Current tires: Pirelli "6000" (15 X 7)
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FEATURES: The convertibles are not worth buying, as they leak in water when it rains heavily. What is the point of having a roof if it leaks and can't be fixed. I also think the convertible roofs on the old 3 series bmw models look tacky. Much better to have a fixed roof and this car has a sun-roof anyway. But....
ELECTRIC SUN-ROOF: I wouldn't want to mess with it, as it gets stuck.
* Of course, you could have it fixed, if you really want, Personally, there are a million other things I'd rather spend the money on; for upgrading...
MIRRORS: Electric (essential)
* You can upgrade to more aerodynamic side mirrors, as the originals are very "square". As for the rear-view mirror, it's small. So I upgraded to a much bigger one and the difference is HUGE. I only had to clip-on the new mirror to the old one, so no need for a mechanic.
ENGINE SYSTEM: Computerized... warns you of impending brake-downs.
AUTOMATIC: There are 3 options next to it...
1) E (Economy)
2) S (perfomance increases, but uses more fuel)
3) M (Smooth driving/long roads-I never use this mode)
* Step on the brake to move from "Park" to "Drive" I keep the car in "D" always. If you want to race, once faster than 40km/h, pop it into "2" for faster acceleration and better braking. In gear "2", the car slows down slighty, when you take your foot off the gas; normally you would
only slow from gravity. So that is useful for turns, as you would take your foot off the gas before a turn anyway and that saves time on braking.
EXHAUST: Single pipe (can upgrade the exhast tip for only USD60) Upgrading to a quality "dual exhaust" will cost you USD700
STERING WHEEL: Too big for my liking... Only has horn; will need to upgrade.
MPG: Good fuel efficiency, considering the SUPRISING POWER of the engine. I can drive for up to 10 hours on a full tank.
BRAKES: Excellent braking feel. Very smooth, slowing-down to stop.
RIMS: 15 inch rims (5 lug-nuts; means some cool brands of rims won't fit)
* Check out these 19" upgrades: http://www.pitstopwheels.com/19-inch-rims/cat_32.html
You might want to upgrade to at least 17 inch ones. The car looks SO much more expensive when you upgrade to nice, big rims. Some cars don't look that much different, but with this one you'll definately notice! I'd also recommned these tires:
PIRELLI 6000 (Normal drivers commuting in the city and on poor quality roads)
FALKEN (Racers and for car shows)
SEATS: Can fit 4 to 6 people, depending on the country's driving laws. I have driven myself plus 5 people up steep hills before.
* To move the seats so passengers can get in the back, push down on the black catch on the outer side of the seat, near the head-rest.
The front seats have 3 movement options that are located on the bottom of the (outer side) front seats:
1) backwards and forwards along the seat rail for more/less leg room 2) up and down 3) back-rest goes forward and back
I will change is the front seats (to nice, racing buckets) as the originals break easily and then you can't adjust the forward/back function. Since they are not ELECTRONIC seats it will not be a waste changing to non-electronic racing buckets/seatse and I think electronic seats are a waste of money anyway.
BOOT/TRUNK: Huge, which is rare for a two door sports car.
* Who doesn't need LOTS of trunk space? The spare wheel fits nicely under the carpet and tool kit is stored neatly in a nook inside the boot's door. Careful when closing the boot. Literally let gravity do the work. It closes fine; don't slam it shut. However, the car doors do need a little force or they don't close properly. My friends always don't close the car doors properly when they get out, yet they slam the boot closed... the fools! hahaha!
I put a REAR SPOILER on the boot/trunk, as it makes the car look SO MUCH BETTER. But don't get a huge one, as you will never go fast enough for it to be effective and racers will think you are a tit... hahaha! But I feel a small one does make a tiny (and I mean tiny) difference to the handling... and they are SO CHEAP (like 100 squid) to buy! ==========================================
Tip #1: The computer system (under the hood) that controls the car, can have problems and be a pain in the butt (I have heard from some people, but I did not have problems) So I would try and test drive it as much as possible, to make sure. Pay attention when "accelerating" and the automatic gear changes gears. If there's a problem, the car will jolt readly hard when the gear changes. Also, the last 2 seconds before you come to a stop when "braking" the car wil shake violently.
Tip #2: Stick to the same petrol brand, as trying new ones makes the car drive strangely.
Tip #3: Buy a bottle of the combo engine/fuel injector cleaner (to get out any clogged stuff) Pour entire bottle into gas tank, after filling up at the station. Use a chopsick or something to open the hole where the fuel goes as pushing the top of the bottle in (as if you were filling up gas) does not really work at the fluid will pour out onto your hands half-way through emptying the bottle into your gas tank. Repeat every 5,000 kilometers.... Change oil and clean oil filter every 6 months.
