Bmw 2002 325i or 1999 540I

[ssj245]

I was thinking about getting a Beamer and Im really going to try to get my parents not get me into the whole "safety thing" about how its not safe for college students to have BMW's.

Anyway I was looking at prices and my budget is around

20k-21k and I was looking at prices and I saw that I could get a 2002 325i or a 1999 540I. I dont want a car with more than 60k miles on it.

I was looking at HP and there is a whole lot of diffrence. The 325i has only 182hp while the 540I is a v8 with 282 hp I think.

Im not sure. I want the newer model, less headaches and comfort. But then the 1999 model has so much HP and thats going to be alot of fun.

I was even thinking about getting a 2001 330 Ci and that it would be a good tradeoff between style and power.

 

[ssj245]

Where to find cars in your area

Where would I look for cars in my area. I dont want to buy a car without testing it and having my dad take a look at the engine.

Should I look in newspapers or are there books that are put out that have listings of cars for sale.

 

[ShizamDaMan]

IMO, having a car on a college campus is worthless. If you're commuting, good luck on paying for gas.

But if you're really set on a BMW, the 540i is going to be tough to hit for 21 grand unless you forgo the options. If you're getting a BMW 5 series, you might as well get all the bells and whistles.

The 02 325i is also going to be real tough to get for the price you want. Going older or less options is going to get you there, however.

Since you're so concerned over power, why not go with a later model M3, like around 1998? Huge aftermarket, and a lot of car people respect those M badges on the back of Bimmers.

 

[ntssv]

All of your choices are fine. BMW is a fine ride.

Peronaly I would go for the 540 or 330 even if they are a little older. Insurance may be a little higher however.

Look at autotrader.com, cars.com.

I took mine to a BMW dealership for a pre inspection. Cost about $160.

BTW, beamer is what they call the BMW motorcycles and Bimmer is the car.

 

[sactown1]

last summer i bought a BMW 330ci with only 48k miles for $20,500. It took a while to find one for that price but i found it on craigslist. There are many places to look for cars; autotrader, craigslist etc.

 

[S1NN3R]

You can find a 99 540i for 12-15K pretty easily. They are nice cars, especially with the 6-speed. They are somewhat heavy, but they hold it well. My M5 was the same chassis as the one you're looking at. A big downside for the 540 is that many insurance companies have the line drawn at 250 hp. 249 hp, and your insurance is quite a bit less than if you have 251 hp. Plus, if you get bored, you can buy a supercharger for the 99 540 that bumps you up to 400 hp, and the cost is around 6k.

For a 3-Series, I would pass up the 325 with it's 2.5 liter to get the 330 with the 3 liter. Prices aren't that much more, but you get more power, a noticeable amount especially bottom-end torque.

But if you really want a fun BMW for under 20k, the only choice is the E36 M3 (mid-late 90s version). You can find them for 10-15k, they have 250 hp, 3000lbs. They do a 14 flat in the quarter mile, and handle like champs. My ex-roommate has one. All sorts of fun, and it's hard to buy a cheaper modern car that is more fun.

 

[Create Reality]

BMW is hella fun to drive. Trust me on this, you will not feel underpowered in any newer beamer you drive. They are "all" fast and if you know how to drive for miles, very easy on gas. Where BMWs shine is their handling ability, though. They aren't powermongers like Mustangs but about a thousand times more reliable then any american or japanese car. You can buy a 15 year old model and they will still run well, if treated right.

If you live in the city you might not get the full experience of what its like to handle one, but that doesn't stop you on the weekends

Oh, and don't buy below a six cylinder. Ever.

 

[S1NN3R]

How about a no-cylinder?

 

[ntssv]

Don't know if this is allowed here but,

If you want to look at a 97 M3 PM me if your anywhere in the Midwest.

 

[ssj245]

which one

Well along with buying a car I also wanted Rhinoplastic surgery and I was thinking about the car I am getting.

I saw a car for 17k with 45k miles on it 2001 BMW 325i

Or I could spend 20k and get a 2002 BMW 325i with 30k miles on it

Now I want to get rhinoplastic surgery so I dont know, my nose is pretty f'd up.

But I was looking at cars and I was thinking what would be the big difference between 2001 and 2002 BMW 325i model. and 45k miles is not bad at all.

 

[Big Eee Zee]

neither will be sporty really.

The 540 is a cool enough car, most are a bad choice. its a sleevless aluminum block. that boils down to after 100,000 miles its toast. and there were two types of blocks, alusil and nickelsil. nickelsil's tend to blow up catastrophically because of the sulfur in gas, make sure its a alusil. (pronounced al-you-sill)

the 325 is a pig, way to heavy and softly sprung. my guess is that you should get the 540, since they're both similarly sedate, might as well get the faster one.

old BMWs > new BMWs any day of the week

 

[unamean]

i had a 99 540i sport 6 speed. its a blast to drive, and until i got my new m3 i thought it was very fast. nice ride but if you want speed, finance an m3 or an m5.

 

[WhAcKeD!]

Buy a used STi or Evo, alot more fun.

 

[future dj]

while having a bmw is cool make sure get an extended warranty with it...otherwise it's going to cost you an arm and leg to maintain....and that's where the real money goes....maintaining a bmw is really really expensive....and the other problem i have with them is they are too common.....a mercerdes is much better

 

[OfficeSpace]

Mercedes is hot ride too. My dad had a Mercedes and they're really expensive on parts too.

Personally, I plan to purchase a BMW convertible in the future (after I am stable after college). They are such hot cars! The M5 seems quite a bit though... I mean 10 Cylinders and 500 HP of power must drink up gasoline like crazy!

 

[OfficeSpace]

I was talking to my dad about cars, and he said that in Europe BMW's will go cheaper than the cars for sale in America. I googled cars for sale in Europe and I found what I "think" are nice deals. I haven't shopped for a BMW so I could be wrong if this is a deal or not.

Here is an example of what I found:

Vehicle: BMW z3 of 1999; Price: €5800

The only thing I'd kinda wonder about is the costs of transporting the car. One thing about cars in Europe, is when they sell them, they're usually very clean inside no matter how old. The shipping costs probably won't be that bad though. I mean if you're buying a BMW from NY and you live in California, to have it transported also cost some money.

I dunno, just an idea.

 

[S1NN3R]

Even if shipping was free, once you got it here you couldn't register it with the state (and resultingly, couldn't legally drive it here) without serious work if at all. Since Z3s were built in North Carolina, they might meet some of the safety requirements for bumpers and things, but even then it would still be a huge legal hassle to get it done.

I was looking into getting an Alfa Romeo 156 GTA shipped here from Italy and shipping alone was $3500. Then I found out that you absolutely positively cannot get a 156 legalized in the US. I thought about welding a Ford Taurus VIN plate to the firewall and just saying I did lots of bodywork on it, but enh, too much work.

In other words, it's not worth the hassle to try to import a car most of the time even if you could save a few hundred maybe a grand on it, not unless it's a very special car.