97xray

Okay, does anyone have the skinny on what to look for in this car? My fiancee and I are going to chat with the dealer tonight and I want to know any of the big issues before I sit down.
Background info is:
2000 model, 323i, 2.5 liter 178 horses, yada
43,000 miles (a bit high for a two year old car)
asking $25,000 at the dealer with factory approved BMW warranty deal (though I don't know for how long).

*Michael.*

Wow, here in Germany you can get a NEW US spec '02 325 for $24k. But that doesn't help you much does it..

jim968

I was casually looking at a '98 328i on a local lot with 58K, sport package, sunroof, & full leather for an asking price of $27,200, if this gives you any reference at all.

This particular car came recommended by my mechanic, so I assume there was nothing wrong with it, but I never even drove it. I think he wanted me to buy it so I'd sell it to him in a few years... I do know that some older BMW's I've seen had some structural rust issues, but that'd only be an issue if you plan to keep it for a long time.

Jim, "If you can read this, I've lost my trailer!"

MadMax

Here's some info for you. The "Factory Warranty" on a new 2000 BMW was for 4 years or 50K so unless they are giving you some kind of 'extended' warranty, they aren't doing you any favors. 43K is a bunch of miles for a 2 year old car. If it is a "certifed pre-owned" BMW then it will have a special 2 year/50k limited warranty from BMW that picks up when the 4yr/50K factory new car warranty runs out. Check out <a href="http://www.bmw.com" target="_blank">www.bmw.com</a> to read about the pre-owned warranty.

Also, just do a search on bmw 3 series and you will find some consumer reviews of the car. I do not believe there is anything special to look for when buying a pre-owned BMW. At least nothing other than the things you would look at with any other pre-owned car. Good luck.

Max

97xray

Thanks guys!
I searched Saturday for customer reviews and test-drive results. Not too bad for a 2.5 liter engine... it reminds me of another 2.5liter engine. Geees I can't remember which.

Sean

I would shop around a bit and haggle mercilessly.

I own a 1998 328i. My girlfriend owns a 1998 328i cabriolet. My mom owns a 2000 323i (like the one you are considering).

These are solid, well built cars.

My car is a manual transmission, and it has the most rapid acceleration of the bunch. It certainly feels more torquey than its 190 HP would indicate. If you go with automatic transmission you will naturally sacrifice some performance for comfort. There's no substitute for being able to MANUALLY choose your gear.

In that price range ($25k) you might look around a bit for a 1998 328. BMW's hold their value amazingly well. But my girlfriend recently got a steal on her car - $23,500 for a 1998 328ic with only 30,000 miles! It was an outstanding find. She can probably drive the car for a couple of years and sell it for more than she paid.

Beware the 2001 3-series - BMW experimented with lightening the power steering by providing more boost. The cars thus lost some of the old telepathic BMW steering feel. This is my major complaint about the new BMWs. Make sure that the steering has not been overly lightened, as you will lose a lot of road feel. Your girlfriend might not ever notice, but any driving enthusiast will. (Note that I've heard that BMW corrected this problem in the 2002's, although at least one Edmunds.com editor feels that the steering is still not back to where it should be.)