e36 325i vs LS8

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d-i-s-t-o-r-t-e-d

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Well I have been debating quite a bit lately and I am thinking that now that the prices of the LS' down here have rose a tad that I might sell mine for the amount of the payoff. I can't decide if I should just try and pay it off in a year or sell it and buy a 5 speed e36 325i. I know for a fact that a LS is faster then a 325i by a lot stock for stock but, then again you can do so much more to a 325i for a smaller price. Plus being my age (19) I got a high interest rate (28%) on my loan. Knowing that I work for a used car dealership I can most likely get a very nice black 325i for 5 grand with 130-150k. So, what is your opinion..
 
d-i-s-t-o-r-t-e-d said:
Well I have been debating quite a bit lately and I am thinking that now that the prices of the LS' down here have rose a tad that I might sell mine for the amount of the payoff. I can't decide if I should just try and pay it off in a year or sell it and buy a 5 speed e36 325i. I know for a fact that a LS is faster then a 325i by a lot stock for stock but, then again you can do so much more to a 325i for a smaller price. Plus being my age (19) I got a high interest rate (28%) on my loan. Knowing that I work for a used car dealership I can most likely get a very nice black 325i for 5 grand with 130-150k. So, what is your opinion..
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28%????

Uh, I'd think about re-financing, I would never sign on a note that high, thats insane. You don't have a co-signer? How many miles are on your LS? Over 100K miles is awful high for a BMW. I'd reconsider my options or build my credit first.
 
Well for my age being a first time buyer there really isn't any other option. Plus at my job I get paid cash under the table so, I have no proof of income. I didn't have a co-signer when I bought the car either. But, the 2.5l v6's are strong motors as long as they were taken care of. I am a BMW fan so, I have researched them high and low. Here are some of the main reasons I am thinking of making the switch:

1. Better gas mileage 20-25 not possible with my Lincoln Ls maybe yours though.

2. A cheaper car payment and still establishing my credit score.

3. More mod friendly and more after market availability.

But, I have played it smart with my credit since I bought the car. I got a small credit line credit card with a 300 dollar limit that way I don't go out and buy crap I don't need. I used it to buy parts for my LS when it broke and paid half of it off at the end of the month. So, now it's safe to say my credit beacon is most likely in the 600's because I have had my car for 8 months now and my credit card for 3 months paid both on time. So, if I do decide to buy the BMW I will be able to get a better interest rate and be able to stick more money in my pocket and still have a decent looking car. Also my LS has a 124k.
 
325i is a straight six. They're pretty gutless, especially in comparison to the V8 you have. I used to beat on E36 325s all the time in my stock 90 735! My car was slow off the line, but would soon whip past em.
 
28%...my head still hurts from reading that!

How many miles on your LS?

If you have a reasonable amount of miles on the LS ride out the 28% until you hit 12 Months. At that time refinance the LS and your payments will drop considerably.
 
Woops typo lol. YEah I forgot that it was an inline 6 but, with little mods. They will keep up. But, ya turbo one they turn into monsters 400rwhp + I mean I know it is possible to stick a turbo on anything but, the only downside to the LS it's not safe to have anything more then 5psi going through it.
 
Tricky it's hard to get refinanced with no proof of income. I don't even get a paycheck stub. Most finance companies want a taxable paycheck stub proving your income. So, trust me I have thought about that. The only finance company that will refinance me is State Farm and I don't think my credit score is high enough yet.
 
d-i-s-t-o-r-t-e-d said:
Tricky it's hard to get refinanced with no proof of income. I don't even get a paycheck stub. Most finance companies want a taxable paycheck stub proving your income. So, trust me I have thought about that. The only finance company that will refinance me is State Farm and I don't think my credit score is high enough yet.
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If you get to 12 Months of Finance History on your car your score will rise. If you have less than 60K on the Clock you can "more than likely" get 60 Months.
 
Yeah I am not one to wait. Also mine has 124k. But, I am gonna find out more tomorrow about State Farm. If I can't then I will go the bmw route.
 
A used car dealership business pays you under the table?
 
