New member, new ride - '91 318is

[dpmcdonald]

Special thanks to QUKMBER (aka Terry)! In a few weeks I will be flying into LA to pick up his 1991 318is and driving it back to its new home in Portland, Oregon!



It hasn't been the most problem-free sale in the world, but Terry has been completely honest with everything and more than fair--doing everything to make sure the car is well sorted through and through. Needless to say, he has made me feel extremely comfortable with my first long distance auto purchase. Here's how:

First, he replaced the BMW emblems ...



... and the missing fog light delete cover ...



... and rear spoiler.



The stock wheels were in terrible shape, so he threw in some ESM 002r's.



The stock front seats had a few rips ...




... so he swapped them for a pair of seats that are in better condition.




And then... Terry noticed the car beginning to have some hard starts and suspected condensation was getting into the cylinders. So he pulled the head.





Sure enough, the head was cracked. So, he swaps in a refurbished head.





... and replaced the old corroded coolant pipe.




Finally, the new head gets mounted.



And she's alive!



Thanks again, Terry, for keeping me posted during the entire process. I look forward to meeting you in person and giving this 318is a loving home!

[MR 325]

Congrats on the purchase. Terry is a good guy.

[QUKBMER]

No problem,its been my pleasure. I have a few more things to fix and reg and pink and smog and she will be ready to go.

[Luis325]

Looks nice! A little drop and would look titties.

[Dakotademon7]

Very nice. I LOVE them rims !

[QUKBMER]

Looks nice! A little drop and would look titties.

I put in 325i eibach prokit springs so it wouldn't lower it as much because m42's run a lower oil pan than a m20 motor. He said he's bought a ejnight skidplate for it already.

[dpmcdonald]

Looks nice! A little drop and would look titties.

For sure. I have a set of Lowtec 60/50 springs with GC touring camber plates on the way. Should be a nice drop! The ejnight skid plate will most likely be an oil-pan saver for me.

[Dj Buttchug]

nice job terry. good luck with the new car OP!!

[QUKBMER]

I just drove it home last night,and purr's like a kitten.

[Cletonius]

I love these kind of stories. It's great to see fellow enthusiasts helping each other out.

Why does it have to be smogged if its getting sold out of state?

[IS300E30]

WOW, just wow. Now, that is a fantastic person to do business with. Very nice to see.

[QUKBMER]

I love these kind of stories. It's great to see fellow enthusiasts helping each other out.

Why does it have to be smogged if its getting sold out of state?

The people i got the car from didnt have the pinkslip. So inorder to get the pink i have to fill out a duplicate title paper work and also register the car plus smog check it.It has back fee's on it which is in the price i sold the car for. So basically im making sure everything on my end of paperwork is legit for him to buy the car.So when he comes to buy the car i have a pink in my hand in my name to sell to him. Whew...

[Cletonius]

The people i got the car from didnt have the pinkslip. So inorder to get the pink i have to fill out a duplicate title paper work and also register the car plus smog check it.It has back fee's on it which is in the price i sold the car for. So basically im making sure everything on my end of paperwork is legit for him to buy the car.So when he comes to buy the car i have a pink in my hand in my name to sell to him. Whew...

What are back fees?

In Illinois we can just register whatever with no questions. Lost titles are a flat fee and proof of ownership like a notarized bill of sale.

[QUKBMER]

The car was suppose to be paided as non operational back in 2011,it was not so now there are back fee's owed to DMV for the registration penalties that has not been paid for the last couple of years since its been sitting at the guys house. My wife ran a KSR at the auction where she works at before we bought the car,that's how we found out.

[dpmcdonald]

I wanted to provide another update and 'thank you' to Terry on my new member thread. Since my initial posting, Terry (believe it or not) actually did so much more to make sure the car was in great shape upon delivery. Here are the additional items he replaced (all without asking a penny more):

- OEM steering wheel
- OEM floor mats
- Gaskets: head, valve cover, intake and exhaust manifold, oil filter stand, and lower oil pan
- Spark plugs
- Radiator, thermostat, and water pump
- A/C compressor
- 3 drive belts
- Muffler and exhaust tip
- Front and rear brake pads
- Wiper blades
- Washer motor
- Battery

I flew down to LA and took delivery of the car on the 19th and drove it almost 1,000 miles back to Portland. The entire time with a huge grin on my face! The car ran flawlessly. The car is currently getting some touch-up paint done and a few tasteful mods installed. I will provide one last update with pictures when she is done!

I would recommend Terry not only as a completely fair and honest seller, but as a top-notch mechanic as well.

Thanks again, Terry! Cheers.