About how much would it be to fix this car?

[Figit090]

I found this car...basically its an interference engine and the timing belt snapped and obviously screwed some stuff in the head. details i'm not sure, at the very least it's got bent valves...its a 1989 BMW 325i

i was wondering...

about how much, realistically, would i end up putting into the car to get it back on the road in reliable condition? it has around 200k miles on it (odometer is broke however, it quit at 170k) and the power steering leaks.

he wants 500 for it...and it seems like a decent deal but i have a bad habit of not seeing the realism in repair costs. can anybody who knows BMW's give me some insight on good/bad deal info?

and i dont know what i'd do about the odometer... fix it myself with no risk of numbers or questions being asked should i choose to sell it?

at first i though...eh...this car has been on craigslist for quite a while now...i'd have to rebuild the head...and its probably a heap or in need of other work as well...but the pics make it look pretty nice....

 

[drunk_medic]

Just reading between the lines here I am seeing this:
Broken timing belt with high miles = history of not performing periodic maintenance
Head rebuild = Money
Other small misc problems = Money
Nice int/exterior = one of the few selling points

Am I also seeing a possible theft attempt in the stereo?

 

[Figit090]

not sure, but that's exactly what i wanted in a responce. a reality check. i usually see a car i like and then want it so i post about it. lol.

 

[supraman7mgte]

plus its a BMW.those dam german parts can be expensive.

 

[Brewster]

doubt they could be any more expensive than supra parts, sheesh.

 

[Ckanderson]

I...........WANT...........IT!

and to expand on that,,,

my first car was a e30 318i that I turbocharged.

besides my miata, it was the best handling car i ever owned. one thing i liked about that car was the fact that I had the least amout of money to improve it. Every modification was planned a few months in advance so I could afford it.

I put sway bars and springs on it. Plus I put a set of SP8000 tires on it... it was AMAZING.

 

[7Mboost]

No. that is all.

 

[foreverpsycotic]

drop in a 1j or an sr20. both have been done before and look and perform SICK.

 

[Wills7MGTE]

Get an E36 or E46 M3

 

[johnathan1]

Get an E36 or E46 M3

LOL...DUH!!! Of course that would be a better option, but he is asking if this one would be worthwhile to fix...

I honestly think it wouldn't be THAT bad...buy a used head online, new timing belt, and a few other parts, and it would probably run really good...and the interior and ext look to be in really good shape.

 

[Figit090]

LOL...DUH!!! Of course that would be a better option, but he is asking if this one would be worthwhile to fix...

I honestly think it wouldn't be THAT bad...buy a used head online, new timing belt, and a few other parts, and it would probably run really good...and the interior and ext look to be in really good shape.

haha...yeah of course i'd get an m3 if i could, do you think i'm dumb? lol...but i cannot afford to drop 10k on a car nor do i want to unless its an immaculate 1jz mkIII with mild mods! lol.... thats the only car i'd want in that price rance. period. but an m3 is damn tempting. the main problem is i find that they are rare and at this point i know SO much more about supras/toyotas so any future purchase will most likely fit that notion.

but 500 is cheap and i at least know how to remove/install a head and i could fix this myself in a week or so once i have parts. but i'd probably drop a few hundred in the head and want to either sell it or start fixing it up and i dont know how many miles its really got so i'd be constantly weary about that. "oh...it has about 200k on it, but its possible the old owner lied, was conservative, and its more like 300k".

and i agree about the matinence...but maybe it was a coincidental 50k mile snap...just because a belt breaks doesn't mean it was neglected...but i dunno. i'll pass it up. i might give my local foreign auto shop a call and price a new head/rebuilt head but my guess is that would be costly... i'd rather call the local wrecker about that 7mgte sitting in a parted out supra there....its just that it has 200k on it as well...:icon_conf and i'd rather go 1j than 7m.

 

[Ric]

The owner is an idiot.

That BMW has a timing CHAIN not BELT, and they don't break. They are lifetime units. It's probably just something stupid, 325's don't just "blow up". My wife's 1994 E36 325 convertable has 198k miles, still gets 30mpg, burns zero oil, and is 1000% reliable.

 

[Figit090]

are you serious? wow...


never knew that one.

that's...umm....odd.

i think i'll inquire about that little bit of info...

 

[Ric]

Only one bmw engine I know of that has a timing belt.. and not sold in America. 258e

 

[Figit090]

wikipedia said that the engine in the 318i went belt in the later years...but nothing about the 325 in that respect

so a timing chain, at least in BMW's, is a lifetime thing never supposed to be replaced? and nobody ever replaces them as such?

 

[Ric]

Never heard of it. Same as the ford 4.6 v8 in the F150... it's a lifetime unit.


edit:

325 chain is a lifetime unit. Only needs to be replaced if it gets too loud.

 

[Figit090]

any ideas what could have happened? lying mechanic maybe? thats the only thing i can figure unless it really did just snap because of an oddball dud chain...

i'm curious now whats up with this thing. from the pics (i know they are horrible) it seems like a fairly well taken care of vehicle...

 

[Ric]

whats wrong with it? Probably nothing, and a stupid mechanic that diagnosed it.

Scan the codes, borrow someones reader (all bmw owners have one lol), and see whats really wrong.

 

[trydrew]

Actually i'm pretty sure the E30 engines have a belt. The M20 found in the 325e E30s are belts and I know that for a fact.

 

[ret]

Request engine pics?