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Thread: Opinions on a 318 as a daily driver?

  1. #1
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    Opinions on a 318 as a daily driver?

    Hey guys, I'm new here, so don't rape me about this newbie question. I've actually done research, but didn't find any straightforward answers. How are the E36 318's as a daily drivers? Are they pretty reliable for the most part, or is it a crap shoot? I just need something that gets pretty good gas mileage, looks nice :12:, and won't give me much trouble. I'm not stuck on any one model, but am leaning more toward the IS or TI. Thanks for any responses I get.


    Will

  2. #2
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    Honestly for a daily driver they are pretty nice

    they wont win you any races and you cant make them any faster really

    I havent heard of anyone blowing their engine or tranny on a 318... Mine is pretty solid at 96k miles

    I get about 27mpg but I dont drive it at all like i should for better gas mileage

    for maintenance you can order the parts online pretty cheap and do it yourself... most of it is all pretty easy


    http://home.houston.rr.com/rio/bmw for pics of mine

    I personally wouldnt get the Ti model.. I dont like how they look at all.. its like someone chopped off the rear of the car

  3. #3
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    *GASP* Interior pics!! Man, you would not belive how many sites I went to looking for interior pics. Thanks! I was shying away from the 4 door only because I thought it would hurt the mpg, but it sounds like that's not the case. Great looking car, BTW. : I don't plan on modding it, except for maybe a K&N.
    Last edited by Speeyuk; 02-02-2002 at 01:17 AM.

  4. #4
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    nah... 4 door wont hurt fuel economy any

    if you ever have people in the backseat a 2 door gets to be a pain in the ass

    a place you can usually find alot of pics of interior and exterior is ebaymotors.com - actually where I got my car and a bunch of the pics are from that are on my site


    if you have any other questions just ask

  5. #5
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    Alrighty, what are some common probs? Anything especially problematic? how about the auto trannies? I know some companies have problems with high mileage autos.

  6. #6
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    I havent heard of anyone having any problems with the tranny

    the drivetrain is usually pretty strong... I would consider a manual tranny though over the auto.. guess it depends on your traffic though


    The main things I know to check are:
    rust around bottom of trunk lip under gasket
    rear shock tower mounts tend to go out
    the plastic waterpump will crack on higher mileage cars
    same with plastic radiator
    check the rear subframe

    those are really the only quirks that happen on some of the cars

  7. #7
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    Honestly.. i wouldnt buy a 318 for my daily driver.. its still more expensive to maintain and fix then say a domestic or Japanese car. And its RWD.. altho that probably doesnt matter much to u in cali.. I purchased a Saturn SC2 for my daily driver acutally.. kickes ass in the snow.. :
    06' BMW 530xi
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  8. #8
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    Originally posted by Stockman


    Thats a pro.. not a con

    Not if u lived more north...
    06' BMW 530xi
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  9. #9
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    Originally posted by Stockman
    I personally wouldnt get the Ti model..
    The 318ti is a great car. It's lighter than a 318is, you can fold down the seat and haul LOTS of stuff around in a pinch (I think we hauled home 12 bags of mulch at once one day!) and if you add the BMW M-Technic trunk spoiler the back doesn't look as "chopped off" anymore
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  10. #10
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    Originally posted by bimmer95

    The 318ti is a great car. It's lighter than a 318is, you can fold down the seat and haul LOTS of stuff around in a pinch (I think we hauled home 12 bags of mulch at once one day!) and if you add the BMW M-Technic trunk spoiler the back doesn't look as "chopped off" anymore
    I dont doubt its a great car.. but it still looks like half of it got chopped off..
    06' BMW 530xi
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  11. #11
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    Stockman,

    Do you do a lot of highway driving? The only time I get gas mileage figures that high is when I cruise on the highway. Short trips around town, which I do most of the time, give me gas mileage in the 22 range, however, that is not always driving to where I would get optimum milage. But the second you get that thing on the highway the mpg are insane. If I go on a trip, I can get over 30 at 80-85 mph.
    1995 318i

  12. #12
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    Originally posted by jy630
    Stockman,

    Do you do a lot of highway driving? The only time I get gas mileage figures that high is when I cruise on the highway. Short trips around town, which I do most of the time, give me gas mileage in the 22 range, however, that is not always driving to where I would get optimum milage. But the second you get that thing on the highway the mpg are insane. If I go on a trip, I can get over 30 at 80-85 mph.
    I have 20 mile trips to UH 3 times a week.. but even when I dont goto UH I still get about 25 in city.. and I drive the opposite of economical.. whatever the word is.. I goto UH afterall so you cant expect much

    The pure highway trips I do I get about 31mpg... and that was LOADED with cargo...

