NYC WTB a 318ti for quite some time now....

[handballallday]

like the title says i've been desperately wanting, needing, searching and scouring the interwebs for a 318ti. I've even left notes on the windshield of two 318ti's not realizing one was auto and the other not interested in selling. I know not many were made and the ones that are around and F/S are either overpriced(in my opinion) or beat up and still some what overpriced. I know this is a long shot.

Soooo with that being said.... it doesn't matter what year or model but please NO AUTOS. Preferably stock in silver or white but of course any color will do and a decent amount of miles(100k or so). I'm located in NYC Queens and i'm willing to travel any where in the five boroughs as well as Long Island, NJ, CT, and maybe even PA.


thanks, James

[jca]

James, you may want to broaden your search, and if you find a car you like a few states away, fly out to the car, buy it and drive it home. This adds a few hundred dollars to the deal, but I have done it twice and would do it again for the right car. Good luck with your search. John

[handballallday]

(Sigh) yeah i'm starting to think that now. I recently missed out on a bone stock 95 white manual with 155k miles and 2nd owner for $2k. It was 3 hours away in Worchester, MA. It was mid-week when i spoke to the guy and i made plans to go pick it up with my buddy that Saturday morning. Then he text me Thursday to tell me he sold the car for his asking price which was $2500. My other friend who recently picked up his 99 M3 convertible said i should have solidified the deal by paypal-ing him a deposit.

I definitely would've paid his asking price and i know i missed a damn good deal. I'm still very much on the hunt. But thank you for that advice sir.

[roadrash]

For what it's worth... it took me almost exactly a year to find my car. That was mostly because I knew exactly what I wanted, and didn't settle for less than that. So, hang in there! :-)

[handballallday]

Thank you for the support brother. I really appreciate it. Believe me I'm in no rush to have one but I can't wait to own one if that makes any sense. Haha.

[M-technik-3]

Warmer rust free climates....California or further south. Ferrous Oxide destroys cars, and the new liquid calcium chloride that they are pouring on the roads just plan old eats cars.

[handballallday]

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

Warmer rust free climates....California or further south. Ferrous Oxide destroys cars, and the new liquid calcium chloride that they are pouring on the roads just plan old eats cars.

sheesh tell me about it! I haven't even driven the Miata in almost 4 weeks because the roads here are full of potties and salt. Just started it up for a few mins over the weekend.

[BRADESTAR]

Like most things in life, it is all about timing. I don't think that these are as rare as you might think.

This time of year is slow, can tell from the "for sale" section here. Will pick up when the weather improves. For whatever reason I think fall is the best time.

[Rudenice]

Hello all,
It has been awhile since I've lasted posted or responded. I actually drove a 86 Toyota Celica GTS with well over 200k from Washington, DC to Ohio to get my 1st BMW 318ti 5 speed - Hellirot red with 101k in 2005. Car has been in storage for 2 years and will be back on the road in April. I found mine on autotraders.....and It was worth the 12 hour round trip...

[handballallday]

Originally Posted by BRADESTAR

Like most things in life, it is all about timing. I don't think that these are as rare as you might think.

This time of year is slow, can tell from the "for sale" section here. Will pick up when the weather improves. For whatever reason I think fall is the best time.

hmm yes it is all about timing. And yeah i do feel like they're rare for some reason but maybe because i've started looking in the dead middle of winter. I think fall is the best time too because most people just want to get rid of it and not have to worry about it as it gets colder and snow falls but thank you for the kind words brother.

Originally Posted by Rudenice

Hello all,
It has been awhile since I've lasted posted or responded. I actually drove a 86 Toyota Celica GTS with well over 200k from Washington, DC to Ohio to get my 1st BMW 318ti 5 speed - Hellirot red with 101k in 2005. Car has been in storage for 2 years and will be back on the road in April. I found mine on autotraders.....and It was worth the 12 hour round trip...

i wish i had the motivation to drive 12 hrs even though i've drive to Florida twice but that was a few yrs ago. I just would like to pick one up within the tri-state. I still have lots of patience.... just anxious.

