Radiator pop - the plastic impellor can fail causing blockage. Cars after 94(!) had a metal replacement.
They also have reasonably high maintenance requirements that most people aren't aware of - brake discs should be checked if not replaced every 60-80k, o2 Sensors @ 100k etc.
Not especially economical on fuel
Drives much better on good tread
I got rid of the one I had pretty quick. They're not much of a car when you look at what you can buy in the same range.
Chain drive [edit] on the iS model.
phillip.weston,
Jan 14, 11:46pm
I am unsure if the '92 will be belt or chain drive, they switched engines partway through production, you can tell if it is chain drive though by a metal cover on the timing end of the engine. Not alot goes wrong, just check for things like all electrics working, sensors in the engine bay etc.
toysky,
Jan 15, 12:37am
Agerman dude told me this last nite. BMW---------------BAVARIAN MANURE WAGON !
budgel,
Jan 15, 3:28am
Toysky is talking sh!t.
lyonruge,
Jan 15, 3:32am
Nah, go ahead. buy it, i'm a mechanic, they are like money machines for us!
phillip.weston,
Jan 15, 5:32am
I think they were a good car when new or even a good buy when around 10 years old, but the E36 is now nearing on 15-20 years old for most examples on our roads so naturally they are going to need a bit of maintenance. If going for an E36 I would go for a 6cyl 320i, 323i or 325i, heck even a 328i if you could stretch that far. It would at least give you a bit of enjoyment for your money that you would spend purchasing it and no doubt maintaining it
foxdonut,
Jan 15, 6:25am
I also had a 320 briefly. They're just as bad.
The performance of a four cylinder with the economy of a V8.
As said above, don't bother unless its a 325 or higher and only with a leather interior.
saxman99,
Jan 15, 6:37am
I had a 92 318i for years (my first car). I was 17, knew everything and thrashed the s*** out of it.It did 412,000 k's without a problem.Get NZ new and Manual if you can.
It is likely that a 92 model will have the 'old' M40 engine which is cambelt driven.If it's the newer M43 then it is chain driven.
phillip.weston,
Jan 15, 6:56am
I found our E46 318i alright on fuel, but yes it is very gutless and needs revs to get anywhere. I still found it to be a great handling vehicle.
foxdonut,
Jan 15, 7:01am
With Premium fuel I was getting the high side of 13l/100ks combined driving (like a total nanna I might add).
The car had new tread all round, new o2 sensor and regular oil / air filter changes. I had the timing checked and it was well withing the threshold.
They're heavy cars with an over engineered 2 litre six cylinder.
-Mine was a 91 model, so pre Vanos M50. The later cars might have picked up some of the slack.
chris_051,
Jan 15, 7:09am
This goes for any car. Don't know why people think they are high maintenance, they are just a complex (more like simple) as a later model Corolla. The 318i isn't too bad in manual despite what some say on here. I'd say they have only driven the autos. The 320i is the one to avoid no matter what box is behind it. In saying that IMO the E36 is the worst BMW yet. Not to mention every cnut and his dog has one. 5spd 328s and M3s excluded I don't know why people buy the shit, they aren't an exclusive or prestige model anymore, every farkin corner in south Auckland has one tickd up @ 20% interest on 20 inch chromes. How original.
phillip.weston,
Jan 15, 8:57am
Funny that, I would almost rather have the E46 over the A4 after the issues the A4 has given us! I don't quite like the transmission in the A4 either, the shifts just don't feel as precise.
vtecintegra,
Jan 15, 11:09pm
The early E36 SOHC 1.8 is fairly torquey which is good for around town but there simply isn't enough power there - its not like you can just drop a gear like on a comparable Japanese car because there simply isn't any more power to be had high in the rev range.
Thats the manual too, the auto box is terrible even for a car of that age :/
pandai,
Jan 15, 11:11pm
The M44 (albeit manual) BMW in our garage at the moment is the most economical car in the driveway.There are also 3L and 3.5L v6's here and power has never been an issue.It's just less likely to get you into trouble!
Is a 328i really the same coin though!
vtecintegra,
Jan 15, 11:14pm
I was going to call you on that but wow the six cylinders have dropped in price since I last looked
For instance: 345648552 looks rather nice
chris_051,
Jan 15, 11:24pm
The A4 1.8t 4wd is most likely just as slow especially in auto. Compare the 318i to what else was out at the time and it's not as bad as what people make out. C180 Merc, Volvo S40 1.8, Alfa 1.9. BTW my mate had a Passat 1.8t, I used to have an AU Falcon with 560k on the clock, Falcon shat all over it the one time we randomly had a race, I was towing a tandem trailer with a Kwaka ZX10 on it. Not really relevant but just proves these relatively heavy 'economy' Euro cars in this sector are slugs 318i or not.
joeinwellington,
Jan 15, 11:38pm
I have a 518, so same engine but bigger car and get over 900kms per 80l tank of gas and my fils 318 that we have taken up north uses less gas than my car
vtecintegra,
Jan 16, 12:16am
That is hardly good economy, I could easily match that on a car with more than twice the power
franc123,
Jan 16, 1:34am
Wow, thats terrible for a modern 1800cc, 8.8L/100km, that is what you would average out of a 6cyl Falcon or Commodore over a trip, might even be slightly worse.
joeinwellington,
Jan 16, 4:38am
our 518 is an old car, i have owned many commodores all have returtned poor fuel economy best was approx 7 km per litre on the open road, the new sidi commodores are very eccononmical simalar to our old bmw at around 14 kmper litre our bmw gets over 800km per tank
phillip.weston,
Jan 16, 10:08pm
but an A4 1.8tQ is a performance car, the 318i is clearly the bottom spec economy car. You should be comparing a 330i to an A4 1.8tQ in terms of power/fuel economy, but perhaps not in traction - the A4 may have the grip with the 4WD, but the handling and chassis dynamics of an E46 is just better.
richardmayes,
Jan 17, 3:54am
318s are not worth considering IMHO.
BMWs are meant to be a driver's car, their only real value lies in their performance-oriented suspension set-ups and powerful engines. And an automatic 318 doesn't even give you that - on paper it would struggle to accelerate side by side with any number of small jappers that would carry an equal volume of groceries just as fast. Hell, Jazz would probably give you a run at the lights in his Multipla.
And if your friend wants a BMW more for the badge on the front, I doubt a 1992 3-series will impress anyone very much as (s)he rolls past.
Get one with a 6-cylinder engine, and then (maybe) the performance of the car will make the repair bills seem worth paying!
richardmayes,
Jan 17, 4:41am
Happy to admit I've only driven one BMW, once, and it was an E30 325. Awesome little car but it would have been nothing without that engine. Chop 2 cylinders off it and the car wouldn't be worth owning. IMHO. Like I said.
phillip.weston,
Jan 17, 5:39am
an E30 is far cry from anything thing BMW have made since the mid 90s onwards. Drive an E46 6cyl or an E39 or E60 5 series and you will no doubt be impressed.
hi_lemon,
Jan 17, 7:05am
If you've heard of 'The Dog and Lemon Guide' (a very good comprehensive guide on most cars), these are the main issues it states about the 1992 318i: Until 9/93 the 318i had a timing belt and tensioner (not chain) Jacto automatic transmissions were unreliable Dysfunctional electric windows standard Door and interior panels come loose and rattle with age Headlining sags
With this been said, my '95 318i manual has been very reliable, the only issues are the headlining sagging and rattly doors - is up to 243,000kms now :)
Hope this answers your question
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