A daily driver that rivals the '02 experience?

[jscaptura1]

+1 to Toby!  I have driven a 97 318ti for years in upstate NY in the snow.  Studded snow tires and traction control made it go ANYWHERE!  And it is the closest thing to driving my 1600 than any other BMW I have driven.  As a matter of fact I am thinking about ditching my e39 winter beater for another 318ti.  Just so much more fun to drive than the e39!  5 speed and LSD are all things you should be looking for.  My autoX car is a 318ti and is SO much fun to drive!  Good Luck!

[maharaja]

Cheap Reliable, Available, Modern AWD, Fast, Able to handle NY potholes : Subie WRX + STi

I  don't think that working on, or finding a shop, to work on a 30 plus year old daily driver in NYC is a best use of time and resources

Never driven one but it appears very capable

[jscaptura1]

https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/d/for-sale-silver-bmw-318ti/6770234660.html

 

A 318ti for sale in Boston.  Price is a little high but you could probably get it for less!

[NYNick]

Rich,

 

C4 996's and 993's are too low for snow in NY. If you get a major snow storm in Albany they will go ok on 87 until you hit the slush banks; their ground clearances are not made for a foot of snow. I've owned 2 996 C4's and 2 997 C4's, all convertibles. Great handling cars but not DD's in our winters and certainly not remotely like an 02. I wouldn't touch that 993 you posted form Bat with a 10 foot pole...108K and 23 years old. You're asking for trouble with a capital $!

 

If it were me (and it's not, so take my opinion with a grain of salt), I'd want my DD to be new, modern, dependable and comfortable. It's nice having the seat heaters, electric mirrors, modern HVAC and even some electronic nannies helping you along on a slippery thruway or a freezing parking lot. Too bad about no AWD in the Mini, that would've been a good choice.

 

I'd take a hard look at the Subaru WRX. It's four doors I know, but it'll deliver everything you want in a winter DD at a reasonable price and still drive like a sports car. It will NOT drive like a 40 year old 02...nothing will. Good luck!

[fastricky]

OP here, I'm devouring every word of this thread, thanks all. Let me repeat while I'm based in NYC I do a fair amount of driving north of Albany which is snowier.

 

I wish I had more heart for the appearance of the 318ti. One thing I can say about the Mini is it puts a smile on my face every time I approach it. That era of bimmers was my least favorite optics-wise (although I will say the interior dash of modern BMWs is right down there for me, they are the equivalent of a lawyers desk IMHO - total show stopper for what is supposed to be a sporting car).

 

I would love to own a 318is again. When I owned one originally I actually was living in Toronto, I put Hakka's on it and it was perfectly driveable in snow (with a few sand bags in the trunk). But it would break my heart to buy a nice one (like the silver one currently in the classifieds) and see it start to rust away.

 

I did drive an ix in the early '90s and remember being non-plussed about it compared to my is. It did feel heavy, can't remember much about the sound level.

 

I gravitated toward the Porsche because it is a true sports car + 4-wheel drive. I get that it is a more fussy car that the simple and direct '02 for sure. What I like about the last air cooled generation is the interior and ergonomics very much feel like it is a pure sports car. More modern Porsche's are too luxury based IMO (which holds true for the 996s).

 

The Subaru WRX is a valid suggestion, but I don't want 4-doors and would like to stick to a German car. (Yes I know I have a very narrow aperture!)

 

Audi TT is a car that would be a no brainer for me - I love the look. But not available in a stick rules it out. I haven't explored if you can special order a Euro version with a stick? Anyone know anything about that?

 

With the multitude or car brands and models, I really find it surprising at what a poor choice of options someone like me has. My fallback plan is another Mini, but a J.Works version this time. But hoping something different presents itself...

[fastricky]

23 minutes ago, NYNick said:

Rich,

 

C4 996's and 993's are too low for snow in NY. If you get a major snow storm in Albany they will go ok on 87 until you hit the slush banks; their ground clearances are not made for a foot of snow. I've owned 2 996 C4's and 2 997 C4's, all convertibles. Great handling cars but not DD's in our winters and certainly not remotely like an 02. I wouldn't touch that 993 you posted form Bat with a 10 foot pole...108K and 23 years old. You're asking for trouble with a capital $!

