Need an opinion ASAP....

[christophbmw]

So i have been looking some 318ti (1996-1998) latley for the fiance. Our subaru (her DD) broke and needs an engine rebuild, no funds right now so i am going to put her in a 318ti. My question is how much would one expect to pay. I have looked at 3 now, one was $8,000, one was $2,800 (POS), and the one i really like is $5,500. the last one is:

'97 138,000, extremely clean, motor, interior and exterior (alpine white, gray cloth interior). it blue books at $3,475. The guy wont go below $5,000. Is it worth it? He is putting in a center support right now (the driveline is probabally shot) because it made noise when i test drove it.

My question is: is it worth $5000? would anybody else pay that or is that a rip-off, they seem to be going for top dollar these days.

[ducatipaso]

did you compare KBB to NADA?

[Choking Hazard]

no.

[RED IS 91]

What is your location?

[christophbmw]

guess i should have put that in. Im in Nor-cal. edmunds.com: $3200, Nada.com Retail: $5500, couldnt find used car pricing.

When he calls today i dont think im going over $4500, people in the bay area suck, they thing their stuff is worth alot more than it actually is, look at the housing here. And what makes it worse is people actually pay the high price....retards. Screws it up for the rest of us who just want a decent car, for a decent price :rolleyes:

[ducatipaso]

yeah and many bay area cars are beat. my 190e came from walnut creek but the gal was retired and only tootled around town in it.

[tjts1]

I've been looking for a descent 318ti for less than $5000 for ages. Forget about it. Most of these cars are either beat up or over priced. For the same money (even less) I can have a 97-99 528i 5 speed. Fuel economy be damned. I'll have my 5 series.

[christophbmw]

so the guy put in a center support, even though it needs a driveline and a flex disc. He thinks im some kind of moron that doesnt know about these cars, he was trying to tell me it was the muffler hangars?! Anyways i offered him $4000 (very clean car just needs a driveline), hes not going to take anything under $5500. He told me most people dont "get on the throttle" in a test drive so they wont notice it (vibrates when you get on it and give it some torque). His latest theory is one of the motor mounts is shot (i inspected both of them and they are fine).

Looking at a '96 318ti on thursday, no sunroof though:( (fiance NEEDS a sunroof:rolleyes:). guy wants $4500, pretty sure i can talk him down to $3800 or so.

[christophbmw]

so there is a new 318 in the family! My fiance now officially has a BMW! We picked up a red/copper 318ti (with the california roof) for $4000 yesterday in San Jose california. It has an extremely clean interior and exterior. Motor is missing the a/c compresor. and it ran fine all the way home but the check engine light is on now . pretty sure its something minor....not to mention i have a spare M42 laying around with all the extra parts . So anyways, now we both have 318's, pretty excited.

Here are some pics she took, i will get some better ones up once i clean her up a bit. Also, after searching for a 5spd for some time we got unlucky and had to settle with an automatic :mad:, my fiance prefers a 5 spd but oh well, thats the only drawback....






.....Opinions?

[RED IS 91]

Nice...............
Some people don't like the looks of the TI but I think it looks great (no E30 though). I would love to have one to fool around with . Did you check your MPG's on the way home ?

[christophbmw]

i didnt check the MPG's yet. im assuming it will get better millage than my '91 318is even though its an automatic. the california roof is awsome! and so are the folding rear seats! the best part is the dash. i think the TI's had the best configuration out of ANY bmw. its E30 styling with a modern twist, a whole lot better than conventional 318's (it actually the main reason we bought a Ti instead of a normal E36). all in all it a fun car.

.....
 (no E30 though).

it almost has 50/50 like the E30, and it has identical front suspension, and the whole rear subfrafe is the same as the E30's (thats why they where cheaper than the regular e36 318i's). Diffrential looks a bit different.

[marko]

beautiful car - 4K is a fair price... Cali roof was a $2100 option from the factory.
go to 318ti.org for more on these little cars.

my has 165K (blown) and it still hauls the mail! BTW, you should get anywhere from 400-420 mile to the tank - depending on your driving style.

also, if its a 97+ - then it most likely is a M44 motor.

do a 5 speed swap - it is fairly easy I hear - there is a guy in Cali who has all the parts neccessary for swap - he is on 318ti.org

EDIT:
here ya go - spend 1200 & get the dasc + a 5 speed - one day to go (not affiliated to this sale - got it off the 318ti.org
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130264584555&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&viewitem=


Good luck with it...

[John W]

Nice find. I think you got a pretty good deal. The Cali roof is desirable. I had a 97 318ti a few years ago. Overall a good car. Maybe it was a fluke, but most of the people on 318ti.org with automatics were actually reporting better gas mileage. It's even more counter-intuitive when you take into account the high number rear end. Go figure.

The other plus is that BMW recommends 89 octane, not the premium most of us put in our e30s.

[christophbmw]

i got the car because i do not have the time or facility to do repairs on my fiance old DD. So no 5spd swap or dasc :rolleyes:. Also, she has a heavy foot so im sure gas milage will be on the down side, are you sure about the 89 octane for the M44, i have been putting 91 in it ($2 more a fillup if that ).

[Birdman16]

Clean car from outside.  If is as good as you think it is, then I would go for it.