Replacement for 1995 318i

baldzone · 15 Oct 2006 at 08:34

My old beemer is on it's way out now with Gearbox problems amongst other niggly things which might just see me through the winter but not likely the MOT in March.

Looking to replace this car (paid £3k 4 years ago for it) and she has served me well.

Ideally looking for something with more boot space, good towing ability for lugging around a box trailer (the 318 struggles) and must be as reliable as possible.

Looking to spend around the £3k mark again.

Any suggestions? Because the BM has been as good as gold in the past 4 years I'm tempted to get a newer version of it and put up with small boot space.

Tesla · 15 Oct 2006 at 08:55

Have you considered a larger estate version?

baldzone · 15 Oct 2006 at 09:05

The idea did cross my mind but I'd probably not be able to get an estate in my garage (in a block) and my area isn't the nicest to live in!!

Tesla · 15 Oct 2006 at 09:21

baldzone said:
The idea did cross my mind but I'd probably not be able to get an estate in my garage (in a block) and my area isn't the nicest to live in!!

As far as I know the esate and saloon versions of your BMW are the same length.

Scania · 15 Oct 2006 at 10:13

baldzone said:
Any suggestions? Because the BM has been as good as gold in the past 4 years I'm tempted to get a newer version of it and put up with small boot space.

My old 318i was also "as good as gold" I elected to replace mine with a much bigger version!

In your case, go for a later e36, perhaps a 323i Touring? (Estate)

I'd also consider the e39 5 series (520i / 523i) for that sort of money.

baldzone · 16 Oct 2006 at 08:24

As much as another beemer is appealing, are there any other realistic options? Looking into various websites, the beemers do seem to give the least trouble reliability wise but there is always the concern of horrendous repair bills if and when things do go wrong (how much are ECU's for a Ford Ka compared to a beemer?).

The current car is worth maybe a grand (?). Gearbox is notchy when cold, exhaust might get through the next MOT (been an advisory for 3 years), and Suspension bushes feel worn.

More than likely it will be beyond economical repair.

Gibbo · 16 Oct 2006 at 08:45

baldzone said:
As much as another beemer is appealing, are there any other realistic options? Looking into various websites, the beemers do seem to give the least trouble reliability wise but there is always the concern of horrendous repair bills if and when things do go wrong (how much are ECU's for a Ford Ka compared to a beemer?).

The current car is worth maybe a grand (?). Gearbox is notchy when cold, exhaust might get through the next MOT (been an advisory for 3 years), and Suspension bushes feel worn.

More than likely it will be beyond economical repair.

HI m8

Before you dismiss your old Beemer why don't you give it some TLC.
A good quality gear box oil won't go a miss, drain out the old stuff and put some new stuff in specially designed for older gearboxes. Exhaust issues are easily fixed and won't cost a lot of money. Just get an stock exhaust and fit it yourself. Suspension bushes, again a specialist can probably do this all in for not a huge amount of money.

You could probably spend £500 on your current motor and get another 1-2 years out of it.

baldzone · 16 Oct 2006 at 09:15

The gearbox oil option didnt make a lot of difference if any tbh.

It has become notchy when putting into 1st and 2nd gears but improves when warmed up. It will be interesting to drive first thing in the winter I think!

It all depends on the MOT result so just covering my options at the minute.