Looking at a '95 318ti

[roybotnik]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently looking into buying a 1995 318ti as listed here:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/d...195393703.html

Is $3,800 about right for one in good condition with 136k on it? I checked the carfax history and it only has 4 entries, mainly renewal and ownership change, as well as emissions which it just passed about 6 months ago. Good stuff. I'm trying to get a decent car to commute to school with, and I've decided I would much rather have a high-mileage car that's been well cared for than a lower mileage economy civic or accord that has probably been driven into the ground. I currently commute with a low mileage Plymouth Sundance and the thing is simply falling apart and not worth repairing.

I've looked around the web and your forums and it seems like the 318ti is a pretty solid vehicle. I don't really mind paying for repairs, especially on a car that I would enjoy driving, as long as the repairs aren't excessive. My mechanic is a really good family friend and doesn't really ever charge us for labor, but I wouldn't want to be dragging my car in every month for something. We've been trying to ditch all of our problem vehicles since it seemed like for a while at least one of our cars was always in his shop =(. Do you think this 318ti would be a good choice if it turns out to be running in good condition when I go to check it out? Also, is there any specific stuff I should look for when I check it out, aside from obvious leaks and abuse and whatnot? Any info you guys could give me would be great, thanks!

-Roy

[pdxmotorhead]

Other than the standard failures that you can find in the our forum. ITs a pretty solid car.

I paid almost double that price for my 95 last spring, but the car had less than 70K miles and was a total creampuff.

How many 11 year old Black cars do you see with NO chips or scratches?

Dave

[SDKmann]

Originally Posted by roybotnik

Do you think this 318ti would be a good choice if it turns out to be running in good condition when I go to check it out?

-Roy

No, since this is a forum all about this car we think that would be a terrible choice.

[Kraln]

If you'd like, I can go with you to look at the car. I have a '95 Black Ti, and I'm in the area, so I could probably be of some assistance.

[roybotnik]

Originally Posted by SDKmann

No, since this is a forum all about this car we think that would be a terrible choice.

I figured

[roybotnik]

Originally Posted by Kraln

If you'd like, I can go with you to look at the car. I have a '95 Black Ti, and I'm in the area, so I could probably be of some assistance.

I'm planning on going to look at it tomorrow sometime in the morning. I'm pretty car knowledgable so I should be fine looking at it by myself, but if you guys know of anything that might not be obvious to a non-318ti-familiar-person, let me know . I'm really liking the idea of getting one of these...hehe. Might be a little more expensive then a comparably worn japanese car, but I figure people would _generally_ take better care of a BMW than a Civic. Hopefully that's the case with this one (sounds like it from what the owner has told me). I'm sure I'll also be able to talk the price down a little once I have a check in my hand .

Knowing that the car has such a fanbase must be a good sign right ?

[Kraln]

So, was that a 'yes, go ahead and tag along' or 'no, I'll be alright'?

318tis suffer from common e36 faults on the front and common e30 faults on the back. On a '95, check all the rubber (hoses, seals), check the windows (make sure they go up without a fuss), etc.

[twomato]

Ask to see proof of profile gasket replacement and/or radiator and water pump replacement.

[roybotnik]

Originally Posted by Kraln

So, was that a 'yes, go ahead and tag along' or 'no, I'll be alright'?

318tis suffer from common e36 faults on the front and common e30 faults on the back. On a '95, check all the rubber (hoses, seals), check the windows (make sure they go up without a fuss), etc.

You could tag along if you want to, I just don't want to make you go out of your way or anything heh. I definitely appreciate your generosity though . I'm going to be checking the car out at Seven Corners Center in Falls Church VA, if you wanna mapquest it and see how far it is. I can give the complete address via PM if you want. I'll probably arrive at the place around 11am, it's an hour drive from my house so I hope it ends up being worth my time...Let me know if you want to help me take a look at it, thanks a bunch!

[ClubSport]

The '95 M42 did not suffer from the profile gasket or water pump problems, so you should be ok there. The valves are non-adjustable on the M42, so he got ripped off if a shop told him they adjusted them. Cleaned? Maybe.

Are you sure you want an automatic? It would be kind of a dog.

[roybotnik]

Me and Kraln went and took a look at it today and everything seemed to be in good shape. No leaks or anything and all the a/c, cooling, brakes, interior accessories, etc worked fine. Kraln seemed like he really knew what to look for and we definitely tested everything that could be tested on the car =). I would much rather have a manual transmission, but as I said this will mainly be my daily driver so it's not that big of an issue. The AT shifted nicely and strongly, so I'm sure it will last. I'm sure a few years down the road once things start to act up I'll have some cash to throw into an engine/transmission swap heheh.

[roybotnik]

Wow, just wow.

The seller decided to back out and keep his car after I drove an hour up to Arlington, tested it for another hour, and drove 2 hours through traffic home.

He of course waited until 12:00am to tell me this, right as I was about to spend $250 on various filters and parts and whatnot. I didn't put the cash on the car because it's a god damn Saturday and I can't very well get $3,800 in cash (which was the only form of payment he'd accept) from a bank that isn't open. He said he would definitely hold it for me until Monday, guess I know better than to believe everything I hear heh.

Thanks for coming up and checking it out with me Kraln, I really appreciated your insight and generosity. Hopefully I'll be able to find another 318ti around here sometime, because I really want one now .

I think the thing that pisses me off most is that I put a $3800 credit card convenience check into my account that I was going to withdraw on Monday. Now I guess I have to see if I can have them cancel cashing the check. Yay.

[Kraln]

Car's exterior was in better condition than mine, for sure. Sucks that he backed out. =/

[roybotnik]

Yea, I was already evaluating all the options for repairing the minor cosmetic probs the car had too. Hopefully I can find one (or something similar) around here for a decent price. Everything I've looked at today is 2,000-3,000 dollars over the KBB price. Even carfaxed one and it had been into an accident and had recorded frame damage, didn't stop the dealer from pricing it $2,314 over KBB though.

Oh well =\.

[proudTIowner]

here is one up for bid on ebay. Current bid for this black 1995 TI is a little over $2,600. The VIN number is listed and you can find out the history of the car.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-3...spagenameZWDVW

I got my 1995 TI back in the fall of 1999. around that time my car was worth about $13,000