Seems that it's a little easier out here to find an E36 318is than it is to find an E30 318is (no surprise there) or, oddly enough, a 325/328is, at least in my price range.
I know the 325/328 would be noticeably faster, but is there any reason a 318is doesn't make a half-decent Miata competitor for HPDE etc?
Yeah, I realise it's Miata performance or less for BMW pricing, but it doesn't look like I can find a half-decent Miata with a hardtop for the same money.
Think of it as a Miata with BOTH anchors out and set.
They put the OH! in SLOW!
Calling Yamaha to the service desk.... Yamaha to the service desk.
Cheap way to buy a good candidate for a 5.0/LSx swap.
One of the BMW race shops I visited in CO had a E36 318i that they used to teach newbies how to autocross. It had over 400,000 miles on the odometer and the engine had never needed more than gaskets.
^ Anecdote.
Some of them come with the best BMW wheels ever the style 32s
Here is what old TG had to say about the 318 in '91 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O91Crr71jY
A 318 won HS in 03 and consistently trophied in the following years until 2010 (driver switched cars and class).
They're really not as bad as their rap. As long as you can keep them in the power band, it can be a pretty satisfying car. I've taken an E46 318 auto sedan on the track and it was still a hoot. The accelerator was largely used as a footrest but it was still enough guts to be a good giggle.
I have one. . . . I love it death . . .
I see upwards to 42 mpg on the hwy and 28-30 in the city. I can get 450 miles to the tank if I drive it slower than it is.
Are they slow . . .hells yeah! You have plan pulling out in traffic.But you can HOON all day and never get in trouble.
Keep the M42 above 4000rpm and it's a decent car.
BMW neutered the M42/M44 since they were pushing the M50 2.0 . . .
I would love to turbo mine . . . but I'm not a turner and most of them say "just get a six cylinder".
^A tune, intake, decent exhaust and lightweight flywheel (especially this, super heavy on M42s and would assume the same on the M44s) do a lot more on this car than most.
They are actually worth the effort.
Did you peak at my upgrade list?? 
I got another M42 on the stand that I'm doing all the gaskets and other M42-specific crap on. I was on the fence about doing a 6-cylinder, but the I like the little screamer . . .
Mrs. Zero confiscated it from me when I bought it almost two years ago. Something about "ZOMG no more single digit gas mileage in the Dakota". Now it's too slow for her . . .
Ah. Gaskets. Is this version of the M42 suffering from the same gasket issues as the E30 version?
As far as I know . . . yes. But my M42 has something close 170K miles and I'm surprised as it just started to leak . . . knocks on wood
imirk wrote: Some of them come with the best BMW wheels ever the style 32s
QFT:
It is like a fat Miata.
I've always thought the 318ti was cool. It would probably be even cooler as a a 328ti.
BAMF wrote: I've always thought the 318ti was cool. It would probably be even cooler as a a 328ti.
332ti's are just awesome, especially with M3 brakes too.
They are good cars but I'd look for a ti I were you.
Ti's are noticibly lighter.. around 2700 pounds while the 318is is pushing 3000. Who needs a trunk when you have a HUGE hatch to put the groceries in.
the Ti gets a bad rap as a slow car because it;s zero to 60 times are no better than the is.. what people do not realise is you have to shift TWICE to reach 60mph.. they are easily just as fast as the 325 to about 50mph
imirk wrote: Here is what old TG had to say about the 318 in '91 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O91Crr71jY
The car seems almost as boring as an old top gear episode...
A lot of the tis for sale that I've seen have slushboxes, which isn't going to happen. I'm still keeping an eye out for 325is/328is but it's good to know I don't have to rule out the 318is...
They make an excellent platform for an LS swap.
Strike_Zero wrote: I have one. . . . I love it death . . . I see upwards to 42 mpg on the hwy and 28-30 in the city. I can get 450 miles to the tank if I drive it slower than it is. Are they slow . . .hells yeah! You have plan pulling out in traffic.But you can HOON all day and never get in trouble. Keep the M42 above 4000rpm and it's a decent car. BMW neutered the M42/M44 since they were pushing the M50 2.0 . . . I would love to turbo mine . . . but I'm not a turner and most of them say "just get a six cylinder".
How are you getting that kind of mileage? Fueleconomy.gov lists them at 19/28 for the whole model run. I could understand a few MPG difference, but do you feed yours unicorn pee?
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: They make an excellent platform for an LS swap.
I thought they had lighter/weaker rear ends than the 6-cylinder cars. I may be wrong, but if so, something to keep in mind before you decide to feed 350 ft-lbs through it.
^And all it takes is grabbing the diff out of 6 cyl car.
You'd likely be looking for a complete M3 rear subframe so you get the bigger diff, brakes, and retain ebrake funcitons.
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