Used Car Advice.

2001 BMW 325i
Clean Title
200k miles
Clean interior and paint


Drove it today on the freeway and it was smooth.
The guy is asking $3700.

Am I getting ripped off?

200k miles

no thanks jeff

I looked it on Craigslist here and the average selling price for these cars is 6600 with an average of 133,320 miles so thats like $0.049 a mile to $0.0185


based on this, a 2001 BMW 325i with 200,000 miles would cost $3,333 here where I live and you are getting one for 3700

Find the average selling price of that car and the average miles

These are the prices based on the NADA guide, which is generally an accurate figure. I didn't adjust for any features as well. Use NADA before making any auto purchases in the future.

I buy and sell used cars and my advice is to stay away from this car. A BMW with that many miles is a ticking time bomb. They are very expensive cars to maintain and while it may drive well now if ANYTHING ever goes wrong with it its going to cost you ALOT! Try finding a more economical car that wont cost a lot to keep running. Truth is any car with those miles will need regular checkups if you want to keep it running. Best wishes in your search.

Old BMW's sound good at first, but chances are, the people who have owned it over the years have absolutely torn it up over the 200k miles. The problem is unlike Toyotas and Hondas, finding parts is going to cost an arm and a leg too so it's a bit risky. You can go with your gut feeling of course and for $3700, any car you buy is going to be risky but you might want to have a mechanic check it out. I think they charge around $50 to do an inspection and it's well worth it to check for leaks, compression, and hidden things.

No point in getting a car with 200K miles.. For what? Just to say you own a BMW? Get your self a car that you know won't die on you like a Honda or a Toyota..

If the seller has a full service record of every oil change, it has a clean title, the 60k & 120k service were done, & another maintenance update was recently done(all belts + pulleys, fuel filter, VANOS seals, coolant overhaul, power-steering overhaul). I would get it. The common person believes that a car doesn't last past 150-200k miles but as long as you take care of it, don't modify it, beat on it, & keep up with maintnance, you're good.

Honestly the only shortcoming with BMW's is the cost of it all. German cars get EXPENSIVE under the wrench. German Car + repair/maintenance = up to 3x the cost of repair/maintenance of a Japanese/American Car

I'm a lot more mechanically inclined/experienced & informed than most people. I bought my old car(1988 Honda CRX) with 270k miles & ran it up to 350k miles. I kept up on oil changes/fluids, kept it stock, & kept up with anything else that popped up. I sold it a few months ago, but I know the guy that bought it & it still starts up everytime. Sure it wasn't a BMW but the fact that it's still running to this day tells you that maintenance is key!

I don't doubt that especially since my current car has over 200k on it - it's a 13 year old Toyota, but I bought it when it was 4 years old and only had 67k on it (it cost me around $10k at the time) from CarMax. I mention them because they tend to cost more than buying from other places, but go over cars with a fine tooth comb and look for hidden problems and they have a 30 day repair policy. My 67k mile car came with a new timing belt even. The point is *I* was the one who put the miles on it, it's not a sports car that might have been abused, and it's a car where maintenance is easy and cheap. I just got it tuned up *cost me all of $90 and it still runs like a charm.

My first car was a $500 Mitsubishi turbo charged something or another and every month I was spending $300 on fixing something until the engine started leaking massive amounts of oil. Next car was $5000 and seemed too good to be true (low milage, very clean Nissan) until I found out the title had been altered and the car was in a bad wreck before and my alignment was never right.

My overall view is that in the sub $5000 range, your best bet is a Honda or Toyota economy car. Less chance of it being abused. Also, if you call someone about a car and they ask "Which one?" hang up. They're a dealer who acts as an individual where you have no recourse like you do at a dealership.

And absolutely maintain the car! I change my oil every 3000 miles. Some people say that's just a scam oil changing places came up with and you can wait 5000-10000 miles, but changing your oil is the cheapest way to keep your engine going. I'm up to 207k miles now. Best way to keep a car going is also not to get in a wreck

Yea, toyotas are legendary for having high miles and running like champs, and I agree with the oil statement, I have a friend who tells me that all the time, "ohh 3,000 miles is a scam, the oil is still fresh you can go 8,000 without changing it" I just tell him what's the point? $30 to keep fresh oil or be cheap about it and risk ceasing my engine? People, don't be dumb when it comes to oil changes! Get them done every 3K! Unless you got synthetic, I believe that's every 5K