been the most reliable car I have ever owned, and the most enjoyable to drive. For the most part, I can do the routine service on my own. I have been to the mechanic a couple of times with service requirements beyond the scope of my tools and time constraints, and the underlying causes were not a function of the car or its design but were more a function of my own inattention to what it was telling me. Had I listened to what it was telling me, I could have done some repairs at home and avoided the trip on the flatbed to the mechanic's shop.
From what you have said to this point, my advice is to buy the car.
Thing to check are the radiator inlet and outflow hoses for rotting, and the water pump should be exchanged for a new one that has a metal impeller. The pump and the radiator tanks are made of plastic, and the coolant and the heat tends to rot them. The radiator can suffer a catastrophic failure, and the pump's impeller will deteriorate and the circulation of coolant will be affected.
The original assertion was correct, as regards '95's sold in the US. However, the enterprising used car buyer should know that the euro interval wiper module can be had and installed in said '95 E36 for a paltry sum of US$74 plus shipping!! at:
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