Re: Questions about 325i purchase (archive)

: I'm looking into buying a used 325i. Today I looked at one that's an '89 with 97k miles on it. The guy who's selling it said that the ac doesn't work, that the sunroof needs a new handle, and that it needs a new heating core (@ $400 apparently). The outside was in excellent condition except a few scratches here and there. The car drove beautifully. The problems he mentioned seemed fairly easy to fix (maybe I'm wrong about that?), but one thing that did concern me was that there was some rust on the body, under the bumper, near the muffler. I have two questions: Is that rust something I should be terribly concerned about? And, if not (ie if the rust isn't a deal-breaker and I were to make an offer on the car), what would be a fair price? He's asking $6000, but is anxious to sell.
: Thanks for your help!
: Francis Kelly
: fkelly@sirius.com

Sun roof handle...no biggie. A/C not working...could be expensive if you need a compressor....no big deal if you don't like A/C, don't fix it, but knock $600 off his asking price.
Heater core, who cares if you live in Arizona or someplace close...but kind of a pain to fix... and not cool if it's leaking on your carpet...knock another $600 off his price. Rust in one spot? I'd check real carefully for other spots as well. Rust can be body worked, but it's never as good as orignal and bondo has a tendency to actually cause rust after time. Assuming it's only the one rust spot and the rest of the car is in good shape ( besides what you mentioned ) I'd offer him about $5,000 or the whole $6,000 if he has all the problems fixed.

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