Looking at a bmw 325xi. 2004 4dr. 75000 miles and spotless with winter and summer wheels and tires. Is this old enough to be a decent reliable car? I'm in Canada and could use the awd. Thanks, jeff
Looking at a bmw 325xi. 2004 4dr. 75000 miles and spotless with winter and summer wheels and tires. Is this old enough to be a decent reliable car? I'm in Canada and could use the awd. Thanks, jeff
Pass, unless you like tearing half the car apart. The 325xi's front axle runs through the oil pan. You're also getting to the era of endless plastic crap, which costs next to nothing to manufacture and it costs you a fortune when things break. I think the water pump was also electrically driven, to save engine power. Camshafts were hollowed out to save weight... high technology =high maintenance.
BMW = Big Money Wads to keep it going as it ages.
Since a car 20+ years old is likely to start needing repairs it helps if you can work on it yourself. Yours has low mileage for its age but the years still take their toll. Even if engine and drivetrain are OK there is lots more to go wrong and if you have to run to a mechanic every time something goes wrong the $$$$ can really start to add up - BMW mechanics are not inexpensive. Not to mention the downtime if you don't have access to another vehicle. (I drive older vehicles but I work on them myself.)
My daily drivers are a pair of 1990 dodge cummins trucks. Good backup and reliable. Don't mind working on them but they are simple and easy.
I have an 18 year old BMW (750Li) and have owned many others in the past. I would not daily my car if I needed absolute reliability unless I regularly inspected the known problem areas (mentioned for the car OP is looking at in previous posts; for my car it is a different set of inspections), and did regular fluid/filter changes. I would also have a back-up car which kind of defeats the purpose of a daily, because when something fails it can be hard to find a replacement part (some are already NLA), or only a used part is available. There are also fewer mechanics around to work on these, and the modern scan tools may not cover the older models, making young mechanics effectively blind.
-Mike
Is older a better choice?
Aside from "old car" type problems, which presumably you can deal with since you're driving 1990-vintage trucks, the older BMWs are simpler with less to go wrong, easier to work on, and less plastic engine parts to fall apart. However, AWD adds a lot of complexity.
BMW's earlier, pre-2003 AWD system used viscous couplings, more or less like the AMC Eagle but with a coupling on the rear diff as well as the center. Simpler than electronics but if the viscous couplings leak they cost a fortune to repair or replace.
The requirement for AWD really puts a different spin on things versus older rear-drive BMWs.
I can live with rwd for simplicity. Both trucks are rx4 if I need it.
Generally speaking, it is a catch-22 with older cars. While a car may be amazing and reliable otherwise, there are some age related repairs that come with the territory, even at relative low mileage. This is just generally commentary not specific to the BMW.
Now specific to BMW.
I spent more money in 4 years maintaining an older BMW, than 20+ years maintaining my Honda Accord.
BMW’s are amazing vehicles, but they do cost $$$ to maintain.
Some folks have the $$$ to pay for it to be maintained.
Some folks have the hands on skill to maintain it themselves (and desire to maintain it).
But most folks may not have either.
So I recommend treading cautiously, knowing your skill and bank account.
Ok.. not this car. I saw Scotty review a 1994 325 convertible with 249000 miles and he was favorable. Good car with no problems. German made. Is older a better choice?
