Should i buy?

[kenzielovesbmw]

I need some guidance. I am glad to see that there is a good resource on this particular car, so let me know what you think of this- i already put the deposit down, so i cant really change my mind unless i want to eat 500$. mind you, i have wanted a bmw since the beginning of time. I thought i found a good deal, but my brother, who is a porsche/audi mechanic, does not have any faith in the mechanical stability. he said maintenance would be difficult, expenmsive and frequent. i want it anyways, because i havent heard anything bad about the model.

1998 318ti, 130000 miles, $7200

my car (http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=178252300&dealer_id=54436269&car_year=1998&make=BMW&distance=300&lang=&max_price=8000&model=&end_year=2006&min_price=1&certified=&address=02806&search_type=used&advanced=&start_year=1995&isp=y&cardist=86)

[ZeroG]

I need some guidance. I am glad to see that there is a good resource on this particular car, so let me know what you think of this- i already put the deposit down, so i cant really change my mind unless i want to eat 500$. mind you, i have wanted a bmw since the beginning of time. I thought i found a good deal, but my brother, who is a porsche/audi mechanic, does not have any faith in the mechanical stability. he said maintenance would be difficult, expenmsive and frequent. i want it anyways, because i havent heard anything bad about the model.

1998 318ti, 130000 miles, $7200

my car (http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=178252300&dealer_id=54436269&car_year=1998&make=BMW&distance=300&lang=&max_price=8000&model=&end_year=2006&min_price=1&certified=&address=02806&search_type=used&advanced=&start_year=1995&isp=y&cardist=86)
Awesome.. Avus is a grat color. Mine is a 99" and has 113K, I put a DASC on at 112 so she kicks now. Good choice. I paid $10,100 for mine with 90K miles about 6 or 7 months ago.

-Chad

-Chad

[lazerr]

I have to say that the 318ti is really a great car. I personally think it's a lot of fun to drive, very unique, and easily buffed. It is not necessarily as expensive as other BMW's to maintain. I have a 740i and there is no comparing the cost of replacement parts, labor and number of repair issues. It is also a joy to work on the 318ti. lots of room in the engine compartment. BTW, sometimes the BMW name scares off some repair shops even though this one is relatively simple.
There are a lot of common issues and 130k is not light milage. I think 7,200 is fair for this year and milage but that's with no serious problems. I would check to see if there is repair documentation. It could be due for a new radiator, water pump and thermostat. Other things I've had to get is the Air pump, Hatch Struts, Brakes, and Cabin Filter. All relatively easy to DIY but expensive at a repair shop or dealer. This car is kinda low so check the oil pan and underneath for damage.

I recently borrowed someone's 318 with 130k miles on it (mine has 90k) and it drove like new, but he had replaced everything in the list above.

[lazerr]

I just looked at the ad. The car looks awesome. I would ask for the repair history as they don't always include it. Tell them you want to plan, and then budget repairs. Compared to a porsche this will prove to be extremely reliable.

[pdxmotorhead]

Hmm. My 69 Porsche was the most reliable car I owned til rust took out the
rear suspention mounts.

SIgh... Miss that car...

Dave

[cali-ti]

my friend had a 79 porsche 911 targa. his mechanic (well respected and such) would comment to him that if he wanted something he didn't want to have to get fixed/tweaked frequently, why didn't get get a bmw? odd to hear it the other way around (and especially in regards to audi as i believe the statistics bear out that bmw is more reliable than audi, although audi has improved over the past few years).

[lazerr]

I didn't mean to put other cars (Porsche, Audi) down. I simply think the 318ti is a good value and can be very reliable when reasonably maintained.

I would like to think that BMW, porsche and Audi are all reliable cars. I just like Bimmers. I have afriend who has had fantastic reliablity from his Porche. Of course he maintains it to the max, doesn't drive it in winter (although I have been told it's a great winter car), and is a fantastic home mechanic. Of course, getting a decent Porsche for 7k would be a great buy. The 318ti is currently undervalued in the marketplace (in my opinion). I think the real question is, should I buy a BMW 318ti or a Honda Civic? In that case I pick the 318ti.

[pdxmotorhead]

I think in my case it was the magic of the 69 model year.

69 was one of the best years made IMHO, they just kind of did
a lot right. Kind of like the 318ti, its one of the simplest of the late model BMW's.
Enough stuff to be cool, but not overgizmo'd like the 700 series (Mechanically or electrically) Of course my 95 is a bit simpler than the later M44 powered ones near
as I can tell. (OBD1 vs II and all the extra traction control and such...)

Funny thing was despite all the hype, the 2.0 69 with webbers NEVER
needed any attention it was like a timex. The Injected ones were spawn
of the devil if you didn't fully understand the mechanical injection.

Its all good.

Dave