My girlfriend works for this small car rental place here in Los Angeles (it does quite well) and the owner (her boss) owns a auto repair shop too. Anyway, I happened to be dropping her off so she could run some errands for the guy and he comes out and introduces himself. Nice guy.

He starts asking me about my car, year, how many miles, etc. Then out of nowhere he pitches this to me..."You see that red BMW over there? Its a 1995 325 4 door, black interior, leather, great condition, 120,000 miles. I am willing to do a fair, even exchange. Your car, for the BMW. What do you say?"

I didnt know what to say. I didnt know if it was a fair trade so I told him I would get back to him tomorrow (which is today). My girlfriend called me this morning and asked if I wanted to come down to the shop today and drive it, have it checked out, etc. Her boss says that there is nothing wrong with it at all, needs a good home and IF something should happen to go wrong he will have his mechanics repair it free of charge. Anyway, I thought I would see what you all thought about this whole thing. I am going to stop by the shop in an hour or two and drive it, etc.

BTW, what are the specs of a 325 (1995) BMW? Power? Torque? Horsepower? All that good stuff...

 

www.carpoint.com can give you some of this info.........ask him why he wants to trade.

However 325 95 model has an I-6 189hp 184tq... not sure about performance..but the 318 listed with the smaller 1.8l engine is 0-60 in 7.68 seconds.

 

Thats a great deal if they are going to repair any problems for you in the future. I had a 325is and once it hit about 140000 miles i ran into a lot of problems. And it aint cheap luckily i knew someons and the dealership that gave me all the parts at cost. The maxima is way more fun to drive. If you go for the trade imake sure you get eberything down in writing for all repairs will be fixed for free. Get the vin number ill run CARFAX reports for you i still have access for a coule days.

 

is that offer open to any body ??

 

sure no problem

 

Sweeeeet. I just got back from the shop and I must say I had a fun time driving this car. Its a little smaller than my Max (something I noticed), but fun none the less to drive. Smooth acceleration, nice take off, brakes on a dime and I am loving the black leather interior.

I asked him why he wanted to trade and he said a few things. First was that my girlfriend talked very highly of me to him and said that I really was excited about this car when I saw it. He also said that he may decide to keep this Maxima (if I decide to trade) for himself, or he may add it to his rental car fleet. Anyway, he said that the free repair (if I should need it) is good for a whole year. I still havent given him word on if its a go but it is getting VERY tempting.

 

You might want to check that again, the 318I was a dog with a 0-60 near the 10 second range with it's 138HP engine. The 325I should be more or less in that range 0-60. I wouldn't trade because old BMW's are known to break down, not nearly as reliable as the Max, which is why the guy most likely wants to trade it away, he's just sick of breaking down so much.

LEMAR

 

I am working on getting the VIN #. He says it has not had any major repairs. He said in November 2003 it had that major maintenance check. I know there is an official name for it but I cant remember. All cars usually go through it once you hit high milage. He showed me a copy of all the work done, etc.

kllyr I will be PMing you that VIN soon. I appreciate you being able to run that for me.

 

Here is a pic of what the car looks like. This isnt the specific car but it looks EXACTLY like that except a really dark tint is on the one I am looking at...

 

dude, this was probably a rental car! you know what that means... if you had a rented a bmw you drive that thing like theres no tommorow! it was never driven properly or porperly taken car of (was driven the second the engine started). tyake serious note of this please

 

I'm with him...something is up with that car.

 

No no no. I neglected to mention that. This car was NOT a rental car. It was a trade in.

 

I would have walked right off the lot if he said it was a rental...

 

I am heading off to Santa Monica BMW to have the car checked out by one of their certified mechanics. See ya in an hour or 2...or 3.

 

How many miles do you have on your car

 

That beemer is much slower then your car, plus it will break down like b|tch with that milage. Parts are freaken expensive too. I wouldn't trade...
My 2 cents

 

ever thought of WHY he's offering this "trade"???
and just think how much money you'll have to spend in years to come in order to maintain the BMW.
he is hiding something from you. Who in the world would trade a bmw for a max??? think about it..
put yourself in his shoes. "why am i trading my bmw for a max?"

 

i'd definately have to agree with that, sounds like a real salesman "fair even trade" making you think that the maxima is on par with the bmw, hes a businessman, he knows how to entice people. how come he just doenst sell it off if its such a nice car? you know the saying "if something is too good to be true..."

 

Are you going to get this mysterious "I'll fix any problems for a year" in writing?

 

Taken straight from car point.com

Performance
0 - 60 Time (seconds) 1/4 Mile Time (seconds) / 1/4 Mile Speed / (mph) Braking 60 - 0

(mph) Braking 60 - 0
mph (ft.)
BMW 318ti (hatchback) - I4 1.8L (138 hp) 5M + ABS 7.68 / 16.12 / 86.10 / 127
BMW 318ti (hatchback) - I4 1.8L (138 hp) 4A + ABS 9.20 / 17.69 / 79.10 / 124

 

I asked him for the 1 year repair offer in writing, he agreed. I just got back from Santa Monica BMW and the mechanic said that car is sound. In great working condition, and that it seems to have been maintained well. He did mention that it may need a couple of things down the road (another 10,000-12,000 miles) but that is about it, just parts that have worn due to usage. He said that he noticed the lights wouldnt turn on and after closer inspection he determined it needed new bulbs. My car has 152,321 and the BMW has roughly 120,000. I havent yet made my decision but I thought I would throw in that little bit of info.

