318ti....poor man's BMW?
 

Newbie here and I caught wind from a local BMW repair shop mechanic who suggested the 318ti is considered the poor man's BMW.

I was not offended by this since he went on to give analogies about how BMW only had the 318ti for a short run, much like the Pontiac Fiero line. Ultimately, he said it was just a run that did not have the demand to keep the 318 series going.

Just thought I'd get some feedback from other 318ti owners. The cost of mechanical work sure does not appear to be a "poor man's bmw" considering oil changes, paint and various tune ups are still up there!

ive heard it called "the poor mans bmw" before...hell ive called it that a few times..

compared to other bmw cars...it is less expensive to buy, but the work and parts are still just as expensive as the others!

i love the car though...i ended up 'settling' for the ti because my parents didnt want to spend enough to money for a 325i or such...but now i have grown to love the car!

wow! So I don't need to be shocked or suprised at the "poor man's bmw" comment.

To settle for the 318ti over another 318 series...big ? now.

I have a 318ti 96 with 92K. I'm thinking about selling it after his comment. I don't need to have the a higher end BMW, but the costs of parts and service are just as much as the 318ti's big brothers. Heck, if I"m going down might as well go down in flames on part and service right?

Haha, yah, that’s kind of a sarcastic analogy that some smartasses use to describe any "entry-level" model of a car. As ridiculous as it may sound, I’ve even heard people call the Bentley Continental GT coupe a poor mans Bentley, since it borrows parts from its parent company VW, and is the least expensive model in the Bentley line up.

Albeit the entry model for Bmw from 95 to 99, in the B.C. Canadian market, a well maintained ti can fetch more than or be priced equivalent to a 318i or 318is. The fact of the matter is, you just can’t find many around here, and market demand is boosting the prices up, so for many, the so called "poor mans Bmw" may have been a better investment than the sedan or coupe. Keep in mind that in Europe, the ti had a very successful run in the e36 & e46 body style and I feel that they would have done better in North America if they would have offered us a 6-cylinder engine as they did in the European market. But hey, maybe this means that someday our car will become somewhat of a collectors item! :wink:

Just to set your mind at ease, ti's have a relatively bulletproof service history. Unless improperly maintained, you shouldn’t run into many problems with them. I also have a 96 ti with similar mileage (which I have owned since new) and I can honestly tell you that over all these years I can count on 1 hand how many problems I have had with the car, and non of them have been major or cost me a lot of money. I know that many of the people on this forum share the same sentiment.

I wouldn't trade the ti for the 318i or 318is no way. I like the look of the ti much better.
Poor mans BMW? Well I am young, and I admit quite poor.

I bought my car with 94k miles and now have 132k miles.
Friends thought i was stupid buying car with that many miles, but car is still as smooth as silk. An older friend who is a BMW enthusiast with a e46 330ci and an e30 m3 convinced me to buy the ti he said no better BMW value for money.

He reffered my 96 sport ti as a no fuss drivers car. I like that analogy. the 318ti more of a drivers car, and the sedans more family cars..

Ti's handle better than bmw sedans, or at least mine does:rockon:

If I had a dime for every 325/330 I've seen in the indianapolis area I'd be rich. I have seen one 318ti on the Northeast side by Keystone mall (it was dark green). I can't say I understand what would make you want to sell the car. It's a BMW through and through. Perhaps you just don't fall in the market for the hatchback?

Have you considered changing your own oil? It costs me $25-$30 for synthetic oil and a filter. Much cheaper than $80+tax that the dealers charge.

The ti was no question, an entry level vehicle.
The dash and rear suspendion was a bit outdated compared to its E36 siblings.
I like it though. The ti is still BMW through and through.
Although BMW NA claims sales weren't good, it wasn't like they sat on the lot.
The ti does did better in Europe than the fickle American market.

This is my first post! been lurking around here for a while

I originally bought a 318ti for my wife since she wanted a small car to drive. Traditionally I like older bmws and didn't think I cared for the ti too much. Last week I just bought a second one for myself because I like it. This car is going to replace my 88 model m5, which is not a poor man's bmw! I wouldn't worry what other people think anyway, all that matters is that you like it. I also like having a car that people don't see too often. We get comments on my wife's car all the time, mostly because people haven't seen one before. My car will be even that much better with the california top! Every bmw is special in it's own way, and I've yet to find a model that I didn't like.

lol you will get people saying 2 things....its a poor mans BMW because they are morons who dont know anything and that our cars look ridiculous because it doesnt have a long trunk.....

The cars are amazing, dont let what people say fool you, those who mock it never been in one or driven one. 90% of my friends made fun of it until I gave them a ride and it quickly changed their tune, and most of the other people dont know BMW for the life of them so they will look at it like, wow you drive a BMW thats cool good for you. It is expensive up keep, just take care of it and dont drive it to death. Good luck though! They truly are wonderful cars and the handling in them is amazing (I have my fun moments :hehe: )

Well, my particular model was 29k back in 1998 when it was new... I doubt if 325s were too much more than that back then. I have heard that in 98' the 318ti was rated as the second best handling car in the world for under 30k. So, yes it is the cheapest BMW, but it IS still a BMW!

I'd rather take a 318ti than most of the E36 models anyways, but mostly because it has a special place in my heart. I do like those E36 convertibles tho...

Speaking of American cars in Europe, they're practically non existent!

Americans are stupid enough to buy "American" cars out of loyalty or a false sense of quality. All foreign cars compete in Europe, Americas and Asia. That gives them a more objective qualitative measurement. No one outside of the Americas, would buy an American car, either because of the gas guzzling engines, inferior quality, or lack of parts.

When Amerians stop buying US cars, the US car companies will have no market. That is why they have joint ventures and ownership with foreign auto makers. They see the writing on the wall.

BTW, I own hundreds of American Made products, but a car will never be one of them.

i was thinking the US cars made elsewhere might have better quality. my friend at work just got a new GTO, made in australia. problems with the shifter (replaced bushing or linkage), coolant leak (supposedly one of the clamps was loose), power steering leak (no word yet on the fix) ... forget what else, i think the oil was low too. this thing is brand new! you don't want to hear about what all he went through with his previous pontiac grand prix ... that thing was in the shop more than in his garage i think. the leaking of water into the floor area from below i think was my favorite.