Hola

[gietl]

Just chiming in for my first post, not a ti owner, but looking at one tomorrow. This site seems like a great resource so I thought I would sign up.

I am a german car enthusiast, I have owned 3 VWs (93 Fox, 00 Passat 1.8T, 90 Jetta Coupe) and onw Audi (00 A6 2.7TT). We also had a wonderful 87 MB 190E that was totalled a couple years ago and replaced with some Swede power, a Volvo S60 (for now until we get another Benz).

Currently I am driving my 77 IHC Scout II but am shopping for another car now that we have closed and moved into our new home.

Anyway, I am looking at a 96 with 71K miles, M-Technic Sport and some nice tasteful mods (like flass lense euro headlights and little things like that). They are asking $7100 obo, just wondering if this seems like a reasonable starting point. Based on KBB and what I have read on here it is not far off. I am guessing the higher price is based on the mods.

[1996 328ti]

I am guessing the higher price is based on the mods.Rarely do mods raise the price unless it is an engine.:biggrin:

[gietl]

Yes, I am aware of this having modified my VW/Audi collection :) Just trying to figure where the price is coming from.

[1996 328ti]

Are you in the US? Different areas seem to get different prices.
I'd say it is pretty low mileage. I'll be turning 200K on my 96.
Sports look good. What color is it?

[gietl]

I guess my own private hell isn't very descriptive. I am in the US, Colorado to be exact.

I also failed to mention they do have RD springs and bilstien shocks. All in all no amazing feat but expected mods for a car like this. It is a blue in color, with black leather with grey centers (the seats). 5sp manual.

I'll know more tomorrow when I see it. Seems like without any potential mod recovery money KBB lists Good at about $6100. They are also selling as price negotiable.

What's funny is (and no offense) I never really liked the look of the ti for a long time. But the color and and little exterior mods and so forth really make the car look great. Nothing cheezy or juvenile, it is all very tasteful.

[cali-ti]

where in CO? i just moved to Denver (well, i'm in process of moving ...).

[gietl]

Just south of Denver, I have lived here my whole life (pretty much) and just moved out of Denver, lived in Denver for the last 6 years. I just bought a house and nothing is affordable in Denver to buy.

I just got home from a few bars, boy this longer drive sure does suck. If you need any info on Denver feel free to drop me a line.

[cali-ti]

sort of funny, i used to list my location as "Hell (WI)" :biggrin:

[gietl]

Colorado is wonderful, not hell, but sometimes my life is hell. :)

Anyway, went and saw the ti today. Was impressed and dissappointed to some extent, rgardless pretty good little car. It is Alaska Blue, has the M package and has the leather seats, meaning leather sides and cloth centers. Has a short shift, 225s in the front 245s in the rear, rear fenders were rolled (roughly) but he said they used a real roller. The friend that did it failed to heat the paint so it has chipped off in spots on the fender edge.

The car drove great, has a 2002 M3 front brake conversion which causes the brake pad sensor light to stay on all the time. I was impressed with the acceleration and the handling of the car. It does have an aftermarket exhaust which is a little louder than I hoped but isn't horrible. Has smoked taillights (aftermarket) one is trashed but he has the originals as well as the original wheels.

In his ad he just lowered the price a little more today too. So now I am debating whether or not I want to do it and what to offer. Also, as for general condition of the car, usual little tiny dings and some real minor scrathes for being a 9 year old car. The rear bumper is a mess as the original owner must have used anotehr car as his guide to tell him when to stop because it is peppered with round marks presumably from front license plate screws. It's almost humourous because there are a whole bunch of em. Would definitley need a repaint on that rear bumper as well as repair to those fender well edges.

Oh, and those 245s, while they look sweet, you hit a bump and they rub.

