Is buying a 1988 BMW 325is with 240,000 miles a bad idea?

Question

I mean, the car was a southern vehicle until 160,000 miles, then it was placed away in their garage through the New England winters. Theres no signs of any rust and has more technology than most NEW 2008 vehicles. And its always been maintained by a BMW dealership. I test drove it and it is a blast to drive and everything works fine even going 85 mph on the highway in the rain. the guy said it needs nothing and it very well seems so. What do you think?

Answer 1

I have an 86 325es with probably upwards of 300K miles. Not sure cause the odometer quite at 218K..Only paid 3K and have had it 3 years and it's been rock solid...Get over 30mpg too. It's been a great 2nd car to my big diesel truck. Big savings on gas. So don't be afraid of a high mpg car...Just make sure the basic things that need to have been replaced, have been. And you shouldn't be paying much for the car...If it doesn't seem like a good deal, don't do it.

Answer 2

no its a great idea

Answer 3

even though you test drove it and say it ran fine with 240,000 miles on it you will run into some problems with it but if the body and everything elese seems to be ok and you can afford the repairs it will end up needing then buy it if you like it that much. also take it to a bmw dealer to check it out before you buy it if the seller objects to this then i would not buy it remenber pepole will say anything to sell a used car.

Answer 4

too many miles your going to run into trouble.  Even if its a southern car, engines only run so long.  The interior is going to start falling apart too.  Bmw buttons on the dash seem to get cheap feeling

Answer 5

BMWs are nice cars but require regular and sometimes expensive maintenance. Any car past 200,000 miles is gonna start needing more maintenance and probably new parts (like water pumps and stuff) sooner rather than later. I wouldn't buy it unless you want to potentially invest a lot of money in a car which you won't be able to get back out if you try to sell it.

Answer 6

OK if the price is right and you can do some repairs yourself, at that age lots of little things start to go wrong that can nickel and dime you.

Answer 7

I have a 1986 528e with 260,000 miles on it. I have had to do minor maintenance and replace a few parts on it. the engine still runs very strong and shifts very nice. it will hit 100mph going up hill with no strain on the engine (found that out by accident). and you are right, it does have some features that most cars today don't have. it also doesn't have all of the electronic c**p in it that can go wrong which makes it a very reliable car to drive. If it has no rust and it looks, sounds, and feels to be in good condition, I would definatly go for it.  

Answer 8

ive see nit to many times before, dont buy it. after 200,000 its just a matter of tiem before things go bump in hte night. unless its free steer clear, trust me if they are selling it you are buying sombodys sick monkey. find a car with 80, 000 or less miles

Answer 9

Very ver very bad. My boyfriend is a master tech at bmw and he's always talking about the problems with it. Dont' do it. Buying any car with that many miles is a bad idea

Answer 10

This was a very nice model, but will not be reliable.

Answer 11

well bmws seem to last forever, aslong as its been serviced regularly it should be fine, the e30 is quite a reliable model i prefer it to the newer 1s in my opinion 1 of the best bmws ever made, but mileage like that however is still rediculously high maybe go for an engine re-build??? Good luck!!!