BMW 318i '96 anyone got one?

Anyone own a 1996 BMW 318i! Good car! Bad car! Any views on fuel economy!

LOL
Do a search.

No, no, yes, average.

Mines been great. It's now sadly for sale.

So concise yet so accurate

Good car but getting on with age now. Look for faulty transmissions and a failing cooling system. Water pumps are quite difficult to replace supposedly. The standard 318 SOHC engine isn't particularly pleasing in the performance department while the 318ti DOHC engine is much better. I would be looking at E46 318's instead.

I have a 97 318ti. its fantastic, love it to bits! Quite economical, comfortable to drive, looks cool and being the sports model it rides well and has lots of extras! go for it!

My wife has a 1997 318iNew zealand new had it for 7years has run like a dreamvery econimical on fuel

Most of those things are far too old to be seriously considered by an average buyer. You'll be stunned at the poor quality of the materials used in them for something that cost so much when new. The interiors and cooling systems especially are just a sea of brittle plastics waiting to fall to bits. Good luck you will need it.

It was bought brand new by a then 60yr old woman. Never thrashed, done 97,000kms. Its deceased estate and very cheap.just wondering if it would be worth buying as a run about car instead of me driving the old Landy everyday.

ok car. not as good on fuel as youd hope from a small engine. expensive to fix

The question is, who hasn't got one. they're bloody everywhere!

Thats why i figure they cant be that shite.

Yeah, that makes sense.

I have one too; 1995 318i, very nice drive for the price, have had no issues over the 2 years I've owned; for parts you will find if you use independent workshops and part retailers it doesn't cost what people think 'euros' cost to repair. Economy was poor in my opinion at 10L/100km when driving carefully (city) but could get down to 7L/100km on the open road. Acceleration is poor, very slow takeoff and no power for passing - get a 325I as they have much more power and economy is barely any worse - or as above try an E46 (1998+) 318i

just about to buy a 2002 318 TI, seems a nice wee car.

Im currently driving our FJ40 Landcruiser weekend fun truck, so anything has to be better on fuel consumption, handling around the city and passing power! lol

If you're looking for a cheap runabout you ideally should be looking at Japanese models.

horrible car.sagging roof trim, door cards fall apart, ignition and door lock faults, trans probs.your choice if.

just brought a 92 320i A/6 manual 5 speed nz new, family owned from new 185ks, drives sensationally and great on gas about 9/100 whichis ok for an older car. teaching my son to drive in it. i think it may be to powerful for him to keep as his first independant driver so am looking for a smaller manual and will move this on before he gets to restricted as i see him googling drifyting and this thing is slippery when wet being a rear wheel drive with no traction control, hyundaigetz herewe come lol

Personally, only if it's stupidly cheap.
If owned from new it'll be a basic spec NZ interior,
Interior issues:
Roof lining will fall down
Door trim fabric will fall off
Door handles will become stiff
Glove box will sag
Trim under steering wheel will drop
Cabin filter (depending on sedan/coupe/hatch or wagon) can be irritating to replace
The OBC (if it has one) loses contact on the ribbon to the display panel, causing a loss of lighting or dead pixels, if you're a DIY'er you can fix it, will run up a nice bill at a sparky though (or send it to me)
The Odo on these can develop dry solder joints resulting in a loss of a few digits, rather annoying
The fuel gauges are prone to playing up, it's a wire in the sender unit (under the rear seat, in the tank)

Engines: The twin cams are generally okay IF taken care of, make sure it's running nicely and very smooth.
You MUST replace the thermostat, these are prone to failure, this will end up with a warped head and a nice pile of scrap.
The do tend to need adjustment in the airflow meters (depending if M40/2/3/4 motors) which the general majority of people have forgotten how to do
Some had foam inside the airbox as resonance/noise damping, this turns to crap after this many years and will run in to your MAF or airflow sensor (also depending on what motor)
Oxygen sensors do die, but they're cheap to replace
Intake elbows love to split, these are very cheap though
Radiators split the header tank, fairly cheap, unless you pop the motor
The pipes to the climate control valves from the back of the motor to the firewall can split, easy job to do with an M4x motor
Water pumps aren't too bad in them and not hard to replace. The 6cyl was the worse one (especially with the M52 having a plastic unit.)
Expect just under 8l/100km if you're super gentle. I got 7.8 average in my '94 320i, and see around 8/100 avg in the manual 325i and auto 328i.

Exteriors issues, Paint fade on NZ new cars is worse (for E36s anyway)
Door handle seals will go, but these are very easy and cheap to do
Headlights will fog up
Brake lights lose contact often and brake light switches will fail

Driveline: Generally robust, it will have the "better" trans if it's auto, the dodgy box was on the Japanese market 6 cyl ones (320 through 328), but the usual GM unit in these is pretty lazy and with quite a wide spread set of ratios
Diffs and manual boxes are generally strong and trouble free

Brakes: Worn bushed often lead to people thinking the disks need skimming or replacing, brakes are incredibly cheap to replace

Suspension:
Bushings wear, rack end boots and rack bushed like to die, but these are cheaper than 99% of Japanese vehicles to do
An E36 on standard suspension is pretty boring and nothing to write home about (especially a 318), so don't expect sports car poise, if it has M sport parts (doubtful, but can run a VIN check easy to get a build sheet) it'll handle a treat

My attention span has now gone, there are more common issues, but none I can be bothered listing
Even after this list, I love E36s, my one served me very well and they are incredibly cheap to fix, anybody who thinks they're expensive to fix is doing it wrong.
Hope it helps

Being deceased estate it was stupidly cheap. Only $1500 with 97,000km on the clock and driven since new by the elderly woman driver. I bought it.for $1500 if it craps out, i havent really lost anything and if i get a couple of years out of it ill be happy.

Yeah that's a good price.Mine sold for $1500 today, it was a 1993 with 370,000 on it and not exactly mint condition.You've probably done alright there I reckon.

Get a full service done, now.

I'd pay that for it, you'd make a buck off it if need be.

you will form a close and lasting relationship with your local Auto Electrician who will send you a calender every christmas.