BMW buying advice!

[infinity5]

There's a 89 325i 5speed MT for sale down the street *is in love*. its got 182K miles on it. it looks in great condition for its age, good paint, maybe a ding or two, no scratches, i didn't notice rust. It has brand new tires and a new battery. the interior looked fair to good and was cloth.

The guy wants 1.5k and i was thinking with a little help from this board i could argue him down.

The sticker in the window says the AC 'needs to be recharged and checked for leaks' so.. i assume it doesnt work. the tacometer also doesn't work, it says 'works occasionally.' It says it 'needs a tune up and possibly a sensor' as well as having an oil leak comming from the oil pan gasket. the tune up part is alittle scary.. because its probably idling poorly or driving bad and it could be a lot worse than just a tune up.

what do you guys think? I'd love it to death if i could get it.. but i'm not rolling in money and 1.5k is a lot for me. What should i check for under the hood, and are there any strange sounds that i should run away from if i hear?

[Jason]

recently. If not youre gonna have to do it or get it done soon at that mileage. Does the car look like its been beaten on? cause the suspension has some weak points around the sway bar mounting points. not likely a problem unless it was tracked alot. other than those you should look for all the usual stuff, the records should tell you everything though. look out for excessive valve tap... they all make noise but w/in reason. E30's are pretty straightforward, less to go wrong with them than the E34.

[AllanS]

I'd take a look at the compression.

[JonE]

I agree with the above posts and if you're serious you could spring for a prepurchase inspection done by someone who is very familiar with the E30. The AC could be as simple as a recharge, but, could be toast also, then very expensive to fix/replace. If the suspension is in good shape that is a plus. Good luck, sounds like a fun car, but could be had for less $, I think, esp. if you have to fix things...