[cali-ti]

Colorado is wonderful, not hell, but sometimes my life is hell. :)well, i think everybody's is at some point! :)
Anyway, went and saw the ti today. Was impressed and dissappointed to some extent, regardless pretty good little car. It is Alaska Blue, has the M package and has the leather seats, meaning leather sides and cloth centers. Has a short shift, 225s in the front 245s in the rear, rear fenders were rolled (roughly) but he said they used a real roller. The friend that did it failed to heat the paint so it has chipped off in spots on the fender edge.gggaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! that sux :(
The car drove great, has a 2002 M3 front brake conversion which causes the brake pad sensor light to stay on all the time. I was impressed with the acceleration and the handling of the car. It does have an aftermarket exhaust which is a little louder than I hoped but isn't horrible. Has smoked taillights (aftermarket) one is trashed but he has the originals as well as the original wheels.from a 2002 m3? hadn't heard of that one yet. and why does it make the sensor stay on all the time? if the pad sensors are connected correctly and it was reset when it did go off, i would think it should be off now. sheeesh, what else is wrong with it? :blink:
In his ad he just lowered the price a little more today too. So now I am debating whether or not I want to do it and what to offer. Also, as for general condition of the car, usual little tiny dings and some real minor scrathes for being a 9 year old car. The rear bumper is a mess as the original owner must have used anotehr car as his guide to tell him when to stop because it is peppered with round marks presumably from front license plate screws. It's almost humourous because there are a whole bunch of em. Would definitley need a repaint on that rear bumper as well as repair to those fender well edges.
Oh, and those 245s, while they look sweet, you hit a bump and they rub.and what did he lower the price to? how many miles?

[gietl]

Well as he mentioned they wired up teh sensor but there is enough of a difference from how the sensor is read in 2002 from 1996 so it just shows the light. And to make the brake setup more cleat, it is the calipers and new zimmerman x-drilled rotors.

Price was $7500 about a week or so ago, was $7100 a few days ago and yesterday was dropped slightly to $6999. The car has 71,xxx miles.

I wasn't really shopping when I stumbled upon it and started looking into it so I am too cheap to get a carfax report and have hit up the members on my site and some other friendly sites to see if anyone can hook me up with a carfax. I think it could be a good buy, but I would need to find out the history and have a shop take a look at it.

Also on a side note, I never mentioned, I run a website in Colorado called Rocky Mountain Club B5 (http://www.rmcb5.com). Started off as a club for regional VW Passat and Audi A4 owners of the B5 platform. We are now just an enthusiast club and have a few folks with BMWs, our current member of the month bought a used M3 a few months ago to be his track car.

[cali-ti]

Well as he mentioned they wired up teh sensor but there is enough of a difference from how the sensor is read in 2002 from 1996 so it just shows the light. And to make the brake setup more cleat, it is the calipers and new zimmerman x-drilled rotors.hmmmm. to put e36 m3 front brakes on the ti requires that one also transplant the front spindles. did he have to do that for the e46 m3 brakes as well? i know the e46 32x front calipers+carriers are a direct bolt on, but i wasn't aware the m3 ones were. that'd be a nice upgrade if the sensor issue was worked out.
I wasn't really shopping when I stumbled upon it and started looking into it so I am too cheap to get a carfax report and have hit up the members on my site and some other friendly sites to see if anyone can hook me up with a carfax. I think it could be a good buy, but I would need to find out the history and have a shop take a look at it.i certainly would (get carfax and have inspected by a bmw mechanic you trust)!
Also on a side note, I never mentioned, I run a website in Colorado called Rocky Mountain Club B5 (http://www.rmcb5.com). Started off as a club for regional VW Passat and Audi A4 owners of the B5 platform. We are now just an enthusiast club and have a few folks with BMWs, our current member of the month bought a used M3 a few months ago to be his track car.cool! i just signed up :)

[gietl]

I'm guessing it was an involved process because he has the rears too, but hasn't installed them. They work great though! It's hard not to be cliche, but the car stops on a dime.

One other thing is it was broken into not long ago and now the pass window has been replaced but is not tinted like the rest. Just a little thing, but sucks.

It would be great to get into something a little fun like this car if the price can be right. Still trying to gauge what it's real value is and if I want to go down that road.

Part of the appeal is not just the styling but the low miles and the handling. Again, I was suprised that the car seemed quicker than I expected, considering my last few cars were 0-60 in about 7 seconds (remember I got altitude here!) and that is saying a lot. ;)

Another thought is that I would be using this car to commute, all highway, for the next year or so, but thought it might also have potential for auto-x and track usage. Obviously it wouldn't be a monster on the track, but I like tracks that are twisty. :)

I've found it would be hard for me to go back to an Audi or VW without it being a turbo, I would also like another MB but am interested in dipping my toes into the BMW pool. Obviously I would love an M3 but that is cost prohibitive at this time.

