 » Site Navigation | | | | » Recent Threads | | | My 318ti build 05-21-2024 04:48 PM 05-21-2024 04:48 PM 0 Replies, 728 Views | |  |  |  | |  05-14-2010, 04:43 AM | #1 | | Junior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: California Posts: 23 |  Desperately seeking a ti to call my own....
Hey guys (and gals), I'm a new member and this is my first post but I've been lurking for some time now. Over the last couple of months I have had my sights set on picking up an E36 of some sort (my reasons were looks of course, initial cost, reliability, ability to modify, a vehicle I can work on myself, etc.) and have found that I have a heart for the 318ti. They seem to be few and far between but I have come across a few of them, one that I'm actually going to look at tomorrow. It is a Morea Green Metallic '97 manual that appears to have the sport package with 134k miles. I have heard that out here in Cali that I might expect to pay a bit more than in other states (not sure why) but anyhow, I'd like some opinions. Rather than ask the typical "what do you think this car is worth" question (as I have not seen but two pictures of the exterior side view of the car in low resolution), I want to state that the seller is offering it for $3800usd and ask what I might expect to get for that price (if I were to pay full asking price)? Reason I pose the question in that manner is so that I have an idea of where and how to begin negotiating the price down if necessary. One thing that I'd like to offer up as info to help gauge things is that there are ZERO service records for this car. Now, that being said, I am aware of all of the precautions I should take, ie vehicle history report, mechanic check, etc, and I am also aware that only I can say what is right for the money, but there are a lot of you out there that have a more practical reality of the valuation of these vehicles and again, this is just a request for an opinion. Thanx in advance for anyone's and everyone's "2 cents" and happy to be part of the forum.  (Hopefully soon to be a part of the "family")  |  |  | | 05-15-2010, 01:58 AM | #2 | | Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: asdfasdf Posts: 10,002 |
that's not a bad price, but no service records is not good, definitely get it looked over by a good mechanic, for $3800 I'd expect to get a car that doesn't have many expensive parts that need to be replaced within the first 1000 miles of owning it | | | | | 05-15-2010, 03:06 AM | #3 | | Junior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: California Posts: 23 |
Thanx for the input tifreak. I just got done looking at the car and without having been able to lift the car up and really get a good look at things, I was able to notice leaking out of the left side of the diff, evidence of leaking on the underside of the motor, no real evidence of and suspension maintenance, belts looked really worn, although it looked as though the cooling components had been recently replaced. The owner has only had the car for a couple of months and although it felt a little fishy that he was trying to turn the car around so quickly, I think he may be trying to make a few bucks off of it as when I asked him how he came about his price as it seemed a little high for the overall condition, he tried to sell it off as "the last production year of the ti."  I politely corrected him. Anyhoo, seemed as though all the electronics worked, windows, sunroof, I failed to check the AC though...  Some broken interior trim pieces, what appeared to be some small bleach spots on the rear seat, car was pretty dirty overall, fogs missing, a couple of dings in the body, and other than the bumpers the paint was fairly decent. I just would have expected the car to be a lot cleaner for the asking price. He made mention that if he was "in the right mood" and someone offered $3500 or $3400 he might be inclined to accept the offer. I honestly felt $2500-2800 was the ballpark value, but that's without factoring in my utter desire to have one!!! Especially with a manual tranny as this is only the second I've come across im my area. So that being said, I think I have some debating to do before I decide to have it checked by a mechanic, and again, if anyone cares to chime in with opinions, PLEASE, by all means do.... Thanx!!! | | | | | 05-15-2010, 03:34 AM | #4 | | Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: asdfasdf Posts: 10,002 |
sounds like he's asking too much for the condition, don't get too emotional with your decision and buy the car for more money than it's worth, you'll probably end up regretting later | | | | | 05-15-2010, 05:01 AM | #5 | | Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: omaha Posts: 61 |
id say its right.....especially in cali .. 134 miles too .. if the body and interior are real nice id have it checked out and buy it before someone else does | | | | | 05-15-2010, 10:56 PM | #6 | | Junior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: California Posts: 23 |
The body is about a 6.5-7.5 out of 10 and the interior is about the same. Very dirty on the inside tho. My worries are more concerning the leakage around the diff and motor and the suspension components. I'm thinking about offering him $3000 to see what his reaction is and try to use the cost of the rear maintenance as a negotiating tool. | | | | | 05-17-2010, 08:43 PM | #7 | | Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 252 |
offer him $2800 and remind him of the leaks (2 different ones) that must be fixed, maitenience that need done, also the suspension is probably ready to be freshend up, when I got my 96 i had to replace the entire front suspension. remember that car is 13 years old, belts,hoses and anything else rubber get worn and cracked, just fixed a fuel leak beause of a cracked fuel hose.....just my $.02 fwiw __________________ 1996 318ti base: m44, 5 spd, lsd - 18x8 bremmer kraft wheels w/sumitumo tires 225/40R18 & bmw locking lug studs, 10mm spacers in rear, halo headlights, cold air intake, koni str.t struts and shocks w/mounts, h&r sport springs, serp belts, control arm & tie rod kits, front sway bar links, JVC kd-x50bt headunit w/ipod hook up in the glove box, alpine sps-500(front and rear), jl audio 10" powerwedge max, jl audio 250.1 amp, motor mounts, fuel filter, passenger side window motor, drivers lower window run, muffler hanger kit, various interior bulbs, left door striker/ajar switch, lower hood latches, changed from gray vinal to black leather shift and parking brake boots, m3 weighted shift knob, ngk-r spark plugs, magnecor spark plug wires(blue),new cabin micro-filters,new headliner & a-pillar mouldings, 5w20 synth-blend oil and filter, BG Ultra Guard syn. rear end fluid & ls additive, BG Syncro Shift II syn. manual trans fluids, stainless steel braided brake lines and dot 4 fluid, extra brake light mod, new p/s reservoir and rubber hoses
need to do - fix door panels, paint job, MORE MONEY!! | | | | | 05-18-2010, 03:34 AM | #8 | | Junior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: California Posts: 23 |
Well, guys, I left a message for him asking if the car was still available. I just got a call back from him and after a little bit of small talk I offered him $2900 for it. He wanted to talk it over with his father, but I have a feeling that I'll get it for a price closer to what I'm offering than to the price he was asking. Lets see how it goes, he's supposed to call me again tomorrow... I'm starting to get giddy....  Oh, and thanx for the $0.02 ti-billy!!! It is appreciated....
Last edited by RatedM44; 05-18-2010 at 03:37 AM. | | | | | 05-18-2010, 03:17 PM | #9 | | Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 252 |
No problem man, good luck hope you get it, i'll keep my fingers crossed for you. __________________ 1996 318ti base: m44, 5 spd, lsd - 18x8 bremmer kraft wheels w/sumitumo tires 225/40R18 & bmw locking lug studs, 10mm spacers in rear, halo headlights, cold air intake, koni str.t struts and shocks w/mounts, h&r sport springs, serp belts, control arm & tie rod kits, front sway bar links, JVC kd-x50bt headunit w/ipod hook up in the glove box, alpine sps-500(front and rear), jl audio 10" powerwedge max, jl audio 250.1 amp, motor mounts, fuel filter, passenger side window motor, drivers lower window run, muffler hanger kit, various interior bulbs, left door striker/ajar switch, lower hood latches, changed from gray vinal to black leather shift and parking brake boots, m3 weighted shift knob, ngk-r spark plugs, magnecor spark plug wires(blue),new cabin micro-filters,new headliner & a-pillar mouldings, 5w20 synth-blend oil and filter, BG Ultra Guard syn. rear end fluid & ls additive, BG Syncro Shift II syn. manual trans fluids, stainless steel braided brake lines and dot 4 fluid, extra brake light mod, new p/s reservoir and rubber hoses
need to do - fix door panels, paint job, MORE MONEY!! | | | | | 05-19-2010, 03:17 AM | #10 | | Junior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: California Posts: 23 |
Well, unfortunately, he doesn't seem to want to come down below 3400....  I told him that if he had the rear end service that I would buy it for 3400. He said he only wanted to sell it as is and wasn't going to put any money into it. I kindly thanked him and told him to keep me in mind if he finds he needs to lower the price to get it sold. Let see what happens. In the meantime, I'm still on the look out.... | | | | | 02-02-2011, 12:35 AM | #11 | | Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Southwest England Posts: 379 |
yeah I'd say keep holding out, unless you have another $loads to spend on getting it how you want it you're probably better off holding out for one that's in better condition. And there's nicer colours out there IMHO. | | | | | 02-02-2011, 03:51 AM | #12 | | Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Wichita Falls, Texas Posts: 1,364 |
From the way you describe the car, I think that he will come down to your price. If he does I would still have a mechanic check it before you buy. I bought a Morea green ti just before Christmas, and I love the color. Good luck, and remember, there will be other ti's for sale if he doesn't meet your price. | | | | | 02-02-2011, 04:15 AM | #13 | | Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Potomac Falls VA DMV Posts: 1,794 |
hold out for sure. your perfect ti will come sooner or later! just gotta wait for the right timing. | | | | | 02-02-2011, 04:54 AM | #14 | | NOBODY F's with the Jesus Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Ventura California Posts: 7,824 |
Quote: Originally Posted by jca  From the way you describe the car, I think that he will come down to your price. If he does I would still have a mechanic check it before you buy. I bought a Morea green ti just before Christmas, and I love the color. Good luck, and remember, there will be other ti's for sale if he doesn't meet your price. | I'm sure that car is long gone by now. Last post by the OP in this thread was almost 8 months ago. He did end up getting a ti though: http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?p=272505 | | | | | 02-02-2011, 07:31 AM | #15 | | Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 1,464 |
Last edited by zoner; 02-02-2011 at 07:32 AM. Reason: Defective URL | | | | | |
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