so im thinking about buying a bimmer

i found a good deal 0n a 86 325 i it needs a starter and four new tires its been sitting for about 6 years. i dont know anything about thesse cars but its a real good price any thing i should know before i do it

i have a 1991 318iS and i love it, im pretty sure that the 86 is about the same but im not positive, if you know how to work on finniky cars, buy it
you wont be dissappointed

the 86 325 (with no letter after the 5) is a low redline high torque engine made for fuel economy. Redline is around 5k and it has a 2:73 rear gear so cruising is easy but acceleration is slow.

You can (and should) buy a performance chip, ebay has them for about 50 bucks. You need to pull the computer (glovebox) and count the number of pins on the eprom before ordering. It TRANSFORMS this engine, to like 130hp and 190lb ft. Another good upgrade is a higher (numerically) rear gear, but finding one isnt easy, you need a 3:07 or 3:23 from a 80's 5 or 6 series, the 3:73 or 4:10 from the 325i cars is too high to keep freeway revs down.

If you just want a driver, chip it. Dont waste money on exhaust or intake or whatever, the chip will make it a torque monster. I know quite a bit about them so hit me up if you have questions.

Oh, and cange the timing belt right away. bad things happen if you dont.

well i have it im going to do a full tune up. new starter. and drive it for a wile and check it out then i might do some stuff so i can parking lot race it

cool they make some super suspension kits for those cars, it will handle really well with even just basic upgrades. The chip will make it a stump puller too.

remember what I said about the timing belt, especially if it has been sitting for 6 years. The M20 engine (BMW's engine designation) is an interference motor and you WILL ruin the head and possibly the pistons if the timing belt breaks. And they break often without service, and rarely break at idle, usually at high rpm.

timing belt. change it. bad things. I've had 4 e30's (the model designation for that body style), 3 with timing belts, 2 "eta"s (thats what BMW guys call the low redline cars) and that is the single most important thing. every 60k, or 3 years, change.

that was one of the first things on my list my girlfriend just got a job at the bmw stealership and we get a discount on parts so ill probley be using all oe parts for the maint catch up