Good First Car?

[DJLotus]

Hello all!
I came acrossed this site while looking for info about this particular car, the 318ti. Imagine that! Well anyways, I live in Clovis(Fresno same thing), California, and I am looking for a car. During my looking i cam across a 1995 318ti for $3800. I instantly fell in love after I saw some pictures. This site helped a bit too :biggrin:

but anyway. I don't have much info on it at the moment, but I'm going to call tomarrow and try to setup a meeting to look at it. This (if I luck out and do get it) will be my first car. I am 18 and a senior in High School, it's getting damn near graduation, and my mother has offered to pay for a car for me.

So I would like to know: are there anythings I should look for? And are there things that should turn me off to it? Any help/opinions will be appreciated. I'll update as soon as I contact the seller and get some more info.

Thanks,
John

[pdxmotorhead]

Double check the insurance cost, You might consider a 4 door 318 as an option.
4cyl- 4door = cheaper insurance.

If it matters....

Dave

[dodj]

my ti was my first car, buoght it 2 years ago when i was 19. i love it!! all you need to do is check the service history

mine was serviced it entire life by the bmw dealer. i have nearly 200,000 kilometrese on it, and it is still smooth as silk.

mine has minor body dents and stuff. I will get everything fixed to perfect condition one day!

[GDB]

That sounds like a really great price for a ti. I'd say it would make a good first car since its fun to drive/cool, but it doesn't have too much power for a beginner driver.
The 95 was the first year model for the ti, but all of the components on the 318ti had been used previously, so there aren't the first year model problems that tend to plague other cars. The 95s also had a slightly smaller engine (1.8, compared to the 1.9 the was used in 96+) but it is also a more robust engine.
There aren't any things to specifically look out for. Only thing I can think of is that the windows have a tendency to come off the track and screw things up. You might ask if that has happened and been repaired, if it hasn't then just know that it WILL happen sooner or later. That's the only thing I can think of.

[city]

The window is a good point to watch out for, anything else you want to know you can mainly just use the search function in this forum and search for any information you need. This is a great site and is just another benefit from owning a ti:)

[96cali]

Welcome to the club- $3800 is a great price if it's in even decent shape.

Anyone else think we need a sticky on this topic? A primer for nubees? No offense to DJLotus but this type of thread is becoming really common these days. My preference is not to ignore them, but to contribute in specific ways.

[DJLotus]

Thanks for telling me about the window thing. I'll keep that in mind. I tried calling the guy the other day and left him a message, no call back yet. I'll prolly call him again tomarrow or monday. I just hope that he hasn't already sold it, that'd crush me. But eh, I'd be off to find a Civic or a Golf if that is the case.

And I'm sorry for starting a new thread on something like this. I know that this is one of those total nubcake questions, and I shoulda searched. But I just got really excited and was not patient enough to search. And it seems so far taht the only complaint is about the window, and thats not that big a deal if you think about it.

Thanks again and I hope to be able to post some good news within the next few days,
John

[aceyx]

no need to apologize, just thank steve for making the forum available for us.

if you do end up getting it, come back because there's a lot you can learn here--even members that have owned their cars for several years have found out new features here.

and stay away from FWD, it's no fun!


96cali; i agree. we should make a car buyer's guide so that steve can turn it into a sticky at the top of the forum.

[DJLotus]

Yargh... Just got a reply from the guy... Got sold just the other day. Poo. But I guess on the plus side, my mom has decided to get me a new car instead. Looking like it's gonna be an xB. So I'm not complaining. Although I am kinda sasd about this. Them 318ti's are sexy as hell. I will be on the lookout for one after i get some money again...

Thanks,
John

[1996 328ti]

xB. I saw one today. No offense but it has the aerodynamics of a brick.

[GDB]

xB. I saw one today. No offense but it has the aerodynamics of a brick.


So do Evos :biggrin:

I'm not a big fan of the xB, but after driving a friends its not as bad as I thought it would be. Only thing I can't get over is the guage cluster in the middle of the dash, that is just weird and awkward no matter how you try and excuse it.

[dodj]

don't have xB's in australia, just had a look at one........

just wait until you find another ti!!!

Having said that, since my first car was a ti, i think i will always want a bmw...

this may or may not be a good thing :D

[DJLotus]

Well I had initially told my mom that I wanted a Scion when she first asked me about a car. Although I wouldn't a Civic (found a local one thats a killer deal). But all this is working out kinda wierd. This is like the third time she has changed her mind on me about how she's getting me a car. And for holding out on a nother ti... I would, but the next closest one is a good hundred or so miles away. And my dad won't take me out far to look for a vehicle, when I turn to him for help, it's selective. He won't go out of his way to help me. So thats a bust. And I'm not about to say no to a new car.

And a quick question: Is the 328 just a 4 door version of the 318? Cuz they look similar and my neighbor has one. Just Curious.

John

[dodj]

out here in Australia they actually make a 325ti as well as a 316ti, different size engines.

[96cali]

Too bad on the ti- for the price it would have been a great first car. However, you'd never want anything less handling wise.:biggrin:

I like the Xb but I'd have to pimp it out a bit. Really wish they offered the Tc engine w/ SC for it.

[97Hellrot318ti]

And a quick question: Is the 328 just a 4 door version of the 318? Cuz they look similar and my neighbor has one. Just Curious.

John

The way BMW names work is that the first number (in this case, 3) is the body style. The second two numbers are the engine displacement, or an approximation thereof (in this case 1.8/2.8L). So the 328 is a 3-Series body style, with a 2.8L Engine.

[1996 328ti]

If I couldn't have a BMW I'd be looking at Mazda.

[DJLotus]

97Hellrot318ti: that's interesting information, thanks for letting me know that. It makes sense actually too, hehe.

But it would seem as if my mother has once again changed her mind. She's just gonna give me money (like originally planned) and I'm off to find my own vehicle, which is cool, cuz i can get a Honda Civic for pretty cheap.

[1996 328ti]

97Hellrot318ti: that's interesting information, thanks for letting me know that. It makes sense actually too, hehe.

But it would seem as if my mother has once again changed her mind. She's just gonna give me money (like originally planned) and I'm off to find my own vehicle, which is cool, cuz i can get a Honda Civic for pretty cheap.You can buy a ti for less than $5000. Or a nice E30 325is for $4000.

[nick_hegel]

The ti was my first! I would hold out for another ti or an E30 like suggested.

If I couldn't have a BMW I'd be looking at Mazda.

Just out of curiosity, any specific Mazda??

[durnadupa]

The ti was my first car, and trust me it is awesome! I got mine from my cousin after she got herself a new ML320. Spoiled little girl she is, but I guess I was too for getting that as a present. Insurance was kinda high, had to work to pay that crap off.
Only problems were the windows and doors basically, backseat is a little too small for certain activities ;), found a way to get around that though...

[1996 328ti]

Only problems were the windows and doors basically, backseat is a little too small for certain activities ;), found a way to get around that though...I had a Corvair. Where there is a will, there is a way. :)