Advice on BMWs?
Discussion
A reasonable number of 318TIs have now been converted to race in the BMW Compact Cup which is a surprisingly popular series!
Those saying it's a woeful car are being overly harsh, the 318IS in compact or coupe form can certainly be a good bit of fun (certainly more so than a Volvo 850)
I'd describe a 318TI as a RWD Golf mk2 GTI, remember when it comes to the suspension people generally go all soft and say the E30 M3 is the greatest thing ever yet any other BMW variant that shares it's floor pan or bits of it is slated.....
Those saying it's a woeful car are being overly harsh, the 318IS in compact or coupe form can certainly be a good bit of fun (certainly more so than a Volvo 850)
I'd describe a 318TI as a RWD Golf mk2 GTI, remember when it comes to the suspension people generally go all soft and say the E30 M3 is the greatest thing ever yet any other BMW variant that shares it's floor pan or bits of it is slated.....
Gruber said:
gonnagetyoursBenny said:
I'm a touch suspicious of an ad that says full service history and then includes a shot of the history only stamped up to a date 8 years ago, so I'd want to see copies of the rest of the history. I'd want to see evidence of genuine care, rather than just getting done the odds and ends needed to pass a MOT.But if it stacks up in photos etc, and if the seller will provide the missing info and hold the car for you, it might be worth getting a local specialist to go and take a look (Walkers Autotech aren't too far away and Andy knows e36s very well). And then if it's a good'un, get a cheap flight down and enjoy a good road trip home again.
gonnagetyoursBenny said:
That looks to be a good example but be aware these are pretty dull to drive and not enough power to be much fun (don't expect to be power sliding out of roundabouts in one of these slugs!If you decided you really want to buy this one I could offer to take a look for you (its only half an hour from me) then get yourself a cheap Easyjet one way ticket Edinburgh-Gatwick and enjoy the drive back home (easy to do in under 6 hrs if you set off from here after 7 pm). Huge advantage of buying one from down here is the lack of rust compared to buying one up in Scotland where the salt kills them (I'm from Edinburgh and it always amazes me how bad the rust can be on older Scottish cars compared to London cars).
Agent XXX said:
don't do it. They're s
t.
Reason you can't find many e36 318s is because they've probably all broken and been scrapped.Utterly s**t car.
Dont know what you drove...t.Reason you can't find many e36 318s is because they've probably all broken and been scrapped.Utterly s**t car.
Op ive had a go in a not even that pampered e36 318is And it was superb.
Was white with a half leather interior and a gorgeous car, Till my hamfisted friend crashed it.
rallycross said:
That looks to be a good example but be aware these are pretty dull to drive and not enough power to be much fun (don't expect to be power sliding out of roundabouts in one of these slugs!
That's not true is it, there are plenty of far far far slower cars. If i remember right you can swap to a single piece flywheel (lightened as well) and the engine is much much more responsive.OP: have a read of this guy's adventure taking a bog standard 318IS to pretty damn good track car
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Does this guy look bored?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMm075QDnzw
aka_kerrly said:
rallycross said:
That looks to be a good example but be aware these are pretty dull to drive and not enough power to be much fun (don't expect to be power sliding out of roundabouts in one of these slugs!
That's not true is it, there are plenty of far far far slower cars. If i remember right you can swap to a single piece flywheel (lightened as well) and the engine is much much more responsive.OP: have a read of this guy's adventure taking a bog standard 318IS to pretty damn good track car
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Does this guy look bored?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMm075QDnzw
rallycross said:
It is absolutely true for a standard example E36 318is it is a fairly sedate and softly sprung car that is never going to set your pulse racing, ).
True if you also driven 325i sport & M power cars but for the OP coming from a 850 10v which is hardly known for a sporty ride a 318IS on good suspension & tyres can be cracking fun. The 318is has bags more potential to be a fun car than a Volvo.
aka_kerrly said:
A reasonable number of 318TIs have now been converted to race in the BMW Compact Cup which is a surprisingly popular series!
Those saying it's a woeful car are being overly harsh, the 318IS in compact or coupe form can certainly be a good bit of fun (certainly more so than a Volvo 850)
I'd describe a 318TI as a RWD Golf mk2 GTI, remember when it comes to the suspension people generally go all soft and say the E30 M3 is the greatest thing ever yet any other BMW variant that shares it's floor pan or bits of it is slated.....
A friend of mine built one of those! Very affordable route to motorsportThose saying it's a woeful car are being overly harsh, the 318IS in compact or coupe form can certainly be a good bit of fun (certainly more so than a Volvo 850)
I'd describe a 318TI as a RWD Golf mk2 GTI, remember when it comes to the suspension people generally go all soft and say the E30 M3 is the greatest thing ever yet any other BMW variant that shares it's floor pan or bits of it is slated.....
