how much should i pay for this 318is?

[joelthejedi]

I recently got a hold of my cousin's 91 318is. It has 180K miles.

Problems I am aware of:

-Needs exhaust work.. its not horrible now, but its fairly loud
-Speedo/Odo/Econometer dont work, tach/water temp work
-gas gauge goes up to about 5/8 full on startup, and never moves
-instrument panel lights dont come on
-needs new shift knob
-some play in the steering
-paint is decent, quite a few dings and chips
-srs light on
-one broken fog light

-check engine light comes on at idle - any ideas?


i cleaned it up a lot today, sorry for the bad photos, i'll take some more when it's light out tomorrow. the flash brings out all the imperfections pretty well though

http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn292/joelthejedi/?action=view¤t=100_5351.jpg

how much do you think i should pay for it?

any likely guesses for what is wrong with the electronics and steering is welcome!

[Wise Old Dog]

Well, all the problems you listed are common ailments to these cars. Fairly easy fixes. Everyone should expect to throw some money at these cars when you first get it. Whats more important is the drivetrain. You didn't say anything about how well it runs, shifts. Any noises? Do the brakes feel good. Rust? Shocks? These are the things that really cost you. You need to factor this into any offer for a car.

Where your located is also a factor. These cars seem to be cheaper in the Northeast, and more expensive in CA.
If this car runs well and only has the problems listed, it could be worth 3-4 K in the Southeast.
But if this car is typical of most, then 2-3 K is about right.
If it has issues with the drivetrain, subtract your costs.

[RED IS 91]

With what your said , it sounds like it's been neglected and with those miles you can expect that there are more repairs that will be needed.
I see the front spoiler lip is missing . Rusting and Location as Wise old dog said
is important. I would say 1200-1500 and be prepared to put another 1500 in to it to bring it back to reliable.
But,it will be worth it when your finished as these are very nice cars.
How much is he asking ??
good luck

[hoevesruperd]

depends where you live, here you wouldn't get once like that under 2000 CAD. go for it. i'd offer 1500 as well. you never know

[joelthejedi]

yeah. it's been neglected for the last year or so as it wasn't his primary car, so it just sat in his driveway.

he wants 1500, its in indiana, minor rust

blue book is 1400

[D. Clay]

$1200 - $1250
He'll take it now or later. The check engine light can be a number of things from a converter to EFI components at $100 - $200 each. I see $1000+ in parts if you do the labor yourself.
Front lip
Exhaust
Rebuild front suspension w/rack & pinion.
Electronics
Fuel injection parts for check engine light.

[RED IS 91]

Offer a thousand and work your way to the middle.

[joelthejedi]

so now the question is, do i pick this one up, or do I find one for 2500 with lower miles in better shape?

i just checked the error code for the check engine light - 1222

1222 - Lambda control fault code is produced when Motronic system in Bosch control unit receives signal indicating that air/fuel mixture is either excessively rich or excessively lean for period of time loner then 10 seconds. Majority of the causes that affect drivability of the car can be responsible for DME flashing this error:

    * air leak
    * defective Air Flow Meter ( AFM)
    * bad engine temperature sensor
    * incorrect fuel pressure
    * problem with injector(s)
    * defective evaporation system
    * empty gas tank
    * issue with spark plugs
    * problem with valves
    * etc.

[christophbmw]

Before i read your last post i was going to say it sounds like an air/fuel ratio problem. my geuss (since it only happens at idle) is a bad fuel injector, they are notorious for failing on these cars, not hard to replace though. the injector itself is about $60 per injector plus about $10-20 for related gaskets. Yoiu can get a set of 4 new (non-factory) injectors for fairly cheap though.

Sounds like your instrument cluster is dead (not so common on the E30), i have one that is in perfect shape for sale if you need one (mine doesnt have the service indicator lights it has been retrofitted for a police radar detector).

i also have a fairly new shift knob, and exaust system for sale (with a brand new Cat.). Where are you located?

[joelthejedi]

Well - here's the numbers:

I've divided parts I think it needs by priority -
1: Will buy and replace upon purchase
2: Probably will do in the near future
3: Could, but may never do

1- Muffler, Shift Knob, Roundels, Defrost Switch (broken), Steering rack, Plugs, Hoses/Belts/Filters/Fluids/Other tune up items, Timing Chain Tensioner, Fix Instrument Cluster: ~$856.35

2- 13 Button OBC/New Temperature Sensor, Control Arms & Ball Joints, Tie Rods, Guibo ~$1,136.35

3- Power Window Switches/Window Breaker (They stick and are ugly), New rust free tool kit, some new interior trim parts ~$1365.30

Taking Kelley Blue Book's little quiz shows it as actually being in "Poor" condition, AC doesn't currently work, but could just need a recharge. KBB "Fair" condition is around $1250, and I think that may be a reasonable offer, considering all the work it needs.

So: $1250 + ~$1000 in Parts to get it running smoothly = $2250 for a strong E30 with many of the main E30 flaws fixed. I think that looks pretty good. I only have about $3000, so I don't want to buy a $3K 120K mile one only to have those problems happen and have no money to deal with it. I'll be having an income come this fall, so it should feed future problems beyond the $750+ I'll have in reserve.

What do you think? Oh, PS - Compression check numbers = 195PSI +/- 2-3 PSI across the board. Pretty good...