Tip #4: I recommend buying a new alternator. This will prevent a break down, when it rains really heavy one day. An old, rusty aternator gets clogged in heavy rain and will cause break-downs eventually.
Tip #5: I would also recommend buying "eyelid spoilers" as
Pictures of BMW 318is Coupé
My baby
there's a big gap between the bonnet and front headlights, so the spoilers will make a difference and are very cheap to buy/look great.
Tip #6: Make sure you can definately (if upgrading) fit racing pedals before buying, as most brands won't be compatible with the giant BMW kind. I still like the small, metal pedals-but they do not fit. So what I did was bind them really tight ontop of the original ones with plastic binders (the ones police use to handcuf people at riots) threading them through the holes on the pedals when the screw would normally go... and cut the loose ends off. Since the original pedals are black, you can only see the cool, new silver pedals as they're ontop of the old ones.
Tip #7: A cheap way to make your car way cooler, is to buy "blades" for your winshield. They only cost USD10 and actually work! Get your mechanic to install them; mine does bits a pieces like that for free.
Tip #8: Glove box: He even fixed my broken glove-box (the padding material came off) with small bolts, as the hot glue didn't work even when we left it for 24 hours with a wedge to hold it in place. The best way to secure it back on is with bolts; the ones with the flat end that look like thumb-tacks are the ones I have.
============================================When buying, remember someone is selling it for a reason. It might be simple like they're buying a nicer, newer car. Or it could be the car (because 318s do have a lot of problems) So you will have to change a lot of things... But once it's done, it will be over and you can celebrate!
Old model BMWs are NOT expensive to find parts for. But you will still need to to buy a lot for under the hood. Some people don't have the time or the their mechanic is useless or a rip-off artist, so that's why people sell their 318iS. But actually... if you have a trust-worthy mechanic, free time and some money saved up; you can be the proud owner of a fast bmw sports car for very little money. I bought my one for 700 squid!
fan belt (change to a new one every 60,000-80,000 kilometers)
front "slide-in" air intake.
They original parts will probably break down anyway, so may as well prevent future problems and just buy new parts before they break.
But if you spend the time, this car is amazing! If you are young (and don't have that much money) but want a fast, luxury sprots car that makes a wicked "vroooom" sound when you put the pedal to the metal; this is it. ============================================
Problem #1: Origianl fuel guage is infamous for breaking down, so may as well upgrade to a nice/custom one when it stops working, since replacing the original to another generic one already costs USD220!
Problem #2: The inside door panels come loose after a while, but you'll want to change them to nicer ones when you upgrade your speakers/sound system. So again, it won't be a waste to throw out the old ones.
Problem #3: The car rattles on poor roads. Buying a strut brace will help, but they cost a lot of money. So I'll leave that for later on as there are so many other things to buy first. However, it's just a sound and hardly affects the performance and handling... so don't worry - just turn up the music!
Problem #4: The glove box lid is very thin and flimsy, so BE CAREFUL. As I said before, the padding came off too...
Problem #5: The silver paint on the grill chips off. I would suggest getting the black, rubber one that goes over it (since it looks cooler & you won't have to worry about paint chipping off)
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HANDLING: Dri ving around corners at high speed is confident and safe.
* This car REALLY feels like a part of you, when driving; unlike the larger 328i, that has much less cotrol. The rear passenger section on the 318iS is cramped, but you can still fit 4 PEOPLE in the back if you have to. That is the advantage of the 328i: it cofortably fits 3 in the back. but with the 318iS, the back feels cramped even with only 2 people (no leg room) However... you can't have it all and the lack of weight from having two doors instead of four, makes a huge difference. It's EASY to climb into the back, once the front seats are moved forward... unlike a lot of other sports cars.
HOOD:
To pop the hood,pull back on the black, plastic catch to the right of your right leg (driver) In the USA/France, it would be the left leg.
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Check out these links for 318iS products, so you can upgrade. They are for 318iS, so hopefully this will save you some time:
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 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
BMW 3 Series - Saloon - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Manual, 6 Speed Automatic - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 130 mph - 143 bhp - Petrol - Available Trims: M Sport, Sport, SE, ES
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
Good review mate.. Sounds like fun. I'll be getting an E36 323i coupe in August, and making plans. Got a bit of cash saved up for it, and will sell my car soon.
Just so you know, the 1994 318is had the M42B18 engine, a 1796cc 4 cylinder 16 valve.
The six cylinders included 1991cc, 2494cc and 2793cc, and were all in lines as opposed to V6s. Other than that, good review (I would disagree with your taste on a couple of pts though).
Morning_Becomes_Electra 16.10.2007 14:05
Excellent information~ And a great layout~ Well reviewed :-)
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