Buying a 318ti. Help! Engine Stuff...

[go_fast]

So I'm thinking about buying a '95 318ti that has the M42 1.8L engine. I've read that the M44 supposedly had all new / highly refined engine components to go along with the slight size increase. I'm wondering if it's worth holding out for one with an M44, or will this M42 work just fine. Also, this '95 that I've found has not had the timing belt replaced, ever, and it has 120k miles. Is this something to be concerned about, or should I just not worry about it and have the belt replaced when I get it? I've also read that the "timing case profile gasket" in the M42 fails between 40-80k miles, and should be replaced before this happens because it can lead to serious head overheating. Any truth to this? The seller of the vehicle is only looking for $5000, so it seems like a good deal even if I do have to drop some cash on repairs right away (i.e. timing belt...).

Thank you in advance for any help.