Well I am not a salesman I basically have like an assistant's job. I deliver contracts. Help whenever it is needed answer phones take payments. Stuff like that. I was doing landscaping on my own for a while but, only had a couple of commercial maintenance jobs. So, I took the job offer up quickly. I am just really looking for a cheaper car payment though. I am not that worried about it but, I always like to be one step ahead of the game of life or have another option that is better then mine now. I have always loved the bmw 325i's but, then again I love my LS. It's just a matter of having either and having more money in my pocket and in the bank. Not necessarily between each car.
 
d-i-s-t-o-r-t-e-d said:
Woops typo lol. YEah I forgot that it was an inline 6 but, with little mods. They will keep up. But, ya turbo one they turn into monsters 400rwhp + I mean I know it is possible to stick a turbo on anything but, the only downside to the LS it's not safe to have anything more then 5psi going through it.
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I'd be very interested to know where you found out that an LS will only take five pounds of boost. Care to share?
KenS from Ben's Place
 
Couple of points. Not always easy to re-fi a car. If the value of the car is less than what you owe, refi wont happen. And 28% is NOT sexy. Mann. Wish you could have gotten a co-signor. But all that aside..

The E36 325i is old. Granted the E36 chassis still looks good (I owned a new 1992 318is back in 1992 thru 1999, and picked up a 1999 E36 M3 Convertible one year ago for fun on those nice weather weekends) but you are looking at a lot of maintenance and possibly repairs. Finding one in EXCELLENT condition that is well maintained is not going to be easy. We are talking a 16 yr old car. All that aside, my brother picked up a 1993 325i automatic back in 1996. He still has it as his daily commuter car. He has 215k miles on it. Original transmission that still shifts/functions fine, with no leaks. He's NEVER done any sort of fluid change on it. The engine still runs strong, with an oil leak here and there. A/C is questionable, window regulator or two is broken, blah blah blah. He he has a couple of other cars so the 325i is often neglected. But..it still runs dependably and strong. And to be honest..0-60 is not that much off from a first gen LS8. The LS is a larger, heavier car than the E36.
 
i don't know about throwing a turbo on an engine with 130k miles on it either.. not to mention i don't know what mods you're expecting to get to around 400hp in the bmw that aren't going to be pushing the $3000+ range. 325 is a 198hp stock. and probably significantly less on a 150,000 mile engine. also that is a brutal interest rate... i'm 23 and got 4.5% rate... if you're looking to drop another 4 or 5 grand then check into an STS turbo (its a company that specializes in those remote turbo setups that ILLS has) and i'm sure you'll be in the 400 at crank range. but on a side note the E36 is by far my favorite bimmer body style.
 
Yeah it can be done though. If worst comes to worse I could do a motor swap. But, if I put some money down I don't see where it would be a problem on getting refinanced. The payoff on the car is about 6500 dollars which that's what the car books out for. The only bad thing is when I pulled my credit today my finance company hasn't reported to the credit bureau since 8 of 07. But, maybe at the end of this month they will. I figured I would get some opinions though. I love the e36 325i but, then again with some work to my LS I would love it also. But, if I do keep the LS for sure it will be getting some mods.
 
motor swaps ain't exacatly easy or cheap either.. just make sure you get all the factoids before you jump LS ship :)
 
and just to clarify my post above. My brother never touched the fluids in the automatic transmission/differential. He's changed the engine related fluids (oil, coolant) with 10k interval oil and filter changes using Synthetic.
 
Well I have a friend that used to own a performance shop and he can get me a front clip from a 330hp imported bmw motor that mounts right in for 1500 and would only charge me 500 for the swap. But, I have had it in the playbook for a few months now I was just getting an positive opinion for the LS from some biased guys. But, one day I will own a BMW but, if I have to wait it will be a nice one.
 
lseguy said:
and just to clarify my post above. My brother never touched the fluids in the automatic transmission/differential. He's changed the engine related fluids (oil, coolant) with 10k interval oil and filter changes using Synthetic.
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can't change the tranny fluid in the auto LS its a sealed unit, you can have it done special at a dealer but you shouldn't really have to...
 
MMAFIGHTER121 said:
can't change the tranny fluid in the auto LS its a sealed unit, you can have it done special at a dealer but you shouldn't really have to...
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I was referring to the 325i automatic with that comment.

UNderstood on the LS being sealed/not needing it. But I actually did go ahead and have my dealer flush mine (through the oil cooler lines) on my LSE V8 last year, right around the 80k mark. Could tell no difference afterwards, but Im guessing it will help me hit the 150k mile mark, at which point I plan to sell.
 
It has alot to do with my age and buying a used car. When dealing with high risk loan companies the interest rate is going to be high. Also I needed a vehicle at the time. I dumped 2 grand in mine and it still had problems. But, now that I have established my credit I either want to get it refinanced or sell it for the pay off and get something cheaper that I will atleast like a little bit.
 
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