I have an E36 318iS which I've owned from new - I love it. The snobs will no doubt scoff at its relative lack of power and torque (compared with a 328), but it's engine is lovely and free revving and it's a relatively light car - 14kg less than a Lotus Esprit GT3 according to information I've found, so it's really go fun on the twisties if its kept in the optimal rev range.
You won't find many because they are prone to rust and many will have been scrapped. Often they're converted into track or drift cars. The few remaining unmolested ones will likely be suffering rust issues. There is the odd pristine one around but they're far and few between ... unless you go to Germany. I saw quite a few pristine E36s in Munich a couple of years ago.
In my experience it's a pretty bullet proof car, with the later M44-engined variant considered the one to go for, although the earlier ones seem to rust less enthusiastically.
You won't find many because they are prone to rust and many will have been scrapped. Often they're converted into track or drift cars. The few remaining unmolested ones will likely be suffering rust issues. There is the odd pristine one around but they're far and few between ... unless you go to Germany. I saw quite a few pristine E36s in Munich a couple of years ago.
In my experience it's a pretty bullet proof car, with the later M44-engined variant considered the one to go for, although the earlier ones seem to rust less enthusiastically.
Agent XXX said:
you ever driven a 318 of that era? Utterly woeful. HATEFUL HATEFUL car. I could have actually murdered the person that decided that would be the choice of our company vehicles at the time.
I would ignore this guy, OP. An vitriolic minority of one. Try one and judge for yourself. I've been running a 318ti for 2 years and while interestingness and fun are subjective, I've had plenty of fun with mine, for what it is (a hatchback) it's more interesting than the average, and as far as reliability I've not had to do anything to it for the past year and it gets used daily.FWIW i'd definitely get the TI rather than the iS, the extra weight will do the 140 motor no favours as it isn't that torquey, and I seriously doubt the lack of multi link rear suspension will change your experience for the worse.
MiggyA said:
Agent XXX said:
you ever driven a 318 of that era? Utterly woeful. HATEFUL HATEFUL car. I could have actually murdered the person that decided that would be the choice of our company vehicles at the time.
I would ignore this guy, OP. An vitriolic minority of one. Try one and judge for yourself. I've been running a 318ti for 2 years and while interestingness and fun are subjective, I've had plenty of fun with mine, for what it is (a hatchback) it's more interesting than the average, and as far as reliability I've not had to do anything to it for the past year and it gets used daily.FWIW i'd definitely get the TI rather than the iS, the extra weight will do the 140 motor no favours as it isn't that torquey, and I seriously doubt the lack of multi link rear suspension will change your experience for the worse.
alpinab3 said:
This so much st being spouted on here. So many morons.
My sentiments exactly, and the precise words I was going to use.t being spouted on here. So many morons. alpinab3 said:
Unfortunately e36s are too old now where it's going to be very hard to find one that isn't scrap. Good luck finding one in Scotland, there all rotten there.
True unfortunately.MitchT said:
I have an E36 318iS which I've owned from new - I love it. The snobs will no doubt scoff at its relative lack of power and torque (compared with a 328), but it's engine is lovely and free revving and it's a relatively light car - 14kg less than a Lotus Esprit GT3 according to information I've found, so it's really go fun on the twisties if its kept in the optimal rev range.
You won't find many because they are prone to rust and many will have been scrapped. Often they're converted into track or drift cars. The few remaining unmolested ones will likely be suffering rust issues. There is the odd pristine one around but they're far and few between ... unless you go to Germany. I saw quite a few pristine E36s in Munich a couple of years ago.
In my experience it's a pretty bullet proof car, with the later M44-engined variant considered the one to go for, although the earlier ones seem to rust less enthusiastically.
Totally agree with all this. 318is in the family here, and it's been fantastic - has never let us down in 13 years. Feels quicker than my 323i - certainly you need to wind the 323i up to get it going...You won't find many because they are prone to rust and many will have been scrapped. Often they're converted into track or drift cars. The few remaining unmolested ones will likely be suffering rust issues. There is the odd pristine one around but they're far and few between ... unless you go to Germany. I saw quite a few pristine E36s in Munich a couple of years ago.
In my experience it's a pretty bullet proof car, with the later M44-engined variant considered the one to go for, although the earlier ones seem to rust less enthusiastically.
Granfondo said:
Agent XXX said:
you ever driven a 318 of that era? Utterly woeful. HATEFUL HATEFUL car. I could have actually murdered the person that decided that would be the choice of our company vehicles at the time.
You had a 318iS as a compNy car or a 318i?te.veevee said:
Two pages and noone has mentioned a 328i?
There is a lot of crap sprouted on here. I would love to know what our XXX friend drives which makes the E36 st. Here is my knackered old s
tbox 328i 
Recently 'upgraded' from 16" to 15" wheels (225 to 205 section tyres) and it certainly likes to slide...
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