What is the true importance of Mileage?

[StayHungry]

Ok long time since I've been around here guys but I've been actively looking for a dirty e30 to love and own and have had no luck so far. I found a nice 89 325is recently, amazing condition inside and out and really was about to pull the trigger until the guy told me it has a bit over 200,000 miles.

I want a car I can appreciate, work on, and drive for a good time to come and whenever I see one with >200 miles I think... no go. But this one is in great condition, so my question is: does it matter?

(I'm far from an expert on e30's but want to learn so technical details are appreciated)

[Kovs]

Depends how it was driven... a chassis with 200K highway miles on smooth, flat roads is going to be a lot fresher than a chassis with 200K city, pothole ridden miles and / or track / autoX miles (200K track miles, imagine...). I'm not talking about suspension components which have a finite lifespan and are replaceable. I know the B pillars on E28s, for example, will crack where they meet the roof if certain driving conditions and mileages accrue.

[ben312]

Again it really depends on how the car was driven and how the PO's cared for the car. A car that has the oil changed and new sparkplugs and so on done on time everytime will be in far better shape then one where the owner hardly did any upkeep. The pistion rings can also wear out/ break if the engine has been spinning high rpm its whole life. The bushing and such will most likely be worn to hell if they have never been changed. Where the car is from can make a difference as well. Being from a costal or snowy region will lead to more rust. But as long as the PO's have treated her well and the needed upkeep has been done it should be a pretty good car. I'm sure some of the 500k+ guys will jump in at some point.

[HarryPotter]

Arizona should have no problems with rust? I do believe? Get it just replace the wear parts and you will be satisfied. Just all the rubber bushing bits should do the trick.

[ben312]

Arizona should have no problems with rust? I do believe? Get it just replace the wear parts and you will be satisfied. Just all the rubber bushing bits should do the trick.

they get snow.

[StereoInstaller1]

every damn thing is gonna break so don't worry.

200,000 miles is broken in...finally

[HarryPotter]

they get snow.

No way? lol, do they really?

[stumble_t]

If you're that concerned, ask the guy to have a compression/leakdown test done. 200k isn't really a big deal though and you have to look at the whole picture. Maintenance, documented work, overall condition, and price all have to be considered.
Although, if the price was right would you give a damn if the engine was bad?

[BlueBMW]

I bought both my 318is and my 530i when they had over 200K on them. Both of them have been excellent cars needing very little motor type work.

[TexasTerp]

If the car is well taken care of 200k is really no big deal, my e30 had ~330k before it was stolen.

[Rodoni]

bought my e30 with 252k, sold it with 296k. Still running very well. Stock internals. Motor was never taken apart aside from the oil pan/pump a couple of times. There might have been a head gasket, but I dont think so. It was my DD/autox car for almost 3 years. It ran strong when I bought it, and strong when I sold it.

[rThor432]

Miles don't matter, it's all in the maintenance and accident history. My '87 S52 car has roughly 280k on the chassis and my '85 eta has roughly 330k. Both are rock solid and reliable. PO of the '87 ran it into the ground. The PO of the '85 took very good care of it.