BMW 318i

...mid-eighties to the late-nineties the BMW three-series was the epitome of success. Quick, glamorous and expensive, the three's beautifully aggressive stance let you know that beneath that pointed bonnet beat a powerful heart. In those days, the car was a status symbol of success. An estate agent or an insurance salesman driving a glamorous BMW three-series showed they were successful, that they knew what they were talking about, that they were good ...
...*the* car to have. BMW jumped on the expensive image the three-series had here in the UK and stripped it down to its basics: you couldn't buy a specific model, everything was an optional extra on the car -- even the radio. You chose your engine, then your trim style, then added everything else you wanted as an optional extra. This was a successful formula for the German marque, until the Japanese started to enter the executive saloon market with ...

markd_uk 04.10.2004 · Read full review
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Review of BMW 318i

...Sportwagon Audi A4 1.8TDi Estate BMW 318 1.8i SE Touring MB C220 Classic Estate MG ZT-T+ Saab 9-3 2.0i Estate Volvo V70 2.4 SE Estate (ex-demonstrator) All of these cars are very competant. My main buying criteria were Drive, Equipment/Options, and Cost of ownership over 3 years - with a max £24k budget. As I was going to be taking out a personal loan (repaid by my car allowance payments), I was very interested in how much it would cost me ...
...ask for more money as BMW now charging extra for something (p*** off), and failed to deliver on promise that he could retro-fit a rear seat with integral child seats (suddenly, factory can only supply grey or black, beige now not an option). So slight bitter taste left but the car itself has been spot on. Now done 16k miles in first 9 months - hassle free. First service next week. I hate the macho, dont-give-a-monkees about anyone else image of ...

HappyHarry 08.01.2003 · Read full review
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Review of BMW 318i

My wife bought this vehicle when she had to commute up and down to Newcastle every week. She covered at least 1000 miles per week. They are great cars to drive but have to be serviced regularly and correctly. Unfortunately, the car is now in the garage awaiting a replacement engine. It is a 1995 N reg 318i (1796 cc). It was only purchased because it was black and she had always wanted a black BMW. At the time I thought she should have bought the ...
...bit of a no starter. The colour not the car. The acceleration and the performance are second to none. The breaking is excellent but be careful not to over do it. The main concern to new users is the fact it is rear wheel drive so they can be a little hard to handle at first. The local mechanic recommended putting a bag of sand in the boot to stabilise it and the extra ballast helped. The fuel consumptionfor such a performance vehicle is excellent ...

limmey 29.11.2007 · Read full review
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Review of BMW 318i

...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 ...
...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 ...

the_kidda 08.08.2000 · Read full review
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Review of BMW 318i

...proud owner of a 1993 BMW 318i saloon. It has 112000 miles on the clock, but you certainly would not think it by driving and owning it. Moreover at £3800, it was not that hard on the pocket to buy. It is dark blue, and I bought it in February this year, when it had 110000 miles on the clock. It was purchased from a local car dealer, who trades mostly in high mileage prestige motors. It is a smooth car to drive, and the driving position is the best ...
...an enjoyment in itself. The BMW engine is smooth and doesn't mind being revved a bit. A nice touch is the tool kit that is stored in the underside of the boot lid. Simply turn a small handle, and there you have a small selection of hand tools, and most importantly, the adaptor for loosening the special locking nut on each alloy wheel. With mileage approaching these levels, it is vital that you check the previous service history. What you are looking ...

alee136 17.05.2002 · Read full review
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Review of BMW 318i

...have owned a 3 series BMW since 1974. The first one was a 316i (1596cc)with manual gearbox. The car was completely reliable and very well made, and the paint finish was faultless. Servicing was every 6,000 miles, although perhaps more frequent than other cars at that time, the cost of the service was as cheap, perhaps cheaper than that of other foreign cars. The second BMW we bought, in August 1997, was a 318iSE (1796cc)with automatic gearbox, again ...
...servicing price was competative, the BMW labour costs seemingly cheaper than those of a Ford garage. In September 2001 we bought a BMW 318iSE (1995cc) - with the 'newly' designed engine, again we opted to pay the extra £1100 for the automatic gearbox, which does make the car a dream to drive. The 'feel' of this car was very much different to the previous models, giving a harder, more sportier ride. Servicing for this model has now jumped up to every ...

ChoccyBoy 21.04.2003 · Read full review
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Review of BMW 318i

First off i want to just make clear that when i bought this car back in 2000, it was a brand new car so any mdel that you my purchase now may not have the reliablility as a new car. However that said it is a brilliant car, I have driven about 40+ cars and owned a about 12+ sports cars among others. But my favourite remains to be the 3 series both the coupe and the saloon are a pleasure to drive with an exciting ride and reliablility. What i do have ...
...yellow emu (engine management unit) tends to display a fault which cost me around 1,500 w/servicing. Other than that it was a fantastic car which i loved and was a real head turner, proberly less so now. The advantage of buying one now is that you can get a cracking car at a cracking price with convertibles starting at aroun £6-7k. ...

Adnanel 29.05.2009 · Read full review
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Review of BMW 318i

...He found a mattalic purple BMW 325i convertable which gave him everything above. The only thing it didn't give him was the good performance - instead it's performance was excellent. The soft-top folded back itself - what would you expect? The car came with black leather interior, a CD player, alloy wheels, a standard BMW alarm system and lots more. Insurance can obviously be high for a quality motor as with the BMW 325i. If anyone was going to ...
...*BMW parts can be expensive, although replica parts are available at a fraction of the cost. *It may be necessary to buy a wind-breaker, (which breaks the sometimes violent wind when the roof is down). This can be expensive but the price of a second hand one can be fair. *One thing very hard to solve is the squeakyness of the soft-top when up. However, you may find this to be the general problem with convertables. *My brother actually purchased ...

tom13 03.05.2001 · Read full review
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Review of BMW 318i

...just received my somewhat neglected BMW 318 SE (Sept 2002 reg) back from its first major service I thought I would write in praise both of the vehicle and the local garage. Living in the country, once you have washed your car (on a Sunday afternoon along with all your neighbours!), and stared lovingly at its gleaming presence on your drive, your hard work is completely undone as soon as you turn the ignition and set off on your next journey. Hence ...
...even on those rare occasions that there isn't a ban! And so after around 34k miles the on board computer advised me to take out another mortgage and prepare myself for the first "inspection" service. I called the garage on Thursday morning to ask for a slot, jokingly enquiring if one was avilable on Friday, to be advised that I COULD take it in Friday morning!!! "How much and how long?" I enquired. Should be no more than an hour and a half and ...

idksolutions 26.02.2004 · Read full review
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Review of BMW 318i

...prior to that a 1989 BMW 525i. I've always been a big fan of BMW's since owning my first one, just for the comfort, prestige and drive and when it came to change my Clio for something more substantial, BMW came top of my requirement list everytime, especially ENCAP tests. I decided to buy an approved used and searched on the BMW site and found one in Chesterfield - some distance from my property. When I rang to enquire whether they could transfer ...
...warranty. I don't think you'd of got that treatment at a lesser car dealer. I know I probably paid extra for my car as it was approved used and an automatic, however, BMW depreciation is low and as such, I haven't lost any money on a trade in yet! ...

fluffyk 28.07.2003 · Read full review
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Review of BMW 318i

I bought my BMW seven years ago and for a bottom end of the BMW range i found it to be everything i wanted and expected. Slick look, nice interior and the BMW prestige sold it for me. Having just sold mine i even got a good resale price which is a plus when you need a good deposit for a new car. Its been a reliable car but when something goes wrong be ready to put your hand in your pocket as nothing comes cheap on these babies. The down side apart ...

HeyWhat 11.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of BMW 318i

...told the disks were definitely BMW authentic parts - perhaps, but not the same quality as the original disks. After 50 000 km the front suspension has become distinctly wobbly with many little bumps in the road transmitted through the steering wheel. Nevertheless a superbly designed car, just a pity that the quality doesn't live up to the name. ...

drfreud 07.01.2008 · Read full review
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Review of BMW 318i

I'm in the motor trade, that means I have driven hundreds of cars and I can safely say that this is one of the best. At the moment I have an L-reg 318i which I have been using for a few months now. Reason for this is that I know it will always get me around to different places and never let me down. Through winter it always started and I recently went away for two weeks, came back and started first time. If you want reliability then buy one. They ...
...way it up against a Mondeo or Vectra etc. then over the years the costs will balance out. I would advise anyone looking with five to six grand to spend, to go out and get a 1993/94 reg 318i, dark colour, good spec with sensible miles (up to 100,000). The one I have at the moment has 125,000 miles and drives like 40,000. Obviously if you have more money then the choice is much greater. In my opinion the best ones to go for are the one owner ex-company ...

biglee 13.10.2000 · Read full review
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Review of BMW 318i

The BMW 318i is to be fair what some may call the bottom of the range for a BMW. It has no flash features, no sun roof, no CD player, no air conditioning and non of the 101 features that come free with a Ford or Vauxall. And with its price edging towards the 20 grand mark you must get something for your money? The answer is that all you are buying is the car, but what a car! Any one who has driven a BMW will know that the car oozes handling ability. ...
...style is definatly there, a BMW even if it is at the lower end of the scale is still a BMW and attracts the eye and attention. The poseur element of this car however is not the reason it appealed to me, the drive is excellent, the engine expertly tuned and the car is an absolute pleasure to drive. And there is more as a company car driver this cars low emissions and smaller engines keep the Total Cost of Ownership down. This car is a great one ...

Wolf 10.04.2001 · Read full review
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Review of BMW 318i

I chose the 318iSE Auto as my latest company car and am very happy with it. This is the first automatic that I've owned, but I must say, it is very relaxing when queueing on the M4 in the morning rush. The SE gives you slightly fancier alloy wheels and air-con, which is a must if you do much driving by day. It's a shame that the standard Business radio still comes with a cassette (who still uses those?). It is a little bit under powered when accelerating, ...
...overtake the odd tractor. The car has a great build quality and a good solid Teutonic feel, and when you climb back into a different make you'll feel like you're in a tin can. Long journeys are very relaxing because it is so quiet and virtually drives itself. My only gripe is the lack of lumbar support - the seats are disappointing for such a prestige car. I think it does about 35 mpg on average. ...

Assgirl 16.08.2000 · Read full review
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Review of BMW 318i