Thinking of Buying This

[Puntopimp]

Ello all been scouring the web for a 2nd motor because my missus is learning to drive so i'll probably give her my punto to build up her no claims e.t.c. I stumbled across a BMW 318 for 500 quid

The Dealership does seem legit but something is telling me theres a catch?

What do you think?


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/L-REG-BMW-...ht_1690wt_1400

[turbonutter69]

It's a good price. It was probably taken in part x.
Would of only cost the dealer a couple of hundred quid. If your close go and have a look an chat with the salesman.

[Puntopimp]

Well im down in Kent but i would travel to get a car like that for the price its at! as Auto trader has the cheapest in kent at 700 quid

I really like BMW for their Tuning Capabilities and from what I have been told you can have lots of fun with a tuned 318

[bigbadjoe]

PRINCE!! Punto needs you.

He's the best to advise.

[Prince]

Originally Posted by Puntopimp

Well im down in Kent but i would travel to get a car like that for the price its at! as Auto trader has the cheapest in kent at 700 quid

I really like BMW for their Tuning Capabilities and from what I have been told you can have lots of fun with a tuned 318

Have a good read of this thread: E36 common faults.

I would assume a £500 E36 will be a rust (or worse rot) bucket. Generally all the E36s I've seen (a lot - not forgetting I'm part of the BMW scene and a few forums) of that sort of cost are cheap for a reason.

You're also thinking of the wrong '318'. There are 2 types. The first is the 318i (commonly a saloon or convertible) which has a 1.8 engine, but only 113bhp (depending on year) The one above has the M43B18 engine. This IS NOT the one people tune.

The second is the 318is <-- Note 'is' instead of 'i'. The 318is is available in both a 1.8 (M42B18) and a 1.9 (M44B19). These models are commonly a coupe and have 140bhp as standard. This is the one you want (and the one I have (My project thread).

I can also guarantee that does have air con as stated in the advert. The inside of the rear arches also look rusty. If you want an E36 then spend a little bit more (you can get so much more for £1000) and post the adverts up and I'll be happy to take a look.

[Puntopimp]

Cool thanks but the reason i'm keen on this one is because they are a car lot an there is more legal stuff about mis-selling e.t.c. and yes the motor is 113 bhp your right but The rust side is a worry as they are oldish cars ideally i'd get a beemer R reg or higher because that is when cars started to be more resilient towards rust thanks for heads up Prince

[turbonutter69]

If I was closer i'd go and have a look for you.
For £500 what would you expect?
It's got service history. Granted it doesn't state how much.
Even if there is a bit of rust on the arches it wouldn't take much to repair.
If I was in the market for something like this i'd give them a call for some more details.
They are a cheap car dealer you never know you may be onto an elusive gem.

[Puntopimp]

Indeed Mate I would even consider Part-X my motor for this but obv have a lookie first its a toss up atm between this motor, and FTO or a Punto HGT 1.8

For £500 quid it could be my lil project like Prince is doing! I can do the rust myself as im a qualified Welder in 4 different types (Mig, MMA, TIG and Blacksmithery)

[turbonutter69]

Like I say I myself would be tempted if I was in the market.
And with you being able to weld it'll be even cheaper to fix if you do find rust.

[T9 man]

Well it sounds like an absolute bargain price wise, but as the old adage says; buyer beware! just keeps popping into my head
I would heed Prince's wise words and look elsewhere! What good is a £500 BMW to you if it turns out to be a wallet destroyer?

[T9 man]

Originally Posted by turbonutter69

Like I say I myself would be tempted if I was in the market.
And with you being able to weld it'll be even cheaper to fix if you do find rust.

Yes this is very true TN but I can't help thinking that this could be a lot of work for not much gain, I do hope that this is not the case however! At the end of the day if his gut instincts say go for it then I for one wish him the very best of luck

[bigbadjoe]

Originally Posted by turbonutter69

If I was closer i'd go and have a look for you.
For £500 what would you expect?
It's got service history. Granted it doesn't state how much.
Even if there is a bit of rust on the arches it wouldn't take much to repair.
If I was in the market for something like this i'd give them a call for some more details.
They are a cheap car dealer you never know you may be onto an elusive gem.

X2

£500 isn't that much these days, and its pennys for a car.

Is it worth the rist? Ai. The cat on it is worth £80 scrap, the ECU is worth £40 scrap, the wheels and tyres will fetch £10/£20 each all day long on the bay of e, then you can scrap the rest for £100. So thats 80+80+40+100 = £300 scrap.

