Here's something I found the other day. I'm a huge fan of E39s, my 2001 M5 is one of my favorite cars I've ever owned. He lists a lot of important maintenance recently done (most importantly those timing chains) so I messaged him about the car. He said the rust spots aren't too bad and can be fixed. However, he also was open with me and said he just bought this recently and he's just trying to flip it to make a buck. And he doesn't have receipts for all this recent maintenance, he is just listing what the previous owner listed. He also wants cash only, which is just annoying. Not having receipts and being cash only are two red flags in my mind and will likely push me away from this one, but I wanted to bring it up to the GRM hive mind.
For those that don't want to click a FM marketplace link, it's a 2001 540i/6 speed for $3k. I know these cars have their electrical gremlins but I love them
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/496400371371120
I say away from anything with the color accent inserts added to the grille. That is a the display of someone who thought their bmw would be fun to drift, then decided it's too large and is now selling it to get a Nissan or Infiniti that they'll proclaim that they really wanted all along.
My wife brought up a very solid point about this car - this is told me he just bought it and he's trying to flip it to make a quick buck. Which means the original owner sold it for less than $3k. Why would a 2001 540i/6 speed with lots of expensive maintenance just performed on it cost less than $3k? I feel like some rust spots aren't enough to drive the price down that much. Also him wanting cash bothers me, I'm not driving around Detroit with $3K cash in my pocket. Shame he doesn't have full receipts though, I do love these cars.
The seller also not mentioning that the windshield needs to be replaced in the bad is also a red flag. I guarantee there will be at least 3-4 significant things wrong with that vehicle that would cause one to walk away if they hadn't previously decided that it was an amazing deal prior to seeing in person. And that's before the cash only (which screams title issues/lein of some sort)
And it's not a wagon, it's not the droid you're looking for.
In reply to captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :
I'm okay with it being a sedan and not a wagon. A nice wagon would be my preference but I know those are going to be a lot more rare than a sedan. But yeah I'm going to steer clear of this one.
With 540s in general, the manuals sell for a lot more than the autos. And all of them have the fun issue of the timing chain guides. Not wanting to spend up for a 540i/6 and not finding any good 540 wagons for sale is what led to me buying my E38 740iS. I figured if I was going to have an auto behind that engine, I'd rather have a 740 than a 540, and the 740i (short wheelbase) sport package cars aren't all that hard to find.
Check out the Peugot 505 wagon. They are very reliable, parts are easy to find, they are super-high quality and are basically a V70R in French clothes. They are basically the Acura NSX of Euro-wagons.
rslifkin said:
With 540s in general, the manuals sell for a lot more than the autos. And all of them have the fun issue of the timing chain guides. Not wanting to spend up for a 540i/6 and not finding any good 540 wagons for sale is what led to me buying my E38 740iS. I figured if I was going to have an auto behind that engine, I'd rather have a 740 than a 540, and the 740i (short wheelbase) sport package cars aren't all that hard to find.
I briefly owned a black on black 740 in Baltimore. Not the best gas mileage but very comfortable and I've always liked how they look.
In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :
I don't think I ever saw those when they were new, except what seemed like every other episode of Motorweek. I assume they had a buddy at a Peugeot dealership.
First time I ever saw a 505 in person was a couple years ago, one of our rallycross site owners road races one. Or at least, used to.
infinitenexus said:
I briefly owned a black on black 740 in Baltimore. Not the best gas mileage but very comfortable and I've always liked how they look.
Yeah, gas mileage isn't great (especially with the shorter diff in the sport package cars), but it's not awful either. And yes, they're very comfy, handle surprisingly well, and look great. They're no worse to maintain than an E39 either. The biggest downside in my 2.5 years of DD-ing mine is the lack of folding rear seats. So unlike a wagon, anything long that's bigger than the ski pass through just doesn't fit, despite the cavernous trunk and generally large car.
I saw a nice 2006 Audi A4 S-line with a 6 speed manual for $4k at a local dealership and it looked nice in the photos. The description mentioned a clean carfax as well, so I went to look at it today.
Well, the photos were taken at the right angle to hide the rust in the front fenders. The car was dirty, the A/C didn't work, one of the service lights came on when I started it, and it was just generally in bad shape. I asked the guy for the carfax and he said they didn't have a carfax, they had an Autocheck, which was similar. So I asked for that and he printed out just the summary page. I asked to see the details and he just kinda mumbled and waved it off and said it was fine, nothing important. Needless to say we have zero plans to purchase that car, but I did at least test drive it so I'm familiar with how an A4 feels. Pretty decent overall, although I'm still used to my Mustang so most cars are going to disappoint me when I press the loud pedal haha. Even this beat up one handled Cleveland bumps surprisingly well for having 18" wheels and low profile tires, and the handling was acceptable. I think I can confidently say that I would be happy with an A4 if I find a better one. My wife really wants me to get an A4 wagon.
Though not European, I really wish that TSX wagons had come in manual for you.
I think my wife is set on an Audi wagon now. I brought it up to her and her exact words were "I would LOOOOVE for you to get an Audi wagon." So I guess the boss has spoken, I just need to find a good deal on one now.
