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Re: Re: ......... (Reply to this comment)
by hawk600rr
The last thing I'd buy is a 10 yr old Ford Escort. I wouldn't buy a Ford in general but an escort is about the crappiest car out there (maybe worse than the vw jetta). I value comfort, acceleration, and safety way too much to stoop to buying an escort.
Oh, and if you look at Consumer reports all of the BMW's 02-present are ranked almost as high as the Honda Accord (which is perfect) and the lexus' (which too are almost perfect).
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Mar 18 '08
12:33 am PDT
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maybe for you... but I'll keep mine thanks (Reply to this comment)
by hawk600rr
Hi, I have a '91 318i and I LOVE it. I think it's a peppy little car that does have some flaws, but what car doesn't? I paid $1,700 for my 318i and it had 190,000 on it when I bought it. It was a ONE OWNER for the last 17 years and I have all maintenance records. With it having such high miles, most of the work that this woman spoke of has already been done and to it and so far so good. There are some similarities with her situation though. The one thing I would get rid of if I could would be the vibration when accelerating through the gears. No matter what gear, it will vibrate from between 2100 rpm to 3200 rpm. I'm not sure what is wrong but it still runs strong (for now) and I can't complain so far. I think for the price I paid though the car is pretty much disposable. Especially since I seem to get at least 30 mpg it's definitely disposable. I am used to getting 11.7 mpg in my beefed up 07 4x4 chevy so this is FANTASTIC! I understand that when things go wrong on a bimmer, things get expensive fast. But if you have a local mechanic that owns a 7 series and helps you out like mine does, it helps take some of the bite out of things. If you have a chance to get a nice 318i for around $1500 I'd say go for it. The gas mileage is great and the car is a blast to drive. Just know that it's a temporary car, not a lifer. Once college is over I think the truck is gonna be gone and I'm gonna get an M3 or something. I love these cars. They're worth the upkeep if you take care of them and know what they've been through before you get a hold of them.
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Mar 18 '08
12:21 am PDT
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Re: ......... (Reply to this comment)
by petersterncan
To Vormancian... You seem to imply that this is just how 10 year old cars are in general. This is just not true.
Not all 10 year old cars are equal. 10 year old BMW's are generally inferior to 10 year old Ford Escorts and 18 year old Hondas... I know that because I've owned Hondas and Fords. Never owned a BMW simply because I've seen what some of my relatives went through which was enough for me.
I do love the sound and torque of the inline six, the shifter (I prefer manual over automatic), the handling and the style... but that doesn't even come close to making up for the problems, overpriced parts, difficult service and the 'it-must-be-something-wrong-with-you-just-shut-up-and-open-your-wallet' attitude. I want a car for me, not my mechanic.
In some cases, even a new BMW isn't equal to a 10 year old Honda... just talk to owners of the 2002 7 series models... or just look at this:
http://www.detnews.com/2002/insiders/0206/11/d01-511572.htm
I can't wait to see what it costs to fix an iDrive-equipped car when those models start gettng older.
I'm betting that the reliability of these idrive-equipped cars will continue to me more traditional "10-year-old-BMW" reliability that will make my 18 year old Honda look like a reliability champion.
If BMW put more emphasis on reliability and easy/reasonable service, and less emphasis on useless gadgetry, I would consider owning one.
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Mar 08 '05
2:49 pm PST
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Re: Regarding The Winter Of Your Discontent (Shakespeare Fan Are You?) (Reply to this comment)
by annecal
I like your way of thought!!
:)
Annie
ps- yup, Shakespeare was my concentration for my BA, and now for my MA!
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Feb 03 '03
10:23 am PST
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Re: ......... (Reply to this comment)
by annecal
I certainly understand your point, and its true that these things happen to cars, and it's normal for things to go wrong. I had the service book showing that the former owner had pretty meticulously maintained the car, and yet everything kept going wrong! The window problems were three fold- a problem with fuses, a problem with the actual switches (I figured out and fixed that one myself), and a problem with the motor that ran the windows....
Anyhow, I bought it because I thought that the multitude of problems I had WOULDN'T happen with an older, but higher end and properly maintained "luxury" car. It wasn't the case, and it's my own naivate to blame, but there have to be others out there like me who would think the same, which is what I'm trying to avoid.
Better to buy a 10 year old american, cheaper car-- at least they're cheap to repair!!
:)
Annie
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Feb 03 '03
10:20 am PST
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Re: At least the M Coupe is cool ... (Reply to this comment)
by annecal
The M Coupe is so very cool. And so very, very fast!! I love his car, and it works like a dream!
:)
Annie
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Feb 03 '03
10:16 am PST
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Re: A few of my own ideas (Reply to this comment)
by annecal
Thanks for your thoughts- especially the glue tips!
I have a brand new Forester, which I absolutely love, so hopefully nothing will need any gluing for quite some time ;)
Annie
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Feb 03 '03
10:14 am PST
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Ouch (Reply to this comment)
by grez
Number of cars in my driveway: 2
Country of Manufacture: United States
Problems (outside of normal wear-and-tear): 0
See? That's what you get for buying one of those damn furrin cars! ;-)
Seriously, it sounds like you got a raw deal...especially on a BMW, which already has a premium price associated with it.
If you're looking for a used car, take a look at two or three year old American or Japanese cars...the major depreciation is already been absorbed by the first owner, and they are more likely to be single-owner vehicles. So long as the car isn't the first year of a new model or redesign, the majority of American and Japanese cars built in the past few years are reliable and feature-heavy, while still avoiding the $5000-$10000 markup to have a little blue and white checkerboard or a propeller like Beemers and Mercedes.
Good luck with the future vehicles...
Mike
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Jan 30 '03
11:40 am PST
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Regarding The Winter Of Your Discontent (Shakespeare Fan Are You?) (Reply to this comment)
by 29th_Candidate
Sounds like a real lemon, anne. My condolences to you on the rough-riding. I'd have this bucket o' bolts sitting in the seller-dealership's parking lot, blocking the flow of commerce, until they fixed it to the standards at which they represented it to you! The rat-bastids!
--29th
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Jan 25 '03
1:24 pm PST
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......... (Reply to this comment)
by Vormancian
It's a very nice review, and certainly puts out your thoughts very well. I have a hard time holding anything against the car itself though.
The original electric problems you mention with the windows and door locks, sound more like a grievance with the shop you had to take it back to 7 times, and told you it was the wrong problem. Things go wrong with cars, and the BMWs of that era are notorious for those sorts of problems as someone else mentioned, still if it had been fixed right to start, it doesn't seem like a major issue.
As for the water pump, water pumps go and that's just it. In a car with that many miles, the water pump is something you have to watch out for, and something that should be routinely replaced whether there is a problem or not. And, also as someone already mentioned, it is something that should have been noticed, by someone at least.
If you admit that you don't know much about cars, and no fault there certainly, then you should get it checked out pretty frequently. If you did and no one noticed the water pump was going, that's their fault, not the cars.
In any case, I can hardly blame the car if no one notices the water pump is going (which will happen on all cars), and it therefore goes and cracks the engine block.
As for the gauges, maybe they weren't working, but it probably wouldn't have mattered much. If the water pump goes completely all of a sudden, you don't have long to stop before you are going to have major problems with the temperature. It won't get hot gradually, it will go to red right now.
And, as that was then $3,000 in repairs, I can't hardly blame the car for your decision to spend that repairing it. You don't spend, or at least let's say that my advice to you is not to spend, half the value of a car repairing it, especially a car that is quite old to begin with. It's just not worth it, you should put that money toward another car.
Clutches, just to round things out, are also things that eventually go on a car.
As I said, it's a really good review, written well, and puts your thoughts out there very well.
After reading it though, it seems like your bottom line would be that if a person buys a ten year old BMW of this model, what they'll get is a ten year old car that will need to be maintained just like any other ten year old car, and if it isn't, various bad things will happen. Not exactly a very disparaging review.
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Jan 25 '03
10:29 am PST
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At least the M Coupe is cool ... (Reply to this comment)
by jstlawrence
... so sorry to hear about your German lemon. I've always liked Bimmers, and my mom bought a 328is around 1997 after I recommended she drive one before purchasing a Camaro (yikes). It's beautiful and great to drive, but has all sorts of bizarre and annoying maintenance issues, from phantom Check Engine lights to bits of the sideskirts and trim falling off at speed, to cracked and peeling leather on the steering wheel and seats. I think some German carmakers feel that if a car is mechanically well crafted, buyers should be willing to pour a lot of time and money into its upkeep, to sort of show their own dedication to the car or something. Give me a Japanese Appliance Car any day. - J.
P.S.
I still want your fiancee's M Coupe.
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Jan 24 '03
6:38 am PST
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Re: I have (Reply to this comment)
by annecal
Adam loves his BMW (a 2000), too! I wouldn't go earlier than '96, though! ;)
Annie
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Jan 23 '03
11:23 am PST
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I have (Reply to this comment)
by jo.com
a 99 323IS and love it. No problems except I don't like the Continental tires. I wish I could trade it in for a new one! jo
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Jan 23 '03
10:32 am PST
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