...a (very) belated introduction from an original owner

[TBest]

Hello 318ti.org Community,

This is a very belated post / introduction. I am the original owner of my 1998 318ti Active. Purchased Q1 of 1998 with a production date of 10/97. I don't need to say this here, but I'll do so anyway for the non-318ti owners here - this is a very special and resilient car. Had I not bought this car I imagine I'd have been through many cars since then. And FWIW, I used to be on the 318ti email list way back when, I want to say circa 1998 or 1999.

Since acquiring the car I've since gone through college, got into autocross and track driving, became a BMW CCA club racer & instructor, went through college, got infected with cycling/mountain biking, married, and got a dog. Sometimes neglected, and sometimes the focal point of my attention, this car has always been there for me. I honestly feel that the path I've taken in life has heavily been influenced by my 318ti and for that I'm grateful.

Around September or October of 2017, on my way to work (a large high volume BMW independent repair facility here in Orange County, CA), there was a rear end collision ~6 cars behind me on the freeway which became a chain reaction ultimately bumping me from behind into the car in front. Very minor damage. Of course, 0% at fault. I begged the insurance companies to leave me alone and that I'd manage repairs myself. Alas, the car got a salvage title (for a scratched rear bumper cover, cracked front bumper cover, bent nose panel and bent hood). I seldom show my anger but I must admit I was absolutely seething. I didn't mind the damage to the car, I knew the panels could be replaced and if anything, a time to get rid of paint chips. But for the car to get the scarlet letter 'S' after nearly 20 years of service (including track events way back when), I was just ticked.

So one foot ahead of the other - I went about fixing the car and living with the new DMV branding. I didn't want to buy a used hood from a junk yard (didn't feel right about a another VIN being a part of the car), so I bought a Seibon carbon hood. A generous employee/friend of mine gave me a new E36 M aftermarket front bumper. The rear bumper I upgraded to a new genuine 318ti sport bumper w/ valance. Nose panel remained the same - bought a new genuine nose panel. Since these new panels needed to be painted I decided to remove the sunroof shelf from the interior roof panel and replace the actual sunroof with a composite insert. Coincidentally, around the same time, a generous 318tu customer of mine gifted me with his take-off 16" 318ti sport wheels!!

While simultaneously convincing myself that 'things happen for a reason' and with a rejuvenated drive due to the updated aesthetics, I also used the down time / opportunity to invest in some maintenance/repairs and upgrades. I chucked the driver's seat as the leatherette upholstery was cracked in a lot of places and looked worse for wear (meanwhile, passenger seat is still gorgeous / relatively unscathed). Replaced it with a Cobra Monaco Pro fixed bucket seat (in Grey of course) which I bolted to the ground to some VAC plates and Cobra sidemounts. Added a Condor M-Tech grey shift boot. Removed the door panels and threw out the window regulators, replaced with european spec 316i manual wind-up style. Best 'upgrade' ever, lol.

Most importantly, did a lot of maintenance and dropped the rear subframe, replaced rear subframe bushings with Condor SpeedShop e30 riser (+12mm) subframe bushing, Condor RTABs, Ireland Engineering Posilock eccentrics, & new factory rear diff bushing. While back there the differential cover was also re-sealed and rear subframe itself had some stress cracks on the diff housing which were cleaned up and welded. Same for the rear trunk panel. Up front lots of new bushings (all factory / OEM) as well as new genuine E36 M3 shifter parts. Plus a Rogue Engineering shift knob (tall knurled one) to boot. All new fluids of course. So proud to say that all this got done on a Saturday by my employees/friends. They volunteered their time. I insisted on them being paid, but regardless it was a ton of work, passion, and took a lot of time away from their weekend.

All of the above-mentioned inspired me to replace the exhaust system. We built it up through the course of a week with one of my employees. It consists of Stainless steel tubing and a Borla muffler. In hindsight I think I should have added a resonator mid-way back between the cat and the muffler. It's not terribly loud but sometimes I have my dog in the back of the car and even though we don't speak the same language, I can tell by the look on his face that he's thinking 'why the f*** can't we go in your wife's car instead of this thing?'

Present Day: Five years on I'm still being treated by this car. I manage to drive it a couple of times a week. I work in the cycling industry and tend to ride my bike to work every day. So whenever I do drive it I feel like I'm doing it a good service. Now dealing with creeping water temperature in traffic, but I think it's a matter of the electric fan not activating. Engine does not burn oil and it's been on 10w40 conventional most of its life. Oh, and the air box is still 'Fogged'. Do any of you remember Shawn Fogg's factory airbox modification? I actually sent my airbox to him to modify it... Circa late 1999 or 2000 I think.

Alas, I'm at the point where I think we need to part ways. So I'm thinking of addressing a few things and listing it for sale. My wife can't drive it and it's a bit harsh / 'tracky'. Considering replacing with some sort of manual naturally aspirated modern era car. I know, that's a tough ask.

I'm rambling at this point. This is a long-winded introduction.












Cheers,

-=terry