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Buying my friend's used BMW?

M

marchellobb

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 21, 2009
82
0
Hey guys.

I'm 18 years old, and just recently got the right to drive! I am aware that BMW's are high class cars that require expensive maintenance, insurance and gas fees, but i'm aware of that.

My friend lost his drivers' liscence this summer, and he said he'd be willing to sell me his car. It's a 1989 3 or 5 series car, automatic with only 110 000 killometers (not miles). He would sell it for 1200$, which is the price he paid for a few repairs on it just a few months ago.

All that's missing on the car is a front bumper, but i'm guessing a couple hundred bucks to get that back to shape.

What do you think guys?

PICT0235_JPG.jpg
 
Guys xD

He's not really one of my good friends, I just saw him a few time and i talk to him like once a month on msn. :p
 
take it to a mechanic to have a look over. It could be in great shape, it could be a very large paperweight. We have no idea.
 
marchellobb said:
Guys xD

He's not really one of my good friends, I just saw him a few time and i talk to him like once a month on msn. :p
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It seems you just want someone to agree with you to purchase. Everyone here has said no, but if you still want to do it, go ahead, rather than hanging around waiting for agreement. :)
 
That doesn't look like a 5 series. Only the 3, 6 and 8 came in two-door style.
 
Yeah, the car you pictured is an E30 3-series. I'd learn about what you're looking at before you make any decisions.
 
marchellobb said:
He would sell it for 1200$, which is the price he paid for a few repairs on it just a few months ago.
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Sounds more like a $1200 subscription to me.

Seriously, if he just paid that much in repairs not to long ago, you need to expect that you'll be paying just as much on a regular basis. Don't look at the purchase price of a vehicle; look at the annual cost of ownership.
 
marchellobb said:
It's a 1989
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Pretty old. Are repair parts readily available?

marchellobb said:
He would sell it for 1200$, which is the price he paid for a few repairs on it just a few months ago.
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Sounds like you may be paying a lot more in the future maintenance wise.

marchellobb said:
All that's missing on the car is a front bumper, but i'm guessing a couple hundred bucks to get that back to shape.
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Why is the bumper missing? Accident?

marchellobb said:
What do you think guys?
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It's 20 years old, has maintenance issues and is an expensive car to boot.

Bad idea.

Also, as others have said, never buy from a friend, or a friend of a friend if you want to maintain that friendship.
 
Y'all don't know what you're talking about.

Buy it. That's a great price if it runs well. That's an E30 3-series, not a 5 series. Insurance will be cheap as anything else... full coverage on my M3 is $110 a month ($650/6 months)
 
taylorwilsdon said:
Y'all don't know what you're talking about.

Buy it. That's a great price if it runs well. That's an E30 3-series, not a 5 series. Insurance will be cheap as anything else... full coverage on my M3 is $110 a month ($650/6 months)
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Reading fail? :confused:

The picture provided isn't the car he would be buying and no one knows if it runs well, not even the OP.
 
just get a cheap honda.
more reliable and cheaper to fix/insure/etc.
don't waste your money.
and don't even think "but its a bimmer it's cooler'.... it's a '89 - it is no longer cool OR luxury.
 
seven7seven said:
just get a cheap honda.
more reliable and cheaper to fix/insure/etc.
don't waste your money.
and don't even think "but its a bimmer it's cooler'.... it's a '89 - it is no longer cool OR luxury.
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+1

You can get a lot better for that money. Granted they wont be BMWs, but that thing is so old it's not worth flashing about.
 
taylorwilsdon said:
Y'all don't know what you're talking about.

Buy it. That's a great price if it runs well. That's an E30 3-series, not a 5 series. Insurance will be cheap as anything else... full coverage on my M3 is $110 a month ($650/6 months)
Click to expand...

Insurance was that cheap? I priced out a old 3 when I was looking for a car three years ago and insurance was through the roof. New York is expensive all the way around... :( :mad:
 
Just know this...If he spent that on repairs recently, expect to pay that amount for repairs again in the near future.

Know before going into this that, it may seem like a good deal...but make sure to keep the friendship aspect out of it. That way, when something does go wrong down the road and you have to shell out the cash to fix it...your friendship doesn't go sour.

Never do business with friends or family for that matter...it NEVER works out.
 
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