To Buy, Or Not To Buy-92 Touring

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

I checked it out.

Looks okay, paint (red) is so-so, roof is a little oxidized and there is damage to the left rear bumper and body. (bumper shell is cracked and body has a 6x2 inch dent.)

Sun/moon roof is busted closed.

Passenger seat is made of beef jerky.

Motor ran smooth and strong. Looks like it has been worked on. All the hoses and rad looked newer.

A/C is R12 and works

Oil was Dino and the dash is lighting up for an inspection.

Damn… no trans dip stick, and I think is got LAD (big power steering tank)

No OBC, just the temp/time thingy.

Whadda ya think? Is it worth $4,400????

[Rigmaster]

Hard to comment on price Bob, I just bought a similar car for a good bit less- but it was an insider connection- a friend of mine who works at a independent repair shop bought it a couple of months ago from the owner for a song. He did repair quite a few little things on it, and then realized he did not need it and sold it to me for basically what he had in it.

I LOVE my touring, and I've been waiting for one to come available just like the one I bought- cheap and basically solid.

You probably already know the things that can cost you (auto tranny- mostly), pretty much everything else can be replaced or repaired without doing too much damage to the bank account. The double sunroof on my touring is also mostly inop- the front panel seems to work OK, but the rear panel is dead. I have decided to live with it, and just pretend I don't even have a sunroof!! Maybe one of these days I'll dig into it to see how it works and what the problem is, but until then.........

To me it sounds like alot of car for $4k......look around and see what else that kind of money will buy, and you'll probably buy the touring!!! :) If it were me, and the car has been on the market for a while, I'd make him a lowball CASH offer (say $2800-3000) and see what happens. One of my favorite methods for convincing a seller to take my offer is to wave the CASH around and if they balk, ask them "what would you rather have?- this (wave cash) or this (point to car)......." This method seems to be more successful if there is a spouse involved who has been pressuring to sell the car.

Bret.

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

The seller is an independent dealer; his wife did the rear damage, so the car may be a sore thumb.

He did say he is willing to compensate (go down in price because of the damage)

I'll try the cash thing..he’ll probably bite

Any problems with the LAD???

[gtopaul]

I checked it out.

Looks okay, paint (red) is so-so, roof is a little oxidized and there is damage to the left rear bumper and body. (bumper shell is cracked and body has a 6x2 inch dent.)

Sun/moon roof is busted closed.

Passenger seat is made of beef jerky.

Motor ran smooth and strong. Looks like it has been worked on. All the hoses and rad looked newer.

A/C is R12 and works

Oil was Dino and the dash is lighting up for an inspection.

Damn… no trans dip stick, and I think is got LAD (big power steering tank)

No OBC, just the temp/time thingy.

Whadda ya think? Is it worth $4,400????

I bought my 92 a couple of months ago. It has 183k miles on it and had been sitting for a while in a shed. Prior owner bought for his daughter to attent college in. Of course she wanted no part of a "wagon" so PO bought her a VW Cabriolet. He wanted $3800 for it but I quickly pointed out the RF fender had been replaced, the PS leak, and the worn out thrust arms and offered him $3300 and he took it. He had already replaced the low beam headlights, fog lights, front struts, hood shocks, center and rear muffler, and was reluctant to spend any more money on a "old car." He had the car thoroughly detailed before I looked at it and the interior was in very nice condition for being 13 years old. It's got leather and the OBC. Since I've had it I've replaced the two leaking PS hoses, thrust arms and sway bar links, fan clutch, plugs and filters, used M3 steering wheel, converted R12 to R134, cat convertor and 02 sensor (more as a preventive measure than anything wrong), and just ordered a fuel pump to be on the safe side. As usual I always have to tweak what isn't broken and swapped in another DME w/performance chip, added H&R Touring springs, and found a great deal on a set of AZEV wheels off of ebay. I'll probably leave alone for a while now but am considering the shadow line treatment and maybe swapping in a Z3 Business radio with CD player and some window tint. It's always a good idea to find some problems with a car because it gives you a negotiation tool but don't underestimate that the cars are 13 years old and if prior maintenance wasn't up to snuff, it's going to cost some money.

Good luck!

Paul L

http://members.aol.com/gtopaul/private/525008.jpg

[Rigmaster]

The seller is an independent dealer; his wife did the rear damage, so the car may be a sore thumb.

He did say he is willing to compensate (go down in price because of the damage)

I'll try the cash thing..he’ll probably bite

Any problems with the LAD???


Yeah, I sort of skipped over that, didn't I...... :)

Anyway- the car has a pinhole leak in one of the long hoses that goes from the pump to the rear of the car- this was clearly disclosed when I bought the car BTW. I am trying to decide on whether to simply remove the self-levelling or to spring for the new hose, which *should* put me back in business for a while. I have most, if not ALL, of the parts needed to convert to stock rear shocks- I just have to figure out the best way to loop the hose at the pump. I am not willing to shell out ~$400 for the BAS self-levelling elimination "kit"......

The few miles that I have driven the car (due to the $25/liter LAD Hydraulic fluid leaking out when you drive......), It seems to me that the rear is VERY stiff, almost to the point of being bouncy. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like it would ride better with 300# of ballast over the rear suspension...


Bret.

[Rigmaster]

Here's a pic of the "new" touring.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/rigmaster/DSCN0076.jpg

'92 525iT, White with blue "leatherette" interior, dual 'roof, sketchy trans, leaky LAD hose, solid runner other than that.


Bret.

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

I owner came back with $3,500.

So, I said I,ll talk to my wife and get back to you.


What should I do?

Play the game and let the guy stew?

Or

Just pay $3500?

[granit_silber]

I owner came back with $3,500.

So, I said I,ll talk to my wife and get back to you.


What should I do?

Play the game and let the guy stew?

Or

Just pay $3500?
Bob,
why not split the difference. Tell him 3,250 and you'll take it. (if you want it that is)

-ashley

[olsan100]

I just bought a 92 525i with 136,000 miles for $3400. It didn't really have any problems at all. So, I'd calculate how much it will cost you to get the car to where you want it and try to decide if you really want to spend that. Just say the best you can do is 3k and see what he does. If you don't REALLY want it, then you're in a good position.

[olsan100]

Or, just go buy that touring in Boston that someone found on this forum.

[Elekta]

get a 3.0 v8. the touring is already a pig on acceleration, might as well have some highway torque. also, If I were in the market, I wouldn't get touring older than 94 unless I knew it's maintenance history very very well.....

take your time if you are serious. they come around time after time, and if you wait you will find all the options you prefer color etc.

It took me 6 months to find a silber/black with 58k. Dings aint nuttin, maintenance history is evahthang.

t-stars come tomorrow, then m5 bumps a week later, so I will put baskets and bumps up for grabs real soon.

[DanDombrowski]

by bumps, do you mean bumpers or bump stops?

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

put the rear bumper up for sale.

I am going to need a rear bumper shell.

[Elekta]

by bumps, do you mean bumpers or bump stops?

bumper covers, front and rear.

the rear has the cutout for my trailer hitch, so it won't be expensive.

let you all know when I know

[brodee]

To me that car sounds like it's just not in that great of shape. We only gave $5k for ours and everything worked and still works. There were 4 of them for sale in Houston at the time we bought ours so they can be found. I wouldn't give more than about $2500 for that car and even then it sounds like a money pit.

I'd hold off and find a nicer one, but that's just my opinion.

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

This would make the rear bumper fix simple