Buying a 96 Ti, Need to know?

[ZetsuRyu.Ti]

Hello everyone!

It's a 1996, not sure of the trim, but I am rather sure it is the lowest one. it has 200k+ miles, and the guy that is selling it to me thinks it has had major engine work, up to being rebuilt. He is hunting down paperwork on this.

It looks to be in good condition by my account, and the bits that are not so good are being looked into. I will take it by a mechanic before I buy it as well.

My concern is that I have very little knowledge on these cars, so I was hopeful you, the people of the internet, and specifically this site could tell me a bit of what to look out for.

I am excited because I fit into it, and I noticed in another post that someone else came to the same conclusion. Also, thanks for reading this far.

Cheers,
Zetsuryu

[ti-billy]

hello and welcome to the forum, make sure you check the cooling system, these cars cooling systems use plastic impellers for the water pump and plastic housing for the thermostat and connecting pipes, being that the car already has 200k+ miles on it there is a good chance this has been done already, check the suspension and steering as well

[tiFreak]

Originally Posted by ZetsuRyu.Ti

I am excited because I fit into it,

that's always a plus

Originally Posted by ti-billy

hello and welcome to the forum, make sure you check the cooling system, these cars cooling systems use plastic impellers for the water pump and plastic housing for the thermostat and connecting pipes, being that the car already has 200k+ miles on it there is a good chance this has been done already, check the suspension and steering as well

it's possible that they've failed before and overheated the engine, might be why it had all that work done to it

check to see if the windows go up crooked or slow and, with the window down, slam the door and listen for the glass hitting the inside of the door. Window regulator failures are pretty common on BMWs

[ZetsuRyu.Ti]

I will include these questions when I ask the mechanics and when I look at I next.

Thanks for the quick and pointed responses! Hopefully I will return with good news. On the question of price, what would you say this vehicle is wort, if it has indeed had all the work it seems, and is in good condition?

[tiFreak]

I'd say around $3-4k, I've heard prices in California are higher for some reason so it might be more like $5k

[ZetsuRyu.Ti]

THANKS! He is asking 3k. So your estimation is fantastic. Thank you so much. Coming from someone here that tells me something.

and as for California, it tends to be more expensive, silly as that is.

[SNOWti]

The rear firewall - check for the in and outs going cooling hoses going into the heater core area, for leaks. Check also the transmission, that it doesn't slip or not catch gear and go into limp mode with a gear icon warning light. The center console inside, stick shift area, heats up nasty when this is a problem. Make sure you drive it for a while because this problem arises later when you're driving it for a day or so, long hours. Its a hidden problem easy to hide by a bad seller.

Make sure you really check for oil leaks, rack pinion, condition of interior is also a determining factor of how the ti was treated and cared for and appreciated.

Do NOT let them say they will keep looking for papers as proof of maintenance or major mechanical work. See it, match the vin or other info, make sure its true.

I concur, check steering, hard? Noisy? Any accident damage probably extended into the steering, never the same I think.

Let this post serve as a warning about these issues. I had to learn the hard way, but I learned alot about these E36's.

[the awakening]

check to see if the windows go up crooked or slow and, with the window down, slam the door and listen for the glass hitting the inside of the door. Window regulator failures are pretty common on BMWs[/QUOTE]

Thats what that annoying rattle inside my door is!? Not to hijack, but where do you think I could get a new regulator. Also, would that maybe effect the auto up/down feature? Sometimes the driver's window will not go up or down on its own when I press down the button hard, but the passenger side will.

[SNOWti]

^ The rattling you hear when you close the door with the window down most likely is the felt window guides have lost the felt lining that holds the window firm. Those inner lining on the window guides extend up into the top part of the door but I think they are two separate parts because they wear out or fall out or are removed when fixing windows. NOtice that when you have the windows up and close the door, no rattle, top lining still there.

Could be a reason why the window comes off track and may not be just a regulator issue. When you close the door the window comes off track as you try to raise it. Then it falls off or even the regulator arms that raise the window may come in contact with other parts and bend the arms and then that's big mess. YOu have to study what's going on in there carefully. I found a rivet on one of the arms caught another part in the regulator and bent the thing.

I had to bend the arm back and have main parts of the regulator body welded, fixed for now, except that lining issue to stop the rattling.

I close my doors very carefully and when going in for service I raise the window. Its something I have to fix but such a mind numbing thing to get around to do.

[arinborn]

I've been searching since February. I live is San Diego and have run Autotrader out to 300 miles and Craigslist SD, Orange County and Los Angeles. Some People with high mile cars are asking for big money, dealers included. But there are many 130K and less cars in the 4k to 5k range.

There was a clean car that just sold and the price was listed as 3,995. A couple of dealers have had their 318's listed at 6K since I started looking in February and they have still not sold. I may have found my car, (1 owner girl who Love's! her car),waiting to check out mechanically. (AAA member can use certified AAA stations with a fixed $90 price for inspection.) I think that unless sellers are lucky, they lower their price as 318 buyers are often not to be found.

At least these are my conclusions after searching for 3 months. For what it's worth I totally recommend to have a mechanic check the car out before purchasing. I had one car not so clean but drove well. The mechanic, from a BMW shop, found a couple of items that were serious enough for me to pass.

Jeremy ~ Slainte

[michaelross]

Originally Posted by the awakening

check to see if the windows go up crooked or slow and, with the window down, slam the door and listen for the glass hitting the inside of the door. Window regulator failures are pretty common on BMWs

Thats what that annoying rattle inside my door is!? Not to hijack, but where do you think I could get a new regulator. Also, would that maybe effect the auto up/down feature? Sometimes the driver's window will not go up or down on its own when I press down the button hard, but the passenger side will.[/QUOTE] Sad but true, I have had many window regulator problems eversince. It was already replaced twice in 2 years. I'm tired of buying a window regulator kit again.

[SNOWti]

Originally Posted by arinborn

I've been searching since February. I live is San Diego and have run Autotrader out to 300 miles and Craigslist SD, Orange County and Los Angeles. Some People with high mile cars are asking for big money, dealers included. But there are many 130K and less cars in the 4k to 5k range.

There was a clean car that just sold and the price was listed as 3,995. A couple of dealers have had their 318's listed at 6K since I started looking in February and they have still not sold. I may have found my car, (1 owner girl who Love's! her car),waiting to check out mechanically. (AAA member can use certified AAA stations with a fixed $90 price for inspection.) I think that unless sellers are lucky, they lower their price as 318 buyers are often not to be found.

At least these are my conclusions after searching for 3 months. For what it's worth I totally recommend to have a mechanic check the car out before purchasing. I had one car not so clean but drove well. The mechanic, from a BMW shop, found a couple of items that were serious enough for me to pass.

Jeremy ~ Slainte

Do they check wheel alignments?