Why do almost all E36 enthusiasts hate 318ti?
 

I just bought a nice 1995 318ti running for $700 and it was sitting for a while on craigslist. I was in market for E36 sedan but they were too thrashed and priced too high and they were still selling. when talking to my E36 friends they all tell me, "don't buy 318ti, it is a joke".
Now that I own 318ti I can say that I do love it more than my 328i. In my opinion Ti is best chassis version of E36. I just wonder why aren't they more popular

Because they are slow to begin with.

Now put in a s50/52 and standard E36 owners will not talk ****. Youll be faster than all of them power to weight

Looks. Many do not care for the chopped off look of the E36 Compact.

Rear suspension. It's old, very old and does not work as well or offer the adjustability or stability of the multilink suspension in the rest of the 3 series line.

Power. 318ti's are slow, even with bolt ons. Even the DASC does not quite get the M4x to M52 power. S5x or M5x is the simple cure to that problem and seems to cure the 'ti-hate' some folks have.

They make fun of this, but is it really that bad? The Z3M Coupe uses it and no one complains about it there, many even claim it's one of the best handling BMWs ever made.

I'm the tech editor for ZSCCA and a Z3 Coupe owner. The rear suspension is generally considered part of the character of the Z3 based cars. There is a lot of reference to 'driving experience' but everyone who actually leans on their Z3 knows they can be twitchy and unforgiving. This makes the Z3 fun but the Z4 is a much more composed car.

So is it that bad? Probably. BUT, like so much of this 'car stuff', it depends on YOU. Ultimately, I suspect many think the 318ti is ugly and search for more reasons to support their initial reaction.

A lot of people where I'm from hated mine and always used to say that I'm missing a boot and their ugly, slow etc but I've noticed recently even people that said that now have one! haha I think its since people have realised to easy to convert to a 2.8, and how well they actually drive etc they are they are slowly becoming more popular :)

1: I agree this may be the biggest turn off, rear does look too short and odd. but it is not ugly. If you install a lip and M style rear bumper cover it actually looks pretty good. E30 has very boring boxy rear and the chassis is popular.

2: So does Z3. BMW made the same suspension all the way until year 2002 so it can't be that bad. Plus E30 has the same suspension and the chassis is very popular.

3: 325i is not that more faster, you have 20hp more but heavier chassis. And 325i/325i automatics are dog slow.

The question was... 'Why do almost all E36 enthusiasts hate 318ti?' I obviously like the 318ti, I'm here, I have 2 of them and a Z3 Coupe. I'll continue to play devils advocate though.

1. It's opinion. There is no winning argument. As long as you like the 318ti, great, if not there are plenty of options.

2. The rear suspension in these cars came about in the 1960s, showing up in the 2002, then the E21, then E30, then 318ti, and finally in the Z3. Is it that bad? Subjective... but I would say no, it is old technology, there is better now and there was better at the time of 318ti production. The 'E30 style' rear suspension gives a different driving feel than the multi link rear suspension. I like them both but if I had to put it into one sentence I would say... 'The E30 rear suspension is more fun than fast and the multi link rear suspension is more fast than fun'.

3. Your numbers are off. The 325 bested the 318 by closer to 40hp and was over 2 seconds quicker 0-60.

The auto 325 was still faster than both a manual 318ti and auto 318ti.

2850 seems to be the going weight for a fully fitted 318ti. Depending on how a 325 was optioned it may not weigh much over 3000lbs. My E36 318i 4 door weighted in at 2900 lbs with a half tank of gas. It takes more than 200lbs to overcome 40hp. Speaking of power. For under 1000 dollars you can buy a set of M3 cams, used injectors and software for the M50/M52. That should yield close to 20hp at the wheels. This is just the tip of the modification iceberg for the M5X engines. On the other hand, the best bang for your buck with an M42/4 is a DASC. The DASCs are out of production and getting difficult to find. Even if you find a complete kit to spend 2000 on you will still end up with less tq than a stock M52b28 (hp is about the same).

The general themes seem to include: SPEED: Of course 1.9L 4 cyliner is going to be slower than a larger cc 6, but anyone can put ther foot down in a straight line, it's all about the corners, especially in a rear wheel drive car :biggrin: HANDLING: So the E30, Z3 & 318ti/316i compact all relatively favour oversteer... I thought that was the whole point in having a rear wheel drive car :confused: BOOT (trunk) SPACE: You've got to be kidding me, fold the seats down and it's a Dr Who Tardis. Got 3 metre (9.8 feet) planks in the other day with the boot shut :rolleyes: SIZE: I've got a theory on the ti/compact haters; some people like a big arse, some people like a... shall we say more compact arse when they're having fun :wink:

a lot of people that hate them have never driven them. or have only driven auto versions, which should not exist. once they drive them, they tend to like them.

frink84, I totally agree on the first part of your last reply. all my local euro friends at the meets start out hating the car because it "just looks wrong". but I love it. a nice set of wheels and tyres and I think they have awesome personality. besides, how many boring sedans and coupes can you stare at during a euro meet? I am personally very fond of my 5speed, but have lots of clients who love their autotragics too. I say to each their own. speed? yeah cant have enough of that ;)

I agree, sedans and coupes do get a little boring.

And thanks for supporting this site jerrytheautodoctor!

come on! lets get more opinions here...

They hate because we still have one of the best rear suspension designs that bmw came up with. They have the stupid trailing arm and salad tong setup. ;p

They are too practical, people think BMW's should be plush 2ND car's.