94 BMW 316i high mileage

[driveon]

I’m thinking of buying a 1994 BMW 316i coupe, she looks in excellent condition but mileage is very high 175k.

Any advice???

[Truckosaurus]

It had better be cheap

Buy on condition not mileage.

If it's been maintained properly for the last ten years then there's no reason why it shouldn't run for another 75k miles without any major trouble.

Most people will be scared off by the mileage, so it might be worth making an offensively low offer on it.

With BMW 3-series being one of the most common cars on the road, there should be plenty out there (including many with better engines), if this one turns out to be a dog.

[graham bahr]

having worked on zillions of them, the mileage wouldn't worry me, nothing serious tends to go wrong and most of the more minor problems that tend to crop up will of all been done by now.

if its an early M40 engine with a cam belt ( distributor cap on front end of head) make sure the belts been changed recently, cam belt tenson on these is very important either too loose or slightly tight (most mechanics over tighten them) and they will break early at less than 20K old, even done correctly dont trust a cambelt with more than 30K on it anyway.

also if its an M40 road test it and redline it, if it appears to have a rev limiter lower than the redline on the tach the cam and followers will be shot.

later chain driven M43 engines dont suffer from either of the above complaints, but do tend to eat head gaskest more often, they blow at the rear of the head, but a professional can change one in a couple of hours so its not too expensive a job.

[driveon]

thanks lads!! he is looking for €4400 i'll get it for bout €4000 i'd say, there are all making about €5000 over here( ireland that is!) with lower mileage. 3 series not as easy to get here!

[robert schoeffe]

hi not shore how this works new today i realy need some advice about my 1994 316i as mush as i like my car its the power that is boreing and someone toid me that if i put a performance mod it will give me littie more power but i need to if my bmw has a air intake sensor on wood you mate or do you no anyone that couid help me thanks

[Truckosaurus]

Ahoy Robert!

Welcome to 10/10ths.

If it were me, I'd not bother too much in trying to make your 316 faster as you'd never get huge amounts of extra power without huge expenditure.

Depending on what your insurers say, maybe get a decent exhaust as that will make the car sound faster and maybe look at some suspension mods as the 3-series is a decent handling car.

There is an http://www.e36coupe.com website that should give some more ideas.

Finally, if you really want to go faster, the cheapest upgrade would be to sell your current car and buy a 328i

[Doyler]

Im looking at a BMW 3 series between 1995 and 1999, it will either be a 316 or a 318. Milage is close to 100k. Anything I should look out for when test driving and looking over it?

[bella]

i'd drop the petrol and recommend a diesel, especially the 320d - it's cheaper to run and it'll last longer too.
erm, apart from that, completely useless sorry :/

[Doyler]

Thanks
A DIESEL......!!! i need to be a bit quicker off the mark!

[Woolley]

I've had a '95 316 for 8 years, about 140K on the clock, and it's fine - just the usual servicing (done by someone rather cheaper than BMW)! Check rear suspension bushes, but apart from that I can't think of anything that's caused me trouble.

[bella]

common misconception about diesels is that they're slow. less hp than the 325 model usually, but they've got quite a bit much more torque.

if you're after being quick off the mark, don't get a 316. i had one, and it was fine for cruising, but burning people off at the lights? make sure you get a jump start they'll last forever though, as woolley will agree!

i agree about the suspension bushes, they're coming loose on mine after 80k, so it's definitely worth checking.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Doyler

i need to be a bit quicker off the mark!

Why are you considering a 316 or 318 then? Those numbers are just too small!

bella talks sense. 1999 vintage here:
Model 0-60s
316i 12.4s (do you get anywhere in time? )
318i 10.4s
320d 9.9s

[SALEEN S7R]

Are you definately set on getting a BMW? If not Toyota and Nissan have a lot of good cars around the kind of price range you mentioned, personally id recommend at looking closely at a MK2 Toyota MR2 turbo, very fast mid engined sportscar and not much will touch it in the twisties. 0-60 in around 5.5 seconds, other than that id suggest a Nissan 300zx. Very underrated car, officially it has 280bhp, unoffically however its about 300bhp and being a 3.0ltr twin turbo it has lots of torque, oh and its petrol. Only down side is that both cars tend to be a bit thirsty on fuel, the MR2 averages about 30mpg from what ive been told and the 300zx is around 22mpg.

[Doyler]

Thanks everyone. That's interesting about the 320d being the quickest to 60, I will be considering one of them now also. About the MR2 or 300zx, great cars but I can't see my insurance company agreeing with me! That is what's restricting me to looking at 316 or 318s, and now 320ds. Mainly I'm happy that the BMWs cope well with high milage, thanks for your thoughts and opinions.

[bella]

i give my 320d the mother and father of all thrashings sometimes, and it still returns 40mpg. i did an average of 96mph (it was germany, it was legal!), and still got in the 50mpg region. they're absolutely bulletproof and have a very good top speed (135 and counting). i'd not have a petrol bmw after owning this diesel. it's brilliant. plus the next one up, the 330d is apparently even better, so that's next on my list! diesel prices are a little high at the moment, but you can still return 600 miles from a £60 tank here, so it's still far more acceptable than a petrol car. plus you can get it chipped and make a good extra 10 or so hp without impacting the engine life

as for wear and tear at 80-odd thousand miles, it's sounding a bit ropey and some parts of the suspension and so forth need replacing. still handles above and beyond though, so it's pretty darn good.

(can you tell i love my car? )

[Doyler]

Originally Posted by bella

i give my 320d the mother and father of all thrashings sometimes

sometimes....

[bella]

if i don't, i get an extra 50-100 miles per tank. that's £5-10 per £60 i feed the little blighter. do the maths as to why i stick to a ladylike 80mph

[luke]

I think Bella must work for BMW, tests the latest beamers from Munich, then comes on here and tells us how great they are.

[bella]

if i did, do you think i'd be driving a 4 year old very smokey diesel compact when there's a 330d i REALLY want to get my hands on and to tune the living daylights out of?

[Doyler]

well, you did say you loved your car...

[Doyler]

Me again...I'm considering my options still. Does anyone have any thoughts on 5 to 6 year old Ford Focus 1.6 or 1.8zetecs??? Are they troublesome at all & do they cope well over the 80k milage mark?

[SALEEN S7R]

Regarding insurance, im 24 and have 1 years no claims. My 3.0ltr turbo group 17 Supra is my first car. You should be able to get insurance on a similar kind of car. Just dont ask for fully comp. My insurance is £79 a month, 3rd party only.

As for the Zetecs, dont know a lot about them but from what ive heard they are pretty good.

[Doyler]

its a bit different in Ireland. Insurance is a rip off here, my first car was a 1.0 Nissan Micra and the ****ers still charged me €1500 p.a. If i went up as high as a 3.0 they would probably just refuse me insurance completely.

[Alund89]

So I'm looking for a new car..
and I've always loved BMW's..
never had one.. but now I'm making some money
so I've been looking and I found a 94 325l
It's nice looking.
But I'm not sure if I should get it or not, because of the high miles.
It's been very well maintained;

208,000 highway miles (daily driver, 35 miles one way to work)
Owned for 3 years, no major problems ever
Adult driven
Dealer maintained
Only premium fuel and synthentic oil with BMW oil filter used.
it's priced at $3,700
would it be a good idea, or would i just be setting myself up for hell?