2002 325i manual 125K miles, potential problems?

Plug the stuff you know about the car into

and see what others are selling similar cars for in your area. I think your pricing is pretty good, if maybe a bit on the low side.

You are NOT going to get the best price at the dealership, but you will get a little bit of after-sales support for the extra money they want you to pay.

Think about this, an '02 is going to be eight years old, so divide 125k by 8 and notice the car has averaged about 15,700 per year. That's a bit on the high side for all states exce[t California. Actually, it is about 4,000 miles high in all states, and about 1000 miles high in Calif., give or take.

Blue Book dealer's asking price is around $9,000 in excellent condition so your estimate is certainly reasonable. I'd try to ascertain the service history - especially the replacement of plugs & O2 sensors called for at

100,000. Does the car still have the OEM radiator? When were front control arm bushings last replaced? And has the rear sub-frame been checked?

Tom

"tom_k" wrote

Good set of questions to ask right there.

As for the price, I've always found KBB prices to be on the high side. Edmunds TMV is more realistic, at least in my experience. They show dealer retail of $7,900 for this car in clean condition, in my area. $6,700 for private party sale.

Regards, Pete

Kelley and Edmunds are used mainly by *used* car dealers, because they inflate prices quite a bit and so the dealer can offer "more" for a mark's trade-in, and the mark thinks he's getting a good deal and doesn't pay so much attention to the "price" he's paying for the car he's buying.

Of course, you should do the math and derive the net cost to you for any car deal - regardless of what numbers are attached to the car you're buying and the value of your trade-in. It's really only the difference in price, ergo what you have to pay, that matters.

The NADA guide is much better for figuring the actual value of a particular vehicle.