My car buying dilema (240sx vs 318ti vs mr2)
 

I have been searching for awhile to find a car that looks better and actually seems like it is as good as the 1995-1996 240sx...a car I've wanted since I was 18 (I'm almost 24 now). The 318ti for some reason really strikes me as a great car. I've always liked BMWs, but the 318ti is almost too nice to pass up.

What could I expect in the 1/4mile from an otherwise stock ti with a DASC...I've seen power numbers posted, specs, etc...but nothing about performance.

Another car I'm considering is an MR2 turbo, but I think it's too small for me (I'm 6'2") and I'm sure with a few mods I'd lose my license.

I also can't seem to find turning radius for the 318ti...I know the wheelbase is something like 106in...which is actually a bit more than the 240sx (99-101inches I think) or mr2 (99inches or so)...can you guys do a u-turn on a two lane road without driving in the dirt? I heard parallel parking is easy, so maybe it does turn pretty tightly.

I could do a u-turn on a 1 lane road if I work the clutch right:biggrin:. The reason parking is easy is because there's no trunk. The bottom of the rear windshield is practically your reference point. The DASC+ Nick G software will give you just over 200 ponies. Sure the other cars are competetively priced and there's tons of power mods for them, but they're just not as cool as the Bimmers. Especially the Ti!!! Sure you could make a Nissan fast, but in the end it's still a Nissan. Nothing against them, Toyota's and Nissan's are both great reliable cars with incredible performance capabilities. But everyone has them. Sometimes it's nice to be different. If you really want to be cool, buy a Bimmer, do the M3 3.2L engine swap and turbo or super charge it later down the road when you could save up the cash. Then you're looking at a really lightweight and exrtemely fast car with about 450hp!!! Nothing will touch it.

I can turn around with 2 lanes and a bit of sholder, the car turns quite nice, IDK teh numbers though. This car is soooo easy to park!!

I meant without smoking the rear tires :biggrin:

I have read that the DASC offers 200hp, but I what I haven't been able to find is a single timeslip. I know the car even with the supercharger isn't ultra fast, but I would like to know where it falls compared to other cars.

Also does anyone know if you hear a supercharger whine?? especially inside the car...I've watched some youtube videos of certain cars with superchargers and they have a really annoying whine across the entire rev range.

Glad I came across this forum and looked into the car more. I had seen them on the road, but never really considered them over a 328. Now I think this car might be what I really want. And the kicker is it's actually a lot more common than most of the cars I've been searching for (infiniti m30 hard top, nissan 240sx se '95-96, mr2 mkii turbo, subaru svx, etc).

You can hear the supercharger but it's not loud. Eaton blower were designed to make less noise than most. The twisted vanes help keep it quiet.

While you are spot on about a boosted 318ti not being ultra fast, it is very quick in traffic. Pulling away from traffic is very easy, both from a dead stop and on the highway. The 240 is nice, but it's the new Civic, everyone wants/has one.

MR2 dude! I love my car, but will buy an MR2 one day! (second gen MR2 that is)

Turning radius on BMW cars is better than the turning radius on anything out there... I always laugh when I see people in big land boats making u-turns and they need three lanes and they still end up having to reverse the car, or end up in the dirt... Even the big BMW cars such as the 5 series wagon or the 7 series sedans have great turning capabilities.


If you don't think you are responsible enough to handle a high horsepower car the Ti is perfect... You won't win any red light drag races, but hey, you shouldn't be doing that kind of crap anyways.. A Ti is more of a nimble lets go fast through some corners kind of car.

exactly what I was thinking, plus higher maintenance costs because it's been turbo its whole life, rear tires wear out very quickly (they are toed-in from the factory for more stability), and how rare they are...the number overall aren't that far off a 318ti, but when you factor in the many were non-turbo, nearly all the turbos had t-tops and a bunch were a color I don't particularly like (yellow, blue, red, teal, etc) - when you sift through all the options you want you notice there are barely any within the entire US that were ever sold with what you wanted on them. You could argue about swapping engines, drivetrain, interior parts, paint jobs, but then you get out of the great price range the car is in...I digress lol

The 240sx is quite common and in stock form is really quite bland and boring, but a 318ti although not very fast is amazing in what it offers for the price.

Is there a sticky on any website about what options were offered for what years and what colors were offered? How about how many california tops were sold and what years they were offered?

I'm thinking I want a sunroof/moonroof with traction control...I'd prefer no abs though...obviously a 5-speed too :cool:

EDIT: found a few scraps of info about the 318ti and I guess the tcs uses abs sensors to tell if the car is losing grip...I guess I'll have to go without tcs or comprimise a little and get abs

I was looking at many of the same cars as you, but love my ti. Most of the 240s are modified for drifting and pretty spendy. They also don't have much more power and get worse MPG. I am 6'6" and fit the ti fine, with a sunroof!? I couldn't begin to get into a 2nd gen MR2, I tried. Basically, when they went from the M42 (OBD-I) to the M44 (OBD-II) in mid '96 the LSD option went away and ASC+T (traction control) showed up. I have a '98 and really like the ASC+T, I didn't think I would, but it works very well in faster turns and snow. You can turn it off with a button on the dash. I also found an LSD from an earlier car and am getting ready to install it.