[Garfield 2]

Hey guys, so basically I have a chance to buy a 1998 523iA cheap as chips (€200), but there are some issues:

- Failed Emissions - lambda higher than should be.
- Suspension needs work

And now the biggie: Auto box.

QUOTE

The car needs to be towed or trailered as the auto box has recently decided that is does not want to go any higher than 2nd or 3rd gear.

Would you say that could be a simple fix, or does the whole tranny need to be replaced?

I might add: all the fixes would come to about €500, so if the tranny is more than another €400 to fix, I'll leave it...

Although I could buy it and sell for parts

This post has been edited by Garfield 2 on Wednesday, Jan 16 2013, 23:15

[Mpower]

Replacement..

This is what happen when the trans fluid do not get changed

"Lifetime oil" what a joke

[Lurch]

I'd buy it as a parts car and get another "better" e39. blackhawk used to daily a 5 speed 525i that seemed like a pretty decent car.

[Garfield 2]

QUOTE (Lurch @ Thursday, Jan 17 2013, 01:57)

I'd buy it as a parts car and get another "better" e39. blackhawk used to daily a 5 speed 525i that seemed like a pretty decent car.

Not worth it. Getting this one prepped up would be more time consuming, but would turn out about €1.5k cheaper.

(And €1.5k is a years worth of insurance! Or tax.)

This post has been edited by Garfield 2 on Thursday, Jan 17 2013, 02:07

[kamil121]

My bro has a 520I with a 2.5 engine in it great fun untill you have to fill her up again. Anyways you'll be lucky to get cheap insurance on it most insurance companies will not insure you unless you are :
-Over 21
-Have your full licence.
They think beemer's are just too dangerous for young guys. Same goes for import's and anything with big power. You can also try www.aviva.ie but they will eat you alive. When i was looking for insurance for my Peugeot 306 1.4 they quoted me 1800 euro a year and on a 1.0 Suzuki Swift they wanted 1100 which is more than im paying on my 1.5 Honda now. Try all the companies you can.
I think BMW's are great even though im not much of a german car person i still would like to own one preferably a e39 3.0 Diesel (Lovely sound off it) Anyway check the companies for insurance options and good luck in finding your prefect BMW

[Garfield 2]

QUOTE (kamil121 @ Thursday, Jan 17 2013, 19:23)

My bro has a 520I with a 2.5 engine in it great fun untill you have to fill her up again. Anyways you'll be lucky to get cheap insurance on it most insurance companies will not insure you unless you are : -Over 21 -Have your full licence. They think beemer's are just too dangerous for young guys. Same goes for import's and anything with big power. You can also try www.aviva.ie but they will eat you alive. When i was looking for insurance for my Peugeot 306 1.4 they quoted me 1800 euro a year and on a 1.0 Suzuki Swift they wanted 1100 which is more than im paying on my 1.5 Honda now. Try all the companies you can. I think BMW's are great even though im not much of a german car person i still would like to own one preferably a e39 3.0 Diesel (Lovely sound off it) Anyway check the companies for insurance options and good luck in finding your prefect BMW

1900 quid with xsdirect.ie on a 2.5 litre 523i, so not too bad.

The guy is getting the transmission checked by a mechanic for me, so if it's dead, I'll pass - if it works fine, and maybe it was some servo / ecu easy fix, I'll take it.

[Sup3rman]

Do some wheeler dealer magic on it and sell it for a profit.

[epoxi]

QUOTE (Sup3rman @ Thursday, Jan 17 2013, 21:15)

Do some wheeler dealer magic on it and sell it for a profit.

They make a profit, however what they don't take into account on Wheeler Dealers is the cost of having expert mechanic Ed China slave over the car for hours.

[Lurch]

With how cheap cars like that go for in that region, I doubt you'll make a profit if you get to replacing the trans. Unless you can find one super cheap at a junkyard.

[Garfield 2]

QUOTE (Lurch @ Thursday, Jan 17 2013, 23:48)

With how cheap cars like that go for in that region, I doubt you'll make a profit if you get to replacing the trans. Unless you can find one super cheap at a junkyard.

€300 for the trans
€150 for getting it replaced

€100 for the lambda
€50 for getting it replace

That already comes up to €600...

Engine's got 207k miles, so it would need replacing, that's another €800.

At that stage it's not worth it, so I'm not going to buy that specific E39.

I am however looking into buying an E39 523i in the near future.

[kamil121]

QUOTE (Sup3rman @ Thursday, Jan 17 2013, 20:15)

Do some wheeler dealer magic on it and sell it for a profit.

Wheeler Dealer magic wouldn't really work in Ireland though. There are a lot of BMW's for sale. Loads to choose from even if you done it up you wouldn't get much for it as there are some decent ones for sale for less than 2000 still tested and taxed.