Time to move on

bonestock3.8DTH

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So today at my work this super clean 1996 BMW 318i convertible that is red with a black top and insanely clean tan leather interior got traded in. And it's a five speed too. It needs a clutch but other than that it drives fantastically handles great cruises nicely and is super clean. So tomorrow I am going to call my insurance and see how much it would be to insure it and if it's not too expensive I am going to buy it. This will mean I will be getting rid of my first love and main squeeze of four years my ol faithful turd box, but the stang has been driving me crazy lately and reliability has been dwindling and I have wanted a manual convertible for some time now and this BMW just might be the ticket. So it may be time to move on. It's going to be sad but worth it I think.
 

OnyxCobra

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yeah if I wanted something more reliable i think a '96 BMW would be at the bottom of my list. But congrats if things work out, new cars are always exciting.
 

DropTopPony

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I could see if it was like an M3 but they aren't exactly known for their reliability and cheapness to repair.

Good luck either way though!
 

Twista

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runnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

It needs a clutch now .. next month it could need something more expensive.
 

D3VST8R96GT

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its a 20yr old car.... made in the cheapest period ever..... mustang like our cars .... only its foreign
 

Ferocious

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The E36 is not expensive to maintain, don't know why everyone's saying it is. It's also a pretty damn reliable car if you do proper maintenance and don't skip out on your inspections. (Just like every other car, yaknow?). I just don't see why you would want a 318i. That's the smallest motor they make, and for the verts I believe that's the only one that doesn't have the inline 6. If you don't want to get the M3, at least get a 320i. That's just my .02.
 

GregT94SCC

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E21 320i is an m10 (1.8 or 2.0l), not sure about the new 320i but those are f chassis BMWs and run upwards of $40k. In the e36 a 325i would be the small six.

I considered a 318ti vs. my cobra way back in 1996. Guess which one won out lol. 20 years later I doubt much would have changed with the 318. My cobra on the other hand spins a bigger blower (2.1l) than the 318 has in cubes and no bolt has been left unturned. Much more interesting 20 years with the Ford I'd say.
 

MustangChris

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So today at my work this super clean 1996 BMW 318i convertible that is red with a black top and insanely clean tan leather interior got traded in. And it's a five speed too. It needs a clutch but other than that it drives fantastically handles great cruises nicely and is super clean. So tomorrow I am going to call my insurance and see how much it would be to insure it and if it's not too expensive I am going to buy it. This will mean I will be getting rid of my first love and main squeeze of four years my ol faithful turd box, but the stang has been driving me crazy lately and reliability has been dwindling and I have wanted a manual convertible for some time now and this BMW just might be the ticket. So it may be time to move on. It's going to be sad but worth it I think.


im looking forward to our BMW build-thread.
 

Sinned83

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Change is exciting. Not a Beamer,suit and tie guy myself
 

Wichers123

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Over here at work we have two guys with four of them and they are pretty nice. I drive the one guys to lunch and it handles really well. The power is on par to its age and size of car. I say get it.
 

RichV

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Needs to be a 6 IMO. Also, consider the added safety stuff you need on a vert for track activities.
 

DavidBoren

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BMW's just do not impress me. Their inline six engines are smooth as glass, and the S54 (I believe) with the individual throttle bodies is one sick machine. But I wouldn't even look at a BMW that didn't have a six cylinder unless I had an LSx just laying around.

If your Mustang has problems that give you a headache, just wait until your underpowered, overpriced foreign car starts giving you problems... and it will, you can count on it.
 

the5.ohh

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Forgot to add. Two of my buddies have early 2000s 3 series, one is a 318? and the other is a 32x.. Both have had a lot of random, expensive issues.
 

SnakeMedic

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Those are classic designs and though the power is down, as most cars were then, they are considered by some to be a pure drivers car. Remember the slogan "ultimate driving machine"? Those were the years of it. You will feel connected in every way. Sad to see a Mustang go. To echo others, be careful. It could end up being a nightmare. You have no idea what happened to it before you got it. As long as you are prepared for the worst you should be fine, especially if you have reliability issues already.

Good luck, let's see some pics!
 
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bonestock3.8DTH

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So I ended up buying it, and I couldn't be more happy. This car is literally leaps and bounds better than the Mustang was. Yeah I look like a total tool bag driving it, but I did too in the Mustang. As far as parts go, literally everything I have looked into getting for it has been right on par price wise as anything for the Mustang was. It has 125k miles, which is 81k less than the Mustang had. It has nearly perfect leather interior, the tops in great shape, the paint and body are excellent and all original. The paint looks better than my car did and I ****ing spent 2 grand painting it. Yeah I miss the Mustang, but when I hop into this car put the top down and row my own gears I don't miss that car at all. And for all you people saying under powered, I drove a single port v6 Mustang, anything is a step up from that. And this car definitely is. It "technically" has 2 less horsepower than the Mustang, but it feels so much quicker. And heres a picture of it!
 
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bonestock3.8DTH

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And for everyone saying how expensive they are to repair, they're really not. Parts are on par with the amount of money I spent on Mustang stuff. And I'll be honest I've never heard anything bad about their reliability, my aunt has a 2000s 325i with well over 150k miles and it hasn't needed anything major. The Mustang was not reliable, it over heated, both front calipers needed to be replaced, the power steering pump was going, the blower motor didn't work, the a/c wouldn't hold a charge, and the power steering rack was leaking. I'll be honest guys its kind of hard to keep sinking the money and time into a car that had never really made you super happy, it was a v6 with an automatic transmission with well over 200k miles, it kind of sucked. Yeah it was fun for a while but after sinking way too much money into it and still feeling embarrassed when you drive through the parking lot because of the random noises its kind of hard to hold on to it.
 

GregT94SCC

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Ok. I'll admit to owning a propeller car too. It's your new rides grandfather (grand fhurer?)

6ad71914d10ba06d72cedd5bf3fe48c7.jpg
 

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