 

If it were me (and it's not, so take my opinion with a grain of salt), I'd want my DD to be new, modern, dependable and comfortable. It's nice having the seat heaters, electric mirrors, modern HVAC and even some electronic nannies helping you along on a slippery thruway or a freezing parking lot. Too bad about no AWD in the Mini, that would've been a good choice.

 

I'd take a hard look at the Subaru WRX. It's four doors I know, but it'll deliver everything you want in a winter DD at a reasonable price and still drive like a sports car. It will NOT drive like a 40 year old 02...nothing will. Good luck!

 

Appreciate the wisdom Nick thanks! Never considered the ground clearance and you're totally right there cheers.

Edited December 14, 2018 by fastricky

[02Pilot]

If after the first of the year you still haven't decided on something and you want to get eyes on my 128i to see if an E82 is an option we can probably work something out - I can't be far off your route between Albany and the city.

 

 

[fastricky]

1 minute ago, Andrej said:

If after the first of the year you still haven't decided on something and you want to get eyes on my 128i to see if an E82 is an option we can probably work something out - I can't be far off your route between Albany and the city.

 

 

 

Much appreciated, I'll bring some fresh beer from our brewery! I'll certainly keep you in mind, what do you like about the 1-series vs the current 2-series?

[joekitt]

Golf R - hands down - owned 2 08 R32’s and drove them in 12” of snow - AWD so never a problem - tons of fun to drive - sorry I ever sold them


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[joekitt]

Golf R - hands down - owned 2 08 R32’s and drove them in 12” of snow - AWD so never a problem - tons of fun to drive - sorry I ever sold them


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fastricky]

1 minute ago, joekitt said:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What was the last year of the 2-door?

[Jimmy]

7 minutes ago, fastricky said:

What was the last year of the 2-door?

 

2013 is.

[fastricky]

And... why no Scirocco here VW??? Edit: No longer in production anyway... BOOO!

Edited December 14, 2018 by fastricky

[bento]

48 minutes ago, fastricky said:

OP here, I'm devouring every word of this thread, thanks all. Let me repeat while I'm based in NYC I do a fair amount of driving north of Albany which is snowier.

 

Audi TT is a car that would be a no brainer for me - I love the look. But not available in a stick rules it out. I haven't explored if you can special order a Euro version with a stick? Anyone know anything about that?

 

 

Audi has nothing new for you. They weren’t selling enough m/t cars to justify them, so dropped the option altogether going forward.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2018/09/05/stick-shift-manual-transmission/1131578002/

 

I wish the unicorn you’ve described existed as well. I sacrificed the AWD (not really needed here, but was a nice to have) and bought an M2. 2 doors and a manual transmission were hard requirements for me as well.

 

What about the previous generation TTRS? They were available with a manual. A couple friends have them and really like them. Ground clearance may be as poor as the C4 Porsches though.

 

Two other options;

 

 

While this example was probably a very costly build, the suspension/wheels/tires could be replicated pretty cheaply. Would be pretty awesome.

 

Or a Jeep Wrangler- no luxuries, 2 doors, 4 wheel drive, plenty of ground clearance for snow, and I believe you can still get a manual transmission.

 

 

[02Pilot]

30 minutes ago, fastricky said:

 

Much appreciated, I'll bring some fresh beer from our brewery! I'll certainly keep you in mind, what do you like about the 1-series vs the current 2-series?

 

The 2 - as I understand it - is heavier, softer, and has no naturally aspirated engine options in this country. The 1, and specially the 128i, has pretty much the last unfussy interior (no screen), the last NA I6 engine, no silly driver assists (auto rev matching) or fake engine sounds piped through the speakers. I'm not saying it's as simple as a 2002, but it's the last car BMW made that could even be considered part of the same lineage.