Wow. An '06 Audi with rust? Anything made after about '98 should be pretty much invulnerable to rust, chassis-wise anyway. (The B5s were bad for the rear shock tower/control arm mount to rust apart, but that unbolts, and the body underneath would be flawless)
That screams accident damage with poor repair. Yep, run away!
ANYTHING with the 2.0 TFSI engine will probably have needed chains by 90k. They are also bad to have low oil pressure due to balance shaft bearings, although they have a repair kit for that now. Used to be when those bearings went bad, you replaced the engine, because they did not offer service parts. Like any German car, you're buying into the previous owner, so records of oil changes every 5k with the proper oil will go VERY far.
It's a sweet engine, and their DSG calibration is magic, to where I tell myself if something should happen to the Volvo then I'd replace it with an S3. (I DID want an RS3, but used RS3 values went from $35k to $55k in a hurry last year, which is a big fat nope)
Yeah there was rust in the front wheel wells. The kind where when you grab it, the whole fender goes cruuuunnnch. On one side they covered it with black duct tape, which you can't see in the photos. The car was definitely in bad shape. It's okay though, I got to drive an A4 and see how they feel. Those Germans know suspension - even this beat up example with 18" wheels had an excellent ride over these horrible Cleveland roads, and still had nice handling.
I'm really tempted to push my max price up a few thousand, as the quality of car improves drastically, but ultimately I want to spend as little as possible (of course, in spending a bit more initially, I might end up saving money as I'm not spending as much on repairs). And I do realize that what I'm looking for is a bit of a unicorn - wagon with a manual transmission, preferably BMW/Audi/Volvo.
So my search continues, but as always no rush. Hell, I just enjoy looking at these cars.
edit: Just spoke to my boss and about a year ago he finally got rid of his 2004 Audi A4, manual transmission. He said it had roughly 300K miles on it.
I picked up a b5 s4 avant last year as a winter beater for crazy cheap. Man, it's been an absolutely glorious car. Although, I came from an e30 and thirdgen trans am so my bar is pretty low when it comes to quality cars.
Just found a 2005 X3, AWD manual transmission with higher miles but full maintenance history and a clean carfax. This might be a solid player.
I mean, an X3 is kind of a wagon, right? If I lowered it a little I could call it a wagon maybe.
If I were to go down the Audi path again, I'd look for a B5 Avant with a 1.8T (97-01) or a B5 S4 with the TTV6 (97-01). Just be warned, ALL VAG engines are picky about oil and coolant, but especially VAG turbo engines. Hold out for a car that has been meticulously maintained by an owner who hasn't cheaped out on these items. Cheap owners who complain about $60 DIY synthetic oil changes and $25/gal G12 coolant are the death of these cars. Or buy an absolute basket case for pennies with the understanding you'll likely need to do a complete tear-down and rebuild of most systems. Buying a car that "looks good" for minimal money will be a dice roll. You might get lucky, but the chances of buying a hidden basket case are high.
No matter what, the car WILL be a project, so make sure you have a back-up if you need to rely on it.
I'm amazed this Lotus engine wagon is still available. At a price under $3k (asking $3.6k) could be a deal. The listing has been up long (by current market standards.). That might help to translate to a cheap price.
It is close to you too. The pictures are taken o. The back parking lot of The Cleveland Hearing Center near University Hospital, Euclid Ave. The Case Western Reserve University area.
In a perfect world, this could be an out of state students car!
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
The seller lists it as fair condition and mentions exterior defects but the pictures look good. New tires, if not a crap brand are worth $400
I've found those to be fairly common in my broad search of this area, actually. I've known a couple people that owned them as well. While they did use the motor in some Lotuses (Lotii?) it was designed by Yamaha, who seems to have a long history of designing awesome engines.
What are y'all's thoughts on a 2005 BMW X3, 3.0 AWD manual transmission with 225K miles? Looks very clean, has a fairly thorough Carfax but I know to be safe I would at least have to factor in changing the timing chain guides. The Wife likes it so we're considering giving it a look.
The Lotus comment was just an attempt to square peg the car to fit your euro want. Let's face it, it's a Toyota. That's not a bad thing. Maybe a boring thing. However, the motor in the Matrix offers a little zoom since it has the bigger motor and 6 sp Vs common 5sp.
I don't know anything about BMW 3.0L.
My cheap ass and simple brain likes the Toyota with 80k less miles.
Seeing the cars in person will tell the real story!
The Matrix could be autoxed. Not so much the X3
The Matrix isn't a wagon though, it's a hatch. Not that the X3 is all that much bigger (other than being taller).
Engine-wise, that X3 should have an M54B30 in it. Other than the oil pump nut concern, that engine has a good track record.
The X3 isn't going to be enjoyable to drive. It's a tall, heavy sled. Rowing gears adds nothing to the equation. It's the answer to all the questions that nobody asked.
They are safe and they are comfortable. Neighbors will see them and think one of two things, there will either be impressed or they will think you're a fool who bit off more than they can chew. The problem with them is, let's be honest, you would have zero interest in an X3 if it weren't a manual transmission and the manual transmission brings nothing to the party in terms of driving engagement, enjoyment or fun.
Price tire options for the X3 before even deciding to drive it.
