'97 E36 318IS 2DR ...please help! - United Bimmer Community

**thesfactor** · 09-19-2006, 09:20 PM

Guys, I'm in the market for a bimmer. I need some help with the pricing...could you tell me if this is a good deal.

155k Miles
Manual tranny
Nit-grade fuel used
The owner said she made oil changes every 7.5k miles
She also said nothing has been replaced so far because nothing needs to be (She takes it to a BMW authorised dealer every 6 months and gets it checked). According to her the cars in great condition.

She's asking for $5.5k and said she can bend a little more.

I will have this car detailed by a BMW auto dealer myself and check it out to make sure all's well. Other than that please tell me if the price is too high? When i kbb this car, it says excellent value is $5.1k...its so weird that my kbb value is always lower than the bmw owners asking range...way lower.

EDIT:
Ok so i checked out the car today. Its in great shape...exterior and interior (front seat has one slight tear). Engine idles great, breaks dont squeal, all's well for now. I will take it to a BMW authorized dealer sometime this week and post updates. I havent talked price yet ... Anyone have any insights?

**Numark318i** · 09-19-2006, 09:30 PM

first thing first...ask about the thermostat. When was it replaced. belts.

you should check under the car personally. Check for leaks of any kind. Look for newer parts. Check to see if the control arms look like kdifferent colors. if so then she is not telling you the truth.and might say something about the rest of the car.

otehr then that..drive it, let it warm up and red line. see how it likes it. Also remeber if you are looking for speed e36 318is is not the way to go.

Good luck.

**BMWLotAttendant** · 09-19-2006, 10:17 PM

My friend bought the EXACT same model and year as the one you are looking at. 97 318is. His had 89K, and he got it for $7K-$7,300. But this was really clean, and well maintained and a 6 disc changer.

I'd get it checked out....because we also had another 97 318is last week that was in....and it had 2-3 pages of fault codes (things that are wrong with the car)...and it was running rough.

So definatley check it out, and drive it....and I'd have to say with pretty high miles, $4,500-$4,700. $4,500 if she'll go that low or lower

(that'd be a good deal). You'll prolly end up getting it for $4,900-$5,100 if she's asking $5,500.

What color is it?

**mrkbik** · 09-19-2006, 10:43 PM

Not sure about BMW's, considering I have only had one for a few weeks, but isn't the oil supposed to be changed more frequently than that? The oil changer people say every 3k but I have always changed my oil every 5k miles.

**thesfactor** · 09-19-2006, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMWLotAttendant

My friend bought the EXACT same model and year as the one you are looking at. 97 318is. His had 89K, and he got it for $7K-$7,300. But this was really clean, and well maintained and a 6 disc changer.

I'd get it checked out....because we also had another 97 318is last week that was in....and it had 2-3 pages of fault codes (things that are wrong with the car)...and it was running rough.

So definatley check it out, and drive it....and I'd have to say with pretty high miles, $4,500-$4,700. $4,500 if she'll go that low or lower

(that'd be a good deal). You'll prolly end up getting it for $4,900-$5,100 if she's asking $5,500.

What color is it?

Its green, I dont know how to post pics up on this forum yet. This is my second post on here

. The car looks good but the radiator hose and everything is plastic, these are supposed to be faulty right? I dont want it to conk out on me along with the cooling system especially since she said she didnt change anything thus far. Pics inserted now!

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**Numark318i** · 09-19-2006, 11:37 PM

Car looks really clean.
Looks like a decent deal.
You will love it once you own it..BMW's are great cars as you might soon find out. just take care of her.

**thesfactor** · 09-20-2006, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Numark318i

Car looks really clean.
Looks like a decent deal.
You will love it once you own it..BMW's are great cars as you might soon find out. just take care of her.

By decent deal did you mean for around $4.5k? I can ask her for something around that amount. Also, which car is more fuel efficient - a V4 or a V6? If its a V6 then I might as well just hold out for a 325i for about 10k when I have more money.

The interior of the car was clean too. It has harmon kardon speakers and heated seats and everything works. The radiator which is prone to cracking is made of plastic, I'm not sure if she has replaced the timing belts or anything yet. Well, I'll have to get a thorough quote from the bmw dealer.

**Dudesky** · 09-20-2006, 05:11 AM

The 4cyl is a little better on gas than the 6. Less power, but they run forever; some will debate that they last longer and with less problems than the 6cyl.

**c1apton** · 09-20-2006, 05:39 AM

Being a 4cyl is has a timing chain not a belt (a plus) also check her service book to actually see the service has been stamped by the dealer for all services she claims. Overall it looks & sounds like a great deal.

**thesfactor** · 09-20-2006, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by c1apton

Being a 4cyl is has a timing chain not a belt (a plus) also check her service book to actually see the service has been stamped by the dealer for all services she claims. Overall it looks & sounds like a great deal.

Just out of curiosity...isn't 150k miles a LOT for any car? I still dont get how this bimmer purrs along at this mileage.
What price do you guys think is a good deal for this car?

**Dudesky** · 09-20-2006, 09:00 AM

It's not a lot of miles, just keep it away from Kryptonite

My car just turned 150k, with no signs of stopping. A compression test done a few months ago turned out strong.

**thesfactor** · 09-20-2006, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dudesky

It's not a lot of miles, just keep it away from Kryptonite

My car just turned 150k, with no signs of stopping. A compression test done a few months ago turned out strong.

Compression test? What are good numbers for a compression test? Is this normally done at a BMW dealership? I could ask them to do one for me if I know what to look for in terms of results. Could you please elaborate.
Oh, and what does a compression test cost?
I'm not sure if I want to drop 5k on a V4 right now when I can wait for a couple months and drop 7k-8k on a V6 325i or so...

**celsdogg** · 09-20-2006, 09:53 AM

you can do the compression test yourself:

http://www.unitedbimmer.com/kb-e36-s...ssion-test.php

written by dudesky

its a diff engine, but the test is basically the same.

**Dudesky** · 09-20-2006, 10:36 AM

BMW 6cyl engines are inline, not V

**thesfactor** · 09-20-2006, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dudesky

BMW 6cyl engines are inline, not V

Here is an update:
Could you please tell me which car would be a better choice? considering the 318is is a '97 model but the 325i is a '94 model?

I have another person willing to sell me his '94 325i for $6.5k
Here are the specs and pics:

1994 325i alpine white / dove grey int with 148k Miles
rocker panels painted white to match
20% tint
front plate eliminator
front m3 bumper
m3 side moldings
m3 style rear diffuser
clear tails, clear corners, clear sides
depo projectors w/ dde thinline rings
h1 bulbs in highs, lows, and fog lights
RMS chip
cosmos CAI
almsot new spark plugs
just changed oil.. mobil1 always
m3 exhaust
manarays 18"x8.5 rims (about 9/10 for quality) with 225s on front and 235s on rear...
blaupunkt mp3/cd stereo that matches the interior in color and the dotmatrix style...
new guibo, new 100% cooling system (replaced radiator, all hoses, all belts, terhmostat, thermostat housing, and waterpump) did a flush & fill...

Pics: