To Buy or Not To Buy 1990 BMW 735i

Ok guys, I have a lead on a 1990 BMW 735i, The price is for a 2 vehicle deal, (Other vehicle is an 80's Chevy pick-up with a 350 motor) I want to max out this BMW if I bite the bullet, I have heard you can part out for upwards of $3K, but I need to know reasonable and not "pie in the sky" or have to wait a year to get my $ back. Guy is firm on his pricing.. just wanted to know if you guys have any tips. Apparently the car runs- but battery is dead and he thinks.. thinks their is a bad ground somewhere (elec can get to be a nightmare) Did a quick KBB in average condition only $808 on a trade in. Just wanting to buy smart and not get burned. Definitely too nice to scrap- and would never make $ back out of it if it went to the crusher. I'm all ears gents and ladies!

P.S. Guy wants $1500 for both/all

1500 $ for both ? No way man, no saying there isn't money to had there but it'd take a lot to recoup the initial investment let alone profit. I'd run far far far away from this one. It's a huge gamble in my opinion, and it's never a good sign when they are sold as a pair especially when it's not a pair of the same. If it was two pickups wouldn't think as much about it but a Beamer and a Chevy pickup, wtf ? Do both run and drive ? Idk what it is but something is amiss here

Cory: I did in fact do a search on your very topic. I think you snagged that car for $300 bucks- which I would pay in a second for a 740il, the cats would NEARLY pay for the outlay of cash. I have been thinking about this one all day, and as tempting as it may be.. I just don't see an upside here. I see myself sitting on two "fixable" vehicles, with no desire to drop MORE money into them.. and then have the pleasure of trying to sell them off AND get to profit.

Tater:
As far as each one's issue:
Truck: Leak in secondary gas tank, Body is rough as hell
BMW: "Electrical Issues" and lack of a battery.

And those are the issues that I was told- who know what else lurks. He also has a hard sentimental attachment to the BMW, which makes trying to get it down further- a futile effort (I did try)

Thanks for the input guys. Looks like a good "pass" Just didn't want to let the deal slip by if somehow a more experienced car scrapper saw a goldmine where I did not!
Most appreciated!

hmm depends on the area i could part out both and double my money but it would take about a month

Originally Posted by Libertytow

hmm depends on the area i could part out both and double my money but it would take about a month

Yeah a month plus another 11 months, I think there might be money to be made there but who wants their money tied up that long ?

I think with time, space and resources, it would be a do-able deal to part them out.. but things in this game are odd that way- you could think you'd sell everything and get stuck with either:
A. A whole bunch of time taking/storing/listing and make your $ back
B. All of the above and it sits to rot and you take a loss.

Too risky for me with my current set-up/space and the amount to invest.

Tater in all honesty chevy pick ups are workhorses everyone uses i could probably get back $1500 on the cab dash doors tialgate bed lights grille front clip tires etc the bimmer would be tougher but doable you should look into bavarian auto parts they scoop them fastest for highest prices i"ve seen

Originally Posted by Libertytow

Tater in all honesty chevy pick ups are workhorses everyone uses i could probably get back $1500 on the cab dash doors tialgate bed lights grille front clip tires etc the bimmer would be tougher but doable you should look into bavarian auto parts they scoop them fastest for highest prices i"ve seen

Did ya miss the part where he said the body was beat to pi$$ ?
Believe me I'm very well aware of what Chevy parts are worth. But if the body is shot making 1500 back on that pickup would be impossible less it's got a 572 crate motor under the hood

If you can get the bimmer running, put some rims on it and you can sell it for more than you think.

So far as electrical problems are concerned, more often than not it has nothing to do with the wiring but has to do instead with the car's computer. That is easy to replace, and you can find them in pull it yards all over the place.

As far as working on them, I have owned several 7 series BMWs. From the oil filter, to jacking them up to change the tires, they are amazingly simple to work on. It's the parts that are expensive, and this because all the parts are still made in Germany. If you bought a Mercedes it would be different because many of the parts are made in Canada, Mexico and China, but not BMWs. This is also why they are such amazing cars, they are the only car totally designed and made in Germany.

Just my two cents, I have owned many cars, many Mustangs, until I owned my first BMW. I refused to buy anything but American for years, but after my first experience with a BMW, I have wanted, and driven, nothing else. And all of those I have purchased used, and for better than reasonable prices. You don't have to be rich, or a yuppie to buy, upkeep and enjoy one of the finest cars made in the world.

Scott

Scott-
I wish I was as mechanically inclined.. I could see this being such a headache for me fast. I got the guy to $1000 on the BMW, but I'm still too new at pulling cars to try and get them running again. I appreciate the insight on the situation though. Maybe in a year I'll look back and kick myself for passing this up. Under my current circumstances, I'm going to gut the Pontiac Sunfire I picked up yesterday for $200 bucks and make some profit off that. Unfortunately, right now, that is the stage in the car scrapping biz I'm in.