Any 318ti experts??

[FunElan]

I'm thinking about looking at these two. What are thoughts from the "peanut gallery?" The green one has some nice mods on it.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/3098920234.html

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/3105126765.html

Thanks,

Matt

[ray_]

I've not been in one, but I understand they sit on the E30 M3 chassis. That can't be bad.

Cheers,

Ray

[Chamonix72]

I've not been in one, but I understand they sit on the E30 M3 chassis. That can't be bad.

Cheers,

Ray

I have heard they are E30s in the rear end, and E36 up front. Or maybe in reverse. I can't recall. I know it's essentially a mashup of the two models. I know a couple of people with them. They're good commuters. If I had a long commute, I'd look long and hard at one.

[Richard]

There are issues with high mileage motors. If you check kelly blue book this model car in excellent condition goes for $2,000 with that kinda miles. Remember ther is a reason these are so cheap.

[RIMSPOKE]

WE HAVE HAD OUR '95 318ti FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS NOW .

IT IS A GOOD HIGHWAY CAR & HANDLES LIKE A BMW .

I WISH OURS HAD A SUNROOF .

THE REAR SUSPENSION WAS SOURCED FROM THE Z3

THEY ARE STANDARD E-36 SEDANS IN THE FRONT .

THE 4 VALVE ENGINE IS REVVY & PEPPY . IT REALLY IS A LOT

OF FUN TO DRIVE AND I HAVE COME CLOSE TO 40mpg ON SOME

LONG HIGHWAY TRIPS .

MOST OF THEM SEEM TO BE AUTOMATICS .

ONE UNIQUE FEATURE OF THE ti IS THE WAY THE SPARE AND

TOOLS ARE ARRANGED .

THE MIDGET SIZED SPARE IS ACCESSED THROUGH THE TRUNK FLOOR .

THERE IS A RETAINING DEVICE THAT FITS IN THE RIM TO LOCK IT TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CAR .

YOU RELEASE IT FROM THE TOP AND DROP IT ONTO THE GROUND .

THEY WERE GREAT CARS IN MY OPINION & SOLD WELL IN ENGLAND

& EUROPE BUT NOT SO WELL IN AMERICA .

[Pierre]

I have 2 of them.

Obviously, I like them. The wheelbase is the same as an E36. The front is all E36, the rear is E30 except for the 5-lug wheels. The Z3 uses the same setup. You can even install the E30 diff. (which is the same as the E28)

The 95 had an M42 1.8 liter dual cam. 96 to 99 is an M44 OBDII 1.9 motor. Power is more than adequate for a commuter. Gas mileage is excellent. They do fine with 89 octane. They are very reliable with no known issues as long as they don't overheat or are driven with no oil. My 96 had 180K when the automatic transmission failed. The sold the whole drive train and it is still running in another car.

Headliners sag like most E36s. The ti has a simpler dash, manually controlled ventilation, no MPG gauge. OBC is optional. The Club sport is highly sought after. The tis were available with the California roof but those are rare. Solid disks all around. Cloth interior on most with optional vinyl and rare leather. Optional sunroof. (Both of mine don't have it.)

Go to www.318ti.org for more information that you ever wanted to know.

[FunElan]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm wondering, could this black one really have 82,000 miles? How easy is it to reset the odometers on these? My dad tried to go look at it, but the guy said it was sold. Now I see it on CL again from the same seller, but different pics: http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/3113260747.html .

I think I'm gonna head up to go see it. If anyone sees this and there's anything important to look for that would be a deal breaker, call or text me at three10 six50 0onetwo0! I would really appreciate it!

Thanks,

Matt

[Pierre]

If you have access to a GT1 or equivalent, you can recode the clusters and reset the odometer. Check the DMV smog check page for the smog history. You will need the license plate number or VIN.

http://www.bar.ca.gov/pubwebquery/Vehicle/PubTstQry.aspx

You will get the dates and the miles throughout.

Or you can do a carfax.

PS: I have some left over parts from my 96.

[FunElan]

So my father and I went to look at the green ti tonight. I really like it. It's a one owner car, the guy bought it in September of 1995, so that makes it a 1996 model. However I still think it's an M42, could anyone confirm this? Where are the spark plugs on this motor?

It has original Bostongrun paint, a little blemish on the hood from a bra. It has a nice M front bumper and a little trunk spoiler. The hood nor the hatch stay up under their own weight, they need a hand to stay up. The motor started up nicely and idled very smoothly. The interior was just redone, headliner was nice and tight, seats had a nice feel to them and were covered in vinyl. Door panels looked great in their cloth, backseat was very clean. A/C blew very cold, which is important because I'd hope to use this car to get to Arizona from California for school. The temp gauge never went up halfway. All of the electronics work except the sunroof, which he said is very slow.

Motor ran very smooth, although there is an exhaust which is a bit loud, but I'm young so I can deal with it. It shifted through the gears just fine, clutch was replaced in 2010. All lights worked, brakes felt fine. The car felt like it handled great. Is there supposed to be a bigger fan shroud? It felt like there was a huge gap between the fan and the front cover. Tires have nice tread.

The only concern: The car has 200,000 miles on it. The owner used to commute until 4 years ago. What should I find out about in his service history? Can this car keep going? We asked about the belt, water pump, and cooling system.

Thanks for reading guys,

Matt

[Pierre]

Put the last 7 digits of the VIN in realoem to confirm the engine. If he bought in September of 95, it may still be a late production 95, since the 96s start being produced in September of 95. (95s are OBDI and have the M42.)

The spark plugs are under the small cover between the cams. There are two small clips that come off with a half turn and you'll see the plugs underneath.

The fan is electric. There is no mechanical fan. The gap between the radiator and the front cover is significant. The engine is set back to provide optimum weight distribution. These cars were also designed to take in a larger inline six.

The fundamentals seem sound. Hood and hatch shocks are known to go away after 17 years. 200,000 miles do not scare me. You can easily extract another 100,000 out of it if it was well maintained. It may need suspension work, shocks, bushings etc but that is not a big deal.

Enjoy.

[FunElan]

But should I be worried about the cooling system since I'd be taking it Arizona? I hear that's a big problem on these cars (it's how my brother's crapped out). Should I check the service records on that?

[Pierre]

Cooling systems fail from lack of maintenance or low quality parts.

Thermostat, water pump, (60K) radiator (90K) hoses (150K). Make sure your fan works. It's ECU controlled. And use the BMW blue coolant and distilled (or at least filtered) water.

A well-maintained cooling system will go through the Arizona heat, in traffic with the AC on with no problem. Heat is harsh on everything. If a car is subjected to extreme conditions more often, then reduce the maintenance intervals.

In general, BMWs are reliable if you maintain them. They give you warning signs if you pay attention and tend to its particular needs when they arise. M44s are on the more reliable end of the BMW spectrum.

[FunElan]

Thanks so much for the advice Pierre. I asked for some records. I also asked if we could do a compression test. Hopefully we'll be able to see it again tomorrow and I can update.

[FunElan]

Didn't end up buying that car. Still on the look out for a 318ti!

[FunElan]

Bought one today! late '95 car with 120k miles.