 

I wouldnt trade MY 97SE (somewhat modded) for a 95 325, but I would trade a 95 SE with 150k thats not too modded for it. BMWs are awesome cars.

 

Get over it. Get the bimmer, not beemer(BMW motorcycle). It's a great car, I'd do it in a heartbeat or at least after inspecting it.

 

I would take the car to a mechanic and if its fine then i would trade that. Its worth alot more than your max is...

 

I think I am going to go for it. After the BMW mechanic checked it out and said everything was kosher, I was pretty much persuaded. BTW, there is a box with 2 subs, and 2 amplifiers in the trunk AND (once I get it out) a Panasonic Sirius ready headunit If anyone wants them for DIRT CHEAP, PM me. I am going to stick with just upgraded speakers and get an OEM headunit. I will keep ya'll posted.

 

ok, but the point is that after one year,, you'll be spending some serious $$$$$...
i wouldn't do it unless you got that kind of cash to spend. i'm in college.

 

specs on amps and subs?

 

take the car.
then sell it asap.
buy a max, and with the money you gain buy modz.
just a thought

 

I really hope you didnt trade.
You can't really assume he's out to 'give you a deal'. Ask your self why would he?

My best friend got a bmw "Exactly" like the 1 in the Picture. Red/ w tan leather. 5-speed, all options. 325 95'
He's had the Car for 2 yrs Now But got a great $6000 deal on it.
Next: Gasket Leak's, Then 6mos pass -> Power sterring pump. approx $2700 Invested now.
^6 more months pass. warranty for previous work is void now.
Car begins to loose oil fast and overheating.
Oh wait. The all Aluminum Head is bad . That Cost $5500 Now!
But He got a ReFurbised head for $3000.00

B/c of parents and Issues he Procedded to repair it.
Glens BWM List.
Great Deal $6000
Gasket Leakand Pwr Stering $2700
New Remanufactured head $3000.00
.....umm No mods.

His car and My car were Equal before i began to mod. He has a Outstanding bill of about $9000 he owes on his car still...Please read your ReaderDisgest before EVER buying a BWM. Parts from a JunkYard are worse than Our Stealership prices.

 

And you dont think little Old grandma was Listening to those subs dropping the clutch to show off.

To each his own.

 

It's funny how everyone here is so biased. You're all saying how the car will run great for a while and then suddenly crap out on him. How the hell do you know the MAX won't do the same? If the car was taken care of it will run for a LONG time. If it wasn't then it will **** up fast. Engineering wise I don't see how BMW would be inferior to Nissan.

 

I agree with Big D. Its natural that you post on a maxima site with maxima owners that everyone will say GO MAXIMA! hah ... I would say go for the BMW if you have hard evidenece that its truly in good shape

 

I agree we you the same. at Maxima.org youll see these Go Maxima's in the thread.
I believe he should go to a BMW325i .org site as well. Maybe ask about how much parts cost for a BMW.... all these factors pertain to his decision.

I would personally take Ilumo's Maxima over a BMW. Our engines cost $300 w/ 65k from a yard.
BMW engines are about $1500 from a yard.

Either way. Good luck buddy.....

 

Do it!!!
Play with it a little, (not too hard) while selling it for a good price! because it will take some time. And for that money you will buy a much nicer Maxima.

I would do that...

 

Iv'e owned and 325is and from my experiance i love my max. With all the $$ i put out in last 40,000 miles of my BMW i couldve bought my maxima>.. I was just lucky some young kids bought my BMW.

 

hehe.. hey, I would take my Max over a the 325 too.. We never said anything about my max... but since his max is relatively stock and has more miles than the beemer, maybe its not a bad decision to go with the bmw. but like you said, he should do research first now a m3... that would make me think...

 

if you like the car, id say go for it, they are very sound cars structerally. my cousin used to own a 325i, was in a VERY serious car accident. she came out without a scratch on her. the person that hit her was as close to dead as can be. but she did always complain about having to repair it a lot and it wasnt cheap. either way, good luck!

 

maybe he is trading with you because he is banging your girlfriend and feels like he owes you something? j/k i think that the bimmer could be a great car since its german, real wheel, and if it was stick then you'll be set. my friend did wat you may do and he dropped in some m3 parts ( engine/ tranny ) that he got from a recovered stolen m3 and i must say that his car is some thing mean. and he plans on gettin the m3 suspension and body work and he'll be set. But on the down side servicing cost a damn fortune compared to wat we paid for our cars. But i wish you well and i hope it goes ok!

 

@ liqidvenom one of my good friends drives a bimmer...a 318ti actually...with M3 guts (engine/tranny) and loves it...there are so many options and parts for that car...if the car is decent ..go for it. is it auto? or manual? check out www.bimmerforums.com

 

Wasn't the 318ti, the tiny hatchback BMW. It probably was lighter than typical BMWs. I think Sports Car International or one of those type of magazines wrote an article on used 3 series shopping guides and what to expect. Maybe you can find it online. If you are going to keep your car for a while, I'd rather have a high mileage Nissan. Though BMWs are more rare, and young rich kids will always want one, so resale is likely good...if you don't get killed by high repair costs along the way. Plus I'm skeptical of a salesman doing anyone a favor, besides himself.