Looking at a 318is with 171k miles

[erbear28]

How much should I offer? The interior is mint. Last registered in 2009



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Stanley Rockafella]

ask seller what he thinks it's worth.

in games of negotiation when there's no price listed, it's all about who mentions a price first.

[BklynE30Dude]

Hard to tell from 3 pics

Key questions:
- How did test drive go?
- how does car drive?
- manual or auto?
- car fax clean?
- no mods to engine?
- odo works?
- last timing belt change
- state of wheels and tires

Probably in 4000 - 5500 range since interior is clean.

Be prepared for another 1-2K in repairs and maintenance upfront.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[varg]

Check for leaks, timing case noise, working AC, suspension wear parts but subframe bushings especially. Way too little information here to recommend a price. If the suspension wear parts need replacing it's a $3,000 car at the very most. Be thorough, check the coolant for oil because profile gasket, check for leaks because the M42 is a very leak prone engine. Any rattling at all from the timing case means $$$ or lots of hours of work, so be prepared.

[rcsoundn1]

4-5k, really?

[getouth]

^^^ 2Kish

[wcipolli]

4-5k can get you something much better.

It really depends on how it drives. If it hasn't been driven much since 09 you have to worry about all the seals, tires, and suspension pieces. The rust isn't horrible you could fix that yourself for <$150 with some fiberglass cloth.

If I were you, unless you have another car and are looking for a project, would keep looking unless the seller was willing to let it go CHEAP.

Other 318's in new england:

Here's something in my neck of the woods for $5k: http://newlondon.craigslist.org/cto/5166305589.html

If you don't mind auto:

http://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/5150145976.html

Closer to $6k

http://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/5148960839.html

$2500:

http://syracuse.craigslist.org/cto/5176901877.html

$3500 (nice but bronzit):

http://rochester.craigslist.org/cto/5163972575.html

Similar to the one you posted:

http://buffalo.craigslist.org/cto/5163249417.html

After looking around I would say that compared to other vehicles I wouldn't spend more than $2k on that car. It really depends on what you're looking for.

My first car was a 1984 318i and I paid $500 for it because it had 250k on the odometer and the wheel wells all around were completely rotted. Being 16 and only having about that much, it ran and made it from point A to point B for a few years and that was good enough for me.

[markt51]

4-5k?? with that rot in the back i wouldn't pay more than 2k(i would start lower than that though) if everything else is tidy. Maybe ive just been out of the game too long. Im looking at a 91 318is right now with 192k. Interior is pretty decent, engine is very tidy other than a/c needing recharge, its a manual, and only body damage is a good dent on the roof that will need to be hammered out etc. Was listed for 2k. I talked him down to 1.2k.

The prices people are willing to pay for an e30 these days is getting kind of ridiculous, with nothing to justify the price rise over the past 2 years.

[wcipolli]

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=364897

[TobyB]

...usually about $750 less than the seller's asking, if you want it....

t

[BklynE30Dude]

Seriously I think some of you forget we don't all live in Texas or California or Arizona, or some other warm climate. We can't just walk out the door and find e30s in every backyard. Or that the ones we find will have zero rust. You buy the best available car at the budget you can afford. Just because a car can be bought for 1.2K in TX doesn't meant someone in PA will find the same deal - there just isn't that inventory sometimes.

I can buy a nice house in Dallas for 500K. In NYC it's barely a walk up 400 sq ft studio in the East Village. It's about location and inventory. Cars are no different.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[RCtheRed]

2k or under and negotiate from there. You'll probably find more problems with it once you start driving it daily and inspecting it. Best bet for that rot would be to just find a junked E30 and cut out the clean panels from the junked one and weld it into yours.

Also check under the door sills, water accumulates at the very bottom of the door and rots the very bottom. I'd say if the frame rails and the majority of the underbody is clean it's a worthy investment. There's always going to be rust investing in an older car unless it was always garage kept and never winter driven.

[markt51]

Seriously I think some of you forget we don't all live in Texas or California or Arizona, or some other warm climate. We can't just walk out the door and find e30s in every backyard. Or that the ones we find will have zero rust. You buy the best available car at the budget you can afford. Just because a car can be bought for 1.2K in TX doesn't meant someone in PA will find the same deal - there just isn't that inventory sometimes.

I can buy a nice house in Dallas for 500K. In NYC it's barely a walk up 400 sq ft studio in the East Village. It's about location and inventory. Cars are no different.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I would argue that cars are very different than houses. Houses are governed by cost of living and land value based off of the area, economy, etc. Cars have nothing to do with any of that. If I go to a car dealership here in texas and buy a car, its going to be very damn close to the same price as the same car in xyz state/city in the US. Not marked up over 100% and a hole in the back. I bet there are fewer e30s here in texas than there are in nyc.

The only reason prices are inflating on e30s is because of speculative know nothings thinking their pos is gold, and the uniformed paying their prices. Supply/inventory hasnt changed.

[TobyB]

Supply's always dwindling, though, as the cars rust away, get wrecked and have their tires poped,
blah- de- blah.

But I agree, the E30's a bit inflated now due to the hipster demand.

That said, EVERYTHING vintage has gone up a LOT recently, relative to the cost of bread and milk...

t

[markd248]

If you buy it and want E30 basketweaves, let me know. I'd love to work out a deal/trade for those Borbets. Obviously it depends on what end of the state you live in, but I think that's a Devon Hill badge, so we're close by each other.

I'd offer mid 2k if its manual and less if its auto. The rust isn't bad for this area, but it doesn't bode well for other areas underneath, so look closely! Remind them that it will take some work and $$ to get it back on the road (anything rubber + fluids + whatever else).