Prospective buyer! Help!

[Steel Tomato]

Hi, I'll be graduating from high school this year and moving on to university (in canada). My dad has agreed to buy me a car around 10 grand, and since iv always wanted bmw, it was the first make i looked at, and have finally decided on buying one of its kind.

around here, for 10 grand i can get a 1997-1998 bmw 318TI around 100000 kms or so (around 60k miles?). I just want an honest input from you owners about if the rumors were really true: the incredably high repair cost and maintenance cost. are you guys happy with the 318ti? have it ever left you stranded and had you do major repairs? i heard 318ti wasnt very peppy on acceleration... how long does it take to get from 0-60 mph on auto?

also, what's the only difference between 318ti and 318i? is the only difference that it's cause it's a hatchback? how does rear room compare? is the 318i faster? and this is pobably a stupid question to ask, but insurance wise is a 3 dr hatchback considered same as a 2 door coupe?

also, with 10 grand i can get a 1996-97 bmw 328i at around 200k kms (120k miles?), is this a better deal than the 318ti/i?

Thank you guys so much for your imput, my parents are urging me to buy toyota, but chances are im not changing my mind.

I guess my main inqurie would be if it is smart to buy a bmw with over 120k miles on it... if i get one with that milage would i be stuck with repairs? anyone here has their bmw over 120k miles? how is it?

[1996 328ti]

A 318i(s) has a different rear suspension. Cosmetically it has a different interior.
Depends what you mean by a better deal.
Many of us like the ride of a 318ti. A 328 has more torque and will get you to 0-60 quicker. I have never pushed a 328 so I don't know how it handles. My guess is it handles easier but not as much fun to drive. I am biased. I have the best of both worlds. A 2.8 in a ti. :)

While a Toyota is a fine car it is just a car. It is transportation. I think most of us hear enjoy the ride of a BMW.

[Steel Tomato]

How do you have a 2.8 in a ti? engine swap?

[1996 328ti]

Previous owner did it.
http://www.318ti.org/notebook/328ti/index.html

[Steel Tomato]

awsome! 8 grand though X_x

[aceyx]

read the other thread about maintenance cost.

i'm very happy with the ti. it's great around cities (nimble, easy to park), stable on the highway, good gas mileage, and can fit quite a bit of stuff in the hatch.

in 130k miles, i've never been stranded. however, this may due to the fact that i'm a "preventative maintenance" kind of guy. take care of it, and it'll take care of you.

i'd rate the ti as quick. not fast, not slow, but quick. if you get the revs up you can get out of crappy situations, and there's also the adage: it's more fun to drive a slow car fast, than driving a fast car slowly. either way, it's adequate to have fun if you want.

the 318i has the same engine, but about 300lbs of weight people usually don't use to drag it down. steve mentioned a different rear suspension setup; the ti has the same as the z3 and the e30 m3, which some people prefer.

the 328 has significantly more grunt, but is also heavier and burns more gas than the 1.9L engines. expect more insurance out of this one (larger displacement motors usually have rates).


i personally like the interior of the ti than the sedan/coupes. it's more simple, and feels like more space. is it a better car? depends on what you need it for.

if you're susceptible to flats, the 318i and 323 have full-size spares while the ti has a donut. have a friend with terrible luck, just thought i'd throw that in.

[2ndBimmer]

Basically the Ti is a 318 with its tail chopped off. Interior space is the same, and the 318ti got a simpler dash layout than the rest of its e36 generation; it has less switches and dodads and more dials and a smoothed over look, its alot less 'busy.' And yes, it uses the rear suspension from the previous generation 3 series, the e30 (84-91). The shorter car (166 inches versus 175 inches) makes for a car thats about 200lbs lighter.

Car and Driver got a 95' model to 60 in about 8 seconds. Figure 9 for a slushbox.

Thats what you get with only 133 horses.
The 328, depending on year, put out about 190+ ponies.
There are ALOT of mods people do to get more juice in their car. Some tweak the heck outta the engine as is with chips, exhausts, various intakes... the usual fare of souping up. Extremely popular is dropping in a 2.8/3.0/3.2 liter engine from the higher performing BMWs. And lets not forget forced induction.

The only major problem Ive had with my car was the catalytic converter going. Luckily this was covered under extended warranty. Unluckily they screwed me out of a new muffler, them things are expensive.

[96cali]

To me, the driving reason to get a ti was the california/open air roof and it's uniqueness in comparison to other hatches on the road. I was in the market for a VW GTI when a low milage red '96 cali top Ti came up for sale. On a whim I drove from Cleveland to Pittsburgh to test drive it, loved it, bought it and have not regretted it once. It's surprisingly good in the winter with snow tires too (Blizzaks for me). Contrary to your rumor, I have had minimal surprise repairs- the engine timing sensor went bad last summer for $300. Other than that it's been maintenance.

Coincidental to your post here I am contemplating selling my Ti for "family debt restructuring" reasons- i.e. we have a baby now and other expenses. It would come with snow tires, uninstalled OEM sport parts, etc. Been serviced by Brett Anderson at Koalamotorsport (highly and nationally respected wrench) so he could be a good reference for you. If you live anywhere near Cleveland/Toronto/Windsor it might work for you. If not, I just waxed and sealed her for winter and I'll keep on contemplating. If you want pics, send an email to ninety6cali@hotmail.com.

Good luck any way you go! No worries (even with the Toyota). Sure you want to worry about a "nice" car in college? Get a hoopdee and relax maybe?

[Steel Tomato]

coincidentally, i do live in windsor, and iv emailed you.

by the way, what are "OEM" sports parts?

[Steel Tomato]

I hope insurance won't be too expensive... I'll be 18 soon and if i move out it will be all under me 0_o