HELP thinking of purchasing a 320i BMW (year 2002) with 194,000 km's on it

kms...what country are you in?

$15,000 for a used car is a lot of $$$!!

If you really want that car, I guess it should get it. I'd suggest using the $15,000 on a good NEW honda/toyota/subaru or acura/lexus/ infiniti if you want luxury. German cars (bmw, mercedes, audi) have too many reliability problems with the electrical systems. I'd never pay $15k for a used car with 194k kms on it.

Hi-

I failed to mention that the price, $15,000 is in Canadian dollars (I live in BC).

194,000Kms is high for a 2002 - i was in the same position with budget restricting me from going up to a post-2000 325/330, but was able to get a mint 2001 320i for NZ$19K (about $14000 US), 84,000Kms on the clock. i've had it for three months without issue. if its that high Km, that price is way high, i'd shop around more but that's just my opinion.

Yeah, there's a REAL wide selection of NEW cars from those brands for $15k. ESPECIALLY Acure/Lexus/Infiniti.

Idiot.

the $15k is plenty of money for a honda/toyota or suburu - you moron! Please get a local newspaper and READ IT! For luxury, $15k is a great deposit. If you can't figure that out, you're dumber than you look.

Wrong, idiot.

No need, idiot.

Well, before buying a used bmw you should try to compare many different ones, don't just stop at the first you see. A 320 is not very rare so probably you can find better ones. Contrary to what people think, 200.000km is way below what a car can do, so if it needs expensive repairs it is not because of the mileage but because of something else (mileage much higher than declared, crashed vehicle, or pure hard luck). I had a 130000km 520i which was 15 years old and still running just fine (just a worn out water pump, not so expensive). Probably the best bet for 15k$ is a '00 car with fewer kms, if you plan to use it for a long long time.

This is a nice car, but is past the half-way point on its life journey (194k is way too high mileage for the price and vice versa). If the service records show that the oil, transmission fluid, air filters, a/ c, alternator, radiator (and/or coolant), spark plugs, ignition wiring, and battery have all been changed or repaired during these 194 kms, then I think it won't give you any major headaches. But, I think you could definitely find a better deal than this. Or haggle down to about 9000 to 10500 for this car.

That's only 121K MILES so its not too OTT. Probably give in the UK about 10K GB pounds for it but US prices are lower

5 year old 320i with 120k miles - 10k? Surely not.

Guy next door to me just paid 6500 for a 1999 520

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to try to help me out on this purchase. Unfortunately by the time I obtained the service history on the vehicle (had to do some digging as it was serviced at a different dealership) the vehicle was sold. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be. So I will take all the advice I've been given and keep looking for a similar car with lower mileage. Consumer Reports recommends the year 2001 and on for the 3 series BMW...which is why it's been difficult for me to find one within my price range. I'll keep looking and may post again at a later time if I find another one in my price range. Thanks again.

Sounds expensive as well.

Pay your money and take your choice - he's happy.