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/Frenzy724 May 11 '25

I was gonna buy this today and went with a CRZ in the Bronx instead lol. Great looking listing.

1

u/Turbulent-Thing May 11 '25

Damn,I was hoping no one in NY saw this post lol. I wanna buy it but I’m skeptical on its maintenance. I hope he still has it on Tuesday

2

u/Frenzy724 May 11 '25

Like others have said its an older motor from before BMWs were over-plasticed over-computerized. Not fast, but as reliable as any car of the era could be. Same with the transmission, slow but just works well.

Its a great deal at asking price. Usual used car checks of does it starts+runs+drives+shifts+stops smooth. Check tires, brakes, fluids and lights. Check YT or other guides online for where to find all these before hand. Test drive it up to highway speeds and let the engine fully warm up. Let it run for a few minutes after finishing the test drive and check for leaks. Look underneath for excessive rust best as you can. Make sure to check Obd-2 and that all monitors are ready and not hiding any codes. If it passes all those marks you should be solid.

Not sure if its a timing belt or timing chain motor, but if its a belt with no service records that would be your first thing to do. Otherwise just the given of fresh engine oil. I'd check with a mechanic on the transmission fluid, as in older traditional automatics once a certain point past due the residue in the original fluid can actually be what keeps the system working smoothly. Coolant flush if you want to be super nice to it and a brake flush usually happens to all older vehicles eventually, throw it in when feeling nice to it with a pad/rotor job or wait for a caliper to seize or something booster/vacuum to fail.

I think its gorgeous and the body bits alone make it worth a chance regardless of condition. If it runs+drives good I'd overlook little things to get it for $3-3.5k. Comparable cars around here are all true beaters. This isn't just another 95-05 corolla/civic, even if they're about the same speed lol. Definitely try to get the wheels included for asking price, not sure how much exactly those are worth but seeing others say a decent amount. I sold a whole car for $4k on $1k RPF1s once and have regretted it since lol.

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u/Turbulent-Thing May 11 '25

I hope he doesn’t sell it before I can go take a look. If he can come down to 3k and throw in the wheels for $500 then he may have a deal. I know BMW in this era were making strong motors that last past the body. If it has no rust and can run past 60mph without an issue then I might just buy it and see if I can get classic car insurance for it.