4 ms·

Im not much of a BMW fan myself, but I can appreciate what they do. My high school girlfriend had a 95 318is that I remember being a dog of a car. At ~2800 - 30

by S_A_P 11y ago

Im not much of a BMW fan myself, but I can appreciate what they do. My high school girlfriend had a 95 318is that I remember being a dog of a car. At ~2800 - 3000 pounds and having 136 hp it was grossly underpowered. The handling wasn't all that great, and at least in the case of the 318 had no tilt or telescoping steering wheel that for me was in a awful position. To top things off, the engine exploded while on a road trip about 40 miles outside of Houston while going about 75 mph. It was almost comical had it not been so dangerous, it literally spit oil onto the windshield when it blew.(The car wanted us dead) BMW has had a target on their back with the 3 series since the 90s though, and with every new generation pundits predict the fall of the 3. I think some of the criticisms are warranted, its getting really porky, expensive and not as fun to drive and toss-able as it once was. However, you could say that about most cars in the segment(A4, C series) and the a lot of the reason for this is safety requirements and buyer preferences for more luxury items these days. If I were to buy a BMW, I think I would want a late 80s 6 series. Those are beautiful cars, I shudder to think what the maintenance costs would be though.

S_A_P 11y ago
I guess I am not allowed to actually discuss actual experience with an E36 3 series in a negative light or someone will get their feelings hurt and down vote.
- vetinari 11y ago
  Ignore the down voting - this is not a high school, where you have to be popular ;) I was also down voted in this thread, so what. We are not here to care for everyone's feeling and sing kumbaya.
- varelse 11y ago
  BMWs, Audis, Teslas, Mercedes, Porsches and I'm sure I missed a few others: these are all sacred cow status symbols. You're going to get downvoted by their respective followers saying anything bad about them. I personally really dislike BMWs for delivering horrible !/$ and for iDrive. That said, for any of the above, if you're willing to spend $80K or more, you can get a pretty amazing car. I'm not: If I had one, I'd stay up all night worrying about my precious 4-wheeled baby. So I end up scooping up 3 year-old high-end lease returns worth half their MSRP or less with low mileage with no real brand loyalty. IMO here's a great article on taking this to the extreme: http://www.apidaonline.com/index.php/home/item/5-things-no-one-tells-you-about-owning-a-used-luxury-car http://www.apidaonline.com/index.php/home/item/5-things-no-o... Probably going to get downvoted for admitting I share your dislike of BMWs though (oddly, I don't mind Audis, for each their own).
  - S_A_P 11y ago
    I drive an Audi. It is cheaper than a comparably equipped BMW or Merc. Now BMW does have the advantage of being a true rwd vehicle and having the engine behind the front axle to help weight distribution and handling(which road tests show BMW will have better handling than most Audis) However I like the understated styling of Audi(which many people find boring, but I like the sleeper nature of it). The 2.0t engine, at least in the B8 model I have is pretty much bullet-proof now and the quattro works wonders in the rain. Its not the fastest or best handling car out there, but for my needs its perfect. Audi MMI is fantastic, and the iPhone integration works amazing. In Houston, there aren't a whole lot of Audis compared to MB and BMW, BMW probably outsells Audi 5 to 1. I kind of like that.
switch007 11y ago
A N/A 4 cylinder 3 series is so pointless, and it's perhaps a bit unfair to judge the entire 3 series line by a 1995 318. The latest F30 is a world away from a 1995 318is. (EDIT: I have had a 1998 E46 328i for ~2 years now, and I'm not exactly enamoured by BMWs... it's had a lot of repairs recently)
- S_A_P 11y ago
  I would hope that an anecdote for one particular model 20 years old would not be interpreted as my opinion on 40 years of vehicles. I would love to read stories both good and bad about peoples experience with a 3 series. I would love to have an E30 3 or M3 as a play around car. That said, that '95 318is was garbage and does not even come close to "the ultimate driving machine". A 325 of that era would be way better. Im really surprised that BMW even sold that car with the 1.8l engine anywhere- it was way too underpowered for a near luxury/sport coupe. At the time, that car was 25k(39,213.76 in todays dollars according to http://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=25000&year=1995 http://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=25...) which can get you 3-400 horsepower depending on what you buy these days. Engine technology has come a long way in those 20 years, you have to get into econobox cars to find 136hp vehicles now.
S_A_P 11y ago
relevant video link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmveAGJ3MNc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmveAGJ3MNc Motor Trend drives/discusses E30, E36, E46, and E92 M3

by S_A_P 11y ago

S_A_P 11y ago

I guess I am not allowed to actually discuss actual experience with an E36 3 series in a negative light or someone will get their feelings hurt and down vote.

vetinari 11y ago
Ignore the down voting - this is not a high school, where you have to be popular ;) I was also down voted in this thread, so what. We are not here to care for everyone's feeling and sing kumbaya.
varelse 11y ago
BMWs, Audis, Teslas, Mercedes, Porsches and I'm sure I missed a few others: these are all sacred cow status symbols. You're going to get downvoted by their respective followers saying anything bad about them. I personally really dislike BMWs for delivering horrible !/$ and for iDrive. That said, for any of the above, if you're willing to spend $80K or more, you can get a pretty amazing car. I'm not: If I had one, I'd stay up all night worrying about my precious 4-wheeled baby. So I end up scooping up 3 year-old high-end lease returns worth half their MSRP or less with low mileage with no real brand loyalty. IMO here's a great article on taking this to the extreme: http://www.apidaonline.com/index.php/home/item/5-things-no-one-tells-you-about-owning-a-used-luxury-car http://www.apidaonline.com/index.php/home/item/5-things-no-o... Probably going to get downvoted for admitting I share your dislike of BMWs though (oddly, I don't mind Audis, for each their own).
- S_A_P 11y ago
  I drive an Audi. It is cheaper than a comparably equipped BMW or Merc. Now BMW does have the advantage of being a true rwd vehicle and having the engine behind the front axle to help weight distribution and handling(which road tests show BMW will have better handling than most Audis) However I like the understated styling of Audi(which many people find boring, but I like the sleeper nature of it). The 2.0t engine, at least in the B8 model I have is pretty much bullet-proof now and the quattro works wonders in the rain. Its not the fastest or best handling car out there, but for my needs its perfect. Audi MMI is fantastic, and the iPhone integration works amazing. In Houston, there aren't a whole lot of Audis compared to MB and BMW, BMW probably outsells Audi 5 to 1. I kind of like that.

switch007 11y ago

A N/A 4 cylinder 3 series is so pointless, and it's perhaps a bit unfair to judge the entire 3 series line by a 1995 318. The latest F30 is a world away from a 1995 318is. (EDIT: I have had a 1998 E46 328i for ~2 years now, and I'm not exactly enamoured by BMWs... it's had a lot of repairs recently)

S_A_P 11y ago
I would hope that an anecdote for one particular model 20 years old would not be interpreted as my opinion on 40 years of vehicles. I would love to read stories both good and bad about peoples experience with a 3 series. I would love to have an E30 3 or M3 as a play around car. That said, that '95 318is was garbage and does not even come close to "the ultimate driving machine". A 325 of that era would be way better. Im really surprised that BMW even sold that car with the 1.8l engine anywhere- it was way too underpowered for a near luxury/sport coupe. At the time, that car was 25k(39,213.76 in todays dollars according to http://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=25000&year=1995 http://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=25...) which can get you 3-400 horsepower depending on what you buy these days. Engine technology has come a long way in those 20 years, you have to get into econobox cars to find 136hp vehicles now.

S_A_P 11y ago

relevant video link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmveAGJ3MNc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmveAGJ3MNc Motor Trend drives/discusses E30, E36, E46, and E92 M3