New 95' 318ti owner (probably)

[AE86]

I'm a college student and I want to know the following before I buy this as my 2nd car:
EDIT:

do girls like this car?



and also, does anyone ever think you're gay when they see you in this car? Obviously not a club-sport or anything modified but a stock, base model....

(not that I care what they think but I'm just wondering.. cause when I had a miata.. umm yaaa)

[ATF]

The car is a hatchback! Yes the rear seats fold down and the deck comes out to make it into a styling cargo carrier

As for the beating. As long as the previous owner took good care of it, and you don't abuse it, why not. I'd look for other responses other than mine though.

Plenty of people track and auto-x their cars. Granted they're not running on stock parts. If you're looking to be going 80 MPH through an apex in a tight turn, you might want to consider getting some aftermarket parts.

[AE86]

Dam. well the ti i wanted was just sold.. it was not only the cheapest one I've found, but it was a *5-speed* with sport-package.
I'd like to know, whats the difference between the trims? Is the suspension really that much better in the sport package? The main reason I wanted the sports package one, besides being the cheapest and not automatic, was for those awesome fog lights!

Should I wait an eternity for another one to show up or just buy a "lower" trim and upgrade it?

#1) how much do those fog lights cost (new from dealer?/new from online?/used?)

#2) you think its worth it putting money into the suspension? i'd assume it would be cheaper and better to buy a completely aftermarket setup using Bilstein coil overs or something instead of tracking down this sports-package setup.

I dunno shiate - please help.. I'm a noob. Thank YOU

PS

are those clear corners stock? and what are those rims called/referred to?

[ATF]

Here's a little background on the 318ti

http://www.318ti.org/companion/index.php?318ti_us

You have the different trim levels: Base, Active, Sport, ClubSport

You can get ahold of an eBay Fog Light Harness + Fogs for like, $80 shipped. Hella's are more expensive, I don't know the price off the top of my head.

As for the aftermarket suspension, it's a toss up. You might find a Sport or ClubSport for $5000 and an active for $8000. Or you might find an active for $5000 and a Sport or ClubSport for $8000. I personally bought an Active, and I'm going to upgrade the Suspension to Bilstein Sports and H&R Sports.

Also, the pictures you added aren't a Sport or ClubSport. ClubSports came in Black or Red only. The clear corners aren't stock, but are available from BMW or aftermarket. Hope that helps.

Edit: I can't actually tell you if that isn't a sport or not. It could be a '95 Sport, but the body colored side view mirrors would make me think otherwise. Does it have a sunroof or cloth/leather seats? As for the wheels i'm not sure what they're referred to. I'm pretty sure they're 15"

[AE86]

Thanks a lot for your response.

ya the owner of that car said its a 1996 with a sports package and power-everything (with sunroof).

I dunno if its a sport, perhaps sport package just means he spent an extra few hundred at the dealer to get fog lights and power everything..

[SoCalpinoy86]

I've had mine for about a month and I have to say, it has a really great feel to it. The power to weight ratio is pretty close if not 50/50. The pedals are in pretty good reach of each other... the gas pedal is lower then the brake but you should still be fine if you're used to the corolla set up it's pretty much the same. In terms of "sideways action" I'm not sure, as mine is a daily driver... from what I understand only the 95 club sport editions came with LSD and the rest are usually open diff. It's a great car, definitely get it if you're used to a corolla.

[AE86]

haha awesome ae86 & 318 combo

ya of course it has a nice feel to it its a bmw! i'm not one who cares what badge is on my car, whether toyota, or hyundai, or whatever, but bmw's are always special, and especially 3 series.. some believe they are too cramped but to me, it they fit like a glove. no one else can balance sporty performance with comfort so well. i would get a normal 3 series (e30) but i really needed a hatchback and can't exactly afford a 3 series wagon.

as for drifting it, ya i never planned that unless i was ready to spend tons on an m3 swap, and etc. I just meant the kind of sideways action that comes naturally when you go faster than what the tires can handle, even when you have an open-diff. I did it on my old 2002 tii all the time. it was incredibly easy to control at the limit though ofcourse would never allow the kind of angle a corolla can do. I don't plan to go crazy on it, but I guess my question is more like this:

is the 318ti more e30 3series, (solid), or the e36/46 (that break down every block and require an owner who has money coming out of the wazu).. and that's when you treat it nice.

[AutoM3otives]

The Ti is "E30" when it comes to rear suspension and lightweight tossability/agility.

Other than that, the rest of it is plain-and-simple PITA POS E36 (windows falling due to bent regulator arms, sagging headliner, not as solid build quality).

Simply put, just maintain it and it'll be good to go.

[Den]

The dash + some of the electrical stuff are more E30 too. No climate control nightmares. I own both, and I haven't had more problems with the Ti. . .just the window jizz, which has happened on all kinds of cars.

If you do a lot of downhill, you might want to upgrade to the '98+ vented rotors, AKA 325/328 brakes. Ti's built from 04/1998(I think.) had them, but it's an easy retrofit, and there are plenty of 325/328 calipers out there for ~$50. Rotors cost about the same.

Sport package?
Stiffer suspension, larger sway bars, sport seats. The rest is just cosmetic.
Read the link.
http://www.318ti.org/companion/index.php?id=8,2,0,0,1,0

You may be able to find a '95 sport pack that nobody believes is a sport because it doesn't have the M-tech body kit, which became part of the sport pack in '96.

[AE86]

what are all the different colors of exterior and interior?
should i be picky on interior? i love black on black (like everyone else) but is it hell during summer?



what i really want to know is, ... are there 2 types of blue (blue & navy blue)? and there are two types of silver, (silver and gray)? or is it just the lighting of the pictures/paint fading...

[zboot]

girls - nah, The people who give my car the most attention are other guys.

[ATF]

Originally Posted by zboot

girls - nah, The people who give my car the most attention are other guys.

Originally Posted by Girl #1

what is it with guys and black bmws haha

hbaha def. never said that dear. no me gusta mi coche para nada. and i am jealous. i wanna be as cool as you.

Originally Posted by Girl #2

I understand..it's a pretty rad vehicle..I'd be honored if I rode in the backseat.

That was just from posting some pics on facebook, can't wait to get it up to beantown