BMW 323ci 1999 - advice

[dodsi]

BCF massiv...

I am looking at buying one of these tomorrow for £1200

It's a 1999 V reg with 78/79K miles

Automatic/Triptronic gearbox

spoken to the seller, seems like a genuine chap - got a fellow forum member checking out HPI etc (thanks - you know who you are )

questions,

Are these reasonable solid cars?

any quirks with them?

is this a reasonable deal?

[Keir]

pretty solid. only real concerns are the cooling systems on the 6 cylinders so check it over for any signs of leaks or boiling over and the suspension bushes. test them by going over a few speed bumps, should knock if theres any major issues.
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Current : '08 Yamaha FZ1s
Previous: '99 Honda CBR 600FX, 03 ZX636 B1H, 99 Fazer 600 (red), 02 GSX-R 600 K2, 00 SV650s (red), 2008 ZX10R, 97 Bandit 1200N, 04 ZX6RR K1H, 04 GSX-R 1000, 98 Fazer 600 (gold), 05 Madness 110 Pit bike, 04 CR125R, 00 SV650s (black), 06 KTM 625 SMC, 99 SRAD 600 track bike, 03 SV650, 98 Bandit 1200N, Bandit 600SY, 03 GSX-R 600 K3, 01 GSX-R 600, 01 Fazer 600 (black), VFR 400 NC30 x3, 78 Honda Dream, 00 Speedfight 50

[Keir]

and price is about right. they aren't particually economical so the price reflects that more than anything.
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Current : '08 Yamaha FZ1s
Previous: '99 Honda CBR 600FX, 03 ZX636 B1H, 99 Fazer 600 (red), 02 GSX-R 600 K2, 00 SV650s (red), 2008 ZX10R, 97 Bandit 1200N, 04 ZX6RR K1H, 04 GSX-R 1000, 98 Fazer 600 (gold), 05 Madness 110 Pit bike, 04 CR125R, 00 SV650s (black), 06 KTM 625 SMC, 99 SRAD 600 track bike, 03 SV650, 98 Bandit 1200N, Bandit 600SY, 03 GSX-R 600 K3, 01 GSX-R 600, 01 Fazer 600 (black), VFR 400 NC30 x3, 78 Honda Dream, 00 Speedfight 50

[Shaft]

Make sure you get to hear it idling from stone cold; rough running can point to VANOS issues, or leaks from one or more of the myriad of vacuum pipes, which go brittle with age, can be a real pain to diagnose and are proper fiddly to replace.
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[dodsi]

I have asked the seller to make sure it's cold when I get there.

Also spoke to my old man whose advice echo's here.

[Northern Monkey]

Sensitive to rear tyre choice. They need a really good tyre on the back
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Fisty: after polishing the tank with the glistenng beads of sweat from my full hot scrotum, I filled the headrace bearings with 10cc of my manmilk

[-]

Pretty solid engines. My old straight six 525i did over 275,000 miles before I scrapped it.

At 80K, there shouldn't be any serious issues. Try driving it in a straight line at 50mph and see if you get a shimmy through the steering wheel. This means some of the front control arms are worn.

For that sort of money, it'll be a lot of car for not a lot of cash.
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[JP7]

Pay a lot of attention to the auto gearbox. Make sure it goes smoothly into every gear without banging and crashing. Make sure the gearbox puts the power smoothly down on the road, if it seems ponderous or struggles to sort between gears, then walk away from it.

Aside from that, make sure all the electrics work, including the air con. Play with everything.

[dodsi]

Guys, thank you so much for the advice. I bought the car.

For £1200 it seems belting so far, drove it back from Essex to Sussex just now. Smooth engine, transmission is nice, goes well, drives straight and comfortable.

Some minor issues, electric mirrors do not work and a small amount of corrosion on the front wings. But it's £1200! With MOT for 6 months and tax for 9.

[JP7]

Sounds like a good deal, well done. Enjoy it!