BMW 318/316 opinions

Elessar

What's this? Another BMW thread? Good grief!

So I'm thinking of buying a used BMW 318 around 99-00 reg (new model) for about 12k in the near future. I will be going for the saloon, can't find a coupe on my budget.

What are people opinions on this car? It's an E46 model correct? Whats the bhp on the 1.9ltr engine? I've been told to steer away from 316s because of the 1.6 engine, but the newer 99-00 models have 1.8/1.9 engines as far as I can see. Whats the difference between the '16 and '18 in this case?

Is there anything I should look out for when buying? I had considered getting a different car which would be newer, but then I'd always be lusting after a beemer when I see one so I might as well buy one now. Do all BMWs have an On Board Computer? Anything else I should know about one?

Opinions appreciated!

Arthur Daley

318s are fine cars, mine gives me no problem at all. There can be a few small problems with the electric window winders, and it's a bit hard on the juice. Mind you a larger engine 325 or 330 must be worse, you don't expect great fuel economy when you drive a BMW enthusiastically.

I'd say the 316 is now too weak an engine to carry what has become a heavy enough car around.

SouperComputer

The models of BMW's can be misleading.

an e46 316 is a 1.9 engine, however it is less powerful that the 1.9 in the 318

Other examples:

An E38 740 is 4.4L
An E38 750 is 5.4L

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_E46

Anan1

Without meaning to be smart, are you sure you're lusting after a 318i? Badge apart, it's a pretty pedestrian car but at a distinctly less-than-pedestrian price. A 320d is a very capable car, but if you want something to lust after then you really need a 330i at least.

xabi

The 318 is a great car, but you will get bored with the lack of power from the 4 cylinder engine. Try and get a 320 6 cylinder, you wont regreet it.

X.

JohnCleary

Just bought a 320d (2002) .... Drove 500 miles and still can't take the smile off my face, lovely machine to drive... I'll be hangong onto this car forever unless I find a nice jeep (I dream of a jeep!)

OfflerCrocGod

JohnCleary wrote:

unless I find a nice jeep (I dream of a jeep!)

Are you sure you don't mean nightmare?

milltown

Depending on your insurance circumstances I'd avoid the 316. Unless there's a big difference in insurance quotes there's really no point in taxing a 1.9l engine for 1.6l performance. Off the top of my head the 316 is 103bhp vs. 118bhp for the 318.
They're not an especially fast car but even with a four speed auto my old one had enough go to dispatch most overtaking safely. If you're going for manual it can only be quicker.
On board computer was not standard on the saloons (possibly on UK imports) but you can pick up an indicator stalk with the necessary extra button for about €10-15 on Ebay, fit it yourself and then get a dealer to plug the car in to his computer to activate it (may cost you ~ €50).
If you're blowing the budget to get into a 99-00 316/8 then it's a waste of time looking at 6 cylinder cars as the fuel/running/tax/insurance costs can really mount up. If there was flexibility in the budget I would be stretching towards a v.late 01 to 02 car, as they had a facelift in Sept. 01 and a new engine. It went up to a 2.0l but gained an extra 20 or so bhp. Easy to spot these as they have triangular side indicators and the headlights swoop up at the edges rather than down.
At this vintage you may struggle to find a car that still has a full dealer service history but at least make sure it was serviced on schedule. Intervals will be 12,000 to 15,000 miles depending on how it was driven. When you turn on the ignition the dash will tell you how many more miles to the the next service. Find one that's displaying "oil service" rather than "inspection" and you'll be saving yourself another few hundred quid in the short term.
Servicing goes:
Oil service - c.€250 from a main dealer
Inspection 1 - c.€500
Oil service - As above
Inspection 2 - c.€600 and upwards

Lastly, they wear their miles very well so it's very much buyer beware. If you can, bring any prospective purchase to a main dealer, they can read the mileage from the key and see if it matches what's on the dash.

Best of luck.

Elessar

Regarding servicing, I'll be doing that myself, the basic stuff, filters, spark plugs etc and anything else I'll get my uncle to do it (mechanic).

I definitely want a BMW, I know they are overpriced but they are the nicest looking cars around imo. I don't think I'll be worrying about lack of power in the engine since I'm coming from a 1.0L polo. Also, I'd love a 320d but cant afford one.

About the on board computer, what does it do exactly? What benefits are there over the standard dashboard warning lights/mileage etc? And why do I keep hearing "computer" mentioned with every BMW? Are there different kinds?

DublinDilbert

Hey,

Don't worry about servicing costs if your going to do it yourself, I had and E36 and now have an E46, they are fairly easy to work on, and the parts are quite cheap, even from the main dealer. You might need to get a few Torques head ratches to do specific jobs, but that's about it.

You can also go to the likes of GSF, which are cheap also, although you might have to be a bit carefull about some of their parts.

Also if your going to work on it yourself, I'd get a copy of the BMW technical info CD's of Ebay, you can get them really cheap ( $10-$20 ) , and they work fine. I bought the electrical wiring diagram CD for my car for $10 including postage, and it's great, also covers lots of other BMWs.

There's so many web-sites out there dedicated to BMWs and repairing them, i would guess more than any other car ( http://realoem.com/bmw/ )

milltown

Elessar wrote:

About the on board computer, what does it do exactly? What benefits are there over the standard dashboard warning lights/mileage etc? And why do I keep hearing "computer" mentioned with every BMW? Are there different kinds?

No, just one type. The indicator stalk will have a button on the end that will cycle through outside temperature, MPG, average speed and miles left in tank. Amazing that it was an option worth over a hundred quid when all the wiring and software was already there. An expensive button!

If you want to add it yourself you'll either need an outside temperature sensor or climate control (which I'm pretty sure was standard on 99/00 cars.

Elessar

Wow so just to get the outside temperature I need a new indicator? That's pretty standard on most cars. Also I'm pretty sure I saw a mpg indicator on the dashboard of 99/00 models.

I saw a few computer terminals on ebay, they had buttons for temp/mpg etc. I'm guessing they're earlier control panel models?

milltown

There's a guage on all BMWs showing "momentary" fuel consumption, much like there was (is?) on Toyota Corollas years ago, which basically shows how efficiently the engine is running at any one time. The MPG on the on board computer gives the average since the last reset.

The panel type computers on Ebay are from E36s and earlier.

Eoin

I briefly looked into getting the OBC retrofitted onto my car (00 320D), and from what I could tell, it's not always a case of "plug and play". There maybe a lot more wiring required, and two of the BMW dealers I rang said they wouldn't even quote me for it, as they didn't do that type of retrofitting work

Was quite surprised that the car didn't come with it in the first place, as it came with a MFSW, cruise control and aircon.

Elessar

So there is no way of finding out the outside air temperature at all? That would really annoy me, it's something that I want. Thought all saloons would have it...

Great info itt.

Has anyone any more opinions on this car? I'm still in two minds!

JohnCleary

Elessar wrote:

So there is no way of finding out the outside air temperature at all? That would really annoy me, it's something that I want. Thought all saloons would have it...

Great info itt.

Has anyone any more opinions on this car? I'm still in two minds!

Stick yer head out the window. Sudden brain impulses will quickly determine the outside temp... "F00K ME, IT'S COLD" or "THAT'S A NICE BREEZE"

Elessar

I'll have a look out for one with the OBC, although since its just a button on the indicator I wouldn't think many people would specifically mention it.

How do 3 series wear their miles? I'd be paying 10-12k for one with almost 80k miles...

TJJP

milltown wrote:

No, just one type. The indicator stalk will have a button on the end that will cycle through outside temperature, MPG, average speed and miles left in tank.

Don't think that's quite correct. There are different level of on-board computers in the 5's anyways. Low,Mid and High.... Differences include the type of CD controls, satnav and phone controls. My 5 with Mid on-board displays phone on the dash when a call comes in (accept/reject by multi-function steering wheel buttons), a 'high' would display caller's name and number and stuff like that.

Would be cautious of hoping to change the indicator stalk only, as a lot depends on radio installed which links to the computer system.

Lots of BMW sites can give you better info.

Would suggest you keep an eye for a UK import, higher spec as standard, but be very careful of mileage. A quick scan on e-bay will show how easy it is to get the bits and bobs to adjust mileage via on-board and key. Service book a must, otherwise look for deep discount.

I almost ended up with an '02 520 which 'had' 54k, a service check sticker on the spare led me to dealer in the UK who confirmed 124k....

Not intending scare stories, just a cautionary note.

Ended up with a beautiful 525 SE spec with 51k for 20k (euro) VRT paid BMW certified mileage and 7 months BMW waranty left.

You could do well for a 3 now that the new model is out. Shop around.