Will a 318ti work for me?
 

Guys and gals, I am a complete newbie as far as BMWs go. I am looking at a 96 ti with 91,000 miles for $5,200. This seems to be a good price and very low mileage for the most part.

Here are my questions:

Will I fit fairly well in the car? I am 5"11" and weigh 220lbs with most of the weight in my chest and shoulders

Will the car nickle and dime me to death? I don't mind doing minor repairs that an be done by myself. Hell, my other vehicle is a 95 Cherokee sport with 170,000 miles on it so I am used to doing some work to keep a car going.

Will it be reliable enough to use for long drives as I am military and go TDY a lot to different parts of the country? I will also be using it as a daily driver.

I know there isn't a lot of room in one for my gear, but I was thinking a bolt on Yakima rack and cargo carrier would work for some of these trips.

The reason I am considering one has to do with the BMW quality, gas mileage combined with the handling of a rear wheel drive.

this car will run forever as long as you keep up on regular maintenance.

you will fit fine in the car. there are plenty of people on this site that are above 6 ft and are fine.

also space wise you will be SHOCKED the back seats fold down and leave you with a large amount of space to fit all sorts of stuff.

sounds like a ti will fit your needs very well

im 6'1" and i fit fine, so i see no problem with you fitting.

and once you drive the car for a while, you will love it, my family drives only bmws, and we have 30 of our own.


also, welcome to the site.

Sounds good so far. I will do some more research and give them a call tomorrow.

I just hope they don't sell it before I can get my financing and other paperwork in order.

+1. The soft spots on the Ti are predictable. I am on my second one and they are very reliable. You should prepare yourself for the usual "discovery phase" of ownership when you put in some $/time but really, I never hesitated to take mine anywhere anytime. BTW there is also a Da'lan (D'lan?) trailer hitch available that is pretty invisible w/o the ball. This would allow you to carry gear behind you which is more aerodynamic and does not scratch your car.

cali-ti has the hitch and its very nice.

heres a link to erics gallery
http://www.318ti.org/gallery/showgal...00&ppuser=1131

5 11 215 lbs fit fine
i use mine as a commuter car 90miles a day
avg 33 mpg not the fastest thing out there.
i paid 2700 for a 96 with 83k miles
the only thing i dont like is the car needs a 6 speed
75mph=3700rpms
had it for a year replaced thermostat and window regulator

Or get the engine turning a bit faster (5000 rpm in fifth is good :wink:) to escape that drone.

6' 6" chiming in. (I drive an auto though)

6'2" 200...
room to spare!

5'11 240, I could lift the car over my head:yikes:
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...ijesse_WEB.jpg

True, it is not the quietest car out there. An e34 525i wagon would be a nice choice but they are all 13-18 years old and they will nickle/dime you from what I hear. People love them just the same.... like us. :rolleyes:

c'mon guys, nobody thought that was funny?

I am 6'3" and about 215. This car fits me nice.
Trust me, you won't be disappointed by it.

LMFAO
yes...that is a riot!
thank you for the LAUGH i needed it