Your first Beamer - the BMW 318ti
Written: Dec 29 '99 (Updated Jan 12 '00)
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Pros: Nice looking, cool gadgets inside, decent gas mileage
Cons: Expensive maintenance, battery had to be replaced twice, low horsepower
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| randilyn's Full Review: 1998 BMW 318 |
We bought one of the first 318ti's (1995 model year) in 1996. We were pleased with the process involved with buying the car. The BMW dealer wasn't pushy at all, unlike the other dealers in Vegas we have dealt with like Toyota and Chevy.
If you want an affordable beamer, the 318ti will fit the bill. It is a hatchback (some have called it a luxury Honda CRX--remember that car?), very nice looking, and it is built with the same high quality as all of the other beamers. It handles great, although acceleration was a bit lame due to the 4-cylinder engine. The 318ti has cool gadgets inside, like the outdoor temperature, and estimated driving miles left before you needed to buy more gas. Others might mistake the 318ti for a much more expensive car (we paid low 20's for it).
This car has one fatal flaw, however. Maintenance is EXPENSIVE for the price of the car. Regular maintenance was very pricey, and the mechanics didn't catch a brake problem until it needed the master cylinder worked on--this cost over $700 to fix. Also, the battery does no good here in the hot Las Vegas desert. It had to be replaced twice in the 2 1/2 years we owned the car. Needless to say, maintenance cost resulted in our decision to sell the 318ti and buy a 4Runner.
Recommended:
Yes
Condition: New
Model Year: 1995
Model and Options: 318ti
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Epinions.com ID:
randilyn
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Location: Las Vegas, NV
Reviews written: 101
Trusted by: 56 members
About Me:
I own a candle and spa accessories business. My real job = financial analyst.
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