[roadrash]

I am too cheap to get a carfax report

What's the VIN? I'd be happy to run a carfax for ya.

[gietl]

Thanks, I really appreciate it! Here is the VIN:

WBACG7327TAS96581

If you can e-mail the report too that would be awesome, my e-mail is jay AT gietl DOT net

Thanks again!

Jay

[gietl]

Oh, and I guess I can share the ad with you folks, it is on CL:

http://denver.craigslist.org/car/86461694.html

[cali-ti]

looks like it was man'd in may of 1996: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do?vin=AS96581&kind=P&arch=0

[gietl]

Wow what a great site that is. I almost need to buy one just so I can find stuff to replace!

[cali-ti]

lol ... they don't sell directly from there ... yet. a dealer in CA is probably very glad i found that site, but my checkbook isn't! :p

it is a great site though!

[roadrash]

Just sent the carfax

[gietl]

I got it, thanks again!

[gietl]

Based on the Car Fax and potential value of the car to me, I am going to go look at it again tonight (hopefully) and decide if I want to jump through the hoops. I have a place to do a buyers inspection and the current owner has maintenance records that I would want to review and to take to my mechanic (great BMW and MB place).

I just need to lok at my biggest concerns, the rubbing and the paint damage on the wheel wells and the bumper. I also need to flip all the switches, check all the lights, signals, wipers, locks, windows, and all that great stuff.

I really think this could be a fun and economical car to own. I also need to see if I can get that price negotiated down because I would definitley want to get the rear bumper repsrayed and to repair those fender wells (even if it's a not so pretty fix). I hate rust, after owning my Scout for 8 years any time I see rust I feel like I need to sand it down and treat it, even if it is on someone elses car. :)

My hope is that I still like it after looking at and driving it again and that we can negotiate to something we are both happy with pending the inspection and go from there.

[gietl]

Well I was hoping to see the car again and put an offer on it, but have not had any response in about 24hrs from the seller after leaving a message last night and sending an e-mail today. :(

We'll see, I know he is about as busy as I am (which is really really busy!).

[gietl]

Whew, he was out of town. Going to look at it again tonight and hopefully go over the maintenance records and then get it in for an inspection.

[gietl]

Ok, looked at it again, drove it, sort of. TRaffic was horrendus, the city decided to close down the highway at the tail end of rush hour to prepare for construction. Geniuses.

Okay, now a couple of questions for the knaive one (me). Are BMW notorious for wearing tires on the inside? I know lowering/sport springs as well as larger wider wheels will contribute to these types of problems. It is just a question.

Also, Short Shifters, this one was installed by the original owner, seller is second owner, the throw is very short and while in gear it is firmly in place but the shifter moves around with ease, however it is not moving around in gear if you know what I mean. I think I read somewhere some of the SS kits are like this?

So now I debate, think about the pros and cons of this car. What really helps the pros is this site, reading about the mileage on the cars and the economy that comes with them (reasonable maintenance, fuel and so on). This is a big +, granted not all cars are that good because it depends how prev owners took care of the car.

Pros:
M-Technic Sport, looks great!
Drives great
Seats are comfortable, I have plenty of room at my average 6' height
Back seats have reasonable room for a hatch
Relatively economical
SS
low miles!
this site
hatch has good storage
2 sets of wheels

Cons:
Rear bumper paint damage
fender well edge paint damage from rolling fenders
busted smoked tail light (need to put the stockies in)
looks like a 9 year old car (dings and scratches), interior wear
245's in the rear rubbing on bumps
uneven tire wear, rears wearing a lot on the inside

So as you can see teh Pros outweight he cons. Now I need to decide if I want to shell out the $90 for an inspection. I think I will try and negotiate a price first dependent on the outcome of the inspection. Meaning I can walk away or come back and negotiate again if there are non regular maintenance items needing attention.

So what do you guys (and gals) think?

[gietl]

I see the interest in the new guy has ground to a halt. ;)

[roadrash]

Is this the first 318ti you've driven? I ask because most of the pros you listed seem related to the 318ti, while the cons you listed are specific to that car. My suggestion is to look around a little bit and see if you can find a better one. Sure, you'll have to figure out if that car is likely to sell before you can find another one, but I think you'd be wise to not feel pressured to purchase the very first one you find... unless you love everything about it.

Now that you've driven a 318ti and know that you basically like the car, you can shop around for another one that you love.

[gietl]

Yes (sort of), I have driven a few 318i's but no other ti's (they definitley are different). In fact, I couldn't imagine me owning a ti without the Sport (M) package (no offense to those without the sport). I just am not fond of the style without it. I am all for the drive as many as you can before you buy, but much like yourself, I am not willing to take an auto in this car. You really don't see ti's here..AT ALL. When they first came out there were a bunch, but in the last few years I have seen one or 2 (well 3 now!). I did find two others for sale around here, both are Autos though and non sport (base). :(

The Pros and Cons ARE specific to that car. Not to ti's as a whole. If it were up to me I would still have my A6, but then I wouldn't be sitting here typing this response in my own home. :)

I am a bit snobbish about cars as I need something for commuting, but I want style and a little zip and something I can corner like no other in and have some fun with. I also don't want payments. If I wanted payments I would be looking back at Audi and at M3s. One of my co-workers hit the nail on the head today when he said "you (me) are the pickiest, most finicky person I know." This statement is too true.

I've got about 14 hours to decide if I want to do it or not. I'm torn enough that I should just kick it to the curb. If I do that will probably be the end of my ti experience unless another Sport pops up locally with as low of miles in the very near future.

I am also about value, I mean if I can pick up a mechanically sound car that has a few cosmetic problems for a great price then it is worth it to me. Hell, I could take it to my shop and they could say this thing is junk and that'll be that.

When I signed up and posted here was to find out more about ti's as a whole and to find out more about THIS car and what's good, what's not so good. The folks that have responded have been very helpfil and YOU helped me out a TON by getting me the carfax.

I guess my posts have really been about others experience as owners and shoppers to try and put a value on this car. I try to "value" every car I buy regardless of the list price. If I can't get the car for what I think it is valued at (or close to) I move on to the next one.

[roadrash]

heh heh... we're in agreement on several things...
=sport package or nothing
=no payments
=you know what you want and won't settle for less (some people call that being picky, I guess)

Just a couple of other thoughts. If you're torn about the purchase, I say don't do it. Granted, the cost of a 318ti is nothing compared to what can be spent on a car [1], but if you don't love the car, or easily see its potential to be a car you love, I say don't buy it.

I also encourage you to look a little further from home. Sure, that make it more of a challenge to test drive the car, and then get it home, but there just aren't as many 318ti's driving around as there are e.g., Honda Civics, so you may have to look a little farther from home to find one.

[1] There's a 2005 Aston Martin DB9 (http://www.thoroughbred.com/db9/index.html) parked about 150 yards from me right now that is priced at $169,995.00. That sort of puts the cost of a 318ti in a whole different light. heh heh

[gietl]

Sweet, ok, so I just need about $162,995 and that DB9 is mine! I do agree that we agree on what's required in a ti ;) I don't feel we're picky, but that everyone else is not detailed enough. :P

As for being torn, it really falls into how my pros and cons weigh against each other. So if I can get into this car for what I "value" it at and the inspection turns out excellent then it is worth buying, I will enjoy it. However I would need to respray the rear bumper and fix the paint problems on the wheel wells and would probably replace the muffler/tip because it is a little loud for my liking. What's funny is outside the car it sounds great, it is just louder inside than I prefer. I feel what i intend to offer compensates for the short comings and frees up the money to take care of these issues and make the car more appealing to me and will bring the car to what it SHOULD be valued at for the market.

That is always the risk in shopping for a car, especially one that has already been moded, you are buying someone elses tastes that hopefully align with yours. I would say in the modified department the cars I have bought have been pretty close, but there is always a couple things I am not real excited about, but can live with for a period of time.

