Is it worth it, 316i Compact?

[eep285]

Sorry if I seem a bit clueless, but I'm new to the forum and BMWs.
I have been offered a 97 model 316I compact (the hatch one) Automatic for $5000 (Australian) with 1 years registration. I know that it is a good deal, but are these good cars & will it end up costing me lots for up keep of the car? Someone told me a set of tyres cost $1400, that seems pretty expensive.
I know that being in Australia means that Euro cars are going to cost a bit more to maintain, but it is possible to find cheap parts isn't it?
Also, is it easy to find people to do body mods on these cars? Just simple things like wheels, body kits, tints etc. as the one I have been offered is a basic white, with no extras.
Anyone who has an opinion on these cars please let me know, as I'm interested in how people have found these cars to run etc.
Thanks.

[Cuahtemoc1]

Well im over here in Califonia in the US... the 316's personaly i dont like..you can find your self a better looking/performing car for that same price...are you in Australia?

[Cuahtemoc1]

Check these out...

http://adelaide.craigslist.com.au/cto/923551748.html

http://brisbane.craigslist.com.au/cto/921614841.html

[eep285]

They seem like really good deals, but they nearly seem too good to be true. The average price for a 97, 316i compact is $11,000 over here, so I can't imagine that they are half the price. I could be wrong though.
The car is my boses wifes car, so it is very conveniant to buy it off her.
They aren't known for being disliked though are they? I'm not that fussy, and I'm not going to thrash it or anything, I'm a pretty balanced driver.
Thanks for your help.

[Cuahtemoc1]

No acually they are real good on gas...very good daily driver..ive never heard problems about that car..but depends on what your looking for..if i lived in australia i would buy that dam m3 in a heartbeat...OMG I WOULD SO BUY THAT!! lol im looking at it as i write this..ask anyone thats a really really good! deal!! almost too true but people now adays sell their cars like nothing..>!

[bimmerblack]

The car is my boses wifes car, so it is very conveniant to buy it off her.
They aren't known for being disliked though are they? I'm not that fussy, and I'm not going to thrash it or anything, I'm a pretty balanced driver. Its probably well kept, if it is, i'd take it. If you buy a Bentley manual you can do a lot of the work yourself. It's fuel efficient and though you won't be eating porsches anytime soon you can look good in the baby bimmer. If you love cars, you'll have no problem taking it on as a good daily driver/project car. In my experience with my four bangin 3 series, it's been a SOLID car, no issues so far, just make sure to keep up with the regular maintenance, and enjoy

[E36 Phantom]

It's all in the history, just like I just said in another thread. These cars are sensitive. You can't neglect them or you get problems. If it's been kept well, and has records, they're solid cars.

However, an E36 will be a HEAVY car for that little 1.6er. Don't count on having much power ;)

[Philip81193]

Check these out...

http://adelaide.craigslist.com.au/cto/923551748.html

http://brisbane.craigslist.com.au/cto/921614841.html

Those are both scams :confused:
In a small town like Roanoke, I have to sift through about 15 per day in the car sales, so in bigger towns like adelaide or brisbane I think there would be tons! :dunno:

[E36 Phantom]

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/image.php?u=132123&type=sigpic&dateline=1228535515

Whoa........even got wire spoke wheels!

I can haz mullet?

http://haplesshermit.typepad.com/.a/6a00e550d82bce883300e55264d0cb8834-pi

[mksu19]

...97 model 316I compact (the hatch one) Automatic for $5000 (Australian) with 1 years registration. I know that it is a good deal, but are these good cars & will it end up costing me lots for up keep of the car? Someone told me a set of tyres cost $1400, that seems pretty expensive...

...Anyone who has an opinion on these cars please let me know, as I'm interested in how people have found these cars to run etc.
Thanks.

Having owned both a 316i and a 318ti, all I could say is that the power from the little 1.6 litres is no where near as good as the 1.9litres. Its not any better on the gas mileage as well! Also, even with the "ti's" being smaller than the sedans, they dont weigh any lighter.

I do like the way the compacts look and the 1.6 litre motors can be tuned to provide you with a bit more power and some torque. It ain't gonna be faster than say a Civic Hatch but you will look a hell of a lot better driving the BMW Compact though! My old hatchback had an M3 kit on it with 18" msport rims.

