Hey guys,

Just purchased a white, 1992 325i Convertible that I'm totally in love with. This is a gorgeous car and in some ways it drives better than the newer cars owned by my family. It has 100k miles and I got it for only $3200. I have always wanted a covnertible and I am thrilled with it. I think it's a great deal as the body looks great and it drives very smoothly.

Since I know very little about cars, engines, etc., I took this by a Firestone so they could change the oil and inspect it. They inspected it and said it looked good overall (but they installed some new break pads). They said the transmission might have a small leak (!) but that they don't work on transmissions and that I would have to take it somewhere else to get it looked at.

Is this fixable? How do I find a good transmission shop that won't mess the car up or won't take advantage of my lack of expertise? Should I take it to a dealership instead? I hope I won't have to replace the transmission because that is VERY expensive. I have a confession, I wasn't even sure what the transmission does - I had to look it up online!

ps - it is a manual transmission.

I would look for a shop that specializes in BMW. I don't know that much about cars either so I rely on my trusted BMW specialist. You should get under your car and clean the underside of the transmission. Then put a piece of cardboard under it and try to gauge how bad the leak is. If it is ony a drop or so it might not be that big of a deal. It could just need a new gasket or seal. Sounds like you got a good deal on a nice car. Enjoy...