New member - ? about a possible purchase. 1985 318i

[craiglepaige]

Well sorry for the late response but I do have some good news, if all goes as planned, I will own the car come mid-next week. Total price after taxes and title change and blah blah comes to $2376 out the door :p

I did take the car out for lunch on Wednesday and had a blast driving it. It's a bit slow but not too bad lol. Funny thing is, on the way back from work a "mid-40's" guy pulled next to me at the light and asked, "How much want for it?". lol. I told him it wasn't for sale and he just looked at me dead-serious and asked the same question again.

I told him I was buying it and he gave me the thumbs up and said, "That thing is clean. Good find."

Niiiiiice!!!

I'll post pics next week. I took some with my phone but they were crap

[Javier h]

Wait a minute

The 318i was light. The M10 engine dangerously slow but it had a chain instead of a belt, so the chances of messing the engine was non existent. That and the belt changes can be expensive.

Mpgs were so-so. You had to redline the thing to drive it.

It wouldnt be a bad platform to start with especially if you had an engine swap down the line. It makes a decent daily, as long as you didnt have anyone in the car to weigh the thing down any further. Forget about going up hill on the fast lane.

I wouldnt be discourage from a clean example either. Sure, I'd opt for an "is" and cut through the chase as most would but at the end of the day, its still an e30.

The reason these prices are so low is the early model 318i is like the lowest of the low north american e30 model.. the only real thing that car has going for it is its history and what the car will be if you keep it in perfect stock shape. It would only really appreciate in value if kept in original condition.

And I don't think it'd cost you 5k in the long run considering maintenance on this car is easy enough to do yourself. Random odds and ends aren't expensive if you go to a junk yard or find some guy here selling stuff. And people practically give away bottle caps so you're good there. You could even find some nice oem steelies which would go well with that car. With a complete service history you should be able to schedule and plan out maintenance so nothing creeps up on you

[JeLani]

Welcome ! If you ever find yourself needing another cluster i got an early one lying around lol jus sayin


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[jhaurimn]

Everyone posting about how slow the motor is...just put a 24v in it! That car with a clean 24v swap is definitely worth 6k+

[2mAn]

Good suspension + basketweaves (or euroweaves) + Euro bumpers and call it done.

[craiglepaige]

the only real thing that car has going for it is its history and what the car will be if you keep it in perfect stock shape. It would only really appreciate in value if kept in original condition.

That's my exact plan, to keep as closed to stock as possible with only suspension changes/upgrades.

I hope to talk to the GM today ;)

[2mAn]

normally for a M10 car Id say ~1500, but its pretty clean, I still wouldnt spend more than 2 grand, and even thats quite a bit since i would want to change a bunch of stuff. You should start the negotiating in the $12-1500 range and go from there

[Das Delfin]

The reason these prices are so low is the early model 318i is like the lowest of the low north american e30 model.. the only real thing that car has going for it is its history and what the car will be if you keep it in perfect stock shape. It would only really appreciate in value if kept in original condition.

And I don't think it'd cost you 5k in the long run considering maintenance on this car is easy enough to do yourself. Random odds and ends aren't expensive if you go to a junk yard or find some guy here selling stuff. And people practically give away bottle caps so you're good there. You could even find some nice oem steelies which would go well with that car. With a complete service history you should be able to schedule and plan out maintenance so nothing creeps up on you

[craiglepaige]

Well I feel like a complete idiot... Lucky me I mentiom I was a MINI tech and not a BMW one - yes there's a difference lol.

Well the car is a completely stock 1985 318i.
So yes a 4 cylinder and rear drums.

Sorry for the incorrect information given by me last night.

I still want the car and would go up to $2200 for it. I'm waiting on the GM to come back to work tomorrow so we could work out a deal.

As far as repairs, Im well versed on electrical issues, so thats not a biggie. And the mechanical stuff isn't scary ;)

Thanks and sorry once again for the troubles.
Will post pics tomorrow.

[Javier h]

Timing Chain

One of the nice things about the M10, is that you dont have to worry about the T-belt.

[BklynE30Dude]

My 2 cents:

It depends on the kind of car you want, and the kind of enjoyment you are seeking.
Overall, the older 318 is not as desirable due to small engine output. The M10 engine has very little power. So, I believe most people mod them rather than keep it stock. Even as a clean stock car, it doesn't have the same value as a coupe, vert or even a IX (which is what I have).

I think the car is likely worth in the 2's but, even if you get it for that price, you'll have to put at least another 2-3K into it. Timing belt, leaks, electrical ... not to mention the bent wheel. So, your budget is really going to be 5K to make it a good DD.

And the fuel efficiency is at best 21 city / 27 hwy - so if you're used to Hondas going forever on one tank, you might want to remember that you'll likely only get 200 - 250 miles per full tank on this 318i.

Good luck.

[jhaurimn]

Any clean, rust free e30 = at least $2000 right now. Id go with $2250 and go from there. Id go up to at least 2500 for sure.

also yes drive front wheel is bent.

[Javier h]

325e

The car looks very clean with the original pin-striping.

If the motor is an M20, then the badge or the entire trunk lid was replaced.

I can't imagine anyone swapping the M10 for the M20. In addition to labor and cost, both engines aren't super fast either. That being said anything is possible.

[KIRIEIW]

Looks like the front drivers wheel is bent, use that to your advantage on lowing the asking price tag.

[craiglepaige]

Curious about the engine bay, sounds extremely unlikely the one owner swappen an il6 into it.

I think 2200 is a bit high because it has those problems. It's basically up to you to fix them, and although I'm sure you can figure it out, it can help you a lot to haggle the price. Ask around some shops and see how much they would quote you and bring that to him and he's gonna be like shit.. Then buy it and fix it and enjoy =)

900th post whoot!

Well the thing about asking around for repair quotes is that it won't really help this situation. He's the used car manager so if he was to have the car fixed in-house, it would be cheap - parts at cost and UCD labor prices. So that's a wash unfortunately.

Now, I know he won't put the money into it cause he won't get it out of the car, so that's something I can work with for haggling. But same thing, he knows I will get employee pricing on the parts and do the work myself in the shop or in my house, since I have a lift. Crappy situation to be in :(

I gotta be honest, I'm quite surprised on such low estimates on this clean car. For some reason I was thinking a bit higher, maybe closer to $3k. Glad I joined and asked lol. At least I know ahead of time so it will truly be a labor of love as opposed to an appreciating asset :)