Purchasing a 318i(m) E36

[DanPromote]

Originally posted by c-square+Oct 28 2005, 06:03 PM-->QUOTE (c-square @ Oct 28 2005, 06:03 PM)

 

[Afro_D]

DanPromote... a fellow Dan. hehe

I am going to DU Tyre this coming monday (31st Oct) to service my ride. The boss there, Nick is a pretty fair dealer. If you want me to make the intro to him... be there at around 11.30am and look for me (Danny)

By the way... wellcome to E36 ownership!!!

 

[Afro_D]

Originally posted by Afro_D@Oct 29 2005, 10:01 AM
DanPromote... a fellow Dan. hehe

I am going to DU Tyre this coming monday (31st Oct) to service my ride. The boss there, Nick is a pretty fair dealer. If you want me to make the intro to him... be there at around 11.30am and look for me (Danny)

By the way... wellcome to E36 ownership!!!

Sorry ah :blush:

DU Tyre in Damansara Utama... same row as Brother Peters... a few shops down.

 

[DanPromote]

sure no problem if I'm free will drop by on Monday. Btw do u know what is the coilover spring rate for 318(i) for the front and back? Coz I can ask the factory to customise the settings before I purchase it. My real name is Danny also..hehehh same as u.

 

[DanPromote]

Sorry didn't have time to visit the tyre shop the car was only delivered 8pm today. Did a bit of testing before I collected the car. Everything seems fine except for a some minor details which need to be repaired ie. wiring for power windows and brake light not lighting up.

During my test run I did a roundabout test to see how much body roll the car has any boy the stock suspension has quite a lot of roll, any idea how to improve on this? Besides that it handles well and goes through the yellow lines much better than a japanese car. Power wise, ok, I didn't expect much from a 1.8 so I was not dissapointed. This part can always be improved

 

[c-square]

Originally posted by DanPromote@Oct 31 2005, 11:49 AM
Sorry didn't have time to visit the tyre shop the car was only delivered 8pm today. Did a bit of testing before I collected the car. Everything seems fine except for a some minor details which need to be repaired ie. wiring for power windows and brake light not lighting up.

During my test run I did a roundabout test to see how much body roll the car has any boy the stock suspension has quite a lot of roll, any idea how to improve on this? Besides that it handles well and goes through the yellow lines much better than a japanese car. Power wise, ok, I didn't expect much from a 1.8 so I was not dissapointed. This part can always be improved

body roll?..... may want to change your stock shocks to a "harder" one like Blistein Sports (Yellow) or Koni and compliment it with Eibach springs. If these set-ups are way too "harsh" to your liking, you may want to try the Blistein Super Touring (Black).
May also woth considering a thicker anti-roll bar and/or strut bar.

 

[skar19]

Originally posted by DanPromote@Nov 1 2005, 12:49 AM
Sorry didn't have time to visit the tyre shop the car was only delivered 8pm today. Did a bit of testing before I collected the car. Everything seems fine except for a some minor details which need to be repaired ie. wiring for power windows and brake light not lighting up.

During my test run I did a roundabout test to see how much body roll the car has any boy the stock suspension has quite a lot of roll, any idea how to improve on this? Besides that it handles well and goes through the yellow lines much better than a japanese car. Power wise, ok, I didn't expect much from a 1.8 so I was not dissapointed. This part can always be improved

As someone else mentioned dont underestimate the 318i it reach speeds of 190-200km/h.

improve handling? now that is a smart thing to do.

this is what you can do.

1.eibach prokit (depends on your preference)
2.front and rear struts
3.absorbers (depends on your preference)
4. thicker anti-roll bars
5. m3 control arm bushes

anybody else would like to add on to the list? these are just suggestions. please also do your homework.

good luck

 

[tongsatriani]

Originally posted by burn@Oct 11 2005, 09:47 AM
try get a loan form PB, they give good interest rate

Yup! PB is offering the lowest in the market now. I got 2.99% on a 2nd hand car. Sounds good huh?!

 

[edgar_raphael]

You can get a good condition of E36 318 over here for half the price you paid Danpromote, anyway price issue aside, I am also interested in one of them, and I think they are one of the most affordable used car in powerirce:looks:class ratio.

