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Author Topic: 95 318ic, good first car?  (Read 1527 times)

Offline Saywhaat?

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95 318ic, good first car?
« on: August 26, 2005, 02:45:24 pm »
Hi everyone! I am looking to buy my very first car (I'm 16) and I came accross an excellent deal over at out local repo dealership! To be exact it is a 1995 Bmw 318i convertible. Details:
-5-speed manual
-230 000 kms
-comes with a power train warranty
-is black! ;)
-it has a clean title
-it is a bank repo!
and the price is: $7200 (if it makes a difference I'm also in B.C.)

So is there anything I should look out for (I'm going to check it out tomorrow), is 230k too much, will it be reasonably reliable? Also its missing an interior panel (on the drivers side-needs to be replaced) , is this a red flag? I really hope i don't get emotionally attached to this car, I can already imagine myself driving it to school!
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Offline Wetson

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95 318ic, good first car?
« Reply #1 on: August 26, 2005, 02:51:18 pm »
Make sure you do a VIN search on it.  Don't take the sellers word for anything.  Also ask the seller to allow you to take it to a mechanic you trust to give it a once over.   Someone in your family should have a good mechanic they go to.  How long is the power train warranty on it?  

Also... remember that Bimmer parts are 2 - 3 times more expensive than domestic or Japanese parts.  If the car breaks down are you going to be able to afford to pay the $$$ to have it repaired?
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Offline articsteve

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95 318ic, good first car?
« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2005, 03:27:34 pm »
Also... remember that Bimmer parts are 2 - 3 times more expensive than domestic or Japanese parts.

Not so. BMW aftermarket very reasonable on normal replacement parts. OEM rad for a 95 525 cheaper than rad for 88 Cherokee.  I paid $325. for a OEM starter from Downtown BMW (Toronto) last year because I was stuck on Xmas eve and they inflate prices to the maximum.  Parts for the convertible portion will be expensive though.

Only good thing about the car is that it is a BC car so rust should not be a big problem.  Front rocker panels should be examined for rust.

comes with a power train warranty

The warranty will have so many exclusions it will be worthless.

will it be reasonably reliable?

No.  Without detailed service history you are flying blind.  Forget just any mechanic.  You need the car inspected by a Bimmer mechanic.

You should have 3K for repairs in the first year.  I sincerely doubt if the clutch has been replaced and the exhaust is probably original.  If you cannot identify what parts have been changed all you will do for the next few years is pay for repairs.

You'd be far better off to spend 10-12K on a known good one. I would not buy it, but every young dude needs to learn from experience.

Also its missing an interior panel (on the drivers side-needs to be replaced) , is this a red flag?

O ya.  Probably previous owner had a problem and got into the door panel, got fustrated and drove around without it delaying the fix and then over time lost the door panel.
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Offline davidm

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95 318ic, good first car?
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2005, 03:48:26 pm »
Nixon Automotive in Burnaby should do your inspection.  Also discuss with folks at www.bmwccbc.org.

My thoughts, stay away!
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Offline Saywhaat?

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95 318ic, good first car?
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2005, 04:01:21 pm »
Thanks for all the feedback! I definitely will get it inspected, and if anything is wrong with it I will definitely walk away. Lets just hope it turns out okay (although i have my doubts)! Heres a link to see a pic of the actual car:  

http://www.repo.com/details/24373
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Offline Wetson

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95 318ic, good first car?
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2005, 04:09:10 pm »
There appears to be... (Could be a reflection) something askew with the rear driverside quarter panel behind the door.  The door either may not be closed tightly or it indicates something else.  The lines aren't lining up.  It's probably just a reflection but make sure you pay attention to this area.  It could be an indication of a T-Bone that's been repaired.
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Offline froggy

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95 318ic, good first car?
« Reply #6 on: August 26, 2005, 04:10:06 pm »
You should check for the insurance too, probably will cost $7,200 per year too!
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Offline Saywhaat?

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95 318ic, good first car?
« Reply #7 on: August 26, 2005, 04:14:29 pm »
Hmmm I definitely will check the body for signs of repairs/repainted areas etc thanks for pointing that out! lol, I definitely forgot about insurance too....
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Offline Saywhaat?

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95 318ic, good first car?
« Reply #8 on: August 26, 2005, 05:07:21 pm »
I am thinking of doing a carfax report on the car. How much do these reports cost? lol If anyone here is a member of one of those vin number checking websites could u help me out?:-) Vin number is: Wbabk5329sec84053 Thanks!
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Offline AVToller

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95 318ic, good first car?
« Reply #9 on: August 26, 2005, 05:28:52 pm »
"Nixon Automotive in Burnaby should do your inspection."

Ray is still there? I took my 2002 to him. Very good shop. I used to love watching him race his Cooper S (highly modified) at the old Westwood track. He was clocked at 142 mph, I was told, going over Deer's leap in that Mini!! Whenever there was a bit of rain, he could be counted on being in the money in the final "open" race. Brings back good memories.
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Offline Saywhaat?

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95 318ic, good first car?
« Reply #10 on: August 26, 2005, 05:31:15 pm »
haha okay stupid question here, would i need to make an appointment to get the bmw checked out @ nixxon automotive or could i just drop by and get it inspected then?
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Offline johngenx

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95 318ic, good first car?
« Reply #11 on: August 26, 2005, 05:33:17 pm »
Yeah, it's a big myth that BMW and Mercedes parts are super-expensive.  Now, if you buy an M5, that will be true, but for a garden-variety 3-series, not at all.  Honda and Toyota parts can be very expensive and routine maintenance can be just as expensive for a Honda as for a BMW.

We've owned Subaru, Honda, Acura, BMW, Mercedes, Mazda and Porsche products.  Take out the Porsche parts prices (yowza!) and I would say that the Acura had the highest parts and maintainance costs and the Mazda were probably the lowest.  For some reason our 626 had good access to good jobber parts at really low prices.}
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Offline airbalancer

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95 318ic, good first car?
« Reply #12 on: August 26, 2005, 09:33:54 pm »
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Offline davidm

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95 318ic, good first car?
« Reply #13 on: August 28, 2005, 11:40:43 am »
Make an appointment for an inspection.  Good mechanics are always very busy.  If they aren't, they're not great mechanics.
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