97 318ti FS in VA

[John W]

I want to buy a house soon, so I need to sell one of my cars. Either the ti or my 90 Miata will need to go. I thought I would guage interest here on the ti. Here are the details:

97 318ti Active. Boston Green. 5 spd., sunroof, A/C (works great), BMW am/fm casette with factory six disc changer in the trunk, OEM fog lights, one-touch power windows. Upgrades include Bilstein Sports with H&R race springs, Borbet Type T 17x8 wheels with Hankook RS2s (awesome tires dry/wet), clear front signals/sidemarkers/m3 style tail lights, some really nice (and bright) upgraded headlights (PO did this, not sure what kind), Bosal exhaust, M3 short leather shift knob, fogged air box with K&N filter.

I bought this car from friends two years ago. They had purchased it from the original owner when it was a year old and had 16k miles on it. In my two years of ownership, I have just done routine maintenance that includes the following: New fuel filter, new plugs, aforementioned K&N filter, new belts, replaced driver's side window regulator, new tires (see above), new rear brake pads, new driver's side door handle gasket (to replace rotted gasket), Mobil 1 15w-50 synthetic every 5 months or 5k miles with Mahle filter, Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF in the transmission about 10k miles ago.

The good: The exterior of this car is in very nice shape for its age. The car has never been in an accident--never even a minor parking lot accident. There are a few minor scratches and two or three very minor dings, but that's it. It looks much better (IMO) than your average 9 year old car and gets compliments frequently. The car is very reliable. I would drive it anywhere. It also handles very well and the ride is surprisingly nice. Runs/shifts very smoothly, pulls strong. Never any hesitation, always smooth idle--even when cold. Brakes work very well. Very easy car to drive, comfortable commuter that is also a fun car to autocross.

The bad: Air bag light is on. I swapped the guage cluster with a good used unit because the lights in the original unit flickered. The new cluster says 87,000 miles, but the actual mileage on the car is right at 100,000. (I removed the old cluster at 97,000 and the current cluster had 84,000 when installed--original cluster also included.) Also, when the replacement cluster was installed, the check engine light came on. The airbag light was on prior to the swap and I'm not sure why it's on. It was on when I bought the car. The driver's seat also has a stain on it. Otherwise the interior is nice. And included are two BMW seat cover that are a similar color to the beige interior. (UPDATE 2/4/07: I've been treating the stain with a fabric cleaner. It's barely noticeable now and I'm going to give it a few more treatments in hopes of making it disappear completely.) The front ball joints/control arms/LCABs have never been replaced, but car still drives and steers well. The passenger side window cannot be rolled down due to cracked plastic retainers on the window regulator. I will have this fixed before the car is sold. (Update: window regulator fixed 1/1/07.)

Extra parts: original wheels (excellent condition and very clean), original corner lights and headlights

The price: I'd like $5500 as-is. I would also prefer a local buyer so they can look the car over/evaluate it themself before commiting to purchase. I don't want any disappointments. That just makes it harder for me as the seller as well as prospective buyers.

I have most of the records from my ownership as well as from the PO. Also includes all of the original manuals that came with the car as well as the original window sticker.

If you'd like any additional photos or if you have any questions, just ask.

Located in Williamsburg, Va.

Thanks.

[sparkchaser]

Wow. Great price. Best of luck on your sale.

[John W]

Thanks for the kind words. Here are a couple of exterior shots.

[John W]

Oh yeah, and for those of you who subscribe to Grassroots Motorsports, check out page 68 of the December 2006 issue. The second picture ^^^ will look very familiar.

[USMC318ti]

I might be interested man, I threw two rods in mine this last weekend going through a freaking puddle, my insurance company declared it totaled.
So im just gonna buy another rather than deal with it.
Do you have a time frame you need to sell within?

[John W]

That sucks about your car. Can you buy it back from the insurance company? I think used M44s are fairly inexpensive.

I'm not in a real hurry at this point. My Miata is also for sale. I'm just going to keep the car that doesn't sell first.

[John W]

bump

[btonns]

I am in a similar situation. I have to sell my Miata before I can get a ti. Let me know if you find a good place to sell Miatas.

[HaqDeluxe]

John,

Is this Ti still available? Do you have any photo's of the interior?
In the Northern Va area but willing to come see the car if it is a nice one...

[John W]

I have had A LOT of interest in this car, but no takers. The holidays are over so I want to start focusing again on trying to sell the Ti. (Or buy my other car -- one of the nicest 1990 Miatas out there.) Let me know if you have any questions. Also, I replaced the window regulator tabs on the pass. side window today. It now works great!

[John W]

I found a house I want to buy, so I need to move this car. Currently, it has 102k miles. Also, the tires are now getting close to the wear markers, so they will need to be replaced in the not-so-distant future. With all that in light, please send me any reasonable offers if you're interested. (Also, the stain the driver's seat mentioned above is almost gone now. I've been treating it with a fabric cleaner I found at the grocery store of all places, and I'm pretty confident it will come out completely with a few more treatments.)