About to get another car

[phantommaggot]

Hey guys.
So, the past couple years I've been living dad life. Made the mistake of selling my beater s12 and track built aw11 and buying a 2000 LGT turtle.

The legacy handles great but is soo heavy, slow, and unresponsive. I'm going through sports car withdrawal lol. And honestly, its just as easy to get a kid in and out of a roomy coupe as it is a small sedan. My daughter is old enough to do it herself so I'm going back to a coupe of some sort and probably a cheap legacy wagon beater.

I've been looking at cars here recently.. I can't decide exactly what route to go. I thought about a 318ti a few years back but didn't want to put out the cash and my friends experience whth their e36 cars (325is msport and m3)kind of put me off the bmw. Both of them have STIs now lol.

My love for the corrado is what put me on to the 318ti. They look pretty similar. While nothing looks as good (to me) as a G60 corrado, The bmw is RWD, and seems to have more available for it. So I've found myself here doing research.

I've read through and can't seem to find definitive answers to certain questions. That said, I haven't had a whole lot of time.

If the window tabs are broke and they have to be guided up, does that mean I'd have to get regulators? I had this problem in my corrado and it was stupid expensive and quite the hassle because a 5 dollar piece of plastic broke.

I was reading about forced induction and I read the 95 motors had forged internals but people would rather boost the later engines because they can be chipped. Is there a reason you guys don't just piggyback tune or get a stand alone?

Are there any other super cost issues related to the car. ECUs that fry or some other stuff like that?

Anyways
Thanks a lot
-j

[jca]

The cooling system is the weakest link in these cars, all the it. Window systems can be problematic, because most ti's have never had the various tracks and pivots lubed with lithium grease. Getting the door cards to stay on tight takes some effort because the plastic mounts usually pull off when the card is pried off the door. JB Weld fixes that problem...forever. The m-44 and m-42 are overbuilt and little addition power can be had without turbo or super charging. The cars are a blast to drive and if you don't mind doing preventive maintenance, they hold up well. Good luck. John

[Coyoteh]

The windows are a problem, but at least in my case it was a lot easier to fix than I thought, after getting help from an awesome member here (wolferj).

The plastic sliders and the regulators are the biggest problem. Make sure to lube with lithium grease. The sliders sometimes break, but can be replaced easily and don't cost much. The regulators can become bent, but sometimes simply bending it back into shape can fix it. If not, the same regulators are used on an E36 sedan so shouldn't be too difficult to find cheap at a junkyard for example.

[phantommaggot]

There is one local that is pretty clean but both windows are bad so its kinda cheap. How much could it cost me to fix worst case?

As far as cooling, Is it because of the plastic parts? Or is it just inadequate and a upgraded thermostat and aluminum radiator would take care of it?

[phantommaggot]

So, I've had a hit or 2 on my subaru. As soon as it sells I'll be on a hard search.
Only thing for sale locally I'm remotely interested in has over 200k miles on it. Is that a problem for the little 4banger?

[pdxmotorhead]

Mine has 220K no issues, there is a high mile thread on here somewhere.

At some point it going to need a cam chain guide set. Not the worst job ever,, I kind of plan on obtaining another M42 long block and being ready for the day.. Have a local race engine builder that's interested in the experiment..

Dave

[phantommaggot]

So, dicking around the forums last night I came across the 318ti in a very nice light blue/green color... I like that color...

Aren't the m42s forged inside? Are you gonna try to build it N/A or Boost it?

[pdxmotorhead]

Just NA,, Mostly its going to get nice pistons and the head cleaned up. Idea is to build a motor that will drop in and run, but pick up any thing we can as its built. But right now its #3 in the motor toy project line, My Bike and Jeep are side by side in the garage right now.... LOL My builder wants to do the work so he can see about making one of these fit in a dirt midget.. 318 motors are a dime a dozen and the cross flow twin cam design makes them a natural. Should make about 400 on methanol...

Dave

[jca]

Originally Posted by phantommaggot

So, dicking around the forums last night I came across the 318ti in a very nice light blue/green color... I like that color...

Aren't the m42s forged inside? Are you gonna try to build it N/A or Boost it?

"Moreagrun"...a relatively rare color.

[phantommaggot]

rare and amazing

Think I found a car..

I'm debating between the 318 I found and a couple gc style imprezas.

I really can't get into the interior in the bimmers... 2 cupholders and a little square cubby isn't much of a center console... It just doesn't seem.. hospitable..

However the car I came across has about every suspension mod done and the 3.73 diff. I guess to me its a toss up on convenience over cool..lol..

The only flaw listed in the ad "The only thing it could use is a new intake camshaft position sensor. It gives off the CEL p1423, the part costs $100. It still runs flawlessly. "