$1,400 tyres!? Depends on the size and brand I guess but I'm sure you or someone you know can find better deals out there. The internet is usually the best place to shop around. There are sponsors on this site that can provide you with great deals on parts and stuff for your future Bimmer or whatever.

My hubby is actually looking for another 318ti for him to tune. Anyways, good luck on whatever car you decide to get and don't forget to get the car inspected regardless of who used to own it!

[bimmerking]

hey there eep285, first of congrats. Looks like you've caught the BMW bug and you want one obviously. I've owned my 316i coupe for just over a year now and while I love it, it has given me BUCKET LOADS OF PROBLEMS. It looked in GREAT condition, not a single scratch, engine bay looked clean, radiator looked good for age, drove home perfectly and also for about 2 or 3 months. Problems I found were that the ignition coil went, changed it, HT leads at the same time too. I heard that water pumps usually fail around the 80k mark but mine's got 130 n touch wood its still pumping the water around. My head gasket's gone at the moment and while I was looking for another car, I got the chance to speak to this BMW mechanic n he basically told me that bimmers under 2.0 is pretty much crap. NO DISRESPECT ANYONE. I bought the 316i myself as I couldn't get insurance on any other BMW at the time, but after trying out a couple of old 320i and 328i ones, DAMN I LOVE THOSE.

If you can afford it and can maintain it, go for at least a 320i. The feeling you get when the starts up, to me at least, was huge. 320 felt real quality in comparison to the 316i. Goodluck with the 316i though if you do end up getting it. All the best.

[Philip81193]

Whoa........even got wire spoke wheels!

I can haz mullet?



I can haz torque?
Oh, I have it :p
The wheels are the originals that were on the car. Original = Value
:bling:

[E36 Phantom]

I can haz torque?
Oh, I have it :p
The wheels are the originals that were on the car. Original = Value
:bling:

I haz it too. I haz 390 ft-lbs of them torks, and 370 donkey powerz, in fact. :p

Original only = value on *desirable* things. Wire wheels /= desirable.

Oh, edit, being an 80's American product, I just realized something. Those aren't wire wheels. Those are steelies with hubcaps, amirite? Damn - I'm jealous!!!! :rofl:

:p

JP man. Well, not really, I'm pretty serious about the mullet.

[Philip81193]

JP man. Well, not really, I'm pretty serious about the mullet.

Me too, I keep my hair short.

[eep285]

Thanks for all your opinions.
I took the car for a test drive today, and although it was kind of heavy (I am used to a 91 Ford laser) I liked it. The owners have serviced it every 10,000km, and it has a full service history.
Just one thing I picked up on, there was a rattle noise when I accelerated, the owner (bosses wife) assured me that it was the exhaust pipe. She said when you accelerate and the power goes through it & rattles for a few seconds (which it did), she said there was nothing that could be done about it, but wouldn't an extra bracket or something hold it in place a bit tighter?
Anyway, I will buy the car, as I was loking at Pulsars, and Mirages for at least $1000 more, and I would love to own a car that looks good, has a great name & won't crumple like a tin can! I know my reasons may be superficial, but as long as I look after it I'm hoping it will do me good for a few years at least!
Now I just have to wait until the begining of next year when she can give it to me! Oh and I will also need to find out where I can get good window tinting done in Sydney, as I can't stand the way people can see straight into the car! haha.
Thanks again for all your help.

[E36 Phantom]

Rattling could be your heat shield or your cats. One is easy, one is expensive. Might want to look into that.

[doggee]

Good quality standard size tyres should be no more than $125 each
A set of 235.45.17 Falkens cost me $700

[320what?]

If you like:

- gutless engine
- the shape of the car fron the side
- ok with putting lots of money into mods to make it look better (m kit, wheels)
- the compromized drive vs regular E36 (car has some E30 parts)

then you should buy it.

But i wouldn't.. here's why. It's the visual dissapointment you get after you see that someone just chopped its rear off and put a crappy rear suspension set up into it, and E30ish interior inside. Its a compromise of a car for compromised driver. He wants BMW but cant get the proper sized one or lives in cities where parking is REALLY tight (like, there is lots of 1er bimmers in paris) and so on. The 1.6 engine makes it all the more painful.

Chances are you will have hard time finding good E36 to begin with, so budget couple of grand for repairs and when buying one, make sure the engine is not overheating and has history and rear shock mounts haven't failed before. Everything else is replacable and fixable with B parts at a very reasonable cost thats comparable to other used german cars.

a bone stock E36 sedan even with 1.8 engine is nicer IMHO then the Compact 1.6 no matter how cheap it is. Its like buying canned food with consumption date expired.


1400 for tyres - may be if you getting some michelin pilot sports in 18s staggered set up. For you, budget 500-600 tops.

[e36mike]

yea its a good car that will be reliable. just not good for going fast but you dont sound like that matters much to you anyways. have fun. im sure your going to love your new bmw in the next couple weeks. theres just something bout them.

and when it comes wheels body kits etc,

basically stay OEM looking as possible. get some better OEM wheels, maybe a m3 body kit they look a bit cleaner when lowered, so lower it with some suspension which also makes your bmw handle 10x better than it already does, get headlights/corners, tint, and you will then have a sexy looking bmw. try and post some pics of the current look.

[Eric Devier]

Check these out...

http://adelaide.craigslist.com.au/cto/923551748.html

http://brisbane.craigslist.com.au/cto/921614841.html

ha. scam much? :rofl:

[Philip81193]

basically stay OEM looking as possible. get some better OEM wheels, maybe a m3 body kit
M3Ti?
For some reason, that reminds me of a pontiac aztek.
http://www.autogazeta.com/g/337/Aztec2002_b.jpg
:rofl:

[E36 Phantom]

:rofl: Philip.

Another fun comparo:

http://daddytypes.com/archive/bmw_x6_in_LA.jpg

http://www.niot.net/niot_570/pontiac_aztek_niot.net%20(1).jpg

[Philip81193]

http://daddytypes.com/archive/bmw_x6_in_LA.jpg



Whoever took the picture has a WHOLE lot of bling. :tsk:

[charliegolf]

Don't know if you went for it in the end or not. I'm in the UK and I drove a Porsche 944 for 7 years before getting into bikes, needed something to carry home the shopping and got a '97 316i. Wanted something cheap and rear wheel drive, I really like it! If you're not trying to be 'too fast too furious' and it's in good knick, get it. You can always get a bigger one later :)

[cwsqbm]

:rofl: Philip.

Another fun comparo:

Even the wheels match!!!! The one advantage the X6 has is the lack of the rear cross bar between the two windows on the Aztek. I had one as rental, and couldn't see the car behind me in the rear view mirror.

[sdbrandon]

:rofl: Philip.

Another fun comparo:

http://daddytypes.com/archive/bmw_x6_in_LA.jpg

http://www.niot.net/niot_570/pontiac_aztek_niot.net%20(1).jpg

It is amazing how bad U.S. designers are. The Aztec? :dunno:

We can make fun all day, but the X6 is the hottest crossover on the road. :thumbup:

[Ebon]

i brought a 1995 316i compact from a lot in june of 2008 and so far have only spent about 1200 bringing it up to good condition. the paint was good but inside needed work. 17 inch rims cost me 360 and they came with 4 good tyres with 90% tread left off ebay. full service, change of fuel plugs, rear parcel tray, rear struts, power steering rack and one fuel pump later the car is awesome!!!! i drive 40 mins to work each day (highway miles) and love the feel, look and savings. next is the rear and front spolier and it's all complete.
Compacts! i don't need to power. it's about the look.

thats my 2 cents. end of song.

[eep285]

I got my car yesterday, so far I love it, but I haven't done much in it. I'm happy with my choice, it was either a 97 BMW or a 96 Pulsar.....hmmm u choose.
I'm willing to pay a bit more for repairs etc.
Plus its a hell of a lot more safe than the crap I was looking at.
If I don't like it I will resell it, the average price for one in Australia is a few thousand more than the $5000 I paid for it.
Thanks to you all, and I'm sure that now I that I am the proud owner of a BMW I will be back here again.