Need help b4 craigslist test drive

[flyboyx]

if the body and paint are really nice, it could be worth more than 3k. it has been listed for over a month. if it seems like a car you can see yourself driving, i would send him an email saying:

hey i am interested in looking at the bmw you have for sale on craigslist. however, the price you have listed doesn't fit into my budget. i wouldn't want to waste your time, but if you feel like you could be negotiable enough to be close to the lower 3k range, please give me a call as i would really like to see it.

thank you for your time.....


i lowball people like this all the time when they have something i want but is listed too high. it works about 60% of the time. if they respond to you saying with some indication this could be acceptable, you have already lowered their expectations before you even show up.

by the way....from one houston guy to another: welcome to the forum.

[ParsedOut]

PASS! I can tell from the grainy ass pics that it's had a cheap respray. He's also trying to pass that it really has 150k miles, guaranteed it has a broken odometer and well over 200k actual miles. Not a deal breaker, but something to be considered.

That is a $1500-2000 E30, at best...

[nevetsi]

by the way....from one houston guy to another: welcome to the forum.

I appreciate it.

PASS! I can tell from the grainy ass pics that it's had a cheap respray. He's also trying to pass that it really has 150k miles, guaranteed it has a broken odometer and well over 200k actual miles. Not a deal breaker, but something to be considered.

That is a $1500-2000 E30, at best...

So if the odo works on the test drive, then I can assume the mileage is accurate?

[ParsedOut]

I appreciate it.



So if the odo works on the test drive, then I can assume the mileage is accurate?

You can assume one of two things, they replaced the odometer gears and the mileage still is not accurate or it has the original gears the mileage is accurate and the gears are about to break. All E30's have broken original odometer gears, happens between 150k and 200k.

Carfax is really the only way to ensure the odometer is original as it'll show a steady stream of odometer checks.

[flyboyx]

PASS! I can tell from the grainy ass pics that it's had a cheap respray. He's also trying to pass that it really has 150k miles, guaranteed it has a broken odometer and well over 200k actual miles. Not a deal breaker, but something to be considered.

That is a $1500-2000 E30, at best...

well, you have better eyes than i do. it may indeed be a cheap respray from maaco or something. i certainly can't see that by looking at the low res pics. i will agree with you that it likely has been repainted. judging by the condition of the dash, it has set outside in the texas sun a good deal of its life. assuming this to be the case, the factory paint couldn't possibly be that shiny. it still may well be worth 3k or so. you wouldn't know this unless you go over there and lay eyes on it.

this is a similiar car i purchased off houston craigs a couple weeks ago. also missing the "i" after its respray.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=309300

i paid way less than 1k for it but the engine was seized and the trans is auto.

[ParsedOut]

well, you have better eyes than i do. it may indeed be a cheap respray from maaco or something. i certainly can't see that by looking at the low res pics. i will agree with you that it likely has been repainted. judging by the condition of the dash, it has set outside in the texas sun a good deal of its life. assuming this to be the case, the factory paint couldn't possibly be that shiny. it still may well be worth 3k or so. you wouldn't know this unless you go over there and lay eyes on it.

I used to do bodywork and paintless dent repair and it's pretty easy to spot a respray when you know what you're looking for.

1) Like you already mentioned, the dash is fuxed which means it's seen sun. Original schwarz would not hold up.

2) The reflections, it's all in the clarity of the reflections. The car has obviously been washed, so you can't blame it on dirt. The tree in the hood should have a clear reflection, not blurry. There are other hard defined lines in the picture, so it's not photo quality.

My wife just rolls her eyes when we're driving on the freeway and I spot an obvious respray on the side of a new Escalade from two lanes away.

Well anyway, back on topic. For that kind of money I'd expect a much more detailed ad, better photos, a GOOD paint job and ton of maintenance history. Oh, and it's for sure a 2.7i eta motor, the single exhaust is also a dead give away. That further lowers the value, $1200 would be my top value. For $3-4k you can find a really nice E30, or you can buy this heap and put another $2-3k into it and still have an eta with a bad paint job.