But how's the fuel consumption of the 1.8l motor like? 7 out of 10 E36 318s here rolls on 18" and it definitely looks the good, but how bad is it stressing?

 

[DanPromote]

where are u from edgar? That's certainly a good price!

I'm still using the stock 15in alloys and I'm overseas now so I haven't really got a chance to tell u the consumption, just hope that it would be ok. The biggest I'd go is 17in lightweights, I'm also concerned about the lack of power and high consumption such big rims on a 1.8 litre engine.

 

[burn]

Originally posted by edgar_raphael@Nov 3 2005, 03:55 PM
You can get a good condition of E36 318 over here for half the price you paid Danpromote, anyway price issue aside, I am also interested in one of them, and I think they are one of the most affordable used car in powerirce:looks:class ratio.

But how's the fuel consumption of the 1.8l motor like? 7 out of 10 E36 318s here rolls on 18" and it definitely looks the good, but how bad is it stressing?

hi edgar!
if you drive at normal speed 80-100km, full tank will give you around 650km to 700km,
driving at 110-140km will roughly be around 450-500++km,
this is my experience while driving outstation!
city driving, not to sure, sometimes in between 500-600++km! mine is standard e36 318i m43 SOHC 4pot auto wit 15"... for other 318 models, you hav to ask the seniors.
but if you want speed, then go for 325 or 328! since they are 6pot!
go for 98-99 model if you hav the budget, so in future when selling off the car, it is much easier for a new buyer to get a loan.
in malaysia, it is not easy to get a loan or wit good interest rate if the car is above 10 years. in ur country??? you hav to find out...
and if you are planning to keep it and do up the car, any year model can! but prepare for the extra cash!
just my experience... k:

 

[edgar_raphael]

I'm from Malaysia, but currently staying here in australia, for E36 models, it is quite hard to get your hands on post-318 models, they are either not for sale or over-priced. But still they are so much cheaper if you want to compare to Malaysia. You can get an used E46 for less than RM65K, which is around AUD$20k++

The prices of E36 318s here depends mostly on the mileage, anything above 190,000 km, you can acquire them below AUD$10k, some even comes modded.

Anyway, it is a nice car and will never get away in fashion, not only here, or Malaysia but the whole world, I love this model.

 

[DanPromote]

Tq burn for your feedback, I'm really glad that the fuel consumption is quite low for the 318. Will give my feedback after using it for a few weeks. I doubt it will be as good as yours due to the older engine but hopefully it won't be that bad.

Hi Edgar, cool for below 10k Aussie it's very worth the price same goes for the e46! I guess thats the advantage of living there. So which model are u using or planning to get?

 

[elwine30]

danpromote,

yes, the stock suspension for the m40 e36 is soft and therefore it has more body roll. But it still handles true corners. Being through it in SIC and it's manageable.

Best suspension setup depends on each individual, 50% comfort 50% performance, go for eibach with bilstein black, 70%C30%P, go for Bistein with Bistein HD. Other brands are good too like H&R mentioned by you. But again, it all depends what you want.

But do note that you will require the 4-pot springs. It's a different rate between the 6pot and 4pot. If you buy the 4pot, you have to live with the 4pot or upgrade to the IS.

And what skar posted is spot on. THat's what you need for better handling car. the m40 is not a dissapointing engine i would say.

 

[DanPromote]

elwine, I just realised why the stock suspension didn't feel so right. I was in Klang to change to 17in AC replica rims, Falken tyres and since they had Eibachs I thought I'd try those first due to the lower cost and the fact that I think they offer more comfortable ride than coilover. However when they removed the older springs they found out that my left driver side absorber has been worn (they have slower response) while the left rear has leak... it was a bit too late to cancel my Eibach purchase since I already paid for it so now I need to look for replacement abs. I was informed that the front absorbers are quite expensive (around 1k for the pair) & the rear is approx RM600 for the pair (ouch) so I'm temporarily using the older absorbers. The comfort is still there and car holds on to the road better due to the wider tyres but I do feel a slower pickup (expected). The nice part is that the car looks better now No more wide gap at the front.

