the chosen one

these cars any good? they look great but what are they like to drive and there performance?

Bobby Peru

Don't bother with a 4 cylinder BMW, get a straight 6 or don't bother. Will handle well but won't put many smiles on your face. BMW 6's are as smooth as they come, good on juice and sound great. Most of these cars are driven by reps and gel-boys who de-badge them, but don't think anyone will notice that thay have a McDonalds straw for an exhaust!

scooby-new

As Bobby says if it doesnt have 6 cylinders it isn't a real BMW (except the M5 v8 now- gulp V10 soon!)
You will regret buying a slow one

Scaramanga

I've had 3 different 318s and they were all as nasty as one another. Build quality pretty good. Servicing is great, but there is NO performance. Even deliberately trying to provoke the car into doing something resulted in...... not very much.

The move to a bugeye was a complete and utter revelation.

If you do wind up going for one, avoid at all costs an automatic. I had the misfortune of having one as a co. car and it was the most dangerous thing I have driven. Cause it's so underpowered (118bhp) you would go to accelerate out of a corner, nothing would happen so you'd press the accelerator a bit more, still nothing, so you would plant the pedal to the floor. The auto box would then kick down right as you were on the apex and if the road was greasy, you'd end up with and unwanted and largely uncontrollable oversteer. Not nice at all.

Agree that a straight six is a different proposition altogether.

Cheers,

Simon

Mike123

"Don't bother with a 4 cylinder BMW, get a straight 6 or don't bother. Will handle well but won't put many smiles on your face. "

Think there's a few E30 M3 owners and 320is drivers that might disagree with that one!!

Agreed the sixes are nice but the latest 318i' s are all 143bhp - granted not a lot in a heavy car - but a lot torquier than than the old 118bhp cars and better on petrol.

0-100 is fast as a 1.7 Puma so they can keep up with the traffic now.
Admittedly, they're not 330i performance but still not a bad motor.

scooby-new

How could I have forgotten about the E30 M3 thats a proper BMW and then some- even the 318is E30 was pretty good too!

Mike123

I think the new 318s have Stability Control on now so it is very hard to get unwanted oversteer from power alone. A lot of them wear at least 205 width tyres as well these days - if you think back to the 80's that was the same width as E30 M3's and Cossies - so they should stick pretty well in the dry!!

Mike123

The chosen one

Performance of E46 318i

Pre Facelift
0-60 9.6 secs Max 125mph 118 bhp 133lb ft

Facelift version
0-60 9.1 Max 135mph 143 bhp 147 lb

Figures from Autocar

scooby-new

they aint quick then- buy one of them and you'll be in contention with Mondeos and vectras- nice

cheeseboy

@ the chosen one,

well as a student I guess you wont be looking at a new BMW then?? Or I could stand corrected...

But along with the others, I too recommend going for at least the 320. The 316 and 318 are great cars for around town, but if you are in need of a bit more grunt, then a min of 320 is required. The sound too is a bit better.

People who buy bmws are typically after a more refined car - with thought gone into the car, rather than a rally car... as is the wrx/sti. Both models of cars are great, but you must decide what you wish to do with it...

A bmw is well built, comfortable and classy, whereas the wrx is a brute with cheap bits - but will drive the pants off a bmw (well those in the above equation anyhow).

It is purely up to you though.

PS: 320ci in gun metal grey is Lovely!

Mike123

Scooby-new

You'd hardly expect the 318i to be Scooby quick though would you - they market things like the M3 and M3 CSL as their really sporty cars.
The cars like the the 316 and 318 are just bread and butter cars to BMW.

If performance on a limited budget is the guys thing he'd be better off buying an older faster car or one of the 200bhp hot
hatches

Standard WRX is hardly quick these days to a lot of people - depends what you're comparing it to.

VinylJunkie

318 BMW- car for sad aspirational company car drivers who've just moved out of the Vectra League. All show and no go- it's a losers car. If your gonna get a beemer then get one with some power not the tarts handbag.

the chosen one

its also a more refined car compared to the scoob. all depends on your taste in cars innit.

carl

Look under the bonnet and you'll find an enormous gulf that was supposed to be filled by the 6-pot motor.

PS: V10 M5? Never liked V10s. Sixes, eights and twelves (and even sixteens) have pedigree, but V10s are truck engines

MooseRacer

I had a 318 as a company car (and no VinylJunkie I wasn't sad, aspirational or an ex Vectra driver ) and, taking it for what it was it was fine.

It is not a sports saloon, but a very refined and accomplished mile eater. I found the seats to be very comfortable, driving position was excellent and it was a great car for doing the long distances that I used to do.

With traction control on or off there wasn't enough grunt to provoke power oversteer but I found it surefooted cross country, except through standing water where the front end was very, very skittish.


As long as you're not expecting a sports car then they're fine, as everyone else has said the 6cyl models are much quicker.

I'd happily have another one if I was needing a big mile 'muncher'

the chosen one

but these cars are moddable. RIGHT???

Mike123

Moddable? If you're talking about the 318i Valvetronic I think it would work out very expensive for little gain. I guess you could supercharge the older 318i but why go to the expense when you can buy a standard bigger engine with more power?

Maybe you'd be better off with an older 323i, 325i or 328i?

Get a few test drives and see what you reckon to the performance of the one you've chosen compared to others - only you know what's acceptable to you...

Bobby Peru

If you have your heart set on a BM, don't bother with the 318, better off with an e36 328 sport coupe, probably cosy similar money.
Have had a couple of 328s and now have a 330ci, 6s are the essence of a bmw, it'd be like buying a non turbo impreza and expecting big fun, it is not that type of car. As for modding, spend the money and buy something more powerfull from the outset.

[Edited by Bobby Peru - 3/21/2003 11:16:05 PM]

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Prefered the 318 to the 320, rev limiter comes in too early on 320 !

the chosen one

also does anyone know any decent owners forums for bmw's like scoobynet???

Freak

www.bmwcarmagazine.com
go to forums.

ps 318iS coupes arent too bad....compare the performance of the 320 to the 318....not a huge difference.....

Mike123

The old 320i Coupe only had 150 bhp - 10 bhp more than the 318is.
Plus points for the 6-cylinder are the noise and smoothness.

However, like the guy above says, there's very little in performance between an E36 320i and 318is. Autocar and other mags got nearly the same performance figs for both. New 318i is actually torquier than the old 320i.
New 320 is really a 2.2 with 170bhp - same as the E30 325i had.