    You might want to change your filters/tranny and diff fluid/check your O2 sensor.. you should get higher then that... well.. if you have an auto I dont know...


    Here is my emissions report from today.. if your numbers are high compared to this something may be wrong with yours and may help you know better why you get like 22
    http://bimmerforums.com/forum/showth...049#post175613

  13. #13
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    All I have to say is that I think 318's are good daily drivers. If you look hard you can find some very decent deals. They are extremely well made, and are still a lot of fun to drive. I was looking on the net and found a 92 318i for $4500 with 97k on it. NowI have to get rid of my 90 VW Jetta, and start drivin the 318

  14. #14
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    Thanks for the responses guys. What kind of price range would i be loooking at for a decent 93+ 318? High mileage or not.

  15. #15
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    edmunds.com
    kbb.com
    autotrader.com
    ebaymotors.com

    *I* paid 12.5k for a 97 with 85k miles in like perfect condition - it for once was highway miles driven by a little person.. Nothing was worn in

    I usually see alot of 95ish Ti's go for 7-8k

    check your local paper also

  16. #16
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    I've been checking, but everyone seems to be on crack. They want 10K+ for a 93 with close to 100K on the clock. WTF? Where are you finding the cars you're looking for?

    EDIT: Welp, nevermind. I seem to have found some for good prices. That Ti is a bit funky lookin' though.
    Last edited by Speeyuk; 02-04-2002 at 02:04 AM.

  17. #17
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    Originally posted by Speeyuk
    That Ti is a bit funky lookin' though.
    Just don't let my wife catch you guys dissing ti's!

    Here's her 318ti......

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  18. #18
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    hehe, not dissing. I just never realized how chopped that rear end looked. "Funky" isn't always a diss.

  19. #19
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    I love the way the ti looks, especially when done up nicely in an M style like tichick's. And at the risk of getting flamed, in my experience its handling is more fun and go-karty than the other e36's -- very light on its feet. I almost bought one but I got power hungry and wasn't in love with the dashboard...
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  20. #20
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    Originally posted by Speeyuk
    "Funky" isn't always a diss.
    It is since Toyota started using the term to describe the Echo :
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  21. #21
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    Originally posted by bimmer95

    It is since Toyota started using the term to describe the Echo :
    LOL I haven't seen that. Yikes...

  22. #22
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    I've got a 95 318is and it is my only car, thus daily driver.

    I love her, she's got over 130k on the odometer, but is still running strong. If you find yourself a well maintained car, and you continue maintaining it, they can last 200-300k miles if you are lucky. I bought mine July 3, 2001, with 128,000 on the clock, here's what I've had to do so far:

    Oil Change x2 - ~$50 each (you can do these yourself fairly easily, my parents are freaks and think the car will land on me; just make sure you have a spare oil drain plug). Standard maintenance.

    Air Filter Change - ~$15 - So easy, if you don't do it yourself you don't deserve the car I found a surprise in my airbox however, somehow it was filled to the top with kibbles and bits... very odd. Standard maintenance.

    Two New Tires- ~$160 - The front two tires were worn down pretty far on the tread, so we moved the rears to the front (they had good tread left) and bought two news ones. Standard maintenance.

    New Floormats ~$80-100? - Personal Pet Peeve... the mats were really grungy and falling apart so my parents got me new ones for Christmas.

    Passenger Front Control Arm Replacement - This is the first major maintenance issue I've run into. The front ball joint is apparently worn, and needs replacing. This is going to cost me $161 including labor ($116 part). Not too bad, apparently this is pretty standard after 100k miles. So I'll probably need to replace the driver's side soon too.

    Good car... good luck!
    Kevin
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    Knoxville, TN

  23. #23
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    yep great daily driver

    i love my car 97 318i...four doors come in handy its not too small and i carry two boys in it all the time....but most of all its a bmw not a saturn........and yes it does handle better then the 325 and 328 stock because it is lighter and has a lower cg because of the 4 cyl engine....you will be very happy with one......hey stockman i get 24 city and about 29-30 on highway at higher speeds....


    i got it for 16.5K with 38k miles its a 97 :

  24. #24
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    TheBestCow,

    I think I know why you found kibble and bits when you where changing your filter. It's a mouse that has used your air filter housing for storage. This happened to a friend of mine. His intake was full of cat food too, I looked inside and found a dead mouse.



  25. #25
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    uhhh
    <img
    src="http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=181494

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