1989 Bimmer good idea?

May 8, 2010 9:43 AM

1989 BMW 3 Series Coupe for under 3 grand. Good deal?

I really like the shape of this car, and have imagined it would be a joy to drive. It has 279 000 kilometres on it.

If not this, what would be the best BMW for under 5 or 6 grand out there? Variables in order of importance:

– cheap maintenance
– leather seats

posted by fantasticninety to Grab Bag (6 answers total)

What do the maintenance records look like? Have you test-driven it, or had a mechanic check it out?

I'm no expert, but I'm not sure that there's a lot of overlap between 'twenty-year-old BMW' and 'cheap maintenance.'
posted by box at 9:54 AM on May 8, 2010

E30 BMW 3-series are pretty solidly built cars and are relatively cheap to maintain (due in large part to BMW's "Mobile Traditions" department, which continues to produce new parts for its old models). Many of them were also very fun to drive.

We'll need a lot more info before we can tell you if a specific car is a good deal, though. What's the model? Where are you located?
posted by saladin at 10:09 AM on May 8, 2010

My family has owned a 1990 325i for almost a decade. They bought it when I was 17 and I drove it absolutely everywhere until I moved out. My younger sister still drives it daily. It is very fun to drive, and I love that little car. However, it has developed typical old car problems and we probably would have sold it years ago if my father wasn't an auto mechanic by trade. It is also high mileage and likely doesn't have too many years left in it without a complete overhaul. Anecdotally, up until a few years ago, I'd still see tons of these little Bimmers ripping around my city. Now, they're rare to see.

I checked the Kelley Blue Book and it seems that $3000 might be a bit steep, but like saladin said it would depend on your exact area and the model and trim. If I were you, with a 5-6 grand budget, I'd look for a newer 3 series. But the E30's do have their own unique charm and have retained quite a following. There are a bunch of E30 forums on the net, and many BMW forums have E30-specific sections. This forum has a Buyer's Guide tailored specifically to this generation of 3 series Bimmers. If you've found one in really great shape and are willing to do some regular maintenance, it could be true love!
posted by keep it under cover at 10:37 AM on May 8, 2010

Response by poster: It's a 318is. Here's a link to the car itself (I hope that's allowed by metafilter).
posted by fantasticninety at 11:44 AM on May 8, 2010

Interesting. The E30 318 cars used BMW's legendary M10 4-cylinder motor (excepting one model year; more on that later). It's a sturdy powerplant, but is relatively low on power and sophistication. Parts for them are dirt cheap, so maintenance will be a breeze, but especially if you're looking for a fun to drive car, this one is going to be a bit underpowered. I'd recommend either looking for a 325is from the same vintage (which has the much peppier 2.5 liter straight six) OR looking for a 1991 318is. In that model year only, BMW shipped the 318is with a brand-new, state-of-the-art M42 twin-cam 4-cylinder engine (which they used in their 4-cylinder E36 models). This motor has more horsepower and better gas mileage than the M10, and will make for much more driving fun.

In short, I'd pass on this one and keep hunting for a more desirable model in the same price range. There are plenty of them out there, you just need to keep looking.
posted by saladin at 11:49 AM on May 8, 2010

If cheap maintenance on a 20 year old vehicle with 280,000 kilometers is important you need to know how to do the work yourself or be willing to learn. Most routine maintenance and upkeep is readily achievable by the average person. Pick up a Haynes or Chilton manual for your car and with basic tools you'll be on your way to replacing brakes, shocks, water pumps, and so on. Advanced mechanical work is still achievable but requires access to things like engine hoists.

The exception is body work. Body work is time consuming and requires a significant investment in tools like a heavy duty air compressor, air tools, and a welder. And there's a pretty steep learning curve. Given your climate I would look very closely for rust, particularly low on the body panels and around the wheelwells. Take a fridge magnet and you can check to see if the steel is still there or there's a bunch of bondo covering rust (magnet won't stick to bondo). Having been down that road I'd take a car that needed a new engine and transmission with a straight body over one that needed body work of any significance but had a good running train.

Will this be your only car that you need for daily transportation? I ask because 20 years is approaching the age where a car is either a beater you drive into the ground or a second car that you restore as a hobby and maintain as a labor of love, but not one you drive every day.
posted by 6550 at 1:55 PM on May 8, 2010