BEWARE OF JAGUAR OF BELLEVUE E30 Lemon

[ctebbs5]

I was about to buy a Red 325i e30 and from the pictures it looks great but it is a complete mess please read:
Inquired about purchasing a 1988 BMW 325i. From the looks the car is amazing. Now they would not let me buy the car with out a Pre Purchase Inspection was done because I am out of state. The car looked so good online I didn't think it needed one. We priced the car at $20,000 and I had Strickley BMW do the inspection. It came back very bad. Mod was found throughout the whole car, damage to the frame, transmission leaks, oil leaks, rear shock mounts broken, brake ABS system dismantled and much much more I have all pictures and report of this inspection. In fact there was sitting water in the glove box and rear of the car in the truck and around the battery. I immediately informed Jaguar of Bellevue and no one got back to me. I told there the car needs a lot of work and the best I could offer was $5000 because of the work that will needed to be done. Because of the mold I even mentioned I would sign an as is clause. I've reached out to them now 3 times and no one has called me back. I sent the email to Randy and Alec and I've sent text messages to Alec. I am astonished that a dealer such as this would turn a blind eye to this and not want to just off load the car and keep the reputation. This is a warning to anyone looking at this car to please do due diligence it needs a lot of work. I can PM anyone then inspection report along with all the pics if needed I just know how we buys these cars off emotion and don't want someone to spend what I was about to.

[Metallated]

Wow that's awful. Thanks for informing the community. It does look really nice from the outside.

For those curious:

http://www.jaguarbellevue.com/inventory/1988-bmw-325i-325i-wbaab5402j4286012?fbclid=IwAR3Oo7TtnGyvjcWlqnbQuQwjpjRMnd7JeXV7-4HRvL-ZLsW7hWhl0pyp5sM

[ahrensNW]

25k for an 88 325i with an m badge one the front.

Brb gonna go kill myself

[Stanley Rockafella]

Wow, sorry to hear your lowballing tactic failed.

I don't know what I'd do if someone offered me 20% of my asking price.

[goarmy]

post the report and picture

[Colt601]

Sounds like the dealer did you a huge favor forcing you to get a PPI. You should be thanking them.

On the other hand I would ignore your 5k offer too. Customers like that aren't worth dealing with.

[e30davie]

Those fogged lights in the bumper instantly put me off.

Those wheels/brakes look pretty serious, what else is done to it? Are you suuuuurre it was mold?

You should post the photos/report to back up your claims....The shock mounts are probably the only thing that really jumps out at me. Rest is fixable or expected.

5k offer is a bit of dick move.

edit: just looked through the photos. It looks awesome. even if it requires the interior cleaned out from his mold, thats a weekends job and a 30yr old car probably needs it anyway. as long as there is no rust its all good?

[JJCTHE1]

First of all, look up the definition of a "lemon" before calling out someones business. This is an S50 swapped car that is 31 years old, so the term lemon does not even apply.

Secondly, I had shown interest in this car about a month ago when I started to look for an S50/S52 swapped E30, I decided I couldn't deal with red so I passed.

Here is a youtube video of the car:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTC16TVEirY

While I am sure it has issues, the drive train alone is worth 5k. You may want to do some research on the cost of building a car like this (which I am in the very early stages of) and its upwards of 30k doing it right.

So even a car that has the issues you mention, if its the color you want with no rust, this car could be worth 20k to the right guy with some deferred maintenance and a few leaks/mold.

FYI most swapped cars have had previous accident repairs, that is often why they become swapped cars. If you are not OK with this - build your own, which was one of the reasons I decided to source my own car and do the swap.

Do your research.

PS: The sales rep Alec actually disclosed the leaking to me in an email on 12/11/2018...........

[Blackout]

Headlights, Fog lights and front blinkers appear to be aftermarket/ebay to me. This alone should have been a red flag. Lemon or not.
Given that they are completely reversible mods/nbd but it does not stop me from wondering why? just why>?> Especially on a 25K car?

[dsphil]

Well, it does have an engine swap, so it has to be heavily modified. The leaks are common and most likely just seals. The only concern was what frame damage does it have as inspected. YouTube video of the owner said he wont drive over 40mph is questionable. I think it might just a show car. Since it is a CA car, I dont expect to be rusty. Post some pictures and the PPI would tell alot.

[Massive Lee]

I think that your lowball offer is what triggered them to shut all means of communication. You should have simply forwarded them the inspection report. They would have maybe replied. Also, they asked for a PPI because they know that if the inspector doesn't see all the flaws and you buy the car, then they are protected. Not their fault if the car is a basket case, it passed PPI...

[Dj Buttchug]

I'm interested as to why a random jag dealer would ever consider selling a 30 year old car. Who's the used car manager LOL

[Andrew325is]

I've seen other high end car dealers selling overpriced junk cars. You wouldn't think they would, but they do. In fact, I think it's their bread and butter.

[Staszek]

Love to see the PPI, because the pics look pretty damn good.

[bobdavisnpf]

Strictly BMW is my shop, (run by a former E30 racer who now races E46), I trust them and they likely gave you a very good list with estimates of all repairs you'd need. If you're concerned about straightness, Collision Masters in Kirkland can put it on a laser rack for about 250. Water in the interior can be fully mitigated/restored by Convertibles Only in Seattle, though a complete tearout/dry-out and reassembly makes a great winter DIY if you have garage space and interest.

Good on Jaguar Of Bellevue to insist on PPI and at a reputable shop with true E30 expertise. Glad you got a chance to pass on it, seems like you'd have been unhappy with its purchase & resto experience. Hopefully its buyer takes it to E30 Picnic so we can all get a good look :)