I may join the 'dark' side...

[Treppiede]

What's Up Guys?

My name is Walter and I currently own a 1991 Talon TSi AWD heavily modded (~420+ awhp) and a 1995 Subaru SVX AWD (bone stock). The Talon is currently parked patiently waiting for some major upgrades (standalone, bigger FMIC, water injection), and the SVX is my daily driver.

Gas prices have been killing me lately, and the 3.3 flat-6 motor on the SVX is costing me around $200 monthly only in gas! I love my Subie but right now I can't afford that, so I've been looking around for a vehicle that can give me better gas mileage. I may therefore put my SVX on eBay within the next weeks...

A little Civic hatchback would have been the perfect choice for me if all I cared about was mileage. But I don't really see myself driving around in a little Civic, I wanted something with a small engine but with respectable looks, so I started looking into the E36 series. I've decided that the 318ti is probably the best match for me because it's more compact, besides the fact that the 1.8/1.9 4-bangers seem to yeld around 22/32 mpg (MT, of course). Then there's the RWD factor: I've always loved AWD as you can deduce but I've always wanted to own a RWD. FWD is out of the question.

So here I am, reading your Forum and the numerous useful links your threads point me to. So far I've been able to find answers to almost every question I had on this topic, however if any of you guys can give me advice on "what do I want my future 318ti to be equipped with" besides the great info on this site I will immensely appreciate it, as that will help me narrow my search down to a specific year/model.

Thank you in advance for the space, and be safe!

Walter

[cali-ti]

depends on your preferences i guess ...

leather? sunroof? california top? 5-speed vs auto (i'm guessing you're a manual trans guy ), traction control, limited slip diff (forget when they were and weren't available), sports package, club sport (only offered in 95 if memory serves) ...

[Treppiede]

Thanks for the reply man.

Originally Posted by cali-ti

i'm guessing you're a manual trans guy

You guessed right, my one and only AT car is the SVX and the only reason I bought it is because it was never offered with MT and I was planning a 6-speed STi swap. I don't like AT at all and I will never understand it.

Anyways, more than trim and options, I was referring to technical specification, such as suspension/ECU/motor changes over the years.

Thanks!

Walter

[mickd]

What do you mean by "Dark Side"? You might find you like BMW's better if you get one. I did like the SVX when it came out, seldom see them anymore. Spotted one just a few weeks ago.

[CirrusSR22]

I guess the biggest difference between the cars was the switch to the M44 engine in 1996. M42 engines are only in the 1995 models (first year in the USA). It (M42) was OBD I and had a forged crankshaft but less torque than the newer M44 (OBD II).

Some people seem to swear by the M42, saying it was a great engine, and that the M44's are "cheap", whatever that means. My M44 has 115,000 miles and it runs beautifully.

Suspension wise, I believe your only 2 options are the base models, with the normal suspension, and the sport package suspension.

The sport package suspension lowers the car .6", had firmer shocks and I believe had slightly thicker sway bars.

Also, I think in April of 1998, the 318ti got upgraded front brakes. Before then, the front rotors were thin and solid and they used unique (to the other 3's) front calipers. The newer calipers are good because you can easily upgrade to E46 325 brakes by just buying new caliper brackets, and rotors

[aceyx]

do you plan on modding this as much as the talon or just keeping it as your stock, daily driver?

also, what part of the country do you live in (is snow a problem)?

[Treppiede]

Originally Posted by mickd

What do you mean by "Dark Side"?

Eheheh... well I've always owned Jap cars, so I am new to the German tuning world... although I was born and lived in Rome (Italy) all my life until the year 2000 which is when I moved here in the USA.

To me it's either Euro or Jap cars. The only american car I would ever buy is a Jeep Wrangler.

CirrusSR22: Thanks so much for the great deal of info, that is exactly what I was looking for. If any of you guys comes up with any further details it will be immensely appreciated. In the mean time, I will be doing some further research to better understand the differences between the M42 and the M44.

Regards,

Walter