thinking about buying

[Sandino]

Hi!

After weeks of searching, I believe I have finally found the car I want!

It's a 96 bmw 318ti (obviously lol). with 100k miles on it.

I found the car here ->
http://rockford.craigslist.org/cto/1865204644.html

Do you think it is a good deal? If so why.

Also anything I need to look out for / check? (other than the usual).

Thanks!

[tylerwillingham]

Being that this is your first car and added to that automatic suspension repairs can really rape you, I would suggest a 5 speed. But as an owner of a Schwarz 318ti I can say that it's by far one of my favorite colors

[hotmilk400]

seems okay, price may be alittle high, but its about right. wouldnt hurt to check the forums here and at bimmerforums.com to maybe find a newer one with less miles for alittle more. sometimes you can find them cheap.

make sure that the tranny shifts fine around 2 - 3 gear. i never had an Auto yet, but i know i heard a few people mention it over the years.

also, ask about the tinted windows. did he do it himself, or was it professionally done. their is a HUGE difference in quality when it is done professionally.

professional tint will not peel/turn purple. also, professional tint will last much longer, and is always 1 piece of tint. /

Non-professional tint (ie, the pepboys tint) is pure junk. its normally doesnt have 1 piece across the back window. (look for a line somewhere) this tint is junk, and will be a pain later when it turns colors and fall off your window to remove.


its something no one things about, but i worked for a custom shop for awhile, and junk tint is the biggest pain to deal with.

also, check the tint laws in your state. normally tint is illegal on cars. if you are worried about a fine, then dont get the car. i tinted my windows, and no one pulled me over, my friend tinted his windows much lighter then mine, and got pulled over and was hit with a $135 fine (or had to have it removed with no fine) but that was in PA.

other then that, just check for common problems.

[Sandino]

great thanks for the comments / advice.
yeah about the price, i did manage to lower it to 2500. going to go test it out this weekend, so i'll see how it goes.

[Kiponator]

Try to find a 5 speed.

A manual transmission will last a lot longer and be a lot more entertaining to drive, too.

On the other hand, automatics get progressively more sloppy and leaky especially after 100k miles, and you can easily get into nightmare situations where you pay for repairs and still have problems, as it takes a good mechanic to properly rebuild an automatic transmission.

That said, $2500 is a pretty good price if there is no rust.

[tiFreak]

it's a sport package, but it doesn't have the sport package bumper, I'd check over the front end really carefully for any sign it was wrecked

[Sandino]

Originally Posted by tiFreak

it's a sport package, but it doesn't have the sport package bumper, I'd check over the front end really carefully for any sign it was wrecked

could you possibly show me the difference?

[tiFreak]

Originally Posted by Sandino

could you possibly show me the difference?

it should come with the same front bumper as an M3, looks like this:


note that the center section juts out a little bit and there's a slight lip along the bottom

[Sandino]

okay great thanks for that info.
ill be sure to check

[Sandino]

sorry guys & gals, but it seems that I won't be getting this car anymore!

it seems someone offered the guy more money + fly to him and pick up the car, so he decided to go with that deal.

will be looking for more cars soon, hopefully I can find another bmw319ti

[roadrash]

Originally Posted by Sandino

hopefully I can find another bmw 319ti 318ti

FIxed.