- Review Centre
- Motoring
- Car Reviews
- Sports Cars
- BMW 3 Series 318 is
- LimMcSlim's review
Have a picture of BMW 3 Series 318 is?, please send it to us.
| Performance | 7.8/10  |
|---|---|
| Practicality | 7.1/10 |
| Reliability | 8.3/10 |
| Value for Money | 7.7/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 8.4/10 |
| Overall Rating | 6.9/10  |
By LimMcSlim
on 29th Nov 2006
| Year Manufactured | 1993 |
|---|---|
| Length of ownership | 6 Months |
| Doors | 2 |
| Performance | 9/10 |
| Practicality | 7/10 |
| