- Are you the original owner? If not, how many owners has it had and how many of the miles have you personally put on the car?
- Has the vehicle ever been in an accident?
- Was the catalytic converter replaced under BMW's recall?
- Was the HVAC cable addressed under BMW's recall?
- What does "adult driven" really mean? Are you saying that it's never been over 65mph or 4000 rpm?
- Has the vehicle ever been smoked in? If I were to look inside of the cigarette lighter, is it brand new?
- Have all of the cooling system components been replaced? Thermostat? Water pump? Radiator? Plastic coolant fitting on the driver's side of the engine block? Plastic coolant fitting on the back of the cylinder head? Radiator hoses? BMW coolant?
- Does the oil filter housing or spark plug seals leak? Spark plug holes are completely dry and free of oil? No oil on the lower front of the engine block?
- Does the headliner sag over the back seat and cargo area?
- Are the headlight lenses foggy, hazy, pitted or yellow?
- Do the mini bulbs located behind the headlight and foglight switches still light up?
- Is the factory toolkit complete?
- Has the spare tire been replaced and maintained?
- What condition are the tires and brakes in?
- Does the parking brake hold firm halfway through the lever's stroke?
- Have the windows ever fallen off track or regulator arms ever popped out of the plastic sliders?
- Have the interior door panels ever been removed for any reason and if so, are all of the retaining clips intact and affixed to the backside of the panel?
- Do the mirrors have any bronzing around the edges?
- Does the factory airbox still have the sound deadening foam inside of it?
- Has the differential oil ever been changed?
- Have the brake and power steering fluids ever been flushed?
- Oxygen sensors replaced?
- Have the rear subframe bushings, rear trailing arm bushings, differential bushing, front control arm bushings, rear shock mounts, front strut bearings, ball joints and tie rods, cv boots ever been replaced?
- Original clutch?
- Does the shifter have any slop in it?
- A/C blow cold air?
- Heater blow hot air?
- Is the climate knob stiff or difficult to turn?
- Do the hatch struts hold when it's cold outside?
- Is the driver's lower seat bolster worn?
- Has the check engine light or SRS(airbag) light ever came on?
- Has the temperature gauge ever went above 12 o'clock? Ever, even for a few seconds?
- Was the factory radio harness cut to install the aftermarket radio or was an adapter harness used?
- Do you still have the factory radio?
- Are the plastic windshield cowl trim pieces grey, dry or cracking?
- How about the outside weather stripping at the base of the side windows, specifically above the door handles?
- Antenna grommet dry or cracked?
- Do the windshield washer nozzles and mirrors heat up?
- Does the rear windshied washer nozzle spray?
- Is the rear parcel shelf faded or purple?
- Are all 4 of the rubber jack pads still in place underneath the car?
- Is the the plastic underpanel and brake ducts still in place and intact attached to the front bumper?
- Does the front bumper still have the "luxury" slats and if so are they cracked or damaged in any way?
- Foglights cracked?
- Do you have pets?
- What do YOU consider a "Genuine BMW Enthusiast"? BMWCCA member? How many BMW's have you owned?

Just bought a 1996 318ti
 

So glad this forum exists and this thread among so many others I've just started reading. Thanks!

You don't...and believe me, I tried. Replacing the headliner is a very doable DIY project.

Awesome list looking at a 318ti in a few hours glad i have some more questions to ask

What's the going rate for a Ti with 150k miles?

Brilliant!I agree with you!

You don't...at least not and have it look decent. I just recovered mine. Materials will cost you less than $100 and if you take your time the result will look great. Cheers, John

How many miles is too many for a 318ti?

Depends on the service history and past failures.

I made an easy to print check list of this for any one interested: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

Trying to look at a 318 this weekend and this thread came in handy!

Same here! I think is a base model. The only think I don't like is that is an auto.

As mentioned before: The plastic water pipes on the M42 and M44 are an absolute nightmare to replace, one is tucked up under the intake and should be approached with caution, or 4hrs and a lot of curse words... the other is on the back of the engine... (can't remember if it's on the head or block but a major pita either way)
If you're looking at one to commute or for a teenager and smell or see coolant just walk away.
If you're looking at one and already know about the asinine plastic engine components that should be aluminum or steel and plan to correct that, then by all means...

The dreaded "keyspin", yeah, that's your ignition cylinder not working anymore and the key just spinning instead of engaging halfway to start the car.
Not a difficult job by any measure but definitely raises eyebrows when you think about how much just a replacement key costs.

Those were my hair whitening experiences from a 4cyl Z3... but the two apply to the 318.

P.S. Amazing cars... well worth a weekend of trouble and parts replacing for the smiles they bring.

I do the same thing totally worth saving the time and peace of mind.

Wow I didn't realize there was a catalyst recall. I'll have to do some more research on that.