I've been monitoring my petrol usage over a few days (can't really tell an accurate reading since I just changed to a bigger set of rims/tyres today) but for 1/4 tank used I'm getting approximately 150km so full tank is estimated to be 600km.

 

[fabianyee]

Originally posted by DanPromote@Nov 6 2005, 01:09 AM
I've been monitoring my petrol usage over a few days (can't really tell an accurate reading since I just changed to a bigger set of rims/tyres today) but for 1/4 tank used I'm getting approximately 150km so full tank is estimated to be 600km.

How sure are u the 1/4 reading on the meter is really quarter tank???

For more accurate reading,
1) TOP UP the tank.
2) reset the tripmeter.
3)TOP UP again after the meter is past 1/2.
4) jot down the distance travelled.

For speedy mental comparison, take a glance at the volume (Liter NOT $) that went in the fuel tank to the distance travelled.
it shud be in the region of 10L/100km. In short, if 40liter of petrol went into the tank, u shud have travelled about 400km..

 

[burn]

Originally posted by DanPromote@Nov 6 2005, 01:09 AM
elwine, I just realised why the stock suspension didn't feel so right. I was in Klang to change to 17in AC replica rims, Falken tyres and since they had Eibachs I thought I'd try those first due to the lower cost and the fact that I think they offer more comfortable ride than coilover. However when they removed the older springs they found out that my left driver side absorber has been worn (they have slower response) while the left rear has leak... it was a bit too late to cancel my Eibach purchase since I already paid for it so now I need to look for replacement abs. I was informed that the front absorbers are quite expensive (around 1k for the pair) & the rear is approx RM600 for the pair (ouch) so I'm temporarily using the older absorbers. The comfort is still there and car holds on to the road better due to the wider tyres but I do feel a slower pickup (expected). The nice part is that the car looks better now No more wide gap at the front.

I've been monitoring my petrol usage over a few days (can't really tell an accurate reading since I just changed to a bigger set of rims/tyres today) but for 1/4 tank used I'm getting approximately 150km so full tank is estimated to be 600km.

wow, you are a real turbo kid!
just wondering, you hav sent the car for a check-up at puspakom n they did not notice about the worn absorber???
and why in a hurry to change the sport rims/spring!
when the first thing you should hav is to concentrate more on the engine parts for worn and tear!
take things slow, turbo kid, it is not end of the world yet!
mileage wise, should follow what fabian hav listed. that is what i did to all my cars, after topping-up full tank, reset the tripmeter and jot down!
if mileage is high, then it is time for a check-up! k:

 

[DanPromote]

will try that in my next refuel fabian and burn, as for the current reading it is just an estimate based on the fuel meter level.

burn, puspakom doesn't check everything, they mainly check whether the body was joined from halfcut, exhaust emissions and noted some oil leak which I've already asked the owner to repair before collecting the car. They did not detect oil leak at the absorbers mainly because it doesn't drip down the floor, I can only see it when it was taken out from the car during the eibach upgrade. Yea I have to admit I should've used the money to do more touch-ups rather than spurlging on the rims, tyres and springs but the Klang shop's offer was too irresistable! Also I hated the big gap between the front tyre and the fender. Just like a kid in a lollipop store lol so for now I must restrict myself from visiting more performance/accessories shop because there're no end to what can be done and just concentrate on general maintenance for the next couple of months.

 

[Mont-o]

Bro DanPromote..congrate for ya new purchased. My previous car was 318i M43(M)..drive for 3 year. Lowered down with Bilstein + Eibachs...put the 17" rim with 225 or 215 tyres then you can push to 180km/hr without shaking. Manual 318i M43 is nice machine..they can run too, you can go up to 200km/hr.No worry

Cheers

 

[elwine30]

dp,

i changed the shocks for my e36 is about 1K only. who quoted you 1k for front and 600 for rear, that's over price. but maybe u should state what kind of absorbers you are getting.

for bilstien black, you can get it about 1.2 to 1.4K with absorber mounting, bump stop and cover new.

for bil hd, it would be over 2K.