Buying a 10+ year old car what could go wrong?

[Mazderati]

Craigslist but it can be a pain in the ass to search.

That low mileage E46 is right up my alley. The newest car I own is 16 years old and has 35k on the clock.

[BmillsSkier]

That's awesome! I've kinda always thought I'd be able to find a low mileage version of my 335 to replace it when the odometer gets too high, but they all look like junkshows when I do a 10 minute search.

Depressing on one hand, but as my wife reminds me, it ain't gonna happen regardless. So, here I am helping a buddy try and find his unicorn.

[MakersTeleMark]

anyone able to spot what's wrong with this picture? Had a warm day a little while back and did some evening beltway laps before she turned into a geyser close to home. Got her turned off before the low coolant light turned on so should be fine.

Attachment 198875

Coming from a truck guy, a real truck guy; I totally have this one:

She's low on coolant.

[BmillsSkier]

I was going to say that coolant hose was dangling out there like my buddies intestines after a bad day on the river years ago.

He got back to the shop too before it became too late.

[Bromontana]

Isn't that a scene from Tropic Thunder?

[BmillsSkier]

I believe it is.

[Timberridge]

Partial credit, t joint shown below fatigued in the freeze/thaw cycles and peripheral hose fitting popped off. $13 fix*

Attachment 198876

*so far

Fyi...La Rover du Range has a similar piece of effing plastic that costs $18 bucks and that has failed on every engine about 75-90K mi. The plastic eventually breaks down from the heat. The go to fix is to eliminate the plastic and go with a brass tee.

[BmillsSkier]

There could be an entire thread titled: Buying a Range Rover, What Could Go Wrong?!?

[Mazderati]

That thread would be very short given the answer is everything.

[Timberridge]

...or a coffee table book.

But actually the RR has given me less issues than the previous X5. I crossed the car repair Rubicon two cars ago and buy Toyotas for myself now which are about as exciting as driving a tractor, but my wife continues to have a fascination for the less durable, or she's having an affair with the mechanic.

[jono]

Fyi...La Rover du Range has a similar piece of effing plastic that costs $18 bucks and that has failed on every engine about 75-90K mi. The plastic eventually breaks down from the heat. The go to fix is to eliminate the plastic and go with a brass tee.

I was literally wondering how the metal part that belongs inside that hose could have pulled out without moving the clamp. Gotta love plastic where it doesn't belong.

[BmillsSkier]

but my wife continues to have a fascination for the less durable, or she's having an affair with the mechanic.

Gotta love plastic where it doesn't belong.

I think you two have just unearthed the secret BMW business model.

[Touring_Sedan]

I know someone asked before but what sites do you all use in a good ol' unicorn search?

I've volunteered to waste good hours of mine to help a friend poke around for a few cars he's got in mind for a weekend driver.

I've used ebay, cars.com, autotrader... not much else, but I've had good luck in the past. What'cha got?

He was kinda inspired by this article:

http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/this-g...6-i-1791824878

Bringatrailer

[canyonrider]

So my dad is offering to sell me his 2003 BMW X5 for $2000. He is the original owner with 72K on it, and it has basically been sitting in his garage for the last decade. I've owned a BMW before and am painfully familiar with the cost of maintenance, but for the price I'm tempted. We would use it for shorter road trips around CO, skiing, and some commuting. What could go wrong?

Other car is a 4Runner that would still be the go-to family vehicle for camping/towing, longer road trips, and more frequent abuse with the kids.

Following up on my own post to tell you what can go wrong. I ended up buying the X5 from my dad in September. Shipped it out here from North Carolina to discover that the tires were well-worn and a CV boot was leaking badly. Ok, new tires and some upfront maintenance, no big deal.

Fast forward four months and I've had to replace three out of four window regulators (which included the windows getting stuck down at some very inopportune times) plus the electronic module for the adjustable seat and steering column. Also had the rear wiper assembly explode on me while driving, plus the rear latch has been doing some weird stuff. At this point I've spent over a couple of grand to take care of these items but it's already wearing thin.

On the plus side, the car drives really well and the engine seems solid. I knew this kind of annoying shit would pop up, but jeebus. I don't think the car has liked the transition from a North Carolina garage to living outside in Colorado all winter.

[mcski]

Your dad's a thief. You should sue under the lemon law!

[54-46]

There's a hack for BMW window regulators that involves using a zip tie. May or may not work on models other than e46 - worked on mine.

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=356847

[t-the-east]

[mcski]

This Bitch Rusty will be the hot line of 17

[BmillsSkier]

I call bullshit on rusty bitch. Was Oldsmobile even a company in 2002?

[shroom]

i remember cruisin at 125 in bumfuck montana w/ my old man in his '02 4.0 Aurora. that thing was a fucking boat.

[Mazderati]

GM used the Aurora V8 as a base for Indy engines back in the day. The number of parts that actually carried over from road car to race car was probably minimal but still kind of bad ass.

[4matic]

North Carolina.

Salt? I was talking to my mechanic Friday and he was telling me some stories about people who let cars sit. Not good. Much better to drive often.

[basinbeater]

Here you go, basin. This guys reviews and this format aren't my favorite but cool to see nonetheless.

Thanks for that.

[Bobby Stainless]

3-4 year old car, what could go wrong? Panamera Turbo and Cayenne Turbo for sale. White. Clean af. Perfect for the ski town dentist type.

[basinbeater]

nah, the one of the left just gets excited by the sound of a flat six.