[jammyjam]

HandBall----All I can tell you is that I've been lurking on this forum for years because I was always intrigued by the TI. Finally bought one with a blown head gasket last spring for nothing and bought it. Here's the deal---The best part about buying that TI is and has been this forum and the people I have met on it. One of the best places for helpful and supportive folks.

So that being said -- I would get creative. If there is a car that's a while away, post it up here. I know of 3 TI's for sale in Virginia (yeah - I am obsessed). I have seen one, and talked to the other two owners. If you can find an experienced forum member, I'm sure someone is more than happy to go look for you to see if its worth your while.

PM me if you want to know more about the 3 in Virginia. More than likely (all are C-List units), I would only be able to forward some URL's, names and phone #s.

There are currently two for sale on C-List Tidewater Virginia. One is a black Clubsport and the other is an 98 w/ DASC. Both prices reflect the rarity of each setup.

Finally - I would take your time pressure off this thing and take your time and do your research. IT will be worth the wait!

Best of luck!

-- Jamal

[BlackBMWs]

I flew into Portland to get my 97 TI sport from Sacramento and made the drive back in the sun, rain, snow and hail in a 24 hour cycle. The other five TIs, I picked up in a 100 mile radius from home in a 1 1/2 year period.

Prior to that I watched for about two years before I found the first one. Condition has ranged from 4/10 to 9/10. Just gotta watch... I used a Craigslist site tool to watch various places in Cali, Nevada and Oregon and send me notifications.

Worth the watch and wait.

[handballallday]

thank you both Jamal and BlackBMW for the support and advice. Definitely looking forward to sharing my experiences of owning one with you guys.


BlackBMW.... what is that Craigslist site tool? I've heard of it but never used it. Link?

[hotmilk400]

hey,

Are you still looking for one?

I have one in PA (I am about 2 hours from NYC) but I am moving to the PA/NJ boarder (1 hr, 15mins to NYC) on March 1st and I need to sell my 318ti. The apartment only has 1 parking space so the 318ti needs to go or I will be paying a lot for a 2nd space 2 blocks away or it will be sitting in my shop and will go unused.

The car is a 97, 5sp, silver, 125k miles, new winter tires, very loud sound system, tinted windows, NO Check Engine Light but the car does need some love. Drives fine, runs fine. Black (maybe blue?) cloth inside with Silver outside. 2x 12 inch subs with all new midrange speakers. 4 channel amp and mono sub amp with kenwood stereo system (with USB and AUX connection). Car actually shakes from the system, loud enough to make you go deaf for sure. haha, Aftermarket exhaust, windows all work fine, has two keys and two key fobs.

The BAD: Front panels were replaced after a minor accident so the color isn't a perfect match. Some body rust was repaired in the rear quarter panel, it is somewhat noticeable but does not effect the integrity of the car and will pass inspection. Airbag light is also on because the last owner used a racing wheel and disconnected the original wheel. Airbags never went off or anything.

I would let it go cheap since it needs some love. So if you just want to try out a 318ti before looking for that perfect car, this might be a good one for ya. It needs some love but I am very flexible on the price.

I have some goodies if you want them, I have an original exhaust if you don't want the louder exhaust, I have front leather heated seats if you want to do the work on installing them, I have an extra set of 17inch rims if you want them. We can work on prices for any of those parts if you want them.

The back story? I like 318ti's. I bought a few in the past so I can have the parts to fix other cars and I would sell all of the other pieces (So I would make money and get free car parts). My garage is so full I cant fit anything else in it and I am moving, which means I need to dump EVERYTHING or I will be stuck paying rent on it.

Ehh, so the short story is that my favorite 318ti has a blown motor, so I parted it out. I quickly bought this 318ti but it was an unloved car that sat in my other garage. Instead of driving it, I drove my SUV since the SUV rocks in the snow.

I just sold the 325i and now I am ready to sell the 318ti, 525i, and corvette. I am keeping only my SUV. I will have access to a car with good MPG so there is no reason to keep anything but my SUV.

Hmm, if you want the 525i or corvette, I can give you an amazing deal on that too, but I am looking to sell the 318ti first anyway and I can easily dump the corvette in the spring/summer when they are in demand. the 525i has front end damage but low miles, so I can find someone who wants a motor probably.

I am open to offers on the 318ti

[handballallday]

i'm very interested. PM'd.