Eagle 1662 Report post Posted June 12, 2018 (edited) 5 hours ago, qube said: is there anything wrong with say like a 318i M43 1.9L with manual box? I believe these are known to be fairly bulletproof even after 200 odd kms no? Parents one done 140,000, bought it at 26,000 Excluding general maintenance items ive only had to replace due to failure were the CPS, thermostat, oil filter housing gasket, expansion tank and 2xDISA valves, one for failed pin and one for failed diaphram (easily the worst thing about them as they ~$500 these days). Water pump, PCV, belts, tensioners, pulleys and rear coolant flange have been done as preventative not along ago. Edited June 12, 2018 by Eagle Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Young asian boii 0 Report post Posted June 12, 2018 20 hours ago, qube said: or just buy my one which is sorted cooling system wise, interior and exterior both mint, and is a rare clubsport so will hold value relatively better than the stock boring ones. How does your clubsport do with gas mileage and general problems etc? What size is the engine? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted June 12, 2018 It’s a M54b25 2.5L 6 cylinder. Better mileage than 328 or 330 but as good imo. Does 10L/100km for city driving. Better on open road for sure. doesnt need any work it’s all sorted and easy enough to maintain. Look on the for sale thread for details Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Syy0628 13 Report post Posted June 12, 2018 (edited) If you are interested in cars, and to explore the dynamic of the car, learn proper car control, and like to learn to work on cars, the late 90s, early 2000 BMW is the best car for that. I am a uni student as well, I have an e36 with M43 that I use as a platform to learn to work on cars. Parts are cheap, and most importantly, there are many of them in pick a part. I bought mine with $500 with a leather interior like new, but everything else is rubbish, no rego, no wof. I have only used parts from pick a part a part from some powerflex bushing, now it drives really good. A few trips to pick a part, you can pretty much rebuild the cooling system and suspension with almost no money. I have found almost new water pump, all alloy radiator, metal thermostat housing, structs in really good condition, near new tires with alloy wheels already balanced for really good price, Get an e36,e46 with colour like silver or dark blue, you don't even need panel beater if you happen to have a minor accident. Comparing to other euro brands of the same budget, BMWs are so much better to work on then Audis, Vws , and Benzs because the problems are well documented. And because they are BMWs they have likely had a stupid previous owner who knew nothing about the car, you will never run out of stuff to fix. the engine wise I would say get an e36 or e46 with 4cylinder if you can't afford petrol. E36 with M44 5mt is the best option, but e46 with M43tu is also good, the power band of the m43 is quite narrow. it is dangerously slow sometimes if coupled with a 4at. I found the 4at from GM terribly bad. it's a "close ratio" 4 speed, meaning it's revving too high for the highway, and gearing way too long in first and second. But they still managed to achieve a very hash shift, it's remarkable. The torque converter clutch lockup logic is the stupidest of all 4at I have driven. 4at use 20% more fuel than 5Mt. The only reason to go for a 4at is that they are half the price of a 5mt. The inline sixes are nice, they are slightly more eco on long drive because of the final drive ratio and higher engine compression ratio, but 2.0 inline six use almost the smae amount of fuel as the 2.5 and 2.8. Inline six coupled with 5at gets very bad fuel eco in city stop and go traffic. In Auckland rush hour you will get 14~15L /100 with auto inline sixes. 5Mt will be like 11~12L while 5MT inline four will be 10L. 11L is it is 4at . Do not test drive an inline six BMW if you can only afford an e36 with 4at, they are addicting and there is no way back. I borrowed an e46 325i 5mt for two days, and now I hate the m43 every day. E36's slow steering rack is perfect for learning to use the steering wheel correctly(which 80% of the driver in Auckland don't). E36's soft suspension is good for some of the bumpy backroad. the power of E36 318is with 5mt allow you to go flat-out everywhere and still can slide around in the wet to make it exciting. I honestly don't know why old Toyota Corolla is so overpriced, and people still buy them. many models from Nissan from the same era provide similar reliability at half the price. Edited June 12, 2018 by Syy0628 1 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirtydoogle 383 Report post Posted June 12, 2018 The most economical e36 I had was a manual 328, also the best to drive. My manual 316 (m40b16) is much the same as the 328 around town, but hungrier on the open road My auto 320 and 325s have been slightly better than my auto 4 cylinders overall If the cooling system on any e36 is maintained and normal maintenance carried out any of them except the m40 motors will do big miles. However, the interiors fly apart and they love a good rattle. Brett's e46 328ci is really good buying, a much more refined car than an e36 and nicer to live with. Driving dynamics are fantastic Most e36s you will find have worn out standard suspension and do not really give you the fizz. A good msport 328 one the other hand is a lovely car to drive and wI'll not handle like old porridge like a standard one Most of my many BMWs have been very cheap to maintain, but you must choose wisely Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2079 Report post Posted June 15, 2018 All I can add to this is Do not buy an Audi. Not until you can afford a warranty to go with it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Young asian boii 0 Report post Posted July 21, 2018 (edited) I'm back! So, after a long time of thinking, I've come to the decision of saving up for a JDM till the end of this year, but a part of me still wants to get a BMW. I've been scouring Trade Me and the Facebook Marketplace for cars, and I came across a 1998 318ti E36 that's selling for $1200 in the same city as me, and has been driving it from Hamilton to Tauranga for a bit. It has 206xxx km's and according to the seller, the only problems are that it has a "rough idle" and that the power steering will need to be sorted out in the near future. I also asked the guy and this E36 has an M42. He's selling it because he doesn't want an extra car lying around, as much as he was planning to keep it. Do you think it would be worthwhile buying a good cheap E36 with a small engine as a first car? Also, how much would it cost to fix the power steering of Another plus is the fact that a bunch of BMW enthusiasts live 2 blocks away, and we have family friends that can work with cars, one owns an auto shop. Any advice on this? Edited July 21, 2018 by Young asian boii Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qazwsx 11 Report post Posted July 21, 2018 If it's your first car, definitely go with whatever is your cheapest option. I wouldn't save up to get something nice just yet. Just like young love, it might feel like you'll be together forever but it doesn't usually last. The 318ti sounds nice if it's a manual. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1662 Report post Posted July 21, 2018 Get someone with mechanical experience to go with you if you take a look. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Young asian boii 0 Report post Posted July 21, 2018 13 minutes ago, Eagle said: Get someone with mechanical experience to go with you if you take a look. Do you mean someone with mechanical experience specific to BMW's or just cars in general? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
