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318ti Stuff

> From: lolla <lolla@domain.elided>
> Date: Mon, 02 Sep 1996 14:39:03 -0700lolla <lolla@domain.elided> wrote:
> Subject: 318ti Sports Edition

> I haven't been on the list for a long time, so I haven't seen a any
> posts on the 318ti??  Good ? bad? didn't hit any in the archives either!

Since I haven't seen much about the 318ti either, here's my DM.02...
We bought a pair of ti's last February and have been generally pleased. 

 There were minor glitches with both of them: On one the Air Flow 
Meter/Sensor had to be replaced (the car stalled and would not start - 
pretty embarrassing), and on the other the turn signal stalk did not 
operate the OBC like it was supposed to.  The dealer (Rasmussen BMW, 
Portland, OR) was a little complacent about getting these things fixed 
until I got a little angry, talked to the owner, and generally made an 
ass of myself.  The service manager tried to tell me that new cars 
frequently have minor problems that need to be taken care of upon 
delivery.  I replied that I've had several new Japanese cars and none of 
them had even the slightest of problems when new or otherwise. The good 
news is: now everyone in the service dept. calls me by name, though they 
probably add "as**ole!" as soon as I'm out of earshot.

Having said that, the cars have performed quite well in the interim.  
The 318ti appears to have the same fine build quality as its more 
upscale brethren, has that patented (well it should be!) BMW feel, and  
has made trips to the coast and mountains considerably more frequent 
than when I had my last car (which ironically was a truck - a '95 
Pathfinder - which I bought with just such excursions in mind).
The console/controls are a little simpler than in the 318 sedans and 
closely resemble those in the Z3.  My only complaint performance-wise is 
about the powerplant: Ohhhhh, I wish it had the six!  For those who will 
say the four is fast enough I'll add that the difference between the 
four and six is not just power, but smoothness and refinement.  The 
four's okay, but there are a couple of places on the tach where it gets 
a little rough, and it lacks the low-rpm torque of the larger engine.

The deciding factor for me was that Japanese sport-sedans have crept up 
solidly into the $20k+ range and while Hondas and Toyotas may have 
bulletproof reputations for longevity, I think the BMW easily wins on 
other points: Safety, comfort, fun-to-drive, service, and that 
intangible BMW quality that makes me adore my BMW like I could never 
love a Honda.

Cheers!
D. Stephen Metz
BMW 318ti Active X 2
Portland. OR