Purple 318ti w/ Bent Valves
 

Hey all, this is my first post on this site, hope people come over and look at this forum lol. Anyway I had never heard of the E36 hatchback/ Compact until about a week ago. I found this ad for a 318ti in my area, purple on grey cloth interior with a 5speed.

i hope i linked that right!

I'm thinking i can reasonably talk the guy down to about $500, and if i do, i will seriously consider buying it. I love cars with some character, and this little Compact seems like the perfect candidate to put some love into. I am fairly mechanically inclined, and I have some very mechanically inclined friends, so i feel like i could tackle this car and get it on the road. But that's why i came here haha, trying to hopefully get some insight from more experienced drivers.

I have already done some researching, and found that most people would simply suggest swapping in a 6 cylinder or another motor, but I don't have the time or equipment to do so. I figure the most effective solution would be to acquire an M42 head that has good valves, install it with new head gasket/water pump/thermostat/etc depending on how close to the top of my budget i get.

Speaking of budget, I should explain this to get a better answer. I currently drive a 1987 Dodge Dakota. Not a clunker at all, she barely has 100k mechanical miles and drives like a sweetheart with mostly all stock parts. I think i could reasonably sell it for $2-2.5k. that money would be my budget, hopefully without me having to add any of my own pocket funds. If theres anyone who reads these forums and has some advice for me, I'd be very grateful :smile: