Need opinions/help!

[ApexGoblin]

ok so here is the deal, its probably a pretty simple question for you more seasoned r3v members, but i have these two options, i can either buy a

91 318is slicktop red, beige interior
-clean title
-179k miles
-pretty good paint (but repainted from original)
-no rust
-most maintenance records, owned by individual who used to work at e30 parts company
-ac works, all electronics work
-some minor interior bits are missing (like speaker covers in the rear, other than that its in really good shape
-clean dash, no cracks. minor seat tears

ORRR

1986 325es manual, black on black
-clean title
- odo broke at 165,xxx (says only two months ago)
-interior in good shape
- paint looks in good shape, no rust
- all electronics work
- interior has cracked dash, and some rips in the seats (which one doesnt?)

Both cars are asking around the same price, which is why it is hard for me to decide, i know one is considerably younger, but the older one has the 2.7 in it. I wanted to build a m20 2.7 as my motor anyways, so its a trade off between building one IN a car already or getting the slick top and putting an m20 b27 into the 318 after i build it outside of the car. What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance!


p.s. one of my friends seems to think its a better idea to do an m42 turbo build, but im not so sure. and i can always prep for that while the m42 is out of the the car :D

[325ix]

Turbo the m42, more power and slick tops are rare.

[alB5]

318is!!! Plastic bumper cars are sweet. I love mine :up:

[ApexGoblin]

damn really? i guess i gotta do some more research on the m42 motors, because a 4banger with more horsepower than a six = better power to weight ratio ftw! :) also, id assume, it keeps weight distribution more even which is exactly what im looking for

Turbo the m42, more power and slick tops are rare.

[DuMa]

318is sounds like a no brainer to me.

[CorvallisBMW]

318iS no question

[z31maniac]

318is.

I dearly regret selling mine all the time.

[blocke]

Survey Says.....! 318 all the way. screw the 2.7, you will spend WAY too much going that route, and it will never look as good as a late model. Plus its got all the records and you know the guy that owned it took care of it.

[ApexGoblin]

THANKS GUYS! well, i went, i saw, i bought. a red 91 slicktop 318is with 178k miles on it is sitting in front of my house and i am ecstatic! only a few things wrong with it, which i will list and see if you have ideas what they may be to fix.

-power steering is really really light, almost no resistance, i could turn the wheel with my pinky! (this worried me, but as a whole new rack set up is around 200 in parts i thought it would be ok? and i might as well do an e36 rack if i am changing it all.) what do you think is the problem? do i need a new rack altogether? seller seemed to think it was a "slip ring"? thoughts?

-the SRS light is on, but i was assured that i could simply have this turned off with no affect. true? false? is it possible the power steering issue may turn this light on since the airbag does interact with the whole steering set up?


- looks like at one point someone had tried to improperly jack the car up and there are some bends to the, ahh what do you call them, the crimps or folds of the metal that run along the rocker panels under the car right under the doors. little sledge hammer work and use of proper jacking from now on should solve that i thought.

-really really mild seepage from the oil pan, new gasket will solve that

-no radio installed, whatever i like engine sounds better anyways :D

and i cant think of anything else right away since there arent any real mechanical issues besides the power steering, OH the e-brake needs to be tightened.......aaaand i think thats it for right now, i will be posting pictures today after work.

grand total is 3710.00 out the door (did i mention it came with bilstein shocks, bav auto springs, and bav auto camber plates? yeah im happy about that)

well what do you guys think? and now the project begins! first i have to name her....

thanks again for the pointers, not just from this thread but from many others. i do appreciate all the help!

APEX

p.s. shout out of thanks to the seller who i believe is on this forum (forgot to ask him his screen name, gotta text him now), he was a real stand up guy about the sale and made sure to inform me of all the issues with the car that he knew of, some of them i wouldnt have even noticed had he not pointed them out. thanks again for your honesty and it was a pleasure doing business!

[ZekeTheSneak]

I love my 318is, fuck the m42 though

[Simon S]

Welcome to the club !

Boat loads of reading and pics in Zen thread if you're interested..

[BrooklynMW]

At first glance I thought this thread said "NEED ONIONS! HELP!"

[rlddlr53]

I am happy I was able to sell you the 318is. I tried to show you everything as if I was buying the car. Now I need to get that suspension setup for my 325is.

I knew you really wanted the car man, and I know it is in good hands!

[Ian Bowers]

THANKS GUYS! well, i went, i saw, i bought. a red 91 slicktop 318is with 178k miles on it is sitting in front of my house and i am ecstatic! only a few things wrong with it, which i will list and see if you have ideas what they may be to fix.

-power steering is really really light, almost no resistance, i could turn the wheel with my pinky! (this worried me, but as a whole new rack set up is around 200 in parts i thought it would be ok? and i might as well do an e36 rack if i am changing it all.) what do you think is the problem? do i need a new rack altogether? seller seemed to think it was a "slip ring"? thoughts?

That's how mine was. Just a really assisted steering rack; slip ring won't change it. I am now on a Z3 rack, and it's still assisted, but significantly heavier, a really good feel.

- looks like at one point someone had tried to improperly jack the car up and there are some bends to the, ahh what do you call them, the crimps or folds of the metal that run along the rocker panels under the car right under the doors. little sledge hammer work and use of proper jacking from now on should solve that i thought.

Yeah, that's common. They'll bend when used with a jack stand, a jack, pretty much anything.

-really really mild seepage from the oil pan, new gasket will solve that

-no radio installed, whatever i like engine sounds better anyways :D

and i cant think of anything else right away since there arent any real mechanical issues besides the power steering, OH the e-brake needs to be tightened.......aaaand i think thats it for right now, i will be posting pictures today after work.

grand total is 3710.00 out the door (did i mention it came with bilstein shocks, bav auto springs, and bav auto camber plates? yeah im happy about that)

well what do you guys think? and now the project begins! first i have to name her....

thanks again for the pointers, not just from this thread but from many others. i do appreciate all the help!

APEX

p.s. shout out of thanks to the seller who i believe is on this forum (forgot to ask him his screen name, gotta text him now), he was a real stand up guy about the sale and made sure to inform me of all the issues with the car that he knew of, some of them i wouldnt have even noticed had he not pointed them out. thanks again for your honesty and it was a pleasure doing business!

Grats on the car, man! Welcome to the addiction.

[ApexGoblin]

and here she is :D