I am wanting to know is it a bad idea to purchase a BMW Convertible 1994-2000 (year ranges)? Will it be problematic?
If you plan to use it as a daily driver, you should forget it. While it may be in good shape, it is 18 years old. And old BMWs are no less expensive to fix that newer ones. It’s still a BMW. If none of this scares you off, get it inspected by a competent BMW mechanic to see what it needs. Make sure to get prices on each item that needs to be fixed.
That’s hard to say…It could be a well-maintained, garage kept “summer” car or it could be run-out junk with a wax job and the interior detailed…High performance models tend to be more problematic than the bread & butter power-trains…YOU need to become a BMW expert so you know what you are looking at…You need to know what those numbers and letters on the rear deck lid mean…
As a hobby car, great. As a mode of transportation, unreliable and expensive.
Personally I prefer the older E30 models, 1984-1990 I believe. Classic.
I have a 95 325i Cabrio…WONDERFUL vehicle… What are your concerns? They are some of the best models right there…so.
Then again I paid $150 for mine…lol…its beautiful and the U-Pull it salvage yards are often littered with them, so parts dont always have to hurt your wallet so much with a salvage yard handy.
Blackbird
I’d get '96 or newer, to get the OBD-II engine diagnostics, makes inspections and problem solving easier. That said, they’re fun cars with fairly high maintenance requirements. They can be on their 2nd/3rd/whatever owner with each one doing less of the critical maintenance. So, if you can find one with a DOCUMENTED maintenance history, and it passes a thorough inspection by a good independent BMW mechanic, and everything works (especially the top), sure, just expect to pay a premium price for upkeep and repairs. The ‘bargain’ BMWs you’ll find have been thrashed and trashed, avoid them.
“…parts dont always have to hurt your wallet so much with a salvage yard handy.”
That’s true if you repair the car yourself. The OP doesn’t seem like a mechanic. At least not yet.
Thanks I appreciate the comments!!! I was just afraid that purchasing such an old car it may be common for it to break down or have multiple problems and that it being a “luxury” I would constantly be spending money. But I just want it for summertime cruising and I have been finding nice deals on old BMWs so that also kind of scared me lol!