thinking of buying a 318is beater..

[chris325ix]

it's pretty rough, but otherwise reliable.  it's my friends and I want to offer him $700.  I can do most of the repairs very cheaply and I really only want it as a cheap daily that gets good MPG.

the low down:
247,000 miles
needs a clutch
pinion bearing in diff is noisy (I can live with it though)
some body damage, but could be fixed cheap (~$150)
oil pan is leaking
has a new steering rack
needs subframe, trailing arm and control arm bushings
has new bilstien strut inserts
interior isn't so great, but would clean up nicely
needs a new battery
has a water leak in the trunk
could use new exhaust
needs a tune up (wires, filters, plugs, etc)
needs a chain tensioner, but I have one
gas tank needs flushed out

it does run really smoothly, starts up every time, and drives fine except for the completely fried clutch.  so is it worth $700?  I want to use it for getting to work and school, no mods, just maintenance.  my ix gets about 17-19mpg so 30+ would be a nice change..

here's a crappy cell phone pic:

[Jimmy Lewis]

Honestly, if you are going to use it strictly as a beater, there are many others cars that would get much better mpg. Sure they get better mpg than the 6cyl cars but most guys can barely get 22-23ish mixed driving. Also for only slightly more you could get a car in better shape if you are just looking for another E30. My 2 cents. Goodluck!

[sheepdog]

I would pass.
A BMW is not a good beater.

Just the few things you mentioned will cost more than you can get a cheap, decent Honda for. Much better cheaper beaters out there.

[chris325ix]

Honestly, if you are going to use it strictly as a beater, there are many others cars that would get much better mpg. Sure they get better mpg than the 6cyl cars but most guys can barely get 22-23ish mixed driving. Also for only slightly more you could get a car in better shape if you are just looking for another E30. My 2 cents. Goodluck!

maybe, but I can get the car cheap, and I know how to work on it.  I hate working on hondas, I'll never buy one.  30mpg is a hell of a lot better than 17 when we're talking about $3.45 a gallon for premium!  I've been getting a solid 29 and I know the engine could use some TLC.  I think I could get it up to 32-33 easily.

I don't see why this car wouldn't make a good beater..  it has survived 4 years of my friends abuse, and it's never broken down on him.  that's why I'm so impressed with it. :p

I just put in the timing chain tensioner and changed the oil.  I can hear it has a vacuum leak somewhere, but the engine runs smoothly otherwise.

I should mention that I wanted a 318is anyway - I just happen to be considering this one because it's a solid runner, and I could park it at work and school without having to worry about door dings or scratches.  my ix isn't quite in the same boat.  

I figure I can put about $500-700 in it to get it running and driving the way I want it to, and save about $100 a month in gas.  it should pay for itself in about year..  and then I'll have something to drive when I need to take the ix off the road.  if by slightly more you mean $2500-$3000 - yeah, i could get a nicer one.  but finding a nice E30, much less a diamond black 318is around here for $1200 is pretty much impossible.

[denious]

Judging by your post, you bought it, so please post some pics! :D

[ak96ss]

Me, I'd buy it.

[chris325ix]

Judging by your post, you bought it, so please post some pics! :D

I haven't actually.  I've been borrowing it from my friend - I don't know if he will even sell it to me.  if I do buy it I'll probably end up driving it as is for a while (except cleaning up the interior, it's DISGUSTING!!).

[jpod999]

LOL it has euro smilies in it.  Buy it and then try to hold off the urge to sell the ix and mod the shit out of this one.

[chris325ix]

LOL it has euro smilies in it.  Buy it and then try to hold off the urge to sell the ix and mod the shit out of this one.

they are depos though..  honestly sealed beams are better!  I have a set I'll probably put on and throw the depos in the trash. :p

no way I'd sell the ix!  I've got way too much work into it.  it's nearly to the level of power and handling that I've been aiming for and is much more enjoyable to drive than the 318.  ironically I'd probably end up driving the 318 all winter and parking the ix!  it's too low and stiff to drive on ice covered streets anyway.

[jpod999]

they are depos though..  honestly sealed beams are better!  I have a set I'll probably put on and throw the depos in the trash. :p

I can vouch otherwise.  Even with cheap ass $12 for two H1 bulbs my depo smilies are way better than the old sealed beams.

[Jimmy Lewis]

I would love to see pictures of the iX. Post them up! If you do end up buying the car this is the place for you.

[D. Clay]

I'll pay you more than the trash can for those Depos!

[chris325ix]

I would love to see pictures of the iX. Post them up! If you do end up buying the car this is the place for you.

here's a couple recent ones



if you guys really want the depos I guess I can sell them..  seriously, they are nothing like a real set of ellipsoids.  you're better off buying a set o fused smileys for $150..  but I have to buy the car first anyway :p

[achtungE30]

I see much better with my depos than my sealed beams as well.

[318is91]

So what do you have done too the ix and whats still in the works? if you don't mind me asking i love all e30s and the ix seems to be one of the overlooked ones sometimes because of the extra weight so Im curious?