she loves taking the jeep to work during the week... I never take it to work b/c the parking lot here is brutal...

Long story short we live together and use the jeep for play... and 2 other cars for commuters... well her commuter doesnt seem to commute much anymore if you catch my drift...!!

She loves BMW's but doesnt want a expensive one... just a clean one for back and forth to work... if she gets a beamer the jeep stays at home when she goes to work :)

So I am thinking about buying her a used 1997-1999 bmw m3 for xmas....

she loves that old body look and i think it would be great to get a hold of one b/c at that year I am sure they hold there value pretty well

I found one that Ive been keeping an eye out on lately...

BUT... its has 175k on the odometer.. shes clean as can be... but for about 5 grand it may be the ideal work car

apparently its all mechanically sound... smooth tranny... no leaks... etc..ofcourse I will have it checked out

Does anyone know or have prior experience with an older beamer with this high mileage?

Should i steer clear of it b/c of the mileage? I do not know much about beamers.. wanted to ask you guys before I go to a bmw forum

Thanks

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm56/rumplemenz/0001208.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm56/rumplemenz/0001205.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm56/rumplemenz/0001204.jpg

BMW is very expensive to maintain...service etc. 175K is a lot of miles...but it looks very clean and very well taken care of.

wow for 175k miles that is one clean engine, cleaner then my jeep and i only have 10k miles HA

Clean car but way too many miles. Those aren't the correct wheels either. Nice car though.

The wheels look staggered. And what's up with the strut mount?

And what's up with the strut mount?

The trim cap is missing.

wow that alot of 175k try to get 1 with 100 or less

Thats a really clean M3, but 175K miles is high.

dont let her drive the beast only if u get laid by here after she drives it

just go big and buy her the new m3 only like 64k pocket change haha jk

The car looks good, but 5K is too much to spend on a car that has 175K unless it was completely overhauled.
Not to mention who knows what problems you'll encounter and how expenesive they will be to fix. It's not that difficult to make the engine look that clean with some good engine detailers. I once bought a Porsche 944 based on it's appearance alone. The exterior, interior and engine where immaculate. The car had 83K mikes but about a month after owning it I was in for a new tranny, power steering pump, cv joints, front end components, and the list goes on. Needless to say I did'nt hold on to her too long. Just be careful.

Break up with her and kick her out problem solved.haha bmw's are known for there electrical problems sensors which are not cheap. That's the reason I got rid of my X5.

BMW is very expensive to maintain...service etc. 175K is a lot of miles...but it looks very clean and very well taken care of.

they can be expensive in general, however what i have seen in many cases (from friends owning BMW) is that they have searched their area for a reputable BMW sevice tech, not one thru a dealership. I know it may take some work finding one you can trust, but when you do you actually can save mucho dinero, not to mention, get great service and honest opinions...may want to consider this especially if you're going to be purchasing an older BMW that uyou want to keep in tip top shape.

are you buying it from a private seller? or from a dealer? either always check and see if there is any records of the maintenance that was performed.

BMW with 175K miles = 5K
Repair bills of BMW w/ 175K miles = more money than a BMW w/ 50K would cost.

If you are going to buy high mile cars make sure its a Toyota or Honda or you will regret it! (some american cars will hold up with high miles but my experience with high mile US cars is not good) Even a Japanese car with that high of miles is not a safe choice.

This is my area of expertise....I had a 95 M3 and a 99 M3. I have to agree with everyone, 175K is high, but you can still get some good mileage out of it IF certain things were replaced. One major thing is the cooling system. In the E36's, the cooling system needs to be replaced between 100K-125K. Did they do this? What about the suspension? Was that replaced at any point in time? 5K for it isn't bad. I had 120K on my 95 and 135K on my 99 and they were both perfect. If you don't know how to work on BMW's, then I would say stay away from such a high mileage car. Because the boys are right, if you pay people to fix it all the time, it will cost A LOT of money in the end. I would try and find an E36 M3 around 115K instead. But like I said, the replacement of the cooling system is a BIG factor. You can PM me if you have anymore questions. My life was all about E36 M3's for the past 6 years, so I can answer any of your questions. Good luck!

Why an M3? Unless she's hooked on them, you could probably get a much better car for the same money if it wasn't an M. Look for an older, next gen 3 series. Most gals aren't that hung up on performance, and she'll hate anything that isn't reliable. So will you.

my bmw 740il sport is and 01 i had to change cam sensor which were easy it in front of the motor change the colling system radiator and expansion thank with new hoses and belts it was a very easy change.

