Having had a bad run of luck with previous cars (VW Beetle, Ford Sierra, Vauxhall Astra, Cirtoen ZX) in 1998 I decided it was time to buy a more reliable car and the obvious choice for style and reliability was the BMW 3-Series. I test drove a lot of 3-Series with various sized engines and eventually decided on a 1993 318i for insurance purposes. At the time a lot of people warned me against a 318 because of the 1.8 litre engine being seriously underpowered for such a car but I bought the car anyway.
The 1.8 litre BMW engine (SOHC) is one of the best engines I've ever experienced in both my own car and in other cars I have been in. The car is really economical, I get an average of 40 mpg and I by no means drive in an economical style. When I bought the car it had 80,000 miles on it and I was concerned about the high milage but the significantly reduced price was worth the risk especially as it had a full BMW service history and only one owner. I have since driven another 80,000 miles in it and it's still running as well as the day it was built.
Another area of concern people have about a BMW is the cost of servicing but I found that it is actually cheaper to service than my Ford Sierra was when using a manufacturer's garage. An added advantage of BMW servicing is that you usually get a brand new BMW as a courtesy car for the duration of the service and you can appreciate all of the additional imprevements and refinements that have been made to the vehicle.
Bad points on the car are virtually non-existant, although you have to be a little careful when driving in the wet for the first few times. The car is extremely well balanced though and most minor rear-end slides can be corrected with a little common sense. If you are looking at squeezing five 6-foot men into the car then you can expect it to be a little cramped but other than that the room inside is more than adequate.
So overall I can highly recommend a second-hand BMW 318i, they are economical, powerful, extremely stylish cars and above all, for the relatively low price you are getting a BMW.
BMW 3 Series - Saloon - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Automatic, 6 Speed Manual - 2993 cc - Max Speed: 155 mph - 245 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: M Sport, Sport, SE
BMW 3 Series - Saloon - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Manual, 6 Speed Automatic - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 137 mph - 150, 170 bhp - Petrol - Available Trims: ES, SE, Sport, M Sport
BMW 1 Series - Hatchback - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Automatic, 6 Speed Manual - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 127 mph - 122 bhp - Petrol - Available Trims: M Sport, Sport, SE, ES
BMW 3 Series - Saloon - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Manual, 6 Speed Automatic - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 140, 143 mph - 163, 177 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: ES, SE, Sport, M Sport
Can't agree with your comments. I owned a BMW 318i Convertable and found it very slow and cheaply made.
sarsons 02.11.2002 00:49
Not bad intro, but info on what the car has to offer would have resulted in a higher rating (eg comfort, ride, equipment, insurance costs etc.). If you ever redo this op, please let me know and I'll reread it and review my rating :)
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Advantages: Fair price, electric roof, leather interior, CD player and, of course 'blindingly rapid'. Disadvantages: Quite expensive parts, can tend to guzzle petrol depending on the speed.
tom13 03.05.2001 ·
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Review of BMW 318i
Advantages: Amazing control/handling of car and begs to be upgraded (is well worth it) Disadvantages: Need to upgrade a lot of different things, so have money saved/ready
YEODIE 02.10.2007 (10.10.2007)
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Review of BMW318is Coupé
Aug 8th, 2000
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