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Hi there,
I am considering purchasing a 1998 BMW 318ti. what are the major repairs I can expect to have to carry out on a car like this? Also, I will be getting an AA pre purchase inspection, but can you tell me what questions should I be asking the seller?
Thanks.
As a generalisation, the 318ti has been a good little car. Automatic transmssions, which are the bugbear of many cars, seem to be good and strong and reliability is not a major concern. The engine is chain driven, so no cambelt to worry about.
If there's something to be aware of, cooling systems have a number of plastic fittings and housings, and these can become brittle with age, causing overheating. Therefore, it's often good practise to have a BMW specialist check and replace the plastic parts even if they seem to be operating fine. Any car with a history of overheating is best avoided.
So things to ask the seller would relate to the service history of the car. Make sure there is a good service record, find out if there have been any overheating issues and make sure coolant, brake fluid etc, as well as normal oil/lubrication type servicing has been kept up to date.
Thank you very much for your advice. I have also heard that these cars have a problem with high oil usage. Are you aware of this?
We've heard of some oil leaks etc, but generally speaking the engine doesn't consume/burn any more oil than any othe car. The later E46 models with the N42/N44 engine were prone to using some oil, but as long as you check the oil on a regular basis (as we'd advise with any car), oil consumption shouldn't be a major concern.
Great, thanks again.
Can I ask one last thing! Is the age of the car or the mileage more important?
eg 1998 with 160kms vs 1996 with 135kms
Lower mileage is best and I'd usually advise going with the lower mileage car, especially on a car of this age, as there's not much difference between a 15 year old car and a 17 year old car.
But what I'd really advise in this case is to go for the car that's been better kept and maintained and is in the better condition.
From memory, the 1998 318ti will have side airbags but the 1996 will not, so that may be another consideration.