This is my area of expertise....I had a 95 M3 and a 99 M3. I have to agree with everyone, 175K is high, but you can still get some good mileage out of it IF certain things were replaced. One major thing is the cooling system. In the E36's, the cooling system needs to be replaced between 100K-125K. Did they do this? What about the suspension? Was that replaced at any point in time? 5K for it isn't bad. I had 120K on my 95 and 135K on my 99 and they were both perfect. If you don't know how to work on BMW's, then I would say stay away from such a high mileage car. Because the boys are right, if you pay people to fix it all the time, it will cost A LOT of money in the end. I would try and find an E36 M3 around 115K instead. But like I said, the replacement of the cooling system is a BIG factor. You can PM me if you have anymore questions. My life was all about E36 M3's for the past 6 years, so I can answer any of your questions. Good luck!

BMW+hot chicks= :pinklove::pinklove:

hehehe! Hey Tamara! sounds like you know your Bimmers:p

BMW with 175K miles = 5K
Repair bills of BMW w/ 175K miles = more money than a BMW w/ 50K would cost.

If you are going to buy high mile cars make sure its a Toyota or Honda or you will regret it! (some american cars will hold up with high miles but my experience with high mile US cars is not good) Even a Japanese car with that high of miles is not a safe choice.

I have experienced this phanomina personally. It wasn't an M3, but it couldn't have been said better.

Why an M3? Unless she's hooked on them, you could probably get a much better car for the same money if it wasn't an M. Look for an older, next gen 3 series. Most gals aren't that hung up on performance, and she'll hate anything that isn't reliable. So will you.

You are so right... did alot of research on it and you guys are dead on... not something I should get myself into.. plus I dont work on bimmers at all...

aborting idea! thanks for the heads up guys... I am leaning towards a 2003-2004 325 sedan... much more her style and less headaches for both of us

BMW+hot chicks= :pinklove::pinklove:

hehehe! Hey Tamara! sounds like you know your Bimmers:p

Haha, ya...Been dealing with them for the past 8 years....Especially the E36 M3. Definitely my favorite car of all time. I'm going to be getting one again as soon as I have the money for it! :D

My buddy has run a few of the E36s (2 with over 100k and 1 with 50k miles) and has dropped enough money in all 3 of them in mainenance to buy at least a brand new E46.

Speaking of E46s, you should pick one up in leguna seca blue!

http://lotuseliseblog.com/images/BMW/M3_10.jpg

This is my area of expertise....I had a 95 M3 and a 99 M3. I have to agree with everyone, 175K is high, but you can still get some good mileage out of it IF certain things were replaced. One major thing is the cooling system. In the E36's, the cooling system needs to be replaced between 100K-125K. Did they do this? What about the suspension? Was that replaced at any point in time? 5K for it isn't bad. I had 120K on my 95 and 135K on my 99 and they were both perfect. If you don't know how to work on BMW's, then I would say stay away from such a high mileage car. Because the boys are right, if you pay people to fix it all the time, it will cost A LOT of money in the end. I would try and find an E36 M3 around 115K instead. But like I said, the replacement of the cooling system is a BIG factor. You can PM me if you have anymore questions. My life was all about E36 M3's for the past 6 years, so I can answer any of your questions. Good luck!

thanks..!

funny thing I thought you and other would get a kick out of...

i also generated a thread on the bmw m3 forum abt giving the e36 m3 props on how it still looks hot and about my idea of buying one etc....

I have to say I got so much more insight and info etc from this forum.... there is about 40 posts on my topic on the m3 site and the topic has totally been lost... turned into everyone just showing how clean theres is compared to the clean one that I posted.... lol...

i didnt get many answers to my idea thats for sure... ha...

anyway.. im steering clear of it and if I go the bmw route i willl stick with a 325 and keep it simple

thanks..!

funny thing I thought you and other would get a kick out of...

i also generated a thread on the bmw m3 forum abt giving the e36 m3 props on how it still looks hot and about my idea of buying one etc....

I have to say I got so much more insight and info etc from this forum.... there is about 40 posts on my topic on the m3 site and the topic has totally been lost... turned into everyone just showing how clean theres is compared to the clean one that I posted.... lol...

i didnt get many answers to my idea thats for sure... ha...

anyway.. im steering clear of it and if I go the bmw route i willl stick with a 325 and keep it simple

Ha! That is the forum I used to be on. It used to be really cool with alot of awesome people who really knew their stuff. But now it's a bunch of kids who think they are bad azz because they bought an M3. If you go into WAY older posts from like last year and earlier, they is alot of informative stuff on there. But ya, I would stay away from posting there. Just use it for research. ;)

Ha! That is the forum I used to be on. It used to be really cool with alot of awesome people who really knew their stuff. But now it's a bunch of kids who think they are bad azz because they bought an M3. If you go into WAY older posts from like last year and earlier, they is alot of informative stuff on there. But ya, I would stay away from posting there. Just use it for research. ;)

I really hope we are not saying that about our forum in a few years. With the resale dropping on our rigs, it could happen.