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I'm thinking about buying a ti. Ask all your questions about the possible purchase of a ti. Keep in mind, we are biased.

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Old 02-08-2009, 10:54 PM   #1
S14SEAN
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Default 1995 BMW 318ti ?

I am new to 318ti i have heard good and bad, something about a head gasket problem and automatic trans. My girlfriend is very intrested in this car and i would like to see that she gets a good car. I have been around bmw's for a while but mostly older 2002's and 2800s. I think this is a good deal and i need to know what to look for when i go to test drive the car ? Thank you for your help. This will help me greatly check out the car on the hot spot below.
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=&ni...iew&ad=1064602

Thanks SEAN
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Old 02-09-2009, 12:27 AM   #2
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Default 95ti purchase

I have a 95 with 120k and I would say this is a good price, however, the things that are probably wrong with this car at 150K are numerous.
I would suspect the rubber bushings throughout are shot. So... you should consider subframe bushings, trailing arm bushings, and shock tower mounts. On the front end consider lower control arms and tie rods. Brakes, depending upon age, and shocks, if never replaced are gone. The tranny, if automatic, is close to life and if it fails, that is a biggie. The engine is as bullit-proof as you will find on a BMW and with the forged crank, is worth a valve job if you keep it long enough. Mine is superchaged with the DASC and has had a valve job because the head gasket failed. I don't think you will have that kind of problem on a stock engine. Do the safety stuff and space out the other stuff, and at that price, you will have a hell-of-a-fine car for a kid.
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Old 02-09-2009, 01:09 AM   #3
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It's for his girlfriend, not a kid... ;-) Anyways, I just bought a 95 with 140K miles. engine and trans are in great shape. The shocks/struts and rear shock mounts were toast, so I replaced those. For preventative maintenance, I did the entire cooling system, front gaskets and valve cover gaskets. I paid $3000.00 which i considered a fair price.

Good luck!
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Old 02-09-2009, 03:46 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by S14SEAN View Post
I am new to 318ti i have heard good and bad, something about a head gasket problem and automatic trans. My girlfriend is very intrested in this car and i would like to see that she gets a good car. I have been around bmw's for a while but mostly older 2002's and 2800s. I think this is a good deal and i need to know what to look for when i go to test drive the car ? Thank you for your help. This will help me greatly check out the car on the hot spot below.
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=&ni...iew&ad=1064602

Thanks SEAN

Hey welcome. Good to see others on here from Utah. I just bought my second ti last week and paid $4500 for it. About the same ammt of miles except has some M3 brakes along with a few other front end stuff off an M3. You will love this car. Take it down the road to a mechanic and pay them a few bucks to inspect it for you. Most should be somewhat honest. Good luck
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Old 02-09-2009, 06:36 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amancuso View Post
For preventative maintenance, I did the entire cooling system, front gaskets and valve cover gaskets. I paid $3000.00 which i considered a fair price.
Good luck!
Thanks For your post ! I now feel good about getting one with 150,xxx miles I am going to do maintenance the seccond i get the car. A trans. Flush, Diff.fulsh, Change oil and filter with synthetic, sparkplugs, and maybe o2 sensor if needed. So It will be in good hands as far as OCD maintenance goes.
"Slacker"s post got me worryed about the tranny. but i will see how it shifts and drives. Also i think it will last just fine with My girlfriends style of driving, she is not going to be doing any freeway downshifts and heavy right foot driving. So i hope for the best. Thanks SEAN
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Old 02-09-2009, 07:39 PM   #6
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Look closely at the paint. Any dealer that takes pics of a car when wet is usually hiding something. ti's are great cars, so if this one doesn't work out, keep looking.
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Old 02-09-2009, 10:12 PM   #7
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Get a CarFax report on it, and if it comes clean, and the paint when dry is in good condition, it's a GO!... The few bits that I saw missing are easily replaceable by doing a search for used or new parts on ebay or craigslist...
Hope it works out, it seems to be a really good price!
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Old 02-09-2009, 11:41 PM   #8
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i have a 95 with 157k on it. runs mint.

if taken care of, it should be good for 200k, or more. it's mostly just maintence stuff that it probably needs...

2 grand is a fair price. i paid 3 for mine, active trim level and manual.
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