NP, I was under the same impression as you before I bought it. I always thaought that BMW = break my wallet, and M = money. This may be true if you can't work on the car yourself. I was quoted $700 to change my lower control arms with ball joints at a decent shop. It took me $100 (parts) and 2hrs to do the work myself. There are plenty of sites that explain how to fix most common problems and whatnot

 

i got mine from a drug repo auction, and it needed work because it had not been taken care of...we had to change the STOCK suspension items, (shocks, springs), and put new exhaust on it. it now has about 202k on it, and it makes regular trips to the drag strip....the only real problem that we have had was that the STOCK gearbox crapped out at about 198k...but it did so in racing conditions...here is a picture of mine...oddly enough, the most expensive things that were purchased for it were the factort center caps, factory BMW floor and trunk mats, and that chrome front plate.

[IMG]local://upfiles/858/B25493317C0D4C2DB78EEB9F2F7B475A.jpg[/IMG]

as nice as this car runs now, i can only imagine when it DIDNT have 200k on it..i will always give my thumbs up to bimmers..and my GF, who is not a bimmer person...drove it, and now IS a bimmer person.

 

http://catalog.bmaparts.com/index.html this site has all kinds of OEM parts with a deep discount. Also be sure to join bimmerforums.com - lots of info there.

http://www.bmwe34.net - for all your DIY maintenance needs (for E34s)
http://www.bmw4life.com/ - fairly new E34 registry and DIY site

there are also ****loads of items for our cars on ebay

 

I think it's a nice car and I've always like BMW's, especially the 325i. The only reservation I would have is the mileage but for the price, it might be worth it.

Just make sure you inspect the car and that if there is something wrong with it, you are able to fix it yourself. Still it's nice...

 

my uncle has that car. it's pretty sweet. go for it!