Chance to buy a special 318ti!!!

[jggonzalez]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum and this is my first post. I'm talking to a friend about buying a special 318ti. I bought "Trixie", a white 318ti Sport fresh off the showroom floor in 1996. I drove her for a few years and loved every second of it. In 1999 I decided to get married and sold Trixie to a friend at a good price so I could work on my financial situation and pretend I'm the responsible type. I kept a modified 1982 320i for a daily driver, so I was at least in a BMW, but Trixie was something special. Last week I got an e-mail from my friend that the time had come for him to get a new car. He offered to sell Trixie back to me for $1K!

My friend really treated Trixie well and she seems to be in pretty good shape. He sent photos and she can still turn heads, even with 175K miles on her. (My wife will definitely be jealous...) There's a small parking lot ding in the passenger door, a few scratches on the hood from road debris, the parking brake is a little stiff and may need work, and the automatic door lock on the driver's side doesn't work. The engine runs strong, but she uses about 1/2 a quart of oil every 3K miles and there's a minor rattle underneath in the exhaust area.

I know she will need work, but I think the points above are normal wear on a 15 year-old car and the basics are probably fine. I'm just really excited about getting her back. What do the rest of you think? Any red flags that I need to be concerned with?

Thanks,

Joe Gonzalez

[budget76]

You should be concerned with me flying out to Cali and buying it first


IMO it looks VERY clean, and easily worth the 1k he offered it to you for. I'd snatch it up in a heartbeat, even with nowhere to store it

[zoner]

Originally Posted by budget76

You should be concerned with me flying out Zoner driving to Cali Fremont and buying it first

Fixed.

Without a motor that car looks like it's worth $1000... That's pretty sweet that he gave you the opportunity to buy it back!

Change the plastic in the cooling system if it hasn't already been done; check all of the wear items in the suspension and steering.

Do you still have the 320i?

Welcome to the forum!

[mpackage]

If you wanted to make some $ I'd buy it off of you...is it a manual or auto tranny? Nice story and hope it works out...if not look me up!

[jggonzalez]

Originally Posted by zoner

Fixed.

Without a motor that car looks like it's worth $1000... That's pretty sweet that he gave you the opportunity to buy it back!

Change the plastic in the cooling system if it hasn't already been done; check all of the wear items in the suspension and steering.

Do you still have the 320i?

Welcome to the forum!

Thanks for the tips, I'll check those out. As for the price, I gave him a good deal when I sold it to him twelve years ago, so he's returning the favor. I'm glad I sold it to him because he's the type that pays attention to things like regular maintenance and won't let a problem go until its too big to ignore.

No, I don't have the 320i. I wish I kept it. I was living in Texas and the 320i didn't have A/C. A few days at 110 degrees or more convinced me that I needed a new car and I chose a Mini Cooper. Fun little car, but not very reliable. The 320i had Eibach springs, Bilstein Sports all the way around, bigger sway bars, and a limited-slip differential that I found on a wrecked 323i in a junkyard. I also put Recaro seats, a short-shift kit, and a MOMO steering wheel inside. It was sweet. The engine was stock, but ran really well and never gave me any problems. I think I'll have the same experience with Trixie if I give her a chance.

Joe

[jggonzalez]

I was looking through some old pictures and found this one of me and Trixie taken in 1999 just before I sold her to my friend.

[reason]

very cool story.. i would definitely buy her back.. fix what is needed and enjoy.. these cars are special.. Trixie needs you.

[jggonzalez]

I bought her tonight. My friend brought her over and let me test drive her. There are a few little things that need fixing, but she's in pretty good shape. My friend even dropped the price to $700. I took my wife and daughter out to dinner in her and they both said she's roomier and drives better than my Mini Cooper. I'll post pics next weekend after I get her washed.

[familytruckster]

Heck of a deal. Always nice to be able to get an old favorite back.

[teetime4one]

this is a great story...i'm glad to hear you got the chance to have an old friend back in the driveway.
welcome to the Org!

[M-technik-3]

Nice story good to hear that your friend considered calling you first before tossing Trixie to the wolves.

[jggonzalez]

Quick update on Trixie:

I had the emergency brake fixed. My mechanic said it was the usual cable/rear brake adjustment and didn't even charge me for it. She needs a new clutch, so I'm going to go with the OEM version for driveability. (Any difference betweek LUK and Sachs?) I figure while he's doing that I'll have him replace the motor mounts with OEM mounts, the transmission mounts with Rogue Engineering units, and install a UUC SSK. Brakes and tires look good.

I am getting some noise from the rear end, which makes me think its either differential or wheel bearing noise, but I haven't been able to pin it down. I'm going to ask my mechanic to ride in the back seat while I drive around a bit to see if he can identify it.

I just had her washed a few days ago at a place with an underbody wash option to get the road gunk off and just finished going over the interior with Aerospace 303.

I'll keep you posted. I'd post pics, but it just rained and she's dirty again.

[thesk8nmidget]

hopefully it is just the rear end gears and you can update that to a limited slip!

you wanna sell me the mini cooper? lol

[jggonzalez]

Originally Posted by thesk8nmidget

hopefully it is just the rear end gears and you can update that to a limited slip!

you wanna sell me the mini cooper? lol

I've already got the Mini on a Wheels and Deals lot in Santa Clara. If I can sell it soon, I'm going to try to put a few grand aside to get something for my wife. She really likes Trixie, so I'm going to see if I can find a used 318i with four doors and an automatic for her. If anyone knows of one in the Bay Area that's in good shape, please send me a PM.

As for the rear-end noise, I keep wondering if some Royal Purple would help. I'm going to get new fluids for the diff and tranny when I get the clutch done.

Remember those Miller Light commercials where the guy would start fights among the crowds over "tastes great" vs. "less filling" and then walk away? Maybe I should start a Royal Purple vs. Redline thread and watch the fun! (Actually, I've already decided. I used Redlines in my last BMW, so I'm going to try RP this time.)

[steamboat]

What a wonderful story, I wish that some of my cars of the past would come back. I have a 318ti with a Downing supercharger and have never had such a willing unbreakable vehicle.
Good luck to you I wish you all the best.