Teach me about 318Ti M Sports

I know they have the old E30 rear stuff, i know they have a 1.9 litre 4 banger that makes around 130hp or something.

What i don't know is... pretty much anything else.

Reliable? Gas mileage? Would i be stupid to use one as a daily driver? Is the California roof prone to failure and/or leaking? If so, are we talking about tons of money to fix?

I was offered a red one in straight trade for my Cherokee. Body in awesome shape, interior in great shape save for normal E36 door panel stuff. Clutch will need a replacement in the future, suspension could use a refresh, and there are a few oil leaks.

My vision: A reliable and relatively efficient daily driver that i can make handle and still keep comfortable enough for a trip across the country for myself and SWMBO if desired, which is really the one thing i miss about our Mazdaspeed Miata. Right now if we wanted to take a trip, we'd be in a Cherokee. Not terrible, but i like having something fun just in case we find a good road.

Thoughts? Good cars? I think the Cherokee would be a sell at around $4k. Without any more details available (i can get mileage and pics tomorrow i think), is this a fairly solid trade?

Reliable? Yeah, both the M42 and M44 are pretty robust engines. Solid platform, too. The gas mileage isn't as good as you'd hope; I've always heard people are surprised when they manage 30MPG in one. But, this is the big one...

The California roof is AWFUL. YES, they are prone to breaking. YES, they leak. I have never personally seen one that ISN'T broken and I have seen four of them. Parts for them barely existed a decade ago, I sure as hell wouldn't take my chances on one now.

For a weekend car/garage queen? Worth considering if the Cali top is in PERFECT working shape. But for a DD, HELL NO! Don't do it. E36 compacts are great depending on what you need, but people struggle to give the Cali top cars away...

In reply to SlickDizzy:

Go to a body shop and have the Cali top plugged with a solid sheet of metal?

For some real backyard engineering, I wonder if a new e36 coupe top panel could be sourced from somewhere, and then 3M Panel Bond'd in place to cap the whole car...

Make sure exterior body panels are perfect. They are 318ti exclusive from what ive heard.

In reply to 1kris06:

Everything from the A-pillar forward is E36 sedan, actually. But the rest is indeed unique.

Wiki says it was made by Webasto and their page lists a product that might even be the same thing parts and all. I've run into this with other cars where you can get parts from the parts supplier that you can't get from the vehicle manufacturer.

If Webasto still makes the parts and nobody has found out yet I'd be shocked. Nonetheless, reading this thread where a bunch of guys talk about trying to chase down dozens of water leaks, ruined headliners and all, will make you never want to touch one of these:

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1315925-How-rare-and-desirable-are-the-California-Tops

Besides the leaking issues, I've never had a problem with the roof!

I DDed a 318ti for a couple of years. I prefer the 95s (with m42) over the later cars with m44s. Cooling system stuff needs to be up to date along with suspension. It was comfy and with a chip performed decently. If you hunt around you can find 95 club sports for decent money (200 some odd were built). I'd pass on the Cali roof. There's plenty of nice ones still around. Check 318ti.org. I liked the "lively" rear end. If you find an earlier car, the ones with a cold weather package had a ltd slip rear. Oh, the 5spd is not an overdrive, 5th is 1:1

My vision would be a low-power GT type car.

Sounds like this is good... But the rare top is something i should avoid?

Which means i won't be owning one of these cars at all since i wouldnt seek them out if i was shopping with cash.

yes.. except for the cali top.. they are great cars. I would own one again in a heartbeat. One of the few cars I could ride hard and put away wet day in and day out and never phased it

I had a mint '98 318ti and regret selling it all the time. Fantastic little car with awesome handling and balance, pretty good on fuel and very reliable. Mine was a rare bird in that it had no sunroof of any kind and a manual trans :)

Pretty much any BMW six will drop right in.

The things you guys are saying about the cali top isn't overblown internet stuff, right? It's really THAT bad and reason enough to pass on an otherwise really nice car?

In reply to Swank Force One:

Like I said, it would be totally different if this was a garaged weekend car. But even people who love the California top openly admit they leak all over and have awful wind noise, along with the unobtainium gear and seal failures. Look it up yourself!

For a daily driver that's going to see weather of all types, it just plain isn't a good idea (unless you feel like becoming the guy who pioneers a ton of fixes and custom parts for these, and really really love wind noise).

I say go for it. No experience (internet or otherwise), but recently I am really hankering for that open top driving experience. See how it goes. If its anything like all other sunroofs in the world, a little lube, a little cleaning, and making sure the drain tubes are clear is all it takes. If it breaks, we will help you fix it.

However, I do think whoever it is should throw some cash your way. I haven't seen a $4k ti in a long time (except maybe with the other crazies in the back of Roundel).

I think i'd feel bad about asking for cash on top, since he'd be making around a 4000 mile round trip to deliver the Ti to me and drive the Cherokee home.

I'm also not jazzed on how pretty much everyone hates this top. I'll probably pass.

Swank Force One wrote: he'd be making around a 4000 mile round trip to deliver the Ti to me

That's a jewel I missed before. Sounds like he really loves that top.

rcutclif wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: he'd be making around a 4000 mile round trip to deliver the Ti to me

That's a jewel I missed before. Sounds like he really loves that top.

He's had the car for over a decade, top doesn't leak currently, but the "what if" doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies.

He has a really nice Miata, has no need for a pseudo-vert. Honestly i'd probably never open the Cali top myself, as i'm really not a fan of convertibles. I just figured that the cali top might help the resale value if i decide to move on it later, but if everyone hates it, sounds like it'll decrease the value of the car.

Sound like you too might have to drive 4,000 miles if you ever want to get rid of it.

Yep, unless you actually live in the SF Bay area or somewhere else where it's warm and sunny 95% of the year, nobody really wants the Cali top cars; they typically go cheap because of the potential pitfalls. The only 318tis that actually command a price premium are the '95 Clubsports and anything with a slicktop.

Holy crap, I have never seen one of those Cali top 318ti cars before!

Damn, I would definitely not buy one of those. Ha ha ha.

Its too bad the cali roof sucks, one that was all MMMMed out with a 3.2 swap and a 6 speed and AA turbo kit would be a pretty unique and kick ass openish car.

As I told him, these things have a cult following within the cult car following, and those people love them to death, while the rest of us(myself included) hate them. LoL

Zombie thread!!! The car I've found is not an M sport or a California top but this is the most relevant thread that popped up when I searched.

I found this 318ti locally (NMNA) and am intrigued. As many of you know I've been lusting after a German GT/Sport Sedan/Coupe for quite a while but have been too chickenE36 M3 to pull the trigger. All of the expensive repair stories have scared me off.

This car seems like a relatively low risk way of getting into a Bimmer or maybe even fixing and flipping for it a small profit, assuming there are no major issues.

Thoughts?

Looks like a solid deal. I'd investigate the alternator thing. Can they get it running or excuse for a more serious issue? It's a $150 part that would add $1000 to the selling price. Body looks decent. It's either a base or active trim (active would have computer and cruise). Ninja edit - it's rust belt territory - check rockers, under the front fenders behind the wheel arches, and rear arches by the bumper cover. If it starts and runs with a battery charge/jump it's a good deal (although I'd offer less). If it doesn't fire, then it probably has other issues that will take money and/or time.