So, risk? Is it worth £200 risk? YES! All day long.

[dagger]

sounds like a bargain

[Prince]

Originally Posted by bigbadjoe

X2

£500 isn't that much these days, and its pennys for a car.

Is it worth the rist? Ai. The cat on it is worth £80 scrap, the ECU is worth £40 scrap, the wheels and tyres will fetch £10/£20 each all day long on the bay of e, then you can scrap the rest for £100. So thats 80+80+40+100 = £300 scrap.

So, risk? Is it worth £200 risk? YES! All day long.

The wheels on there are worth practically nothing tbh. Nobody likes or wants the bottletops.

The rust will depend on how bad it is and how deep it goes. New arches about £60 a side. I payed a body shop (Custom Cars) £600 to do my arches (and a couple other bits). Quite frankly I wouldn't bother. I have seen tonnes of these cheap BMWS and they're cheap for a reason.

Save up a little bit more and get an IS. £1000 will buy you a decent one atm.

Example 1. Full leathers. 6 pot engine (granted the lowest power one), m-tec kit, M3 wheels.

Example 2. Looks very clean. Good base. Has the better M42 engine with 140bhp.

The M43 engines aren't very tunable. The M42/M44 engines are. Some can see 200bhp n/a. The supercharger I'm fitting to mine will see me well over 200bhp with extras.

[turbonutter69]

How much did you pay for your BM if you don't mind me asking?

Originally Posted by Prince

The wheels on there are worth practically nothing tbh. Nobody likes or wants the bottletops.

The rust will depend on how bad it is and how deep it goes. New arches about £60 a side. I payed a body shop (Custom Cars) £600 to do my arches (and a couple other bits). Quite frankly I wouldn't bother. I have seen tonnes of these cheap BMWS and they're cheap for a reason.

Save up a little bit more and get an IS. £1000 will buy you a decent one atm.

Example 1. Full leathers. 6 pot engine (granted the lowest power one), m-tec kit, M3 wheels.

Example 2. Looks very clean. Good base. Has the better M42 engine with 140bhp.

The M43 engines aren't very tunable. The M42/M44 engines are. Some can see 200bhp n/a. The supercharger I'm fitting to mine will see me well over 200bhp with extras.

[Puntopimp]

Example Two looks better than EG one tbh but it does have a body kit on EG 1

But 250 quid difference all all round the 2nd motor looks mint

[Prince]

Originally Posted by turbonutter69

How much did you pay for your BM if you don't mind me asking?

It was advertised at £1500 but I talked him down to £1200 as he had a new car already on the driveway. Prices have come down a bit from then though.

Originally Posted by Puntopimp

Example Two looks better than EG one tbh but it does have a body kit on EG 1

But 250 quid difference all all round the 2nd motor looks mint

It depends on whether you want a saloon or a coupe mate?

[turbonutter69]

Originally Posted by Prince

It was advertised at £1500 but I talked him down to £1200 as he had a new car already on the driveway. Prices have come down a bit from then though.

That was my point. Prices have dropped so I think this would be a clean car for the money it's for sale at.
Your never going to get a minter with £500 but this one doesn't seem that bad.

[Puntopimp]

Its seems like one of those potential diamonds with a little bit of dirt on it which needs a clean up an it would be good!

going to have to wait till my car comes back from the garage first till i can consider a motor

[Zwaf]

Maybe you don't care for my opinion, but I'll give it to you anyway.

318i is nothing special, but 318is was desirable model in his days.
Prince gave you good advice!

[Prince]

Originally Posted by Zwaf

Maybe you don't care for my opinion, but I'll give it to you anyway.

318i is nothing special, but 318is was desirable model in his days.
Prince gave you good advice!

Exactly what I'm trying to get across! I wouldn't pay £500 for a 318i with no extras, especially when you can get more for not much less. Up the budget to £1000 and you'll pick up something much better. Yes, the prices have dropped from when I got mine a couple of years ago, but not that much! A £500 car, is £500 for a reason! If you can't afford to insure a 323/325/328 then hold out for a 318is. Anything less isn't worth it imo.

318is - £495

318is (hell rot (red) like mine!) - £795

318is - £850

318is - £995

318is - £995

318is - £995

That's just from AutoTrader (of all places!) and shows what you get for just a little bit more.

[Zwaf]

Originally Posted by Prince

Exactly what I'm trying to get across!...
If you can't afford to insure a 323/325/328 then hold out for a 318is. Anything less isn't worth it imo...

Great minds think alike!

About BMW: if not six pistons, then "is" is the one to look after.... (IMHO)