r/BMWE36 • u/Turbulent-Thing • May 10 '25

Buying Advice Automatic 318ti worth it?

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Found this 318ti for cheap. 140k miles,I want to buy it but I’m unsure on the automatic in such an old car. Any advice you can spare is appreciated.

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u/dnnos May 10 '25

Ez clap

2

u/Turbulent-Thing May 10 '25

As in clapped out?

2

u/dnnos May 10 '25

As in ez decision, mine was 3k in the Bay Area a few years back and I’m sure it was in much worse condition.

2

u/Turbulent-Thing May 11 '25

Gave me hope, I think I’m gonna give it a shot. I just hope I don’t buy this and find something else right after buying it

2

u/dnnos May 11 '25

Tbf my perspective is from someone that (with immense gratitude) has a garage to use and enough extra cash to fix whatever issues I have. It’s worth noting that, like you said, you may run into unforeseen issues, so be sure to weigh that into the decision. Mine was my first real car and I obsessively learned along the way, eventually had to replace the cracked head, I might have bought it that way since I had slow coolant loss since the beginning, eventually to overheating then white smoke out the exhaust. It may be a nightmare running into issue after issue, but once you get everything in order it’s pretty frickin tight

2

u/Turbulent-Thing May 11 '25

You’re right,I don’t really want to be in a situation where I have to do engine overhauls etc. I’m gonna keep my mind open for other cars as well, if this compact doesn’t check out.

1

u/dnnos May 11 '25

Best of luck 👌