Possible purchase of a 88 ix - Brought back from the dead!

[AdironRider]

Took the car to the shop today but he was swamped so he couldnt get it up on a lift. He did take the car for a quick spin and checked out what he could without he lift and said its in impecable shape for its year and milage. He also noted that pending the look at the underbody and drivetrain that hed buy it based on how nice it drove. I made another appointment for tomorrow so hopefully the drivetrain will check out.

[Bimmerfanatik]

Took the car to the shop today but he was swamped so he couldnt get it up on a lift. He did take the car for a quick spin and checked out what he could without he lift and said its in impecable shape for its year and milage. He also noted that pending the look at the underbody and drivetrain that hed buy it based on how nice it drove. I made another appointment for tomorrow so hopefully the drivetrain will check out.

Worth waiting, good call. You never know...but, it sounds like it's gonna work out. Let us know how it pans out...

[AdironRider]

Dissapointing new boys

Upon putting the car up on a lift my mechanic didnt like the looks of things on the drivetrain. He didnt find anything wrong per say, and the transfer case checked out fine, but he seemed quite worried about the milage. He basically said with the milage its got its only going to become a "money pit". So I guess Im just going to take his word for it and take a pass, unless you guys think I should do otherwise

[DarkWing6]

I don't think your gonna find an e30 thats not a money pit. I guess it couldbe a bit deeper than some, but you are saving on the purchase and maybe with this knowledge he will knock the price down some more.

[hamann318is]

My 318 has 72k on it, and it's been a huge money pit; just something for you to think about.

[AdironRider]

Yeah I know all old cars are money pits, its just the way it is I guess

Heres a complete list of the work the car needs:
- Sunroof needs to be put back on track
- Shifter bushings are worn out
- Tune Up (Everything including most preventative maintenace including the t-belt, water pump, etc.)
- Exhaust manifold seals and heatshields need to be replaced (Im thinking that maybe I could pick up some cheap headers and bring it to a local exhaust shop and have them rig me something nice. The mufflers new and the cat is good so it would just be the front exhaust)
- Shimmy in the steering wheel cause most likely by poor wheel balancing/ Old bushings
- According to my mechanic the shocks should be replaced soon (Not immediate, but theyll need to be done within the next 15k)
- Air conditioning needs to be looked at. Car blows hot air. Not sure if its the compressor or whatnot but Id probably just remove the AC altogether. However it does provide something to knock the price down.
- The beginnings of rust on the passenger door, trunk lid, surrounding one rear license plate screw, and the rear valence
- Brake rotors need to be replaced. The cars been sitting for the spring the while driving the car a bit on test drives has helped some, they should be replaced. Their is also slight warping, but barely noticable. Wouldnt mind fresh brakes anyway.

Heres the breakdown for what I think itll take to fix monetary wise:
- Sunroof - Beemerfanatick mentioned above he might be able to help me out so maybe a few brews and some lunch and we could call it a deal
- Z3 1.9 short shift kit - $60 bones
- Tune Up- New cap, rotor, plugs, air and fuel filters, wires - $200
- Exhaust manifold seal and heatshields - I dont know, maybe 150 at an exhaust place?
- Front end shimmy - $30 for wheel balancing- bushings to come later
- Shocks - $260 - Boge stock replacements from shox.com
-A/C - $couple hundred at least - but we all know Im just going to rip it out anyway
- Rust - $300 - quote from local bodyshop to replace all rust spots and major scratches
- Brakes - $240 - Rotors (Stock brembos front and rear) and some decent pads (ABC Greenstuff pads)

Add it all up and its about a grand in parts/ bodywork. Ill price source out most of the stuff to places like BMA and whatnot online (Their 10% discount is a nice bonus too!) The positive is that Ill be able to do all the work myself, and have a solid runner afterwards.

So Ive thought it over and I think im goign to offer the guy 1500- 1750, based on the work it needs and if he takes it great, if not, no big loss. This way I figure I can replace everything that needs to be done to the car and come out at around 2500 bones for the whole shebang. Sound like a reasonable plan?

[GaryE30]

Getting this car with a couple problems you listed for 2500 is still a good deal. Its your call, I haven't seen the car or driven it, but it still sounds like a good deal for less than 3K.

[AdironRider]

Yeah, Im kinda torn as to where to start negotiating on price. The car feels good to me, could use a little more oomph on the highway, but nothing a tune up wont cure. I looked up the KBB Blue book value on the car (private party) and it came up as 2140 with the miles, cd player, and "premium" (aka ricer) rims in "good" condition. So Im thinking that with the rust that needs to be fixed, that 1750 isnt too far out of the question, but Im not sure how much Ill be willing to pay at the most. Ill talk to him on tuesday when he gets back from Bonaroo, maybe hell still be tripping or something and hook me up. Haha

[nando]

if he didn't find anything wrong with the drivetrain, what would he be worried about? I think the fact that it hasn't broken with that many miles on it should give you an indication. Mine has broken 3 times in it's life and it has lower miles..

and BTW, yes the ix is expensive. you will find that out as soon as you try to modify it. and honestly it sounds like your mechanic probably hasn't seen a lot of them and was probably scared by it's complexity! :P

[Bimmerfanatik]

Heres the breakdown for what I think itll take to fix monetary wise:
- Sunroof - Beemerfanatick mentioned above he might be able to help me out so maybe a few brews and some lunch and we could call it a deal

sounds good to me

- Z3 1.9 short shift kit - $60 bones

Do the bushings, and I've got a few SSK's for a lot cheaper. Z3 something or other

- Tune Up- New cap, rotor, plugs, air and fuel filters, wires - $200

thats about accurate

- Exhaust manifold seal and heatshields - I dont know, maybe 150 at an exhaust place?

man up and swap them yourself :) Save $150.

