I have owned, a couple Bmw's in the past, and currently own a 97 m3 and a 00 m5. I had never read much into the ti thinking it was just a funny little short version of the e36's. We've had to downsize the cars recently due to some unforseen bills and our fast approaching wedding (tommorow). So I was out looking for a cheaper BMW as a DD, when i ran across an avus blue 98 318ti, with a suspected headgasket problem. I picked it up for $500, and it was in decent shape for the price. If i couldn't get the engine to work, i would just swap in my s52 from my m3, that I am parting out (I'm doing this anyway, once i learned the car was 400lbs lighter).
More of the swap to follow in a build thread, which will be a cross-post thread with ohiobimmers.com.
This looks like a good community with lots of info, and a good tolerance for trying something different.
Pics of my M3 prior to dismantlement,
New ti owner from ohio 
I sent you a pm on ohiobimmers. Had a could of swap questions. 
Linear Mode
