My dad has found a '95 318ti he is considering. He wants to go look at it tomorrow and wants to know of any areas he needs to look at specifically or anything to look out for. The listing says it's very well maintained, all service records since new, and it has 186k miles.
I don't really know much about post-E30 BMWs other than the 318ti shares the same rear suspension as the E30 so any help will be greatly appreciated.
The Ti is very much a re-bodied E30.
I loved mine and if you treat them right, they last forever. Plus, super easy to work on.
check out 318ti.org for all the Ti info you could want. Lots of die hard ti people on there to be careful. Lots and lots and lots of good stuff though!
Like any E-36 take a good hard look at the cooling system and on that same line look for any signs of head gasket damage. Keep an eye on the motor mounts, they fail when they get old. Power steering fluid resevoirs tend to leak as do the oil filter housings. Clunking in the back of the car is usually shock mounts or trailing arm bushings. Original equipment front ball joints have plastic housings that aren't the greatest so I recommend upgrading to Meyle control arms with all metal ball joint assemblies (if it hasn't been done already).
With the exception of the head gasket, all the stuff above is resonably easy and inexpensive to fix. The car is nice to work on, gets decent gas mileage and is a lot of fun to drive.
Shocks, control arms and bushings, tie rods, any suspension rubber will need replaced at that mileage. Look for when it was done in the paperwork. Also the shifter will probably benefit from a rebuild.
I was driving down The Boulevard (those who live between Spartanburg and Greenville, SC will know what I'm talking about) the other day. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and the flat- 6 in my Corvair convertible was singing through its dual exhausts. As I stopped at a redlight, I heard this tremendous racket from behind, and then see a 318ti pull up alongside me. I swear, I thought it was a diesel at first. The engine sounded HORRIBLE. I don't know if they all sound like that, or just this particular car, but man, my lawn tractor makes a more pleasing din.
I have been looking for a 318ti for a while. The one thing I have heard about is to watch out for the 'profile gasket'. Can a BMW person fill in any details about this gasket? I think the labor on replacement for this is crazy expensive.
1slowcrx wrote: The Ti is very much a re-bodied E30. I loved mine and if you treat them right, they last forever. Plus, super easy to work on. check out 318ti.org for all the Ti info you could want. Lots of die hard ti people on there to be careful. Lots and lots and lots of good stuff though!
This is a bit misleading. The rear suspension is the same design, but that's about it. They have E36 front suspension, use the hood and fenders front a 4-door E36 (but the rest is all unique to ti). They got a different dash than the E30 or E36, etc.
The 1995's are OBDI, using the M42 motor. These things are pretty indestructible (forged internals, etc), but will die if overheated. Just like everyone else said, check the cooling system and expect to replace it and rubber bits anyway.
Mine is raced hard with 170K miles, but I've done a head gasket, cooling system, and not much of the original suspension remains.
In the even the seller tries to tell you otherwise, club sports only came in black or red, have the M3 front bumper and mirrors, M-moldings, limited slip, and red mill-point interior. I know you didn't ask, but lots of people try to claim their cars as club sports.
In reply to GTwannaB:
This appears to outline it all: http://www.unofficialbmw.com/all/engine/all_m42_profile_gasket_faq.html
I always thought those were cool when i was a teenager. Ive never even sat in one, but i might add one to my 'list'... im seeing them pretty cheap now 
I thought of another thing. There are two plastic coolant fittings, one on the back of the cylinder head and one under the intake, that should be replaced at high mileage. They get brittle with age and are prone to failure.
Just cuz...
Since we're on the topic of E36's, how can I tell if it has the limited slip diff?
scardeal wrote: Since we're on the topic of E36's, how can I tell if it has the limited slip diff?
If you are talking 318ti's, best to assume it doesn't. All club sports got them, and very few others did.
There will be a "S" painted on the top of the pumpkin. Other than that, you can do the usual tests to get you close (jack up the entire rear and see if the tires rotate in the same direction, or opposite - not definitive, but a good start).
You can also get the VIN and decode.
In the next few years, I'm looking to build/acquire a dedicated autocross/track day car. The E36 318ti is one of the cars I've been mulling over. I like working on BMWs and it seems like the next obvious choice since the clean(ish) cheap(ish) E30 supply is dwindling rapidly.
Is that a good idea or should I look elsewhere? Fun is the top priority, but it never hurts to have a competitive car to start with. Thoughts?
In reply to Gimp:
I'm actually looking at 325i/328i sedans myself. I figured I'd threadjack a little.
Duke wrote: In the next few years, I'm looking to build/acquire a dedicated autocross/track day car. The E36 318ti is one of the cars I've been mulling over. I like working on BMWs and it seems like the next obvious choice since the clean(ish) cheap(ish) E30 supply is dwindling rapidly. Is that a good idea or should I look elsewhere? Fun is the top priority, but it never hurts to have a competitive car to start with. Thoughts?
It's not the worst idea, but it all comes down to what you want to do with it.
The 318ti is the lightest E36 platform, aside from the M3 Lightweight. It takes any E36 motor and trans or a LS1. Diffs are rear suspension can be upgrade to MZ3 stuff. Front suspension is standard E36, so it can take all those upgrades. They can fit as much tire as a regular E36. They have steeper gearing than their 4cyl sedan counterparts, so they are as quick as some of the 6cyl off the line.
I get 4 wheels and tires, autocross tools and bins, luggage for two for a weekend, and a passenger all inside the car comfortably.
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