- Front end shimmy - $30 for wheel balancing- bushings to come later

yep, sooner than later on the bushings though....

- Shocks - $260 - Boge stock replacements from shox.com

I may even have some of these for you :)

-A/C - $couple hundred at least - but we all know Im just going to rip it out anyway

so why spend any money on it? You got four windows and a sunroof.

- Rust - $300 - quote from local bodyshop to replace all rust spots and major scratches

so worth it, dont even second guess that one.

- Brakes - $240 - Rotors (Stock brembos front and rear) and some decent pads (ABC Greenstuff pads)

see me about this - I got the same setup shipped for 160.

So Ive thought it over and I think im goign to offer the guy 1500- 1750, based on the work it needs and if he takes it great, if not, no big loss. This way I figure I can replace everything that needs to be done to the car and come out at around 2500 bones for the whole shebang. Sound like a reasonable plan?

Spend up to $2k at the least. Even with another g that's damn worth it. I can help you do any work you arent familiar with, and I dont cost anything. Well, beers are nice :)[/b]

[MonkeyM20]

my 91 ix is a beast!

My 91 ix is a beast! its a GREAT winter car, shows up my friends in there subaru's every time we head up to the mountain for snowboarding! dry roads and in-town suffer with the AWD because it drinks a bit more gas. Its almost as fun as my rwd 87, cant beat the rwd on the dry, but for wet of icy roads the added clearence with awd is champ! hard to ever go wrong with 2200$

I picked up my 91ix from a friend for 2500$ last summer w, 91k!! the body needs some work, and its got an odd idle. but when im back home for the summer (next week) it will get a rebuilt top end and a new paint job! other than my wierd idle, its been a great car. CHIP IT and its even more fun. also if you end up swapin suspention, try not to lower it, the IX has one of its greatest features in its kick ass ground clearence. if you want a more sporty drive put out for some bilstien HD's and it will greatly improve the handling without sacraficing clearence. I recommend the HD's! id buy it! just be prepaired to drop some cash on it in the next few weeks after ya get it. if its anything like what i went thought, it will be alot of tiny things that add up.

do a t-case and diff fluid change when ya get it, red line is the way to go. check the engine, it may need a timing belt, 40k or 4 years, water pumps can leak (should be changed with t-belt), fan clutchs get tired after 70k. check the bushings, suspention & engine, inspect the steering rack for leaks and saturation. same for tranny.


GOOD LUCK WITH THE IX!!!!! -josh

[AdironRider]

So Im going in tomorrow to make an offer on the car. I printed off a price sheet on parts from BMA and the Kbb pricing report to use a bit of leverage. I think im going to start at around 1750 and move up from there, so well see where we end up. I think im going to max out at around 2200, cause with the rust removal and everything else, I just dont think its quite worth paying over blue book value. Any other tips for negotiating?

[nando]

well, bring cash and wave it in his face. you can also tell him you have less money than you actually do, but he might not be so happy when he discovers that you just pulled $200 out of nowhere. ;)

[Bimmerfanatik]

well, bring cash and wave it in his face. you can also tell him you have less money than you actually do, but he might not be so happy when he discovers that you just pulled $200 out of nowhere. ;)

Cash talks. And when I say cash - I mean cash. Yes, it sucks carrying around 2 grand in cash, but that'll easily buy it for what you want to spend it on.

And I disagree somewhat - telling him you only have a certain amount of money works, and if he still won't go for it, you can always go back the next day and say you got the extra from friends/family or something. He doesnt care - its money.

Also, use the "halfway" argument. When you get to be within a few hundred of each other, you can always negotiate like this: Say you're at 1800, he's at 2k. He won't budge. Say, "Listen, we're both set at where we want to be. How about we split the difference? I come up $100, you come down $100? That way we're both making a compromise. Besides, is it worth arguing over $100?"

Works every time. Trust me - I used to sell cars :)

If all else fails, use the walk away method. If it's not getting to where you want to be, thank him and tell him you appreciate his time. Get up to leave. If he lets you go, he wasn't going to come down any further, and if you want the car, pay his price. If he stops you - you've got him. Stand your ground and say the only thing that'll keep you from walking out is coming down on the price. If he still argues, do it. 9 times out of 10 you'll get the price you want this way. Worst case scenario he lets you go and you either come back and pay his price or find another car.