Looking at a 97 318, please advise

[pbridge130]

I've been offered a 97 318ti, and I'm tempted, hoping to capture some good commute fuel economy. 135K, very clean, one-owner, dealer-maintained with records; 3000k oil changes all its life. Body looked perfect; interior very good; clean & straight alloys. Auto -- not my preference, but it may well make sense for my commute, ~80 miles of freeway driving per day.

Any comments, anyone? Are those trannies tough? What will I have to r&r over the next 60k? Any suggestions as to specific inspection items? Any suggestions as to independent garages in San Diego? Does anyone know wholesale/retail values?

Thanks for any thoughts.

[islandstyle]

Well how much will you have to pay for it?

[ridebmw]

trannies not great.
freeway driving means u might as well have manual not that hard to leave in 5th
and if u dont mind it being slow then its fine for u but its a 318 and an auto so dont expect anything amazing.
Needless to say still bimmer so a fun car to have.

[ridebmw]

island style i just noticed under your cars it says u have a "94 328" whats the deal.

[DeanP]

The cars are fun to drive and make a great daily driver. The 1.8 is a very good engine with few problems. If you can get a manual transmission that would be best. I bought mine with 109k on it and turned 150k this weekend. It has been a good car.

[thegman1234]

Good fuel efficient car, only 4 cylinders so as you've already been told dont expect it to be a demon, but nonetheless it is still an e36 and if you read around the forums you'll see how much we all love our e36's. for that long commute you have i would defintiely suggest that car, unless u somehow can find a manual. and of course keep us posted and stay here, everyone's very helpful and very kind, i learned a lot and you will too.

[ZeitgeistCrew]

i own a 98 323is, this is the 318i version upgrade to a 6 cylinder. i do alot of highway driving as well and the MPG gauge always sits on 40+ miles per gallon!! on top of having a beefy 6 cylinder!! it also has Double-VANOS (double-variable camshaft control) significantly improves torque since valve timing on both the intake and outlet camshafts are adjusted to the power required from the engine as a function of gas pedal position and engine speed. this is ideal for fuel economy. it also re-ciruclates the hot exhaust gases into the intake manifold individual for any driving conditions (warms up the cars componets faster to normal operating temp.!) in your case, the 318 may look cool but seriouly lacks in both top and mid range power. and it would be ever more efficent then any 6 cylinder granteed but bmw engineering turly stands up to its reputation when it comes to economy without sacrifcing power. the inline six is smoother, more powerful and fuel efficent all at once. also the 323 comes with side air bags, six cd changer, electronic temp cluster, seat warmers (optional), ACS, ABS, 16.7 alloy wheels, the 323(is) <-- the (is) means sport tuned suspension!! a bmw oem must! or replace these with KONI FSD technology shocks! hope i can change your mind about the 318i to 323i that offers so much more. by the way i paid $14,000 flat with about 55,000miles on it. time to replace the INTAKE MANIFOLD to OBD I, to releave the starvation of air to the engine from the OBD II (RESTRICTED) manifold, its also made out of pure alluminum, this is bad. but good luck, do your homework boy, research all possiblities. the usa E36 M3 is saddly a joke, with a displacement of 3.2 liters it only boost 240bhp at the crank (it has the potential of about 350hp with a naturally aspired engine). i hear for every liter on a BMW engine you can achive 105bhp!!! good luck.

[Landerholm]

the 323(is) <-- the (is) means sport tuned suspension!! a bmw oem must!
Ummers....These days the s just means its missing a few doors.

[ZeitgeistCrew]

Ummers....These days the s just means its missing a few doors.

true. but the 98 and on 323 (is) and 328 (is) were the only 3 series to be equipped with bmw's sport tuned suspension and dont forget about the convertibles which featured the x-brace. in 97-98 there was no 325. in 98 the new OBD II 2.5l engine was introduced from the 318 line to the 323. and also featrued standerd double-vanos, option sport suspension for sedans, and much more. just being realistic, the (is) to me translates to (inline six) and now a days the (Ci) just means its missing a few doors. almost like bmw is trying to say its a (Coupe u idiot) for the american public. just kidding. ;) check out bmwworld.com usfull info good links. 1 more thing i want to edit. KONI SHOCKS aRe AWESOME> we need to request from Koni Corp. to produce the new technology that they came out with called FSD!! (Frequency Selective Damping) for the E36 models. check it out dude, www.koni.com click on the BE ONE WITH FSD ad at the top of the website.

[ridebmw]

no offence but some of ^ this is alittle off

[Landerholm]

true.
Glad I could help. :)

[pbridge130]

Well how much will you have to pay for it?

I've concluded that ~ $6500 would be my top dollar on this car. Seller wants more, of course. It's very clean, and offers full maintenance records, but there are lower mileage cars (85k) with leather, etc, for ~$9.

It's a nice, tight little car, straight, clean. On suggestion, I looked at coupes and sedans, but the hatch really is most convenient for me.

Thanks to all who replied to my original question.