I heard my car was pretty rare....

[sublimeti]

I have a 1997 318ti and have not seen one on the road like it. I will post pictures of the car later today. It has an awsome color combination: silver with sport interior, Black leather and red cloth inserts. It also came with the M package it is 5 speed and has the "California" Sun roof...that opens all the way to the back seats. I was pumping gas and this guy with another nice looking 318ti told me he my car was extreemly rare and that they only made 300 with the M package california sport edition...is this true? how many people out there have this combo?? I have not seen one like it out there on the road since i got it.

[Tyler]

I see ti's every day when i drive to/from work. I have only seen maybee 2 cali tops,and as far as i know all cali tops were the m package.

[SDKmann]

No I dont think all cali tops were the M package. I have a 96 with the cali roof and I definitly dont have the M package. As far as I can tell I think I have a active model.

[wasabinuki]

Yeah - an M package with a Cali top is pretty rare. The common Cali top model is the Active model.

[sublimeti]

Yeah, i always see either the cali top (rarely) or the M model, but never the combination of the two....i wonder how much i can get for this puppy?

[1996 328ti]

I don't think anyone has actual numbers of how many California tops that are also Sports.

[drkblu318ti]

DID you buy it off ebay??????? ?If you did i love taht car i wanted it so bad just about a grand short.

[bikern8]

Was fortunate enough to also find the combination on a 98 sport. Mine has grey suede inserts on black leather seats. Was also fortunate enough to find one with dasc. Have since added stromung exhaust and goodyear f1's. Paid a premium but have not regretted it for a second.

[sublimeti]

yeah, i bought it on ebay drkblue...i wonder if it is the same one u were bidding on? I paid 14k for it!! maybee i got a little ripped off, but i'm happy with it. I wish I had more power though. anyone know about how much i can get for it now? i got 125k on it 5 spd exellent condition inside and out..crossed drilled rotors...blah, blah, blah...

[SDKmann]

I would be really surprised if you got more then 10k for it. I think you paid way too much for it. There is a possibility that you can find some dumb rich kid to buy it because of the badge, but 14k is too much even if it is that rare.

[sublimeti]

Nah, i wasnt looking to get even 10k for it. I got it for 14k 3 years ago with half the miles on it. Now i figure i can at least get 7500 for it. If someone would offer me 10k i would sell it in a heart beat.

[Phil Marx]

The California Package was introduced in 1996 Model Year and consisted of:

New California Package for 1996
This package is all-new, and includes the following:
• Cruise control
• 15 x 7.0-in. alloy wheels with 205/60R-15 91H tires
• Full body-color bumpers and rocker panels
• Leather-covered steering wheel
• Power retracting canvas top panel (much larger opening than sunroof), and a unique BMW feature.

For Model Year 1997:

• Open-Air Roof (power retracting canvas top) becomes available as stand-alone option as of 2/97 production; formerly part of California Package. Open-Air Roof (Option code 755) costs $1,600.00.

For Model Year 1998:

• Power-retracting canvas Open-Air Roof renamed California Roof

For Model Year 1999:

318ti Sport
• Sport Package, formerly optional, is now standard and model is renamed 318ti Sport
• New cloth in (now standard) leather-and-cloth upholstery (as of 1/99 production)
• California Roof: This appealing option is a 318ti exclusive

And of course the Sport Package is not called the "M-package" in any year. Bumpers and rocker covers are referred to as M-Technic, but that's about it.
Hope this helps.

[bullmand]

Originally Posted by sublimeti

I paid 14k for it!! maybee i got a little ripped off, but i'm happy with it.

Ummm, sorry sublimeti, but Blue Book for that car is only $7050. Having said that, tis typically go for higher than book value due to the enthusiast demand for them. Someone on the old Yahoo list had a great graph of values for used ones, but it's lost in the ether now. I wouldn't worry about trying to get more for the car than you paid for it. Just drive it and enjoy it. Most folks don't even know what a 318ti is, let alone which one might be rarer than another.

[sublimeti]

I wonder what the blue book for it was 3 years ago though when i bought it? With 62k miles on it? I would have never paid 14k for it now.

[SDKmann]

Oh. I thought you meant that you paid 14k now. I dont think there are any tis that are worth that much now.