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

[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

[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

[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]

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

[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+

[JeLani]

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


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[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

[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