Ex E36 owner wanting to come back to the fold .... opinions?

[clonmult]

Made the (second) biggest mistake of my life earlier this year - sold my E36 318iS coupe and bought a Renault Laguna, idea being that it was a more family friendly car (baby was on the way, so would have 3 kids).

Laguna ownership has been well ... its french. What they know about electrical systems and reliability can be written on a Rizla in large type. Water leaks (design faults on the door seals and the sunroof), heating fan problems (easy fix, but a tad dubious, but its a design fault), demister problems (another design fault) and the blasted dipped lights ....

So I'm wanting to jump back, the 318iS was by far and away the most reliable, rewarding car I've ever owned.

I'd prefer to keep costs down if possible, so would initially be looking at going back to another 318iS - either saloon or coupe. Its turned out that I rarely have all 3 kids in the car, and the rear seat space in the coupe would have been more than sufficient.

The question is - would a 320, 323, 325 or 328 be considerably more expensive to run. Insurance will cost only a little more, but its the fuel & servicing bills that worry me. The M44 was absolutely bulletproof - never missed a bit, but never got the economy that others have reported - I once got it up to 40mpg, but typically was around 33, even on a run.

Long and short - I know a 6 cylinder would be a much nicer car to own, but would the running costs be considerably higher?

(I'm having a day or writing essays on every darned message!)

[Modaholic]

323/325/328 only cost extra 10-20% if the traffic is not too heavy and the car is in a reasonable condition.
A lot of "stop & go traffic jam" might waste another 10% fuel.

[clonmult]

I've tried to time my journey into work to reduce the stop-start traffic, but it can still be pretty bad (no way am I heading out at 6am!). Probably why the 318iS rarely got above 33mpg on the commute. Well, that and hitting the rev limiter whenever possible ....

I'll just have to set an interior spec and keep an open mind on the engines. I know I'd love the sound of the 6 in the 328.

Ta

[sniff diesel]

Go for a 6 pot - my 325i returns about 28mpg in heavy use and about 35mpg on a long run. Once you've got used to the smooth power you'll never want to go back to a 4 pot.

[clonmult]

I'll have to look around - my main requirement is for climate control and an arm rest .... but the sound of a 6 pot would be a close second behind those.

Are the sixes as free revving as the M44 though? That would zing round to the red line ridiculously easy, but with more of a raspy note than the burble of the six.

[Dino D]

Actually looking at 4pot e36 as possible next car (6cyl out of the question for me because where I will buy and use it - Greece - the tax is high and the values and availability of the 6 pot make them way too expensive).

So adding to this thread then:
I have been looking at 10yr old examples of 318/316 and was wondering what the reliability is like. Is it a case of cheap to buy and expensive to run (in terms of servicing, parts etc) especially on a 10yr old car with high miles?

[chrisr29]

Yup, can easy get 30+ out of my 328.

Reliable as well, nothing's gone wrong with it in the 12k miles I've done in it since April.

[clonmult]

Dino D said:

Actually looking at 4pot e36 as possible next car (6cyl out of the question for me because where I will buy and use it - Greece - the tax is high and the values and availability of the 6 pot make them way too expensive).

So adding to this thread then:
I have been looking at 10yr old examples of 318/316 and was wondering what the reliability is like. Is it a case of cheap to buy and expensive to run (in terms of servicing, parts etc) especially on a 10yr old car with high miles?

The 318iS I had was a 99 model, about 110k on the clock. Had it serviced at a decent independent (Beemer Redeemer), and it ran absolutely perfect. Started first time, every time. The only "problem" was the occasional flat spot, which apparently could have been remedied with a remap.

The M42/M44 are the better of the older 4 cylinder units - I believe they take the mileage much better than the 8 valve units?

[Whiters]

My old 325 coupe would float around the early 20s in London traffic but easily break into early to mid 30s on a long run. The 320 is possibly the smoothest of the lot but the economy is almost identical to the 325, so unless insurance is significantly different for you, go for the larger engine.

The 328 is slightly more economical than 325 IIRC, and I think the 320's replacement 323, with it's detuned 2.5 is the best of the lot on juice.

[clonmult]

It'll have to be a saloon (maybe a touring - if its a touring it'll have to be a 2.8), rear seat access in the coupe would be awkward for a baby seat. So will look and see whats going. Less of a hurry now, as I've resolved the current issues with the Laguna. But no doubt those french engineers have put in some other ticking time bombs ....

One other question - the rear seats folded down on the coupe, which made it incredibly flexible for carrying loads. Do they fold down on the saloon?

[Shropshiremike]

clonmult said:

One other question - the rear seats folded down on the coupe, which made it incredibly flexible for carrying loads. Do they fold down on the saloon?

They can do - it was an option - some say it's rare but all I can say is when i was looking at 2.8 saloons 2 of the 5 cars ( both were SE spec ) had this option.
I bought one of them. It's handy for shipping mountain bikes around etc but I've also got roof bars for other stuff ( genuine BMW set off Ebay for about £50 )

[jamesson]

I have a 1994 325i and mostly do longish runs which returns 33mpg give or take. Servicing isn't too bad cost wise and I doubt it's that much more than a 318is.

Get a 328i touring (tend to be better looked after?) and you'll have a family car with years of service ahead of you. Mine is on 144k miles and works perfectly.

Worth considering a 5 series for extra space as your children grow up?

[clonmult]

jamesson said:

I have a 1994 325i and mostly do longish runs which returns 33mpg give or take. Servicing isn't too bad cost wise and I doubt it's that much more than a 318is.

Get a 328i touring (tend to be better looked after?) and you'll have a family car with years of service ahead of you. Mine is on 144k miles and works perfectly.

Worth considering a 5 series for extra space as your children grow up?

I've considered a 5 series, but its only occasionally that I need space for all 3 kids, typically its just my elder son in the car with me. So a 5 series is slightly overkill.

But a 328 touring is the best of both worlds - space and performance.

I know that as soon as I drive a 328 I'll want one. But I also know how much i like to use the loud pedal, so economy will suffer. I didn't get the 318iS under 30mpg no matter how hard I drove it to work.

[clonmult]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yah, the 16v was only ever Saloon or Coupe. The relative rarety of the 318iS saloon does attract me though.

I know my son will love the shove from the 328i.

Although he does think that the 1.8 Laguna is faster than the 318iS, purely down to it having a spoiler on the boot. Kids, eh? I'll educate him ...

I drove a 325i 24v years back, and it was a total blast. Huge fun. I will regret not getting a 328 while I have a chance.

So I'll try to find a black 328i touring with climate.

[Shropshiremike]

jamesson said:

Get a 328i touring (tend to be better looked after?) and you'll have a family car with years of service ahead of you. Mine is on 144k miles and works perfectly.

That was a variant on my thinking as well - saloons tend to be less abused than coupes

[sniff diesel]

Shropshiremike said:

clonmult said:

One other question - the rear seats folded down on the coupe, which made it incredibly flexible for carrying loads. Do they fold down on the saloon?

They can do - it was an option - some say it's rare but all I can say is when i was looking at 2.8 saloons 2 of the 5 cars ( both were SE spec ) had this option.
I bought one of them. It's handy for shipping mountain bikes around etc but I've also got roof bars for other stuff ( genuine BMW set off Ebay for about £50 )

I've had 5 E36's (1 touring and 4 saloons) and only the seats in the touring folded down on mine.

[parksie]

I can vouch for the fuel ecconomy, my 95 Alpina B3 if driven normally[Legal]can return 34mpg ,Boot it abit 25 mpg , Boot it quite abit !9 mpg but thats what they were built for!

Oh Yeah. & the back seats fold down.