Photo: Craigslist
With its naturally-aspirated engine and six-speed stick, today’s Nice Price or No Dice 328iX should prove a fairly economical and utilitarian winter warrior. First, however, we’ll have to see if there’s any dust-up concerning its price.
Older women seeking hook-ups with younger men are generally referred to as “Cougars.” In contrast, older men seeking relations with younger women are most often referred to as “breathing.”
The 1989 Mercury Cougar SE we considered last Friday is an older car seeking a relationship with a new owner, but it’s likely indiscriminate regarding the age of that new steward. A rare ‘Blue Max’ trim package helped broaden the appeal and aided its $4,995 price in finding a solid 70 percent Nice Price win.
The automotive landscape has changed so rapidly and so drastically over recent years that older cars like Friday’s Mercury might seem at best quaint and quirky or at worst woefully out of date. There’s no general rule for how old a vehicle can be before it’s no longer generally considered to be avant-garde or just reasonably contemporary, although, for many of us, you just know it when you see it.
Photo: Craigslist
At first glance, today’s 2011 BMW 328iX Touring doesn’t come across as particularly old. And with just 99,572 miles on the clock, it probably doesn’t feel creaky or overly long in the tooth either.
Photo: Craigslist
Two primary factors that can make a car not feel its age are how it has been optioned and the quality of the maintenance it has received over the course of its lifetime.
In the case of this 328iX, the options include a six-speed manual, heated steering wheel, and cabin-brightening panoramic moonroof. According to the ad, the car has also seen proper maintenance over its life, including most recently, new brake pads and rotors, and a fresh set of Goodyear tires.
Under the Touring’s hood sits a 230 horsepower N52 3.0-liter six that, in traditional BMW fashion, is as straight as a Puritan’s pecker. That’s claimed to be in good shape with the seller offering a number of pictures in the ad of OBD2 scanner readouts showing no codes or issues. What a time to be alive.
Photo: Craigslist
This being an X-drive model, that engine powers all four wheels through a hands-off slip-sensing and torque-metering AWD system. The seller says that two of the drive axles of that system (both front and rear on the right side) have been replaced within the last 10K, as have the shocks and struts and a few other mechanical wear items.
Photo: Craigslist
The car looks pretty good for its age, with the Deep Sea Blue paint still showing some life and the Style 171 wheels seemingly free from any curb rash.
Photo: Craigslist
The interior is just as tidy, although to be nit-picky, the driver’s seat does look like it could stand a full detailing. The ad claims this car to have been female owned and operated so it likely doesn’t smell of farts and belches inside either. A clean title is one more plus here.
Photo: Craigslist
There is one bugaboo on the car and that’s a good bit of rust presenting on the off-side rear wheel arch. It’s bad enough to have popped through at the fold and really will need to be addressed — along with the requisite repainting — before it gets totally out of hand. The seller offers pictures of the undercarriage at both ends, which show that rust not to be endemic under the car. Still, that fender rust is a pretty notable red flag.
Photo: Craigslist
All that should be taken into account when you consider this Bimmer’s $14,250 asking price. Yes, it’s nicely kitted and, aside from that creeping crud, seemingly in decent shape and well cared for. Still, could it be worth that much at its age? Or, do the demerits of years and rust mean that, with that price tag, it’s not going anywhere?
You decide!
Buffalo, New York, Craigslist, or go
if the ad disappears.
H/T to Whatsupdohc for the hookup!
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Keyword: At $14,250, Would You Go On Tour In This 2011 BMW 328iX Touring?