new ti owner here

[npagan2]

Ello all! My name is nick. I recently purchased a 97 ti from some guy that failed to disclose its issues, and for the last month I've been unable 2 drive my car. Been lurking here for a while doin research. Id love to actually be able 2 enjoy my car. Hopefully soon

[DDubbs]

So what's the issue? Bad cat throwing a CEL? Oil leaking everywhere? Coolant hoses exploded?

Dive in, I'm sure more than one of us has lived through it already and can point you to the right thread. Pics also help a lot.

[npagan2]

Im pretty sure all that's left to drop the engine light is the cvv. I've had to change plugs, wires, coilpack, and both o2 sensors so far. And it needs new front suspension

[cooljess76]

I'll start by saying welcome to the forum.

Originally Posted by npagan2

I recently purchased a 97 ti from some guy that failed to disclose its issues...

Originally Posted by npagan2

I've had to change plugs, wires, coilpack, and both o2 sensors so far...

@ 212k miles, those "issues" mentioned could/should be expected with any car of this age. They're not exactly the type of issues that one can classify as "hidden", unless the seller flat out lied to you or removed the CEL bulb altogether. It's not a bad idea bring a scantool(OBD code reader) with you when inspecting a vehicle.

There's a mutual responsibility any time a car is bought/sold. As a seller, you'd want to represent your product well, make sure all of the paperwork is legit etc. Now when it comes to being a buyer, there's a much greater responsibility when purchasing a USED car.

For starters, you need to do your research. Find out how much a certain car is worth. Find out common issues to look for. Find out if the car is as advertised. And make a fair offer. Ultimately, once the transaction is complete, ALL of the burden falls on the buyer. If you didn't furfill your responsibilities as a buyer PRIOR to purchasing, there's really no one to blame but yourself.

Now I'm not trying to put you down personally, I'm just stating my opinions based on the way the world is and my own experiences buying/selling used cars. If you're unhappy with a purchase, here's a couple questions you should ask yourself:

1) Did the seller put a gun to your head and take your money?
2) Did you research the car prior to handing over your money?
3) Did you inspect the car prior to handing over your money?
4) Did you test drive the car prior to handing over your money?
5) Did you take the car to a shop and pay for a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) prior to handing over your money?
6) Did you ask for or did the seller provide any paperwork regarding the vehicle's history and maintenance?
7) Did the seller offer any guarantee or warranty? or was the car being sold as-is?
8) When you handed over the money, did the seller have a weapon aimed at you?

And that's it. Bottom line. Once you handed the money over, you purchased any problems the car might have and/or occur in the future. Keep in mind, the car is 14-15 years old and has over 200k miles on it. If taken care of and properly maintained, it'll probably give you a couple hundred thousand miles more. However, it certainly won't be problem-free since things do tend to wear out and break over time.

Now I've also happened to notice a couple of other things. You're fairly new here, joined just a couple of weeks ago. You posted another thread in the for sale section selling a '97 318ti with nothing but a link to a craigslist ad. Assuming that this is the same vehicle you recently purchased, why didn't you "disclose" that it needs a CCV and suspension?

[npagan2]

The car in that ad and my car are not the same. Im not grying to get ride of somethiing I just got. Of course I test drove it. I didn't realize he dumped the codes immediately before I got it, so the light didn't go on right away. This happens 2 be the 2nd 4 cylinder bmw I've owned so I can usually pick up on most of the issues. Which is how I got it to the point that it is now. Runs great, one minor flaw. The suspension thing doesn't really bother me 2 much, was gonna change it out anyways. The engine is outa a 96. Only has 55k miles on it. Im not really complaining about the situation, I love working on my own vehicles. And yes, the seller did remove the cel bulb, btw

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by npagan2

Ello all! My name is nick. I recently purchased a 97 ti from some guy that failed to disclose its issues, and for the last month I've been unable 2 drive my car. Been lurking here for a while doin research. Id love to actually be able 2 enjoy my car. Hopefully soon

Originally Posted by npagan2

Im pretty sure all that's left to drop the engine light is the cvv. I've had to change plugs, wires, coilpack, and both o2 sensors so far. And it needs new front suspension

Originally Posted by npagan2

The car in that ad and my car are not the same. Im not grying to get ride of somethiing I just got. Of course I test drove it. I didn't realize he dumped the codes immediately before I got it, so the light didn't go on right away. This happens 2 be the 2nd 4 cylinder bmw I've owned so I can usually pick up on most of the issues. Which is how I got it to the point that it is now. Runs great, one minor flaw. The suspension thing doesn't really bother me 2 much, was gonna change it out anyways. The engine is outa a 96. Only has 55k miles on it. Im not really complaining about the situation, I love working on my own vehicles. And yes, the seller did remove the cel bulb, btw

Wait, so let me get this straight. Do you have two '97 318ti's with 55k mile engines, and new plugs, coilpacks and o2 sensors When DDubbs asked you what's wrong with the '97 ti that you recently purchased from a guy that failed to disclose it's issues, you replied: "Im pretty sure all that's left to drop the engine light is the cvv. I've had to change plugs, wires, coilpack, and both o2 sensors so far. And it needs new front suspension". The link to the craigslist ad that you posted in the for sale section says exactly the same thing, minus the CCV and suspension needing to be replaced:


Are you saying the car listed in the craigslist listing is a different car than the one you referred to in your previous posts I quoted in bold?

