318ti..BMW's little hatch-back special
Written: Nov 27 '99
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Pros: Excellent small car, great brakes and handling
Cons: Not much under the hood
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| mpanoff's Full Review: 1998 BMW 318 |
Ok, so you probably can't get one of these guys new, but they're floating around used, even some dealer demos are left. It was my entry car into the world of nicer import automobiles. For 23k I got a '98 dealer demo 318ti with the sports package, nifty five spoke 17" wheels, sun roof, and a great purplish-blue paint job. I loved the color, it was an outstanding metallic that really caught your eye.
Being a 1.8L engine you can't really expect much from it. I'll be blunt, it was weak, really weak. You get on the throttle and she goes, but at a nice easy pace, it was by no means a rocket on wheels. I think this has a lot to do with the weight of the car, you'd think since it was a hatchback you'd be getting a slightly lighter car than the coupe, but you don't. On the other hand everything else about the car was wonderful. Since it was the sports package it had the excellent sport seats, damn they were nice. These seats were adjustable in every which way, getting the seat to accommodate my extra long legs was not a problem. Back seat space was decent, not bad for a hatchback. Brakes, excellent brakes. At times I grew very concerned that the driver behind me was gonna plow their extra huge land yacht into my bankend due to my super quick stopping ability. The handling of this little guy was also superb. One complaint though, it's too forgiving, the car tempts the driver to push just a little harder and farther through the corners. I pushed her a little too hard and suffered some serious consequences. Which leads me to how well built the car is. I walked away from a serious spin-out with a huge driver side wall impact without a scratch, just a little shaken up. The car didn't fare as well, completely totaled :(. Speaking from personal experience I want to reiterate that BMWs are very well built cars.
Great entry level BMW for those on a budget. It’s got that BMW class and refinement.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 23000
Condition: New
Model Year: 1998
Model and Options: 318ti sports package
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Epinions.com ID:
mpanoff
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Location: Hermosa Beach, CA
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 14 members
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