OK. I want a Ti, what year is best?

[track3d]

Also, can I fit 2 kids seat in the back easy enough? I want a fun to drive high mpg car/grocery getter.

It seems like it might be best to buy one with over 120k and repairs instead of Right before it need those repairs.

Does it use a timing belt? Collision engine?

Is it faster than the old Integra with a 1.6?
THANKS!!

[96cali]

I actually think it's easier to buckle in my 3 yo daughter into the Ti than our 4 door Passat. A lot of it has to do with how big you are (me = 5'9" 175lbs). For kids I think it's fine back there. I have ridden in the back and there's just enough head room.

Timing chain, what's a collision engine?? I had an '88 Integra and I would say the Teg was faster but the Ti corners better due to RWD and is more substantial feeling overall. Highway cruising is a little noisy with a manual shift due to the 3.45 differential ratio (3500 rpm at 75mph). In general a well maintained BMW with records is worth more than a poorly maintained one regardless of milage. Personally I would rather negotiate a good deal on a car that needs some minor work and then find a mechanic I trust to do the work well and use quality parts.

Good luck- where are you?

PS: The ti got marginal upgrades over it's 5 year run so it boils down to individual cars, no one year is clearly better. Look for one with low miles, sport model, right color, etc.

[track3d]

Thanks. I had a 1986 Integra LS that was a great car, that was my only 4 cyl except for old school VW's back in the day.

I am on the look for a good 318ti, 5 spd any color but black. It looks like it will take some time...

A collision engine is like a Honda where if the t-belt brakes, the pistons smash the valves. The ti uses a chain-right?

[BleMW]

timing chain

[96cali]

Originally Posted by track3d

Thanks. I had a 1986 Integra LS that was a great car, that was my only 4 cyl except for old school VW's back in the day.

WOOT! Holla for the Gen 1 teggie! I loved that car till she got rear ended with 188k on her. Original clutch and suspension, handled like a gocart.

[tastade]

My opinion is the best Honda's were in the 88-92 time frame. They were lightweight, nimble, and felt like they wanted to be driven. I had a '91 Prelude that I loved.

On to your questions. Kids, yes they fit fine in the back seat. How old? I have a 2 year old son, and it is a little difficult to get him in and out of the back seat. He sits on the side (not the middle of) and is in a 5 point harness seat still. My complaint is the seatbelt buckle for the rear seats is just the wrong length to tighten certain models of car seats correctly. A booster seat would be fine. However, this isn't a show stopper, as you just need to find a seat that works and or work at it for awhile until you have it tight enough.

I don't know if the Ti is an interference engine, but it does have a timing chain as stated. The chain has a good design and is not prone to any trouble that I am aware of. It is a double wide chain and has suitable guides. No guide/tension problems like the Toyota 22RE motor had.

It is a great car, and I like it a lot. It isn't an ideal car for kids, but it will work fine. Gas mileage is good, most people get 26 to 35, but I only get 22-33 or so, but I just changed my O2 sensor so that should help. Realize that BMWs don't use overdrive, so the highway fuel economy is lower accordingly. The manual is a 5 speed (and 5th gear is 1:1, not overdriven). The gearing makes it fun to drive.

These are very high quality vehicles. They are usually reliable for 200k miles or more, but they do require regular maintenance that might be expensive at your local shop. If you work on vehicles yourself they aren't particularly expensive to work on, you just have to order the parts because they don't stock them. And invest in odd sizes of tools, like a set of allen key sockets (including larger 14 and 17mm), and all the off sizes of wrenches, like 11mm, 13mm, etc. Japanese cars seem to use exclusively 10, 12, 14, and 17 mm, where it seems like the BMW uses about anything.

What I have been impressed with is the quality of everything. All the bolts are high quality metal, everything is fit nicely, the sheet metal is higher quality (Honda's have really cheap sheet metal from that time, push on them and they dent). When I loosened my O2 sensor, I turned it just 1/8th of a turn and it was hand tight, and that was with 142k miles. They use metal that doesn't corrode as quickly, which does cost more but is nice to work on later.

I think the M42 and the M44 are two of BMWs most reliable engines. They are good for a lot of miles, but they do have some plastic parts that need attention after awhile, like the water pump (M44 only, I think), and some plastic coolant lines. The M42 is only on the 1995 and the M44 is on 1996 and on. The M42 is OBDI and the M44 is OBDII. I don't think there are any years to avoid. The only trouble I have is that even though I have a 1995 model, it was built 10/95 so it has some of the 96 parts on it, like the oil filter housing, and some other stuff, that makes it so I have to be careful when I buy parts or it doesn't fit. Some shops know this and give me the right part (Napa, BMW dealer), but others do not (about everywhere else).

The car is also very fun to drive, I have the '95 Club Sport model which is virtually identical to the 1996+ Sport models, these models have sportier suspension and appearence packages, which adds to the fun. The other models are also good, but lack some of the sporty appeal and are geared more toward daily drivers. I don't even have cruise control. It all depends on what you want.

[TheFlyingScotsman]

MPG on these cars aint anything to write home about, infact it pish! :-S

You are looking at 25MPG!

Im only 17 yrs old and my Ti is skinning me on fuel!

[pdxmotorhead]

Mine gets 25-26 city 32 highway (At 70MPH on cruise)
I get slightly better mileage on 89 than 92 octane at higher altitudes.

Dave

[Mad-Machine]

25mpg? I usually get around 29/30 on mine.. but I do VERY little stop and go, mostly backroads where I can keep a steady 40+ mph for miles on end.

If your kids will fit into the back of an E36 coupe', they will fit into a TI. The Ti has the same wheelbase as the other cars in the E36 lineup, we just have slightly smaller doors than the coupe'

[momorugger]

Gas mileage depends on how you drive (duh!). I've found that if I baby it everywhere she'll give me about 34 mpg city. Prob is I normally get 24 mpg. I think I've been in top gear twice! haha

[Mothman]

I tested my gas milage, California Hwy, (STOP AND GO) from the 101 to the south on the 405.

I traveled 382 miles at 29.89 miles per/gal with a refuel of 12.78 gallons of gas.

I currently have 211k miles without using seafoam and I have never changed my O2 senors or fuel filters. Just oil every 3k, Spark plugs 30k, and belts 50k. I just replaced all the fuses at 208k and right tail light bulb. At 202k I did change out the PCV and radiator at 205k.

Equation: Distance traveled / Fuel = Mileage per gallon

Originally Posted by Mad-Machine

25mpg? I usually get around 29/30 on mine.. but I do VERY little stop and go, mostly backroads where I can keep a steady 40+ mph for miles on end.

If your kids will fit into the back of an E36 coupe', they will fit into a TI. The Ti has the same wheelbase as the other cars in the E36 lineup, we just have slightly smaller doors than the coupe'

[track3d]

Thanks for the replys! Now to find one that is taken care of.

[3DGE]

My dad is foot, 250lbs, he fits in the backseat quite nicely with lots of extra legroom.

[96cali]

Originally Posted by 3DGE

My dad is foot, 250lbs, he fits in the backseat quite nicely with lots of extra legroom.

Big foot?

I'd love to see that.

[TheFlyingScotsman]

I use 99RON fuel, only get early 20's to the gallon, which is ****e!

Audi RS4 etc will get almost the same, despite the slight performance gap!