1998 BMW 318TI M Sport package; manual, black
 

Hi, I'm Rick and selling one of 3 TI's that I have. The other two are toys to take apart and play with, but this one is untouched except for normal maintenance. That's what makes it special and why I kept it this way. It's parked in storage, not a daily driver. I just drove it across the state the other day and was a very nice experience. Selling because I'm back in college and buying time to study. Here's the ad on autotrader with pics: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...searchRadius=0 Sorry in advance for my first post being an ad :redface: I've been learning a lot from this site and is very thorough, so I hadn't had anything worthwhile to contribute except for this.

***** OFF MARKET *****

Very Nice ! .....Wish is was a different color ...Not crazy about Black ...but it has all the options i would want if i was buying a 318ti ...Good luck with the sale ..Its priced right! ....You should sell it quick .....

thanks Alex and good luck in your search. as far as your question about motivations for owning a bmw, i think that's a personal thing. for me, i like to tinker, take things apart and imagine what the logic was behind the design. for many cars i've found myself asking "what were they thinking?!" and working on them seemed to be a step backwards in logic. the bmw on the other hand is fun to work on because i always learn new, forward-thinking stuff. plus it's just fun to drive. any car will do if you just putt around town under 3500rpm... the ti really lights up beyond that, as if it were made to blaze while still getting 30mpg. i love the "high performance economy car" concept and this one was ahead of its time imo. hope this helps.

Yes ..i totally understand that Concept ...I own a 1990 Mazda Miata .....:biggrin:

Some maintenance-related questions:
- When was the cooling system last refreshed?
- When were the shocks last replaced?
- When was the front+rear suspension last refreshed?
- When were the major 3 oil gaskets last replaced (oil filter housing, valve cover, timing case)?
- How much rust is on the body?

Edit: - Clutch status?

This is a great Checklist for when i am ready to buy ...Thanks Locus7

Yeah, this looks like a really nice car, and I'm all about the color - it's the same color as my current '96.

I'm wondering, if I buy this car, how soon would I have to re-do all the mods/upgrades I've done to my current daily?
Could I daily it for say 25K miles and be ok for the most part?

I would be down for either extreme, but my willingness-to-pay changes based on the car's situation; I'm out in Texas, so I would need to pay for shipping (~$700-1100?). (Just some things I'm considering).

I dont think it would cost that much to transport ...My current daily driver a 2009 Volvo C30 ..i bought last November from a Toyota Dealership in Peoria,IL and had it transported to New York ...only cost me $460.00 ...open trailer

Interesting.
Peoria, IL -> NY, NY is 920 miles. For $460, that's about $0.50/mi
Cocoa, FL -> ATX is 1171 miles. If I pay $0.50/mi, that's ~$580.

When I moved, I shipped my ti from NJ to TX at $0.60/mi and it ended up being ~$1200 with the broker fee.

Guess FL is closer than I thought.

You have to shop around to get the best rate ......

:frown: yeah, that's what happens when you're last minute lol

This is the Company that i used ...They are based out of Florida ...AAN Trucking Inc

https://www.quicktransportsolutions....ot-2859369.php

try this too ...i think i filled this out and got a few free quotes from different companies ....


https://www.autotransportdepot.com/a...8aAoo0EALw_wcB

Yes, this is a good checklist. I wrote everything down and intend to attempt exacts once I get through finals this week. The short story is that I found a well-cared for ti in original condition that had become displaced, so I quickly shoved it into storage before anyone could turn it into another "project". In the meantime, here's what I know:

It has had 7 total owners before me and the most recent two were aerospace engineers. Nasa is right around the corner and I'm a scientist moving into management. The most recent owner bought this car for his inlaws, from his boss. This guy's inlaws are Ukranian and were planning to move to central Florida but the plan fell through due to their house not selling. They decided to wait for the market to change, so the move was postponed indefinitely. Meanwhile, this guy had already got the car fully prepped for their arrival. When I came upon it, it was parked next to a restored american muscle car in a detached garage. Everything was so OCD clean you could eat off the floor. The scenario made no sense until I met his wife... very much European. It was her parents that it was intended for, so he went about the maintenance as if his life depended on it. I don't know exactly when, but it appears that the water pump was replaced very recently. There is no oil leaking anywhere on the engine, but I do not know when those seals were last replaced. Using this forum, I had recently replaced the filter housing and valve cover gaskets on one of my other ti's, so that was the very first thing I looked at. Suspension and struts are good, but don't know when last replaced. No rust whatsoever. I drive it for fun only when it's nice out. It's dreamy compared my other two ti's, has a sunroof and everything works... so going for a drive in this one is like taking a vacation. Even though it has bounced around through several owners, it is apparent that they were all responsible adults that took care of it. In fact, it's the first one I've ever seen in person that wasn't hacked up. Thanks for your inquiry, Locus7! -Rick

YOU are the type of Seller i would like to have when i buy my 318ti from in the Future ....Rick if your ti was red or another color ...I would have seriously considered buying the car from you ....The fact that it doesnt have RUST is a huge plus in my book ...Being from the northeast ..its hard to find rust free cars

thanks Alex, I appreciate that comment :redface: it's an unusual situation and i'm just reporting it. i had no idea the ti had it's own forum until after I got my first one and started rebuilding the intake. i may be wrong, but I think the disa valve system may be the first of its kind in a production vehicle... and the biggest pita to fix or replace when the actuator pops a leak. Anyone know where I can get a new actuator/plunger for the 95' obd1 intake? I repaired mine by opening it and sealing all the holes with a bicycle tube patch kit and gluing it all back together, but those repairs didn't last... i just lost that awesome kick you get at around 3500rpm and the idle started bouncing. so sad.

Try EBay or maybe an online discount parts company that specializes in BMW parts ....

Freight Shipping Rates for Automobile Transport
 

When considering having any car shipped, every lane and direction will have a different rate when dealing directly with the driver. When dealing through a brokerage, they'll pocket the difference between what you pay and what the driver gets. Rate has to do with the driver's motivations for going that particular direction. For example, if a guy with a trailer gets paid $3/mi to rush industrial parts from Houston to Miami, this rate is more than enough to cover fuel back without having to find another load out of Florida. Basically, anything he can put on his trailer for the return trip home is free money to him. This is whom you're looking for and you can find these guys on uShip. It's a reverse auction in that you post your load, then give it some time to let the drivers' bid down the job. Florida consumes more than it produces, so drivers are already accustomed to returning home empty... except during produce season which is only a couple months of the year. This time of year is the BEST time to save money on outbound FL freight and ESPECIALLY a week or so before Christmas. There's always a handful of guys waiting at a truckstop for a "backhaul" to take home for extra cash, but right before any holiday they'll leave empty if nothing comes up to make it home in time for the holiday. My family owns a trucking company here in Florida and I was once a broker for 8 years. My biggest margins were always before any major holiday. I'm just guessing, but you could probably get a ti from Florida @ 300-500max for 1000 miles in any direction on uShip next week. FL to TX and FL to NY are always "hot" lanes ie - lots of drivers to choose from for below-market rates. Hopes this helps and feel free to ask general transport advise anytime.

oh, forgot to mention that there's always a dead-period between christmas and new years when most truckers are home for the holidays. the guys who stay on the road at this time are hard to find and will charge more than double the rate. this happens all over the country, but things get back to normal about a week or two after new years.

so to recap, nationwide freight rates for "backhauls" will be lowest a week or two before xmas, highest between xmas and new years, then taper back to normalcy a week or two afterwards.

Very interesting post with good information. This information will come in handy for many of us considering shipping a vehicle. Thanks.

This is Great Info! ...I would not hesitate to transport a car again since i had a good experience the first time ..second go around i will use this method ....:wink: