It’s been a while since I last posted a BMWotD, and I’ve got a few of them stashed away on my local drive, so time to play some catch-up.
This one was listed for sale on the Minneapolis CraigsList earlier this month, and had (un)fortunately sold before I saw mention of it on the 318ti.org forum recently. Looks to be a nicely executed swap on a very clean car. Loving the interior on this car too. The asking price may have been a little on the high side, but the fun factor combined with the clean factor plus my favorite color would’ve made it hard to pass up. Good thing I didn’t have the chance to deliberate whether to take a shot at it.
** SOLD! – 7/20/13 **
BMW 318ti M-Sport M50 Swap
Price: $6,900 or OBO
Color: HELLROT (RED)
Miles: 140,000 (128,000 on M50 engine)
Body Style: 2-Door Hatchback
Engine: 2.5L DOHC I-6
Drive: Rear Wheel Drive (RWD)
Transmission: Manual 5-speed
VIN: WBACG7325WKC30807For Sale: 98 ti 5spd manual M-Tech / M-Sport package with the rare euro interior. Has an M50 engine (I-6) swap along with a few other performance mods.
Current Mods:
Turner Motorsports Chip
BMW X-Brace
Bilstein Sports with M-Tech Springs
Custom Magnaflow Exhaust with OEM Midpipe (very aggressive sound)
Sport / Race Clutch kit
Cold Air Intake
DEPO Headlight Housings w/DDM 55watt HID
Yellow Lamin-X Fogs
M3 Front Lip
Black Kidney Grills
Wheel Set 1: 17″ Drag DR-19 with Hankook VR-12’s
Wheel Set 2: 16″ M Contour Wheels (E36 M3 style) with winter rubber
Tinted Windows (35%)
Kenwood Excelon 10″ sub, Pioneer 2-channel Amp with custom enclosure
Sony MEX-BT2800 52Wx4 CD deck with Bluetooth & HD Satellite Radio enabled, auxiliary input (for iPod iPhone), etc.
Alarm system
Minor cosmetic upgrades such as the armrest and tray from an E36 M3, ///M motorsport strut tower mounts, ///M pedals, etc.Also Includes:
Original BMW E36 3-Series bible / book
A set of both Winter & Summer floor mats
OEM hatch cargo coverThe rare M-package includes: sport seats, M-aerodynamic package, M-technic suspension, foglights, and I have upgraded the side mirrors to E36 M3 style, as was on the elusive 1995 clubsport model.
The car has never seen the track (although I always wanted to take her). I’ve used her as my primary daily driver. I drive just over 30miles each way to work, and average 27mpg on the commute. Highway mileage is even better.
The body has just shy of 140,000 miles and the motor has approx 128,000. When she was swapped most of the gaskets were replaced… ie: head gasket, oil pan, valve cover, etc. Replaced the stock 1.9L M44 4-banger with a 2.5L M50TU B25 I-6. The M50 is a straight-6 DOHC piston engine with variable valve timing (VANOS), pulled from an E36 325i. The engine has 12k less miles than the body of the TI.
The swap was completed several years ago (late 2010), and everything has been sorted out. Motor swap was verified by the good folks at German Auto Works and the clutch kit was professionally installed by them.
One minor issue:
The passenger window regulator is bad. I will purchase and include a new regulator with the car so you can fix.
Also note that the car has no AC, as the compressor didn’t fit with the swap. According to this forum there are some ways to move things around to get her in there, I just didn’t place a huge priority on it. (this is a windows down, radio up with the opened up exhaust kind of a car…)The car also comes with two sets of wheels and tires. I currently have the winter tires on, as the summers were wearing down (slick in wet conditions — and we’ve had a ton of rain lately) and had a slight wobble (60-70mph) — need to be re-balanced/adjusted. The winters have much more tread and are balanced and ready to go, so they’re on the car for now.
I’m only selling as my wife is pregnant with our first child, due in July, and she doesn’t want me to keep driving my “souped up” compact car (loud, aggressive, and not very conducive to putting a car seat in the back seat).
Cash only, no trades, no lowball offers. I have already purchased my “family car”, a mint 330i sport + premium + winter pkg 5-spd manual with some performance upgrades (ZHP wheels, cold air intake, UUC exhaust, etc – I’m very happy with it, and my wife approves!).
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Cheers, Dan