I bought a somewhat forgotten car. (318ti content)

[mac dre]

Crappy iphone pic

1997 BMW 318ti Active Package 5 speed - 139,000 miles

Full maintenance records since new which was nice.

So far I'm liking it a lot. The 4cyl feels pretty peppy, despite everyone usually writing this car off as slow. It has the California roof, which is a huge canvas sunroof, definitely nice to use when the sun goes down.

Theres a pretty sizeable dent on the right side of the car which i'll post pics of later. Does dry ice or any of those other home techniques actually get the dent to pop out?

[VadGTI]

Pic fail. Try again.

[wat]

I dont see a pic...


But anyways it's not the dry ice you use, it's heating up the panel with a heatgun and then spraying some compressed air with the can upside down. Depends on the dent of course.

[dubjager]

Didn't know they had the california roof on these Looks real nice!

[Hufeisen]

Nice purchase

How much did you pick it up? Any plans for it?

[BeaArthur]

Enjoy the car, should be fun.

Not really forgotten around here though. See them mentioned in a lot of the hatchback themed threads...

[200HP4dr]

Cool ride! Perfectly optioned too.

Chris

[VadGTI]

They can look so right with the M kit.

[Hufeisen]

They can look so right with the M kit.

[330iZHP]

M kit, 18" wheels and Euro S52/6spd

[joe13472000]

Great ride

[woofster]

For sure...I've seen one back in 2001 or so with the M-Technic package and E36 M3 wheels, slightly lowered and it looked fantastic. The hard part about buying a 318ti these days is finding one in good condition.

[irsa76]

Enjoy the car, should be fun.

Not really forgotten around here though. See them mentioned in a lot of the hatchback themed threads...

Probably forgotten in the fact that 99% of people don't even realise BMW made them.
The BMW dealer that was part of the same group I worked for had one with all the M tech parts including the godawful colour coded interior, in yellow.

[Iroczgirl]

Nice! I was looking at one not too long ago, I really like these.

But instead I went out and bought a new AAZ long block.

[High Body slc]

99% of who???

[Jan PL S6]

Absolutely never forgotten. Great purchase OP, I'm always looking for 318ti, corrados and coupe quattros. They just seem like such fun cars to drive.

[GTE77]

I have one too........visit 318ti.org........best place for them.

Yeah, M bumper, M skirts and M wheels make the car look SO hawt.

Also, the californica roof is QUITE special. i dont like it but some people search madly for one with them.

[PsyberVW]

They can look so right with the M kit.

Indeed. My buddy in Sweden has the 328ti with M kit in euro-trash purple. Did we ever get the 328Ti here? I've only ever seen 318s

[SpookyReverb]

My wife had a 318ti w/ 5spd about ten years ago or so, it was a pretty fun car to drive, we really liked it.

[a2a4raddo]

Indeed. My buddy in Sweden has the 328ti with M kit in euro-trash purple. Did we ever get the 328Ti here? I've only ever seen 318s

That body style was never offered as a 328Ti. However, europe did get a 323Ti which we did not get. 170BHP iirc. OUr cars came equip with either a 1.8 or 1.9 (140HP)

[6cylVWguy]

Nice find!

[PerL]

That body style was never offered as a 328Ti. However, europe did get a 323Ti which we did not get. 170BHP iirc. OUr cars came equip with either a 1.8 or 1.9 (140HP)

True, we got the 316i, 318Ti, 323Ti and 318TDS versions of the E36 Compact. The only body style of E36 I like, personally.

[PsyberVW]

That body style was never offered as a 328Ti. However, europe did get a 323Ti which we did not get. 170BHP iirc. OUr cars came equip with either a 1.8 or 1.9 (140HP)

You're probably right, I must have got my 328 and 323 mixed up. Though I thought he had an I6... I know that at the time he bought it, we only had the 318 here (US) and his car made more power.

[John Y]

You're probably right, I must have got my 328 and 323 mixed up. Though I thought he had an I6... I know that at the time he bought it, we only had the 318 here (US) and his car made more power.

He probably did - the 323 was an I6, just a little smaller and less powerful. Not sure if it was actually 2.3l or a 2.5, with something like 170hp.

[TJSwoboda]

If I had been in a position to buy a new car in the late 90s, this would have been it. Noice!

[mikes96GTI]

Congrats and great choice! Its a car people either love or hate. I love them, and think its one of the best/coolest cars BMW ever made right there with the 2002. Half E30, half E36. My only word of advice, is if the California Roof works, leave it closed and don't touch it unless you want to deal with the time and money to fix it. I replaced a ton of them when these were under warranty. I think then the roof was like $4K for the complete assembly. The rest of the car is pretty indestructible and dirt cheap to fix.

[Turbo-D]

Put an M50 or S50 into it

[PsyberVW]

Congrats and great choice! Its a car people either love or hate. I love them, and think its one of the best/coolest cars BMW ever made right there with the 2002. Half E30, half E36. My only word of advice, is if the California Roof works, leave it closed and don't touch it unless you want to deal with the time and money to fix it. I replaced a ton of them when these were under warranty. I think then the roof was like $4K for the complete assembly. The rest of the car is pretty indestructible and dirt cheap to fix.

The chief negatives I remember hearing about were the rear section (the E30 bits) cracking/breaking and rusting. I'll have to Google search the details, but it had something to do with the factory welds of the rear sub-frame. I think the Z3 may have had the same issue?

I've always loved the way these cars looked. I just couldn't justify the price at the time, as I was able to get some seriously awesome used cars for less, and the M3 was my goal at the time (late 90's).

[mac dre]

Congrats and great choice! Its a car people either love or hate. I love them, and think its one of the best/coolest cars BMW ever made right there with the 2002. Half E30, half E36. My only word of advice, is if the California Roof works, leave it closed and don't touch it unless you want to deal with the time and money to fix it. I replaced a ton of them when these were under warranty. I think then the roof was like $4K for the complete assembly. The rest of the car is pretty indestructible and dirt cheap to fix.

Thanks all, I had no idea the California Roof was that problematic. Damn, I was really looking forward to that during the night. Any maintenance tips or things i can do to prolong its life?

I paid $1k, but the AC evaporator went out which is a $1400 fix. Not many people are willing to drive a car with no AC in a midwest summer.

No m-tech goodies or M52/S52 swaps for a while, this is just a college DD.

[GTE77]

Thanks all, I had no idea the California Roof was that problematic. Damn, I was really looking forward to that during the night. Any maintenance tips or things i can do to prolong its life?

I paid $1k, but the AC evaporator went out which is a $1400 fix. Not many people are willing to drive a car with no AC in a midwest summer.

No m-tech goodies or M52/S52 swaps for a while, this is just a college DD.

A $1400 fix? Thats mostly labor right? Cause I sure you can source parts for alot less if you are willing to put 2 weekends of DIY into it.


Yes, the california roof is.......just like every other rag roof.

I really like mine, I love the engine after 3500 rpm.

[mac dre]

A $1400 fix? Thats mostly labor right? Cause I sure you can source parts for alot less if you are willing to put 2 weekends of DIY into it.


Yes, the california roof is.......just like every other rag roof.

I really like mine, I love the engine after 3500 rpm.

Yep, dashboard needs to be taken out 8+ hours of labor.

[Jettaboy1884]

...
I really like mine, I love the engine after 3500 rpm.

The M42 is a very neat motor in its own right, and responds well to a couple of bolt-on's (chip & exhaust). They are costly to get much more naturally aspirated power from though.

Modernizing to COP ignition, and an electric rad fan are also worthwhile modifications.

The OP probably has a M44 since its a '97 so I am not sure if all of this correlates.

Good luck with it, post some more pics.