Hi gang,
I am seriously considering buying a 1999 BMW 328is that has ~ 185,xxx miles on it. I will be driving up to the DC area from Raleigh to look at it. It is a coupe, 5 speed. The carfax shows that it has received pretty regular maintenance, but it's not terribly specific on any on it.
Would anyone familiar with these post up some things i should pay special attention to when we get there?
Thank you in advance everyone!
I love those, but that's a lot of miles.
Normal BMW stuff. Cooling system, suspension bushings, shoddy interiors in some cars.
That should be cheap with those miles.
Bushings and dampers, cooling system Interior Drivetrain is pretty stout, but the deferred maintenance for the above parts could add up quickly. I'd expect it to be very cheap at that price, but "fixing the above" could bring the price up quickly enough that you'll have significantly more into it than the car is worth. That's not a terrible thing if you plan to keep it a while, but might be a factor for shorter term ownership.
At those miles I'd be looking for receipts for when the last complete overhaul of every rubber bushing on the car was performed, and including the cost of a head gasket job in the near future to the cost.
If all those miles were highway ten it is very possible it is a great car but there is also a good chance you could have bought a much lower mileage car for the money you will dump into making that new again.
This one is listed at $3450, and it has significantly lower miles than comparable BMW's I can find locally (my budget being about $4000), which is why I am willing to make the trek. I do plan on owning it for a while, and we have another car to drive it is has to be out of commission for a bit. I'm not stuck on having a beemer, but they're not hard on the eyes and I've always wanted one.
Great points guys, keep 'em coming! 
That's the last of the E36 chassis cars, so all the usual E36 stuff applies. As mentioned above, cooling system and suspension rubber are likely to be the problem areas. I'd be surprised if it needs a head gasket, if it's never been overheated the head gasket has no reason to fail.
pigeon wrote: That's the last of the E36 chassis cars, so all the usual E36 stuff applies. As mentioned above, cooling system and suspension rubber are likely to be the problem areas. I'd be surprised if it needs a head gasket, if it's never been overheated the head gasket has no reason to fail.
All M50/52 / S50/52 cars seem to need one in the 200k to 250k range. They have a very thin interface between the 4 & 5 cylinders that breaches to the water jacket. Most of them just start pressurizing the cooling system at some point if they have been over-heated or just run as city cars for 200k (carbon on the piston tops raise the compression).
If you do the work yourself and have a decent machine shop local it is a $750 job (plus $100 for cam tools unless you want to add a ton of time to make your own) so not a deal-breaker by any means but something to keep a little scratch aside for.
Doesn't everybody here automatically polyurethane everything and buy new dampers when they buy a used car anyway. My M50 is at 261k now, no head gasket issues yet, though it has been in the back of my mind, fingers crossed. It will be a good chance for a cam upgrade and a mild P&P.
OK, this is good. 
Chuck has consented to raising the budget a bit and I have found a much closer and newer 2000 model 328i with the sports package and an M54 inline six cylinder with about 135k on it. From what I can tell, the sports package includes 17" alloys, bucket seats and stiffer suspension, all of which I like.
Does this newer generation have any known issues I should look for? Thanks guys!
$3450 should get you a pristine E36 with stacks of maintenance records at 185K.
EastCoastMojo wrote: OK, this is good.
Pretty much the same things - cooling system and suspension. If it hasn't had the radiator, hoses and water pump done figure they're due. They tend to have the oil-water separator fail which causes a moose-like noise and if the water freezes can hydro lock the motor. It's under the intake and a bear to get to. Suspension will be tired if still original. This generation had the subframe mounts tear out of the body and was subject to a recall with inspection and repair by BMW, ask if that was done. I owned a 328i sedan from 100k to 168k and the only major issue I had was a failed water pump, which was one I threw in as a preventative maintenance replacement. I put the original back in and it was fine.
EastCoastMojo wrote: OK, this is good.
If you live in the rust belt - check the rear springs and cups as the salt water can pool there and cause the springs to shorten and stiffen themselves naturally if the PO was not the sort of person to use a car wash occasionally.
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