1992 BMW 325 cost parts and labor

KHEPERA3C

MEMBER
1992 BMW 325
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
83,000 MILES

I recently came across a good deal on this car and wondered if I should buy this car. The head gasket is messed up and im hearing that it will cost any where from$1000-3500 to fix. I need a second opinion. The car has leather interior sun roof m3 rims and tires 83000ish mile. The front struts have been replaced as well as the water pump< fan and radiator. Ican buy it for $700. Is it worth it?

5 Replies

BLUELIGHTNIN6

MECHANIC
16,542 POSTS

Is the head gasket the only issue? The gasket repair will be nowhere near $3k or you are getting ripped off big time! Keep the head gasket repair at or below $1k. Paying $700 plus $1k for repairing gasket is a pretty good deal for a BMW only having 83k miles. It is really your opinion though, you are the buyer. Just make sure no additional major repairs are needed. Did you find out why the gasket blew? Did engine overheat?

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Sunday, February 8th, 2009 AT 2:00 AM

KHEPERA3C

MEMBER
3 POSTS

I honestly dont know. My friend and employee had this car and it kept overheating, so she got a new fan ( whatever that is ). Needless to say it didnt fix the problem, soshe got a new radiator. Finally her father took it to the shop and they told him it was the head gasket and it would be around $1000.
Because she already put so much into it she decided to sale ut for parts. I dont know if there is any other problems but from what I was told from a few other friend in my circle it always had an overheating problem.
Ive never really dealt with cars so I dont know if I should invest into this car. I just need a reliable means of transportation. It helps that the car look great

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Sunday, February 8th, 2009 AT 2:19 AM

BLUELIGHTNIN6

MECHANIC
16,542 POSTS

Okay. Yeah a blown head gasket will cause overheating. The thing I am worried about here is, 1. Why did the gasket blow and 2. How hot was the engine ran and for how long?

Overheating usually CAUSES a head gasket to fail, so I am afraid that if you fix the gasket that you will still encounter overheating. Also if the vehicle was driven while overheating there may be internal damage to the engine as well.

Are there any unusual noises or bad performance with the vehicle?

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Sunday, February 8th, 2009 AT 2:21 AM

KHEPERA3C

MEMBER
3 POSTS

I have to ask her tomorrow. She is just as lost as I am when it comes to cars. I was wondering why was she willing to sale it for so cheap. She only paid $2000 for it and she went half with her bf. But I will ask her how long she drove it like that.

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Sunday, February 8th, 2009 AT 2:36 AM

DOCHAGERTY

MECHANIC
9,601 POSTS

It is quite possible that engine damage has occurred and it might require replacement of the cylinder head as they are aluminum castings and do not deal well with overheating. As far as weather or not you should buy/fix this car depends on if you can either repair it or have it repaired within the bounds of economic reason. If it is a very clean 1992 E-36 then I would buy and fix it straight away, for you, it might be better to consider all your options before taking the plunge. Let me know if you need to have a conversation about it to help make this decision. I will be here.