re: 318 owners?

[Ron Katona <ron3b@xxxxxxxx>]

Gen Kanai wrote:
> I've been looking around for a nice E30 M3, but I'm getting discouraged.
> That, and I've decided that I really do want an airbag in my next car
> (which precludes anything but a '90 if I wanted an M3)

What discouraged you; hard to find in your area? This is a tough
decision. The newer 318 will cost more (at least initially) and perform
less, but I also decided on a new car two years ago when I bought my
318ti. There are pros and cons each way. It would be nice to have a
318ti for a daily driver and a E30 M3 for a racer, but my wallet is not
bottemless.

> So I've been buying up the magazines and reading old copies of European Car
> (nice production values that one...) and I've really taken a liking to the
> lines of the 318ti.  I know a lot of people consider it a baby BMW or a car
> mostly for the "fairer sex" (however you want to read that-either
> interpretation is fine by me), but I like the stance it has.

Is fairer sex like safer sex? She has to pay for dinner. She has to call
you the next day - what? I think I'd be interested in fairer sex! :-)

Seriously, if it's BMW enough for the BMW CCA pres. (two 318ti's in the
family), it's BMW enough for me. Hell, who cares anyway?

> I don't know much about this car and was wondering who on the list has 318s
> (i, is, ti, whatever) and what you think about the engine in stock
> configuration.  Also, if anyone has done a significant mod to the engine,
> I'd love to hear about it.

Check out: http://207.181.127.133/bmwcompact/  From there you'll find a
mailing list, archives, web sites, etc., devoted to the Compact and its
M42/44 series engine. Lots of good stuff - about 300 members on the
list.

In stock configuration the engine is rev-happy but has a flatter torque
curve that most DOHC 16v fours. It's adequate in this car just as it is
in the 50lb lighter Z3 1.9. I would recommend _only_ a manual tranny
with these cars. You have to keep it on the boil (3500+ rpm) to get any
real performance in a 2800 lb car. You'll get used to shifting more
frequently, but there's a certain satisfaction in being able to drive
the crap out of it without attracting a lot of attention from the law.
It's not fast, not slow, but average by today's standards (which would
have been fast in this class of car 10 years ago). The enjoyment of
driving this car comes in the twisties. This car feels a lot more
powerful on a curvy road and is lots of fun at an autocross or drivers'
school. The engine is very robust as well. I've heard no horror stories
from owners who club race, autocross, or do drivers' schools in the car
and regularly rev to the limiter - tough little motor.

Yes, there are mods from the typical filter and exhaust (little gain,
but the Supersprint sounds great) stuff to aftermarket forced induction
kits, 400 hp custom turbo installations, as well as engine swaps from
325/328/M3s. RD Sport has a cam, exhaust, and chip upgrade for the '95s
worth about 30 hp. They are working on a similar package for OBD-II
cars. 168 hp in this car equals the output of the European 2.5 liter
323ti and produces a power/weight ratio roughly equal to a 328i/is. This
seems to be very near the limit of what one can expect from a naturally
aspirated M42/44 without getting very expensive. Schnitzer and RD Sport
also have stroker kits in various sizes that make power about in the E30
M3 (US) range - big money though. Jim C. has a chip available for the
'95 (M42) models, Garrett Lim has one for the M44 (OBD-II) '96 and up
models. Both offer nice gains in performance, higher rev limits, no
speed limiter.

[...]
> I saw a '96 318ti in immaculate condition (black/black, 5spd, sport
> package) with 13K miles for $19900 and was wondering how unrealistic that
> was.  Other, older 318tis I've seen are below $15K for sure and some are
> even around $12K which is much closer to what I'd like to pay.

$19,900 sounds a bit high - I'm thinkin' $17-$18k. I paid under $23k for
a brand new '97. A friend recently traded in a '96 Sport for $15k, so
the dealer should be able to part with it for well under $20k. Then
again, I'm not in the business, so maybe that's the going price. I'd be
happy to know my resale was that good, but I doubt it is.

The biggest advantage that the E36 318s have is that they carry less
weight over the front wheels than the 6 pots. They all feel very nimble
and tossable as a result. I've driven E36 323s and 328s and there is a
difference that can immediately be felt. Those are great cars, but I
feel the extra weight in the handling. How that translates to actual
performance, who knows, but the 318s are no less enjoyable to drive. Set
the suspension up for a bit of oversteer to compensate for the lack of
torque and you've got a real fun ride.
- -- 
Ron Katona

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