2002 325i will only go 15mph

I am new to the e46 forums; I did an extensive search but could not find anything on this topic.

I am looking to buy a used 2002 325i w/ MT. The guy that is selling it said that BMW said the car needs a new motor. The car will start up and but will only go 15mph.

Does anyone have any idea what my be wrong with the car? I am suspecting a blown head gasket but I have never heard of a blown head gasket limiting a car to 15 mph.

Thanks for any feed back.

sounds like a tranny issue

No, that sounds about right for a 325.

Welcome to E46Fanatics !




Don't have enough information to even speculate. If your buying this E46, I really hope your getting it for super cheap.





Good luck.

He is asking 3k for it. It has 147K on it

Is that too much to pay??

Originally Posted by dmax

No, that sounds about right for a 325.

My vote for funny comment of the day !




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Originally Posted by usetikill

I am new to the e46 forums; I did an extensive search but could not find anything on this topic.

I am looking to buy a used 2002 325i w/ MT. The guy that is selling it said that BMW said the car needs a new motor. The car will start up and but will only go 15mph.

Does anyone have any idea what my be wrong with the car? I am suspecting a blown head gasket but I have never heard of a blown head gasket limiting a car to 15 mph.

Thanks for any feed back.

Originally Posted by usetikill

He is asking 3k for it. It has 147K on it

Is that too much to pay??

So, rumor is you can get a motor for maybe $1500-2000. If you can't install it yourself, then expect another, what? Maybe another $1,000-1,500 to install it.

You could be in $3500 additional...which means $4000 in bmw-$$$. So, $7,000 for a 10-year old bmw that 'might' need a motor. Maybe it doesn't need a motor and bmw lied? Maybe it only needs $5,000 worth of motor work? Seriously.

Could bmw be wrong and it's only the Kalim Fuse...probably not! Sounds like limp mode to me, but I don't think I have one, so I'm not sure.

Find a car that runs. It's worth the extra $1,000 which is about all I bet it'd cost you.

Be patient. Buy a bmw that runs, sounds good, has records and few owners, and then, only then, can you be fussy about what color it's in.

Oh, and I'd recommend the manual highly. Don't let the pretend enthusiasts convince you that another transmission 'is' a manual...only better. Don't get sucked into that hype.

Years ago, a fanatic with only one leg started this thing about smg this and smg that. Before you know it, the whole thing went viral and MT became passe...so, 20th century. I'm not buying it! Just saying!