1994 318i, should I buy? - United Bimmer Community

**roadkill** · 03-02-2009, 06:12 PM

Hey guys,

I've been carless for a while and it sucks, so I started looking for a ride recently. I found this 1994 318i last week, and it seems to be in pretty good shape, at least in terms of looks. It seems as if it has been well maintained, plus the previous owner was a women, and the current owner is gay. Interior is almost immaculate.

However, when test driving the car I thought that it was kinda slow. Or at least it was not what I expected from a BMW (I have to admit that I've never driven one before though).
I couldn't take it to the freeway unfortunately (it was rush hour, so it would've gone nowhere). But I've been wondering whether that's normal for a car like this? After all, it's the smallest US engine plus the car had automatic transmission.

Everything else seems fine, like I said, well taken care of, and relatively low mileage for its age (145k miles). Owner wants to sell it for $2500 (KBB = $2900), but I think I could get it for around $2000.

What do you guys think, is this a good car to buy? Or is there something wrong with the engine, should it drive sportier?

Thanks for your advice!

PS: the steering seemed to be a little hard, maybe the power steering pump is getting old. How expensive is that to fix? Also, the car as an electrical moonroof, but it's stuck. The motor works (you can hear it when pressing the button), but the roof doesn't open.

**scooter** · 03-02-2009, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadkill

Hey guys,

I've been carless for a while and it sucks, so I started looking for a ride recently. I found this 1994 318i last week, and it seems to be in pretty good shape, at least in terms of looks. It seems as if it has been well maintained, plus the previous owner was a women, and the current owner is gay. Interior is almost immaculate.

However, when test driving the car I thought that it was kinda slow. Or at least it was not what I expected from a BMW (I have to admit that I've never driven one before though).
I couldn't take it to the freeway unfortunately (it was rush hour, so it would've gone nowhere). But I've been wondering whether that's normal for a car like this? After all, it's the smallest US engine plus the car had automatic transmission.

Everything else seems fine, like I said, well taken care of, and relatively low mileage for its age (145k miles). Owner wants to sell it for $2500 (KBB = $2900), but I think I could get it for around $2000.

What do you guys think, is this a good car to buy? Or is there something wrong with the engine, should it drive sportier?

Thanks for your advice!

PS: the steering seemed to be a little hard, maybe the power steering pump is getting old. How expensive is that to fix? Also, the car as an electrical moonroof, but it's stuck. The motor works (you can hear it when pressing the button), but the roof doesn't open.

the 318 is a sloooow car, there's a good reason they stuffed the e36 with the inline 6's.
good luck with the car.

**tree36** · 03-03-2009, 09:26 AM

i agree. There really quite slow. i have driven my friends 318. almost identical to mine on the outside. but when you pop the hood its not even close... Could be the power steering fluid. also 2000 isn't a bad price. if you don't care to much about speed go for it. otherwise look for a bimmer with a 6 in it.

**roadkill** · 03-03-2009, 01:26 PM

Thanks for your answers guys, unfortunately it looks like the car has been sold already. Looking at a few others right now and I have a few more questions.

Most cars that I'm looking at (and can afford) are around 14-16 years old, mileage is in the upper 100k's. Are those still reliable cars? I'm looking mainly at E36s & E34s.
Mind you this is California, so high mileage is common and there's no harsh winters that would negatively impact a car's life expectancy. It's pretty common to see 20 yr old cars still driving around.

Are there any common guidelines to buying a used BMW of that age? (Couldn't find anything in this forum so far). I.e. what things to look out for, what questions to ask the owner. What repairs & maintenance should have been done.

In particular, I found a 525i, but the ad mentions "brand new heads & radiator". Sounds like it had an overheating problem. Should I stay away from something like this?

**tree36** · 03-04-2009, 09:17 AM

i bought my car with 165k i needed to replace the water pump which is extreamly commen so i would ask them about that. You might need to replace the engine fan aswell. look for cracks. i didn't which was not good when the fan blades shot off into my radiator. anyway my car now has 180k and is running fine. There may be other small problems that differ from car to car. but that was my experience. i wouldn't let the mileage turn you off.

**Kistoni** · 03-04-2009, 03:18 PM

Check this from the Knowledge Base:
http://www.unitedbimmer.com/kb-e36-c...faults-faq.php

That being said alot of the older cars have had most of these issues addressed already. The four bangers do need to be wound up a bit more to get them moving... but will give much better milage and less wear and tear on the drive train.

**roadkill** · 03-06-2009, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kistoni

Check this from the Knowledge Base:
http://www.unitedbimmer.com/kb-e36-c...faults-faq.php

Read that page, but I'm not gearhead enough to be able to check all these things myself. Was looking for some quick & easy "tests" like in this vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szPE_YCjc6g

Some other quick questions that I was wondering about.

- New thermostat/radiator, good or bad? I used the search function and found that it's common for them to go out and have to be replaced so I wanna say it's good, but could it be a sign that the car has previously overheated?

- On one 325is I saw today, one of the service receipts showed that a new ECU was installed. Good news or bad sign?

- On the same car, the OBC says "check coolant level". Car hasn't been driven much for the last 6 months. Mileage is really low for a '94 model (it's ~90k miles). Should the timing belt or any other belts have been replaced by now? Do you think it's a good deal for $3000? (the car has a few dents in the body, and some other cosmetic flaws, plus a cracked windshield which costs about $200 to repair)

Thanks guys!

**tree36** · 03-08-2009, 10:41 PM

don't worry about the coolent leviel thing. could be just a sensor and if its not coolents like what 10 bucks. idk what to say about the radiator and therm but new parts are usally good. buy the car. and if you have problems just ask us

**TwoOneFive** · 03-08-2009, 11:36 PM

that false "low coolant level" reading is so common its not even funny. i bought my e36 with 110k on it 3 years ago. its my daily and my toy so its driven nice sometimes and hard sometimes. regular preventative maintenance i have almost 180k now and never had a major problem, runs like new.

**gldfshkpr** · 03-11-2009, 12:59 PM

Quote:

In particular, I found a 525i, but the ad mentions "brand new heads & radiator". Sounds like it had an overheating problem. Should I stay away from something like this?

You're asking good questions. Sounds like you'll make a good owner. BMW is a solid, strong car. The weak point is the cooling system. I doubt the engine was ruined and a new head/radiator was slapped in to sell. You never know though. Find out who did the work on any of the cars you're looking at. Ask for receipts. Read the invoices and note where the work was done. I'd buy a car that was maintained by BMW in a heartbeat. There are some good indies out there as well.

The only reason I bought a 318i is because it's a manual trans and I paid a very nice price for it. It's a sedan, a family car. I do have some fun with it in 3rd gear on the freeway. The E36's aren't off the line cars. The freeway is where these cars excel. Mine just loves the open road. It eats hills. In town it's more of a dog. A very nice dog. Gas mileage is much worse in town as well. So it kinda depends how you're going to use the car.

Much luck with your search.

**roadkill** · 03-12-2009, 02:59 PM

Hey guys, thanks again for all the good answers!

Soo I have a little problem now. Last weekend I found a '94 325is, black on black with all the goodies. Really good condition too, and only 130k miles. Leather seats looked like new (had seat covers on for most of the car's life). Everything in perfect order. All the usual things that break had been replaced recently (i.e. new radiator, thermostat + housing, waterpump etc.). The only minuses where that the passenger's window didn't move up or down and the driver's seatback was stuck (but in a comfortable position

). And all that for $3200.
Why am I telling you this? Well, because another guy came 5 minutes earlier and bought the car. :'(

So now I'm back to the other 325is I mentioned before (the one with 90k miles). Made an offer for $2500. Owner said $2900, but I'm reluctant to buy, because 300 bucks would by far not be enough to transform this car into the same condition as the other one. I mean, just the windshield is $200. And mind you this has a few dents, plus the leather is kinda bad at some places. The moon roof is jammed too, only open halfway and then gets stuck.
So the only advantage is low mileage, but would you pay that much for it?

**roadkill** · 03-20-2009, 12:05 AM

So I passed on that last 325is (the one with 90k miles), because when I saw it again the other day I noticed a lot more flaws than the first time (it was kinda dark when I saw it back then so I didn't see that much).
I mean, 90k miles sounds good, but I couldn't get rid of the feeling that this car had been more tortured than loved. I can't even begin to understand how they could let it slip into such a bad shape (it breaks my heart, frankly). The straw that broke the camel's back was when I realized that three of the tires (all different brands & ages) where 205/60s and one of them a 205/65 (front left), which, together with a somewhat deflated front right, made the car sit kinda awkward. And the steering would of course always pull to the right.

Anyways, I discovered YET another 325is, haven't seen it, but the owner says it's in really great shape (and she couldn't shut up talking about it, she actually seems to love the car a lot, but says she has to let it go for financial reasons). Plus side on this one, it even has MANUAL SHIFT! However, over 190k miles, and bought from a used car dealer 8 years ago. Asking price is $3400, and the owner has already signalled that it's pretty firm. She quoted a Blue Book value of $3475, but I could only find $3200 (good condition).

What do you guys think about this? Is it really worth paying that much if the car has that many miles?

**tree36** · 03-20-2009, 12:30 PM

what year is it? Look at the car. Any extras? Tell to show you the blue book too.

**roadkill** · 03-20-2009, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tree36

what year is it? Look at the car. Any extras? Tell to show you the blue book too.

It's a '94. I think in the US the 325is was only sold with all the extras, i.e. power seats (leather), sunroof, dual zone a/c w/ temperature regulation. It has a 5 CD changer too, but the owner says it's broken. Everything else supposedly works, I hope I'll get a chance to see the car this afternoon.

One thing that threw me off a little was that the owner mentioned she had the trims painted. She said it was because the gum coating was peeling off. I've seen this on the other 325is I've looked at this week, and there was rust underneath. I wonder if that could ever become a problem? It's only the window trims though, not the body.

**tree36** · 03-23-2009, 09:11 AM

take a look and tell us what you think. i wouldn't worry about the trim. if it did start to rust it would be an easy fix as long as you don't let it get out of control. and milage is not extreamly bad for a 94. i have a 93 with 180k and it SHOULD run for along time. has she replaced anything yet in the engine?