1989 325I Convertible

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Chuckyg - 02 Sep 2007 01:53 GMT

Hello...I am thinking of purchasing a 1989 325 conv. The car has about 75
,000 miles on it and appears to be in decent shape. I have a 2002
mercedes e320 wich is my daily driver. This car would just be a summer
cruiser; as i live at the jersey shore. Any opinions and comments on the
89 325 conv would be greatly appreciated.
Charles- Monmouth County NJ.

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Bob Smitter - 02 Sep 2007 02:48 GMT

> Any opinions and comments on the
> 89 325 conv would be greatly appreciated.

The mileage is low enough that the engine and drivetrain
should not give you any problems, provided they have been
maintained. Your problems will be with the age of things.
You can expect 18 years to take a toll on anything rubber,
many things plastic, and even cloth and leather. Be prepared
for the expense of replacing such things.

I owned two E30 BMWs, and the '91 325i was by far the
best and most reliable car I ever had.

Bob

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Thomas Wright - 02 Sep 2007 21:12 GMT

>> Any opinions and comments on the
>>89 325 conv would be greatly appreciated.
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> Bob

I have an 1989 325 convertible that I have owned for 4 years. It is a
great car. It has been so tremendous that I have considered selling my
primary driver (2000 323i) and just driving the E30.

Check to see when the last time the cam belt was changed. I think there
supposed to be changed about every 4 years or 50,000 miles. Don't
forget to change it. If it breaks, trashes out very expensive engine
pieces.

I understand that the power tops of these cars are expensive to fix
also. Mine is manual, and I've never had any trouble.

Oh and the best part: The sound of the engine / exhaust of these
engines can only be bettered by one that has 12 cylinders.

Have fun with a great car.

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blickcd@aol.com - 04 Sep 2007 14:59 GMT

I have a 1988, bought it maybe four years ago and it has been a lot of
fun.

Another thing you need to check is the head bolts, which were probably
replaced as part of a recall. Remove the oil filler cap and look in
inside the valve cover, I think down and to the right. You will see
one of the head bolts and the new ones have a head that looks like the
tip of a large torx screwdriver. If you have the old standard head
bolts, they need to be replaced.

That said, unless you have a garage, nice set of tools, some patience,
and are a good at working on cars, you could end up spending a lot on
minor repairs. This is mainly due to the age of the car, as someone
else said the belts and hoses and anything else rubber will probably
need to be replaced soon. I've also had some minor electrical
problems in the past which were tough to track down with the numerous
relays.

Sometimes when working on my car I have thought there was some Rube
Goldberg engineering involved. The germans couldn't do anything the
easy way. Then again, when it is running properly it is a really good
ride.

Christopher

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