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318ti or 325i?


basedspider

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So at this point I have been trying to sell my 1998 BMW 318ti for a while now. It is an absolutely rust free 318ti with 206k miles. Runs great and handles fantastic. Rokkor coilovers, big 15 inch subwoofer, m3 bumper, style 161 wheels, and a muffler off of an aftermarket catback that was on a vr6. Pic:

20171022_110521.jpg

I also have a 1994 BMW 325i I picked up a while back. Currently it has 103k miles, and is definitely not rust free. Its not rusty at all except for a piece of the sideskirt, but runs great. Has raceland ultimo coilovers in front and ultimo springs with bilstein shocks in the back, old manzo catback, and an ebay tune that just raises the rev limiter. Pic:

20171229_130811.jpg'

 

Now, which would you pick?

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I wonder if the Cali-top is hurting the ti sale especially this time of year. You first put this up in November? Kind of like trying to sell a Miata in winter, moves slow. Maybe hold off on any major decisions and wait until the thaw when drop top fever is more common. Relist it then and bump your FS thread on 318ti.org

Or depending on time and budget sell the 325i have at it with the swap. Enough enablers here to support that journey.

Or think about selling both and see if John Morgan's swapped Ti is still available. Did he ever sell this thing?

 

 

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10 minutes ago, Boris3 said:

I wonder if the Cali-top is hurting the ti sale especially this time of year. You first put this up in November? Kind of like trying to sell a Miata in winter, moves slow. Maybe hold off on any major decisions and wait until the thaw when drop top fever is more common. Relist it then and bump your FS thread on 318ti.org

Or depending on time and budget sell the 325i have at it with the swap. Enough enablers here to support that journey.

Or think about selling both and see if John Morgan's swapped Ti is still available. Did he ever sell this thing?

 

 

I would guess the whole "rust free calitop" thing is definitely hurting its sale at this point in time. Also the miles doesnt help. I have no clue, im starting to have conflicting thoughts. But i also dont have the knowhow, time, or money to do a swap in the ti. Once it gets nicer out and the salt is gone, if it hasn't sold I am gonna drive both around for a week and see which I like more. My biggest complaint with my Ti is that there was little mod support engine wise for the M44 to go faster, and that is why I picked up my 325. And that the 325 was an insane deal. I owe my mother quite a chunk of change because of the 325. Maybe I just have to get some new wheels, seats, fender, and gut my cats and I will feel better. But who knows, only time will tell.

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If you do end up still trying to sell the compact, putting in stock grills and painting the front bumper would help immensely. 
Would it help if he put the orginal stock bumper on it? We know who has the bumper but he is "holding it hostage" won't take cash, only a trade with cash on his end for the m3 bumper.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

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7 hours ago, Earl said:

If you do end up still trying to sell the compact, putting in stock grills and painting the front bumper would help immensely. 

This will make a HUGE difference in interest. Also be sure to list any/all maintenance as most buyers are more interested in that compared to mods

 

If it were me and this car's purpose was purely for fun, I'd keep the 318ti and if you really want more power, either boost or swap it down the road. If this car is your daily and you need the added practicality, the sedan would be the better choice while still being loads of fun. 

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Just to follow on re the 318ti, thinking about potential buyers might help. Folks interested in the specific model would either be looking for a car closer to stock in good shape (so take care of the grill and bumper, get rid of the sub and clean up the back), something already swapped (which you don't have), or something cheap to swap or part (which you might have depending on your price flexibility). Your market here is not only MN/WI but regional/national (318ti.org).  In contrast the other market more local area is someone who knows little if anything about the model, wants a "BMW" for a status/fun/hooning car, would probably like the sub, wouldn't care about or might like the grill or bumper, would be a bit confused about the cali top though might like the idea once the temps warm up, and is more price/peer pressure sensitive.

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9 hours ago, m42b32 said:

This will make a HUGE difference in interest. Also be sure to list any/all maintenance as most buyers are more interested in that compared to mods

 

If it were me and this car's purpose was purely for fun, I'd keep the 318ti and if you really want more power, either boost or swap it down the road. If this car is your daily and you need the added practicality, the sedan would be the better choice while still being loads of fun. 

Any maintenance I have done or have any possible record for is listed in the ad, and the ti or 325 would be for a daily. I can't really afford to go boost or to swap it, both time (after my old civic sat in my dads garage for 3 months (boost things) he said "if its not done in a week its getting towed to your mothers" so, i dont have a garage for any long projects anymore) and money wise.

Also I end up being the carpool a lot for my friends and carry all my computer gear and desk chair places close to 4-6 times a year so the whole sedan thing was a big factor in buying the 325.

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9 hours ago, Rekpoint said:

Would it help if he put the orginal stock bumper on it? We know who has the bumper but he is "holding it hostage" won't take cash, only a trade with cash on his end for the m3 bumper.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

This is true, but he won't go above $50 cash on top which personally, I don't think it is worth it. I also am not too worried about the car selling, I will start getting worried if it hasn't sold by the end of summer 2018.

 

17 hours ago, Earl said:

If you do end up still trying to sell the compact, putting in stock grills and painting the front bumper would help immensely. 

I have literally 0$ to paint the bumper on the ti, but I can definitely see if I can pick up some stock grills for it. I'll see closer to summer time though. I doubt it is gonna sell before april/may.

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12 hours ago, basedspider said:

Any maintenance I have done or have any possible record for is listed in the ad, and the ti or 325 would be for a daily. I can't really afford to go boost or to swap it, both time (after my old civic sat in my dads garage for 3 months (boost things) he said "if its not done in a week its getting towed to your mothers" so, i dont have a garage for any long projects anymore) and money wise.

Also I end up being the carpool a lot for my friends and carry all my computer gear and desk chair places close to 4-6 times a year so the whole sedan thing was a big factor in buying the 325.

Hadn't read/seen the ad. Do you have it posted on craigslist? I don't see it in any of my searches. Sounds like the 325 would work better for you in the meantime as far as practicality goes

 

Edit: found your ad. The car looks really clean, and if you made a few changes I would think you shouldn't have any trouble getting your asking price. Like @Boris3 said, I'd recommend taking out the sub/amp and sell separately. Either put back the stock grilles or remove the m-colors from the black grilles (if they're painted on you could just paint them black). Post your ad to the Milwaukee/Chicago/Madison/Minneapolis/etc craigslists, a lot of people would be willing to drive for the right car. Post more pictures and have all of them taken at the same time with good light, craigslist will let you post 24, so get all angles of the car, front and back seats, trunk, dash, engine, underside, etc. 

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7 minutes ago, Earl said:

The other way around Joe=P lol Still a somewhat bonk deal unless that bumper is absolutely perfect. 

Oh... haha. In that case, it could maybe be worth it. OEM M3 bumpers really aren't worth more than 100-150 or so from what I remember, and you'll probably get more in return for the car (or a quicker sale, which is definitely worth something) with a color matched bumper. 

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