» Site Navigation | | » Recent Threads | | | | | | | 12-19-2005, 08:04 AM | #1 | Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 15 | 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! | | | 12-19-2005, 08:19 AM | #2 | Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: cary, nc Posts: 2,259 | 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! __________________ 1995 318ti Active Pioneer Speakers [] Aluminum Billet door locks [] ACS Pedals/Deadrest [] ACS Shift Knob / E-Brake Handle [] Clear Corners/Tails/Sides [] Sylvania Exterior Lighting [] Custom CAI [] Dinan Engine Chip [] Dinan Transmission Chip [] H&R Race Springs [] Tokico Illumina Shocks [] BMW X-Brace [] Relocated Lighter Mod [] Custom iPod Mod http://www.cardomain.com/id/robcarync | | | 12-19-2005, 08:23 AM | #3 | Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 15 | 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? | | | 12-19-2005, 08:38 AM | #4 | Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Canada Posts: 465 | Haha, yah, thats kind of a sarcastic analogy that some smartasses use to describe any "entry-level" model of a car. As ridiculous as it may sound, Ive 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 cant 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! __________________ | | | 12-19-2005, 08:48 AM | #5 | Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Canada Posts: 465 | Quote: Originally Posted by pcmedics911 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? | Just to set your mind at ease, ti's have a relatively bulletproof service history. Unless improperly maintained, you shouldnt 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. __________________ | | | 12-19-2005, 11:23 AM | #6 | Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: bris Posts: 287 | 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.. | | | 12-19-2005, 12:39 PM | #7 | Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: southern CA Posts: 127 | Ti's handle better than bmw sedans, or at least mine does __________________ 1996 318ti sport model, m3 bumper cover, velocity splitter, AKG shift knob, factory clears, super sprint exhaust, UUC floormats, UUC tranny mounts, UUC clutch bushings, UUC shifter bushings, Powerflex LCABS... replaced with treehouse eyeballs, front sway bar bushings, RTABS, TMS rear shock mounts, Bilsteins, Xbrace, sparco strut brace, AKG subframe bushings, AKG differential mount bushing, M coupe shifter, meyle ball joints and sway bar endlinks | | | 12-19-2005, 12:55 PM | #8 | Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 228 | 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. | | | 12-19-2005, 02:10 PM | #9 | Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 9,356 | 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. __________________ ...steven BMW CCA #146825 1996 BMW 328ti 2003 MINI Cooper S 2016 M235i www.bmwcca.org | | | 12-19-2005, 02:50 PM | #10 | Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Asheville NC Posts: 669 | 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. | | | 12-19-2005, 03:22 PM | #11 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 677 | 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: ) __________________ my new world | | | 12-19-2005, 03:29 PM | #12 | Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Virginia Posts: 247 | 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! __________________ Silver 98 318ti Standard trans, Sport Package: 16" Stock Wheels, Foglamps, Sunroof, Heated Leather Seats, Bilstein performance shocks, OEM Sach's clutch kit, Dunlop SP Sport A2 225/50/16 tires, Alpine CDA 7894, Dual Rockford Fosgate 12" subs, Rockford Fosgate Amp, Leather Armrest, Replaced M44 engine with only 40k on it! http://www.geocities.com/evalha/bmwsmaller.JPG | | | 12-19-2005, 06:22 PM | #13 | Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 363 | 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... __________________ RIP Tonka Hitlerietta 08/03/04 - 01/25/05 | | | 12-19-2005, 06:37 PM | #14 | Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Manassas, VA Posts: 4,129 | 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. Quote: Originally Posted by 1996 328ti The ti does did better in Europe than the fickle American market. | __________________ 1998 (July) 318ti, 5-spd OEM Armrest Blaupunkt Heidelberg CD50 CD Player/Compact Drive MP3 Player Diamond Audio 5.25" rear speakers Navman ICN 530 GPS BMWALARM.COM (with comfort settings) after market alarm system Magnecor 8.5mm wires M-Z3 Shifter/Momo Knob Burlwood Dashboard Stromung Exhaust X-brace Racing Dynamics Front Strut Bar Carbonio C.A.I. 17" Rial Rims Vader Seats/Heated/Lumbar Support M-tech Steering Wheel/Front Sway Bar/Front & Rear Bumper Depos/w 6500K Angel Eyes/6000K HIDs Clear Corners M3 Mirrors UUC Light Weight Flywheel/M5 Clutch/M3 Clutch Slave E28 3.46 LSD/Mcoupe Cover/E30 Flanges & Halfshafts UUC S.S. Brake/Clutch Lines Hartge Roof Spoiler BavAuto Springs Bilstein Sport Struts/Shocks E46 M3 Rear Shock Mounts SPC Front Camber Kit Reiger Hatch Spoiler BavAuto Rear Camber Kit Dinan Stage II Software Turner Rear Sway Bar Reinforcements BMW E46 Auto dimming mirror with Clown Nose alarm Engine Compartment Light Heated Wiper Fluid Retrofit OEM Fire Extinguisher Da'lan Trailer Hitch Rear Sun Shade OEM Fog Light Retrofit H & R MZ3 Rear Sway Bar/ UUC Adjustable End Links Cruise Control Retrofit On Board Computer Retrofit M3 twistie style side skirts Carbon Fiber Hood | | | 12-19-2005, 06:56 PM | #15 | aka Stabby Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mead, CO Posts: 5,336 | Quote: Originally Posted by L84THSKY 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. __________________ 1996 318ti, California package, 267k miles current mods: bilstein sports, bavauto springs, e30 m3 LCABs, solid metal ball joints, bavauto RSMs w/reinforcements, e30 3.73 LSD & halfshafts, supersprint cat-back exhaust, turner rear sway bar reinforcements, IE poly subframe & RTABs + camber/toe kits, powdercoated e36 32x front calipers, sport mirrors, H&R 28mmF/19mmR sway bars, x-brace, auto solutions SSK w/poly bushing upgrade, BMW CD43 head unit, DICE HD Radio w/iPod integration and "stealth" HD antenna, staggered style 68s, orange electronic TPMS, leather arm rest, JT Designs metal undertray acquired and awaiting install: heated seat kit, cali top switch relo, lumbar support kit, park distance control kit, heated washer nozzle kit, m-coupe rear subframe, trailing arms, differential, and halfshafts, m-coupe front/rear brakes with master cylinder, under hood light kit, mud flaps, rear sun blind, auto-dimming rear view mirror, tilt steering wheel retrofit, apexcone 5000K HIDs with 55W ballasts 2002 X5 4.4 Sport Package, 53.5k miles Current Mods: e46 m3 steering wheel | | | | | Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | | Posting Rules | You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | |