Which forum member's car am I about to buy?

[matt skolnick]

Whats up guys? I'm about to purchase a black on black 2002 ASA supercharged 330ci from staten island. The driver is originally from CT and the license plate is DINAN 3.

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

[MachRc]

maybe its DINAN3


congrats on your car.. its going to be awesome

[matt skolnick]

nah thats not it.. But thanks though! Any other guesses? It has an e46fanatics sticker in the window!

[bimmerchop]

a picture of the car would help

[matt skolnick]

http://www.justbenz.com/~royscompleteauto/2PH01723-1sm.jpg
http://www.justbenz.com/~royscompleteauto/2PH01723-5sm.jpg
http://www.justbenz.com/~royscompleteauto/2PH01723-3sm.jpg
http://www.justbenz.com/~royscompleteauto/2PH01723-10sm.jpg

anybody?? :dunno:

[330CK]

no clue

but very tastefully modded :thumbsup:

[AzCamel]

nice mod list, asa, BBK, BBS, very nice car. Have not seen it on here but if you dont mind me asking, how much.

[matt skolnick]

I know its VERY tastefully modded.. everything's done exactly how I'd do it.. except I'd go with bigger wheels and more drop. but that can all be done later. I also like the way it's at sleeper status right now.

what do you guys think... he asked 18.5.. i offered 17 and he accepted on ebay. His car has 82K miles on it and I'm trading him my 99 323i also with 82K + cash. I already test drove the car and It's never been in an accident. Any good advice for me? This is the first time I'm buying a car without the help of my parents (i'm 19).

[Born Again]

damn is that what a 330ci goes for today :(

sounds like a good deal .. goddamn depreciation - but he does have a lot of miles - i only have 48K

[Tyler@UniqueDesign]

Your trading him a car and paying 17k for a modded 330 with 82 thousand miles.

Sounds high to me. Whats the blue book on his car (stock) vs your car (stock).

[matt skolnick]

i'm not trading him the car AND paying 17.. this is going through a used car dealer.. so i'm seeing what he'll give me for mine, and paying the difference to make 17.

[turbopezz]

i live in staten island,i believe ive seen the car around.

[330CK]

I know its VERY tastefully modded.. everything's done exactly how I'd do it.. except I'd go with bigger wheels and more drop. but that can all be done later. I also like the way it's at sleeper status right now.

what do you guys think... he asked 18.5.. i offered 17 and he accepted on ebay. His car has 82K miles on it and I'm trading him my 99 323i also with 82K + cash. I already test drove the car and It's never been in an accident. Any good advice for me? This is the first time I'm buying a car without the help of my parents (i'm 19).

i think we'd get along. we have very similar taste.

quick things off the top of my head:

1. Carfax report
•figure out where it's originally from, and how long it was there. this will give you an idea of what conditions (rain, sleet, snow, slush, desert heat, etc) the car has been through.
2. Have a mechanic look it over
•usually a mechanic will charge about $25-50 for this
•make sure he checks for rust, which shouldn't be a problem in your area unless he drove it during winter with salt on the street, etc
•make sure he checks suspension components
3. To be very thorough, have a compression check done.
•this will give you the best idea of the health of the engine, especially a blown engine. this will be about $100-$200, but it's well worth it.
4. Invest in a code reader. The most irritating thing in our cars are the sensors. These can easily be changed by someone with a little mechanical experience, and will save you A LOT of money in labor. Code readers are about $125-$150 from Bavauto, BMP Design, etc. They should also work with multiple BMWs, incase you plan on expanding your fleet.
5. Bentley or Haynes mechanical manual. To help with any minor fixes, also tells you exactly which fluids to use (i.e. ATF in the power steering, not power steering fluid) and where to put them.

[matt skolnick]

thanks for all that advice! it's actually funny you said all this because my friends dad is the best mechanic I know (and my family trusts him more then anyone), and I'm bringing him with me to staten island again tomorrow to check everything for me. If all goes well a deal will be made.

How exactly do you have a compression check done though?

p.s. where in FL are you?

[AzCamel]

thats a smoking deal IMO

[330CK]

thanks for all that advice! it's actually funny you said all this because my friends dad is the best mechanic I know (and my family trusts him more then anyone), and I'm bringing him with me to staten island again tomorrow to check everything for me. If all goes well a deal will be made.

How exactly do you have a compression check done though?

p.s. where in FL are you?

it's good to know someone who's a mechanic, and it would be the best to have one that is familiar with BMWs and their weakest points.

for a compression check, the mechanic removes each spark plug (one at a time) and inserts a meter:
http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/3316154_lg.jpg

turn the engine, check compression in each cylinder and compare to others. the closer they are to each other, the better. if the numbers don't match up, there's probably a leak somewhere, etc.

it's probably the best thing to do to check the health of the engine.

i'm in martin county, just north of palm beach county.