Looking further from home has always been there, it's just I don't have the time or the means right now to travel for a car. It's like even with this one, I will negotiate a price pending the inspection if I decide to do it because I am not going to fork out $90 for an inspection for the seller to not accept my price.

What it comes down to is the first time I drove it my gut said this is a good car, and you can get it for a good price. Looking at it a second time, the drive was still as good (though limited due to traffic argh!) but it gave me the opportunity to go over the cosmetics some more.

So in the end, I posted a couple inquiries a few posts back about the SS and the tire wear. Those should be the last remaining questions I have other than making a decision and potentially allowing my mechanic to go over the car like a doctor giving a middle aged man his physical.

[96cali]

To my knowledge the uneven tire wear is not an issue on stock Ti's (or any bimmers) that are within alignment specs. If there is uneven tire wear it points to driving the car out of alignment or maybe he took out lowering springs, etc. From the general condition of the bumper and tires and other cosmetics I bet he just drove it misaligned. These cars get 4 wheel alignment inspections but only the fronts are adjustable in stock form. If the rears are out you're into replacing hardware which I have rarely heard of on this board. There are parts that will correct the excessive negative camber in the $200 - $400 range. Usually only cars with lowering springs need that though. If you can get 225 tires in back it will probably go away. One other note, bimmers require a load weight while aligning supposedly to simulate the weight of riders, etc.

The short shifter sounds like it is doing it's job actually. The stock shift linkage is a little notchy then floats between gears with little resistance. In any case there are great ssk's from www.understeer.com (http://www.understeer.com) and B&M for less than $125. A simple issue to address.

The rolled fenders would throw me but it sounds like your experienced in modded cars. Offer low and work up. Don't sweat it. Not many people are as patient as you and I bet he'll have few buyers.

[gietl]

Well I know he has repeated this to me and it is in his ad:

Rear Trail Arms Brand New (Camber Fully Adjustable) bushings

I honestly think that witht eh RD Springs and the 245s there is no way to avoid that wear. If I do it I will run the 245s til they die and replace with 225's so I can do an even rotation. The look is nice, but too costly to maintain different size f & r tires.

Also, the last alignment looks to be Jan of this year. You pretty much need an alignment every year or two here in colorado with all the road stuff going on.

Goot to know on the shifter, I wasn't too worried, but coming from the VW/Audi world and worn out synchros you tend to get paranoid about this stuff. :)

I think I am going to go ahead and put in an offer to the guy, a low one of course but I think it will be a fair offer based on the overall condition. However I am going to make it contingent on the inspection and that I may walk away if it is really bad or come back with a different offer if the inspection is anything other than what i expect it to be.

I'll let you folks know how it goes.

[angel318ti]

if your sensor stays on all the time just diconect it fron the pad and attach the the two wires together. Even though its the easy way out..... Its free!!!

[gietl]

Well he has my offer and is sleeping on it, should know by morning.

[96cali]

FYI '96 Ti's were prone to popping out of first gear. It would feel engaged but it wasn't. Mine sticks a little when the car is cold but has not been a problem. The cheap solution is to develop the habit of going 2-1 from a stop to align the synchro thingees and pay attention. It's loud when it happens!

[gietl]

Cool, well I haven't heard back, so my assumption is that he doesn't like my offer. It was about $500 less than he wanted. However, based ont eh needs of the car I felt my price was fair even though it was low.

Anywho, I will see what the weekend brings, if another ti Sport shows in Colorado before I find a car I'm sure I'll be back.

BTW, on a side note, what a great community. I got really excited about this ti reading about the longevity of these cars amd teh interaction between members. While I may not appreciate them as much as most of you, the bond on here resembles a lot of the club I am a part of in Denver which goes beyond the car.

[gietl]

Well gang my search has finally ended. The ti never worked out and after a lot of searching I went back to my roots and picked up a 2006 VW Passat 2.0T

http://www.rmcb5.com/albums/2006B6GLS/passat_sam_cabinets_013.jpg

http://www.rmcb5.com/albums/2006B6GLS/passat_sam_cabinets_014.jpg

http://www.rmcb5.com/albums/2006B6GLS/passat_sam_cabinets_015.jpg

http://www.rmcb5.com/albums/2006B6GLS/passat_sam_cabinets_016.jpg