Need Advice 16 yr old doesn't want to get burned

[J.Silva]

Hi i love the 318TI's i dont have a ton of money to work with and I found this 318ti on ebay if anyone knowledgable with these cars can steer me away or encourage me to buy this i would be very appreciative. This is the link http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6007&item=1873749864&rd=1

my email is JonSilva@excite.com so if anyone could help me i would love it
Regards,
Jonathan

[Dan Burger]

Looks pretty nice - need to lose those wheels though. $6500 for a good cond. '95 base is pretty damn good. Mind you, it's automatic and has all that stereo equip., so don't expect a racer.

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Dan B.
'95 Club Sport

[bimmerbot]

I agree, those are some of the ugliest wheels I've ever seen.

Otherwise, the price sounds reasonable. Have you run a Carfax check on it yet? If not, don't dare buy the car without doing that first. You can save yourself a whole lot of headaches.

Good luck, although no offense, but I don't understand why any 16 year old needs a car. Didn't understand it at 16 and I still don't understand it 12 years later. In high school, all of the guys I knew who had cars needed them to get to their afterschool jobs -- which they needed to work to pay for their cars.

[J.Silva]

Thanks guys for the replys ended up not buying it thought if i could get it for around 6000 it would be a good deal but ended up going for 7000. Oh Well. I am only 16 and i realize having a bmw at my age might be looked at as ridiculous but i have worked hard for the past 6 years doing anything to save money so that i could buy myself a nice car all on my own. If anyone has any suggestions for where i should look for a nice bmw under 8k it would be appreciated.
Regards
J.Silva

[1996 328ti]

I would keep your eyes open for a nice late 1980s E30 325is or even a 318is. A 4 cylinder may keep you out of trouble a little longer.

I think that's your best bet.
The car is actually very similar in regards to suspension.

[Travis]

There is a '95 Club Sport for sale in Joliet IL (RED) - It's Auto mall or CarBarn or some such expression of marketing creativity.

Cars.com

[Zelemont]

hehehe

I'm Zofu.

I'm also 16. I saw that car and I liked it alot, so I bought it. I wish it was a manual, but oh well... automatic is fine. With that nice stereo system I might be too distracted to use a stick anyways.

The price is higher than blue book, but the extras make up for it. I think if I sold it around here I would be able to get more than 7000 for it.

As for the rims... unfortunately I have to drive around with those ghetto-fabulous things on it for awhile. I want some factory BMW wheels... but my pockets arent that deep. I think the car looks amazing compared to most $7,000 cars.

I have to go to Florida (i live in IL) soon to pick it up. I hope the inspection runs well : \. This is the 3rd auction for a car I have won on ebay. I recently won this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1873250917

When I had it inspected it wouldn't even run. There was a leak in the main A/C hose and oil was leaked everywhere, so I got my deposit back and looked elsewhere.

I think it's funny that the 2nd post I looked at on this site was the one about my car.

[Zelemont]

Oooh Travis... that club sport is BEAUTIFUL. Is it really worth $9,000 though? That almost makes me wish that I hadn't bought one already... Is the club sport any faster?

[Travis]

I went up to Joliet for business (There is a Caterpillar plant there) and stopped by to look at it. It's a nice car, probably worth dealing with a salesman.

Nope, not a bit faster, only better looking.

[Dan Burger]

The Club Sport isn't really faster per se, but it has a few notable advantages:
1. OBD-I programming - much better for chip reprogramming
2. +1 rolling stock (225/50Z16)
3. Most (maybe all) have LSD which markedly improves handling
4. More aggressive suspension

I had the option to purchase a '96 sport, but after driving my '95 CS, there was no doubt in my mind.

Cheers,
Dan

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Dan B.
'95 Club Sport

[Zelemont]

So what is your opinion on the price? It is very reasonable considering it is a dealer, but I don't know if it is worth spending an extra $2000 just because I didn't buy from a private party. That car is only 150 miles away from me, it is manual, it has low miles, and it is PRETTY, but I just dont know if it is good for the price.

How often does a club sport come around? They hard to come by?

[J.Silva]

Zelemont if you are not going to keep the one you won on the auction what are you going to do? Any way you would wanna sell it to me after you picked it up? Just wondering?

[Zelemont]

Well I have terrible luck with buying cars. This is the third car on ebay that I have bought. Just a few minutes ago I found out I'm not getting it. They had a big problem with me trying to get it inspected. They said that since I didnt sent them a $500 deposit within 3 days they weren't going to sell it to me. I refuse to buy a car on ebay without an inspection... its not safe.. as I found out with the last BMW I won an auction for that had oil leaks and all kinds of problems, and it wouldn't even run. I sent the seller many emails to try to get in contact with him, and he never responded. I just have bad luck.

I guess now it is really worth considering the club sport.

[Dan Burger]

Only about 250 Club Sports are in the US - half red, half black. Not really collectible, but pretty cool all the same.

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Dan B.
'95 Club Sport