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by npagan2

The car in that ad and my car are not the same. Im not grying to get ride of somethiing I just got. Of course I test drove it. I didn't realize he dumped the codes immediately before I got it, so the light didn't go on right away. This happens 2 be the 2nd 4 cylinder bmw I've owned so I can usually pick up on most of the issues. Which is how I got it to the point that it is now. Runs great, one minor flaw. The suspension thing doesn't really bother me 2 much, was gonna change it out anyways. The engine is outa a 96. Only has 55k miles on it. Im not really complaining about the situation, I love working on my own vehicles. And yes, the seller did remove the cel bulb, btw

How did the light go on if it was removed? Things just aren't adding up here. Am I missing something? From the sound of things, you have two 318ti's and you're trying to pass one of them off for sale with claims of maintenance that you performed on the OTHER car. Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm just trying to figure things out and make sense of this

[npagan2]

Why would I introduce, yself if I wasn't planning to stick around? Why would I care to do research on a car im trying to get rid of? And don't you think if my ad was jacked up id change or remove it? Even if I was a ****ed up shady guy, selling a jacked up car without disclosing its problems could get me njp'd..... im a marine. The light went on after I took it to get inspected the next day and they told me it had been removed

[npagan2]

The fact of the matter is I searched for months for one of these things and I don't even care if there's a rod through the block, ill do wutever it takes to fix it.

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by npagan2

Why would I introduce, yself if I wasn't planning to stick around? Why would I care to do research on a car im trying to get rid of? And don't you think if my ad was jacked up id change or remove it? Even if I was a ****ed up shady guy, selling a jacked up car without disclosing its problems could get me njp'd..... im a marine. The light went on after I took it to get inspected the next day and they told me it had been removed

I'm not accusing you of anything, I'm just trying to make sense of what you're telling us. You say the car in the craigslist listing is not the same car you're referring to in your previous posts yet your maintenance claims match the craigslist listing to the letter.

I'll ask again, do you own two '97 318ti's with 55k mile motors and new plugs, wires, coilpacks and o2 sensors? Go back and look at post#2 and your reply post#3 in this thread. Then look at the craigslist listing and your first sentence in this post.

You didn't introduce yourself as a Marine. Thank you for your service, I'm a 10 year Navy Vet myself. During the past 5 years that I've been a supporting member of this site, I've seen dozens of people join the forum with the sole intention of selling their 318ti's. I've exposed numerous shady dealers(not implying that you're one) in hopes to protect the members of this site. Surely you could understand the suspiciousness of a new member joining and immediately placing a for sale thread with contradicting information regarding the vehicle they're selling.

I'll end by saying that you don't "owe" anyone an explanation. You're certainly welcome here and free to post/sell whatever you like providing it's in accordance with the forum rules and the site administrator/moderators deem it appropriate. However, if you plan on staying a member and maintaining a good reputation on the forum, you should probably clear up any suspicions that question your honesty and integrity. Best wishes.

[npagan2]

I try not to introduce myself as a marine mainly because I don't want people to define me by my occupation. I wish I had 2 ti's, then maybe I cud swap one I almost bought a 328 engine last weekend for that purpose. I got seriously ripped off on a bmw once, im not the kinda guy that'd pull one like that on someone

[cooljess76]

My apologies for coming off as a dick. I'll ask just one last time, after that I'll just go with my suspicions. If the car in the craigslist ad is not your car, who's car is it and don't you find it odd that TWO 1997 318ti's, BOTH presented BY YOU within a 5 minute span on this site, have the EXACT same maintenance history on 55k mile engines, yet you claim that they're NOT the same car, you only own ONE 318ti and you're not trying to sell "something you just got"?

In the short time that we've corresponded with eachother, I've caught you in at least 3 lies that you've graciously danced around without aknowledging. Are you sure you're a Marine? Whats the first Marine Core Value? I'll give you a hint, it's the same as the NAVY and it sure as hell doesn't rhyme with SHAME!

[npagan2]

I joined the site a couple weeks ago, after browsing for a couple weeks. I made no post for the first couple weeks I had joined. I am not trying to sell my car. I sure as hell wouldn't try 2 sell it for that price. Just posted it cuz I saw 318ti. Didn't get a good look at the ad, just posted it it because I almost never see them posted fs, I barely see them around where I live.

And really? A corp value question? Why not ask me how many navy crosses chesty puller won?

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by npagan2

I joined the site a couple weeks ago, after browsing for a couple weeks. I made no post for the first couple weeks I had joined. I am not trying to sell my car. I sure as hell wouldn't try 2 sell it for that price. Just posted it cuz I saw 318ti. Didn't get a good look at the ad, just posted it it because I almost never see them posted fs, I barely see them around where I live.

And really? A corp value question? Why not ask me how many navy crosses chesty puller won?

So you're saying that the craigslist ad wasn't even yours? Correction, make that FOUR lies! My work is done here If I really wanted to drag this out, I'd ask you to post a picture of your car with a piece of paper with todays date written on it taped to it. But we both know it would look identical to the one in the craigslist screenshot I posted earlier

and I didn't ask about Navy Crosses because it has no relevance to you being a liar.

LMFAO:

[npagan2]

I deleted it because you apparently had a problem with it being there. If I was lying would I really go through this trouble to clear my name? And if you were questioning whether I was a marine or not id probably ask a question poolee couldn't answer. Why is it so hard to believe that im just here to maybe, idk, learn something? Maybe enjoy the car that I spent months searching for..... but you guys don't want me here so f it