BMW 3-series questions

[Grr]

I am purchasing a 95 318ti (the small hatchback) and would like a little info on it. I see it has a standard 3-series front end and suspension, and the rear is from a z3? Also it is a 1.8 4-banger with an automatic. I plan on doing some paint work and rims first, curious about what a good 17" tire size would be on it for a DD. Also as far as suspension is the rear stuff specific to the 318ti, or do i just get z3 rear and 3-series front stuff?

The car has 175k miles, and is completely rust free and very tight still. Anybody have any recommendations as far as things to look for and what kind of things need to be replaced now or soon? It has a low milage trans just put in, new alternator and no driveline problems. BUT, it is gutless as hell, like driving a honda. So, direction to really cheap or free performance upgrades are welcome as well.

And im sure some of you are like WTF does Grr have a BMW for? Well i need a cheap car that gets good milage and handles. In a couple years im guessing a nice I-6 swap could be in order, also im going to look into how the 4-banger takes some low boost. Oh, and the GN is hitting the road pretty soon. This thing is under 2900lbs with me in it and a full tank, so that is a very big factor as well. That along with the tendency for this to oversteer very controllably should be quite fun. Probably the coolest car i could find, especially for only $1800 :icon_cheers:

[3_Series]

Great place to get your questions answered:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=206

[thrash]

The rear suspension is the older E30 3 series design, which was carried over to the Z3 and Z3 M roadster, and as you've discovered, the E36 compact. The E36 rear suspension was a major step forward, but the E30 rear design was more oversteer prone if you like that sort of thing

The biggest issue on this car is that the M42 engine has a "profile gasket" that is prone to failing. Search for "M42 Profile Gasket" and you'll find out all about it.

Also, any automatic in a BMW is going to fail at some point, and it's not going to be cheap to replace. The cars are about 50x better with a stick in them, both funwise and reliability wise.

If you're planning a 6 cyl swap you may want to look into seeing if anyone else has done it before -- in the E30 cars the 4/6 cyls had different front subframes and suspension components. It wasn't a "drop-in" deal by any means.

Your best bet is to use this car to see if you like BMWs and to get good fuel economy for a while. I would forget about modding it into something else -- getting a proper E36 that already has an M50 series engine in it will be cheaper, better, and more satisfying.

[Grr]

Thanks for the info, ive went through 18 pages of that link posted, lost of good stuff. Ive been on 318ti.org as well but it is down presently for some reason. I really like the car and dont plan on any engine mods for some time. The entire car from the dash forward is pure E36, the only things needed for the swap are the engine/trans, harness and ECU. Change the mounts to I-6 and it literally all drops right together.
I do like the characteristics of the E30 rear suspension much better as well, it is a very gentle and controllable oversteer. The main reason for swapping to an M50 would be for the manual trans, and being the car is paid for, but first and formost because of the lightweight, and low option design of the 318ti. A 300hp I-6 in this car would be a very good ride, and would allow alot of time to work on suspension setup and alot of bodywork. I dont really care for the driving experience of the heavier E36 coupes and sedans very much either, so i wouldnt say it would be more satisfying, but thanks for your comments.

BTW, parts for these things are dirt cheap, like small block kinda cheap, i am very suprised.