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I am looking at picking up a 96 BMW 318i, the car has 150k on it and the family is the original owners. From the reviews i have read about the car, everyone says its a solid car as long as the maintenance is kept up and done on schedule. The owners said that they would be getting the ignition fix, which i read is a common problem with these cars. There is a small oil leak but i have read that it is an easy fix that would only take a few hrs of work. They asking $1200 for the car, do you guys think that this is a good deal.
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| # ? Apr 24, 2011 06:44 |
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| # ? Jun 20, 2013 05:36 |
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I guess it could be! edit: what color is it?
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| # ? Apr 24, 2011 07:02 |
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318 is a pretty gutless engine but 1200 isn't bad as long as it runs. I dunno, buy it if you want.
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| # ? Apr 24, 2011 07:30 |
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This is gonna be a good one.  Make sure you check that the blinker fluid has been topped up regularly, they're very picky about that.
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| # ? Apr 24, 2011 07:33 |
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CamH posted:I guess it could be! alpine white Nitr0 posted:318 is a pretty gutless engine but 1200 isn't bad as long as it runs. I dunno, buy it if you want. i am going to use this as my commuter car for school, so it actually works out because it gets high 20s on the freeway.
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| # ? Apr 24, 2011 08:26 |
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Automatic or manual? The 4L30E is a weird piece of poo poo, although it's relatively cheap to fix.
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| # ? Apr 24, 2011 09:08 |
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richpngu posted:The owners said that they would be getting the ignition fix, which i read is a common problem with these cars. By "ignition problem" I guess you refer to the steering/ignition-lock problem. This is not a small issue labor-wise and potentially a safety issue too. It's not something you fix in an hour or so. Also the ignition-lock/Steering-lock/backplate-assembly isn't exactly a cheap component, and replacing it with a re-keyed used one is not recommendable. If my guess is correct, I would be drat sure they really replace it.
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| # ? Apr 24, 2011 11:35 |
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I'm going to say no, because BMWs should have a straight six, and the only 318 anyone should buy is an E30 318iS. It sounds like an ok deal if they fix the issues before you buy it, but for a "getting to school" car, and if you're going to be running on a tight budget (which I infer you might, from your comment about mpg), a Toyota/Nissan/Honda from the same period might be a safer bet.
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| # ? Apr 24, 2011 12:17 |
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I am not sure you can purchase a Toyota/Nissan/Honda of the same age for the same money that doesn't have the same amount of mechanical problems. People do not sell reliable cars for $1,200.
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| # ? Apr 24, 2011 12:20 |
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Elephanthead posted:I am not sure you can purchase a Toyota/Nissan/Honda of the same age for the same money that doesn't have the same amount of mechanical problems. People do not sell reliable cars for $1,200. Over here, $1,200 will always (and indeed, has previously managed to) get me something like a Corolla in decent average condition with everything still working, even though our new car prices are almost 50% higher than yours like-for-like.
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| # ? Apr 24, 2011 12:36 |
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InitialDave posted:I'm going to say no, because BMWs should have a straight six, and the only 318 anyone should buy is an E30 318iS. But...but... I couldn't afford to run a straight-six 
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| # ? Apr 24, 2011 12:47 |
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richpngu posted:I am looking at picking up a 96 BMW 318i, the car has 150k on it and the family is the original owners. From the reviews i have read about the car, everyone says its a solid car as long as the maintenance is kept up and done on schedule. The owners said that they would be getting the ignition fix, which i read is a common problem with these cars. There is a small oil leak but i have read that it is an easy fix that would only take a few hrs of work. They asking $1200 for the car, do you guys think that this is a good deal. Hi AI, I'm looking at a 15 year old car. It's white. Should I buy it? Is it a good car?
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| # ? Apr 24, 2011 13:45 |
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15 year old Bleed My Wallet going cheap? THere's going to be a bloody big catch, BMW's do not go cheap. Even a shitbox like the 318 was when it was new, they do not become cheap unless there's something wrong
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| # ? Apr 24, 2011 13:58 |
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| # ? Jun 20, 2013 05:36 |
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Cat Terrist posted:15 year old Bleed My Wallet going cheap? This. A thousand times this. Since you're a student fretting about gas mileage and a $1200 purchase price, I'm going to assume you have little money. Listen to us: There is nothing more expensive than a cheap BMW. All older cars are going to require maintainence and repairs. You want to find the ones where the parts and labor costs won't surprise sex you sideways. $1200 should net you an ugly but reliable Cavalier, Escort, or Altima. Cheap to fix, maintain, and insure.
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| # ? Apr 24, 2011 16:04 |
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