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Old 02-26-2009, 08:27 PM   #16
mohaughn
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Let's say you were in my shoes, cooljess76, would you keep the Honda which you know will last you as long as you need, all you have to do is replace the header for $150 or less, or would you trade for the BMW, spend the $400 to repair it properly and then sell it?
I guess I'll answer your question with a question. Is money the most important aspect of this deal? If so, keep the honda. Even though the 318ti is a good car and really reliable for the most part, it will be more expensive to maintain a 1998 318ti than it is to maintain a 1992 honda.

The OBDII exhaust system can be a royal pain, as has already been noted. There are also certain things on a BMW that are just more expensive. The BMW has a lot more electronic systems that can cause problems, where as a 92 honda with a non OBDII motor is mostly a mechanical car. You are not going to have secondary air pump problems, or catalyst efficiency issues on a Honda. This is why you can use any old catalytic converter on a 92 honda, no secondary post cat O2 sensors. I can use any old catalytic converter on my 95 Ti as it is not OBDII.

The 318ti also does not have 170hp. So if running neck and neck with an s2000 is a concern, the Ti is not the right car for you.
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Old 02-26-2009, 10:01 PM   #17
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I am looking at the trade from a business standpoint. No matter what car I drive, I will only be keeping it for the next two years. This will most likely mean 15k miles. The end goal over the next 2 years is to have a 96-00 Honda Civic. I have two options to get there:

A) Keep the civic, sell the civic for about $4000 and then buy my "end goal" a 96-00 Civic for around $4000 also.

B) Trade for the TI, spend the $400 or less to fix the cat, sell the TI (after looking around I think around $5000 would be a good asking price) and then buy a 96-00 Civic.

The problem stems from not knowing how quickly a TI would sell and would it run me up more money before I am able to sell it. I know my Civic will sell, I just have to put up with the Honda "low-ballers" who try to offer $3000 when you ask $4000 and hold out until it sells. I receive a call or email almost every day on my Civic, but everybody wants to trade and they don't have what i want. The biggest factor for me is saving money. All logic seems to point that money saving would be to keep my civic. However, if I could feasibly get $5000+ for the TI and sell it within a few months, then it would be worth it to trade and get the extra money.
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Old 02-26-2009, 10:20 PM   #18
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i have seen 98 sport Ti's with black leather, and well maintained with around 100k go for $6,000 in PA .. but different areas and different sellers get different amounts.

You can also pick up smashed Ti's dirt cheap.

my first 98 Ti cost $1,500. 110K miles. ran great, but the windows wouldnt go up, the sunroof stuck open, the door smashed in, and the cat throwing codes.

got another 98 Ti just last month for $1000. it runs just as well, but probally totaled, or just alot of damage.

working on fixing the door.
got the cat out of it.
taking the sun roof later (mine is closed, but its hit or miss if it works again since its off track, this one is perfect)


the kicker is, both cars came with killer sound systems or video systems at that price.

one had a $1500 sound system installed.. the other one had around a $800 audio/video system installed.

... now i got 2 BMWS... one might get sold for around $5000 later. the other one will get sold for the motor and parts, for about $800 (after i striped it of the audio and video)

both are 1998, 318ti's . black leather. same sport packages. (i think sport)


its not a bad trade. around where i live, if you have a honda accord, 86 - 95, it will get stolen after a month of parking at work.. so i would get rid of it.. haha.. =]

no one steals a BMW because they dont know what to do with it, even if they can break past the alarm system .. haha
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Old 02-26-2009, 10:54 PM   #19
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So I just got confirmation that the Check Engine Light has been on for 3 months now and approx. 5k miles. How bad is it to drive on a clogged cat for that long?
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Old 02-26-2009, 11:57 PM   #20
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i dont think it will hurt it? i drove close to 20k miles with a bad cat, and no problems.. the MPG just goes down.. and if you let it die, the motor might start getting funky, but nothing that should effect anything after its replaced (i think)

you can normally pick up used Cats that work for about $200 , or $225 shipped (those were the prices i got while looking for one before i got the donor) those were also the cheapest prices.. i also had someone in NY offer $125 shipped. so its not a big deal.. but you have to understand that you are getting a USED cat from a car that had a RECALL on the cats.. haha.. so who knows how long it might last..
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Old 02-27-2009, 06:46 AM   #21
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i still think 35mpg is outrageous. i've been driving 'green' for over a week and i still can't break 27mpg on the obc.

I still say keep the civic.... for now.
the fact that ti you're considering the trade with is auto pretty much ruins its 'sellabiltiy' on forums like these... we all want the manual. autos get far less interest.

and when you get out of school, pick up a nice mint 5spd Ti
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Old 02-27-2009, 07:21 AM   #22
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i still think 35mpg is outrageous. i've been driving 'green' for over a week and i still can't break 27mpg on the obc.

I still say keep the civic.... for now.
the fact that ti you're considering the trade with is auto pretty much ruins its 'sellabiltiy' on forums like these... we all want the manual. autos get far less interest.

and when you get out of school, pick up a nice mint 5spd Ti
+1, I agree that fixing and selling your civic is the wise choice for your situation. If your overall goal is to get back into a civic, don't bother with the Ti because you'll definitely fall in love with it and get hooked like all of us did Seriously though, if you're sure you could sell the civic for 4k, why go through the hassle of buying, fixing and selling a Bimmer for 1 grand more than your civic? Surely you could pull together a thousand bucks in 2 years. Spend 150 bucks on a header, drive it until it sells, meanwhile saving up some cash and buy the civic of your dreams

Brian, what year is your Ti? I had a 40k mile m44 and brand new o2 sensors in my '97 prior to my s52 swap and I could swear I was getting 35+mpg. Are you running stock wheels/tires? Are they filled to the correct pressure? I used synthetic 5w-30 oil, did the seafoam treatment and replaced my plugs, man it ran smooth. Also, make sure your brakes aren't dragging.
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Old 02-27-2009, 08:36 AM   #23
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^ What Jess said.

If you really think youre going to "flip it" like its real estate, stick with your honda. the market for noob kids who think every honda is "fast and furious" is pretty good, its just a matter of getting mommy and daddy to shell out the asking price. if you buy/trade a bmw and try to put a 20 dollar fart can muffler on it and try to resell it, youre probably gonna take a hit on your "investment".

Honda's sell at car autions for so much that most used car lots wont even bother bidding on them in central PA (and im guessing most other areas's) , keep the honda if resale if your primary concern.

just my $.02 , your mileage may vary.
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Old 02-27-2009, 04:14 PM   #24
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I agree. Keep the Honda and avoid the short term hassles of the cat. I have a low mileage cat on mine and plan to hold onto it if/when I sell the car. Bottom line- an auto 318ti will not sell as fast as a manual, modded and inexpensive Civic.

Come back to the forum when you eventually find your perfect sport model. Me and Jess will probably still be here.
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Old 02-27-2009, 04:16 PM   #25
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BTW if you want to ride in a sport model, manual Ti gimme a hollar. And for pure grins, Campaiar has an M3 swapped Ti up in Mason.
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Old 02-27-2009, 04:44 PM   #26
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Originally Posted by Criswell View Post
^ What Jess said.

If you really think youre going to "flip it" like its real estate, stick with your honda. the market for noob kids who think every honda is "fast and furious" is pretty good, its just a matter of getting mommy and daddy to shell out the asking price. if you buy/trade a bmw and try to put a 20 dollar fart can muffler on it and try to resell it, youre probably gonna take a hit on your "investment".

Honda's sell at car autions for so much that most used car lots wont even bother bidding on them in central PA (and im guessing most other areas's) , keep the honda if resale if your primary concern.

just my $.02 , your mileage may vary.

If I were to flip it, I would not be putting any modifications on it, just fixing the cat and keeping it stock. I'm still trying to figure it all out, but it would be nice to have a better commuter car for work right now, plus the weather is warming up here and I have A/C. No A/C sucks when you are wearing business casual dress and it gets past 75 degrees with lots of humidity. I will be sure to let you all know what I do when it happens.

Thank you everyone for your opinions and knowledge! I learned a heck of a lot more than I thought I would about TIs in the last few days.
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Old 02-27-2009, 09:39 PM   #27
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I have a 1992 Honda Civic with all the details at this website: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2584850 I am tired of a stiff suspension and want something mroe comfortable to drive to and from school and work in. I have an offer right now for a 1998 318ti, black with black leather interior, 17" wheels (don't know what kind), 115k miles, automatic (not ideal, i Know). The car recently had the window regulators replaced and the owner is only the second owner of the car. Bad news, headliner is falling down, I have replaced them before its not a big deal. The catalytic converter is clogged (he had the code read at a BMW dealer). BMW cats are WAY expensive, but it's just exhaust work. I could it cut out and a new one welded in at any muffler shop or with buddies who have a welder. My car has rust in the rear quarters, flat balck passenger door and driver fender, and some fading paint. But it runs neck in neck with an S2000 on the highway while getting 30-36mpg. Mine also needs a new header because it has rusted through just before the cat. The trade would be straight up, no extra cash on either side. What do you guys think?


hey man i have a 96 318ti that i would trade i would be more and welcome to send you pics if u want to check it out
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Old 02-28-2009, 03:49 AM   #28
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I really think if you get it, youll be blown away with it compared to most honda's and NOT want to part with it. You'll feel like youre driving a real machine, and not a souped up go-cart wrapped in sheet metal.
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Old 02-28-2009, 06:38 AM   #29
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hey man i have a 96 318ti that i would trade i would be more and welcome to send you pics if u want to check it out
I would like to see some pics if you could email them to eric1387@cinci.rr.com. I see that you are in Oklahoma though and I live in Ohio. I don't know if you plan on coming out here sometime soon, but I do not have the time to drive anywhere more than an hour away to trade a car.
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Old 02-28-2009, 06:42 AM   #30
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Also, the guy ended up backing out of the trade tonight. He looked into body work costs and decided he did not want to trade. My car has the typical Honda rust in the rear quarters, nothing compared to other 92s I've seen, but still rust nonetheless. This works out great as now I can just keep it up for sale and not feel that I made a bad decision.
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