it's perfect, except for the color...

[DW415]

hi everybody-

I'm Dave from San Francisco, newbie here, looking to make the jump into Bimmership--I've done my research, and think i've found a keeper:
I'm looking at buying a 95 318ti 103k miles, 5sp with some Dinan extras for $5k. It looks like it's got everything I want...except it's red! Not my color, plus, I'd feel like a target driving it around;>

I know it may be heresy, but what do you all think about repainting? I need the car to go, not for show, so I'd rather go more econo on the paint job--any ideas, suggestions, avg prices?

thanks,
-Dave

[Tyler]

Well a good paint job is like 3k, i wouldn't go the cheap way like Macco they suck. You get what you pay for... Shop around in your area for good body shops tell them what you have for a car and want a good paint job but not the best. Also maybee stop by the shop and take a look at some cars they have done to get a better feel.

[roadrash]

Since it's a '95, and it's red, you should make sure that it's not a Club Sport. If it IS a Club Sport, yeah, painting that would be heresy. ;-)

[Mad-Machine]

Hellrot? That is a pretty colour for a Ti. It works well

[DW415]

groan...I just test drove it--it *is* a club sport, and everything about it is sweet.

I'm buying it, and will just have to deal with the color somehow--what sucks though, is that i'm a stealth kinda guy, and don't really want all the attention that goes with driving a fire red bimmer around...

I am kinda heretical, tho, and am planning on having this car for a long, long time, so i've got some thinking to do

[roadrash]

You could always keep the Club Sport and get an additional 318ti to mod/tweak/pimp to your hearts content. :-) I already know what I want my 2nd and 3rd 318ti to be like. LOL

[ATF]

Ill trade you my auto '98 Black ti for the clubsport

[AE86]

oh ya i saw that car, was incredible price even before i found out it was a clubsport... $5000 grand OBO for a 100k miles, single family owner with dinan chip, dinan exhaust? and intake.

i didn't think twice about it though because of the color. you can paint a honda but painting a bmw is something you just don't do. just drive the dam car.. it obviously sucks for cops so get a scanner & blocker and keep your eyes open...

[DW415]

yah, it's totally clean, so I may just have to suck it up and live with it...

[DW415]

btw, the husband said that his wife was the family leader with tickets--she spoke up and said she only got a *couple* while driving it!

she's got a 328 conv. now, and still says the 318 is funner to drive;>

[AE86]

its a simple fact of life.. lighter is better. after you get used to a light car, when you sit inside a big luxury sedan (which is usually front heavy), when you turn it feels like you're captain of a large boat.. the weight takes ages to transfer. and when that cars got tons of power, then you really feel like it isn't safe.

i think the biggest reason i want a clubsport isn't the better suspension or the awesome seats (and door trim) or the fact that its rare and its pretty much guaranteed someone will want it if you have to sell it... but the fact that it's lighter. does anyone know how much? and where/how they took the weight off.

Edit:
hey i got an idea for your color predicament. Get a bunch of bumper stickers like those "mystery spot" ones and make your car black like that .. i've seen a bunch of people on the freeway like that - surprisingly no bmw's yet

[BleMW]

you can get a good paint job for 1200

[zboot]

i plan on painting mine (fern green at the moment) using the $50 paint job thing you may have heard about going around different car forums online. Once I get around to doing it, I'll post pics on how things went.

[col.hapablap]

i'm in the exact same situation as you and felt some conflict about painting a stock bmw paint color to a totally different one.

my absolute last choice for color was hellrot, and i recently ended up buying a red sport pkg. it needs body work, so i'm justifying my choice to get ... ... m5 le mans blue. i'll skip past the maaco sign and get to a real paint shop. $2-3k is worth the perfect paint job. i'd like to do all the door jambs, get new mouldings, everything but the engine bay. that'll be done during the s52 swap. mostly talk for now tho

mine's a 98 and it even has the club sport trademark red mill point (something like that) interior. luckily? it's not a club sport. no one should paint that thing.

[roadrash]

Originally Posted by col.hapablap

mine's a 98 and it even has the club sport trademark red mill point (something like that) interior.

So, you're going to have a blue exterior with the Millpoint Red interior? Ewwww. If I were you, I'd find someone who wants to swap solid black, or the black/grey, for your Millpoint Red. That would look a lot better, and you'd probably make a little cash on the trade.