The only Toyota part of the Lexcen is the badge. That's it. It was forced on Holden and Toyota and other makers in Australia to share cars, Holden in turn rebadged the Corolla as the Nova and the Camry as the Apollo, and Ford put their badge on the Nissan Bluebird/Pintara calling it the Corsair. Nissan badged the XD Falcon Ute as the Nissan Ute.
doug207,
Jan 17, 10:56pm
An E36 318i weighs less than your wife's 02 Corolla. It was also designed in the late 80's, no wonder it's not as economical as a later model 1.8 Corolla. What kind of V6 are you comparing it to! My 320i used around the same as a 318i and I was in the 7L/100km area with a mix of town/country driving. The cam chains were on certain motors all the way through production, M42/3 and M44 (318is) were cam chain. The head gaskets on early models are prone to failing. The 4cyl didn't come equipped with the Jatco transmission, also look Jatco up, they build gear boxes for many, many manufacturers. The 318i are a long way from the 6cyl models in terms of performance and reliability. Always buy NZ new with 4 and 6 cyl ones. The hood lining and door trims are prone to sagging. Rear tail light connections can wear, this throws tail light error messages. The brake light switch on the pedal is a common problem too. The glove boxes do sag, but, this is a very easy fix. The window motors fail prematurely, the magnets inside which judge the window position come off the shaft and the windows don't like to wind up, unless you hold the switch right down. LCD screens for the trip computer/OBC can give problems, as can digital climate control. The pipe between the rear of the head and the heater solenoids can split, like any other cars in existence. This is cheap to fix. The heater solenoids tend to burst the seals, leak into themselves and shag out. Brake disks need regular replacement, like any other vehicle that had market leading brakes at the time, thankfully they are cheaper than a beloved Corollas to buy. ABS sensors (already mentioned) Expansion tanks on radiators can leak.
Do some research, it always helps (Especially when quoting the useless Dog and Lemon guide)
vtecintegra,
Jan 17, 10:58pm
Ford also rebadged a Nissan Patrol.
N13 Pulsars sold in Australia had that horrible GM 1.8l fitted, think some were even badged as Holdens
doug207,
Jan 17, 11:02pm
Most things have been rebadged at some stage or another haha Remember the Honda badged Landrover Discovery! Or Honda badged Isuzu MU! Or the MG midget and the Healey Sprite (Not the bug eye) The Toyota Hilux has been badged as a VW before too.
hi_lemon,
Jan 17, 11:31pm
What are you talking about! One page 1 I clearly stated that I own an E36 318i.
hi_lemon,
Jan 17, 11:35pm
And you are the stereotypical gas guzzler owner. Just because you can't acheive that sort of economy in your car, doesn't mean it isn't possible in a smaller, lighter car with a good C.D. and economical engine.
hi_lemon,
Jan 17, 11:37pm
It appears you have a habit of winding people up on these forums actually. This isn't the first time you have popped up in a thread and started bragging about how amazing falcoms/commodores are. If I didn't know better I would say you are a dealer.
tshop,
Jan 17, 11:43pm
Grabs "popcorn" & watches newly elevated to "wind up" thread.
richardmayes,
Jan 17, 11:53pm
Looks like we have our answer.
Don't buy a 318i, they cause too many fights.
foxdonut,
Jan 18, 12:24am
Pretty sure thats for the compact. The 4 door 320 weighed in around 1400 kgs, even with the extra engine size I reckon an extra 250 kilo's is going someplace else.
Dunno about comparing to a Corolla either, the rear wheel drive BMWwould reduce the power output "at the wheels" vs the FF Toyota wouldn't it!
bmwnz,
Jan 18, 12:44am
I've had a 318, 325, 330 & 528. Apart from the 330, I had to replace the steering rack on all of them. Cost was around $1200 a time.
The 330 was the rocket and most fun to drive, but the 528 was my favourite for a nice to drive, comfortable cruiser with very good handling for a larger car. I found the 528 to be more economical than the 318. This was doubtlessly due to the need to floor the 318 to get any form of performance, where the larger motor needed less persuasion.
I agree with Doug207's list of known faults.
IMO, the D&LG is a complete waste of time and adds almost nothing to the knowledge of car enthusiasts. To me it is an idiots guide for the general public who know fuck all about cars.
doug207,
Jan 18, 1:51am
I'm still trying to figure out why a Corolla is being compared to an E36
The BMW has some neat advantages, more fun, more comfortable, nicer and quieter to drive (anything is compared to a similar priced, or any, Corolla) the boot hinges do not hit your luggage, the E36 hasn't started to rust yet, it is likely to have dual airbags and ABS brakes that will perform as well as a late model beigerolla. Both have advantages, just like the Commo/Falcon argument. Pointless comparisons, but, I would like to see some real proof of this claimed petrol usage in the Corolla, as it's an incredible number.
chris_051,
Jan 18, 2:10am
Yep the E36 was ahead of the time, look at any other cheap car (remember in Europe, these are the same price as Corollas, Lancers over here) in 1991. The technology and way these things steer and handle would still put a lot of new cars to shame. Its just a bugger their reputation has been tarnished from cheap imports and undesirables buying them. hi_lemon you're a goat and so wrong on all accounts, did you measure your corollas consumption from the top of the kaimai ranges to the bottom! Your Corolla beats the latest diesels for economy, maybe you should let the world know about this great secret as I'm sure the reasle would double over night.
vtecintegra,
Jan 18, 2:15am
I don't know about that, the AE10x Corollas are pretty comparable (also from 91).
doug207,
Jan 18, 2:35am
Yeah the pre-94 were very basic, many had the analogue clock instead of the 8 or more button OBC systems. They had thicker, less attractive upholstery and the ugly steering wheel. But, all these things were options.
doug207,
Jan 18, 2:37am
I agree, a nice condition E36 with the tasty Msport suspenders is a great car to pedal, regardless of the engine. A 318is can be very fun.
chris_051,
Jan 18, 2:52am
How so! The fact the E36 ran from 1991 to 1999 says something. Taking into account it was designed in the 1980s as well.
phillip.weston,
Jan 18, 3:07am
E100 series Corollas ran from 1991 through to 1999 also in various forms, I gather it too was designed and developed in the 80s, carrying over most of the engine range from the 80s too.
chris_051,
Jan 18, 3:23am
Except one difference, the E36 felt relatively fresh in 1999, with decent and expected technology, safety features for the time, the Corolla on the other hand was a few years overdue, especially compared to Mk IV Golf, Focus, Astra, 306.
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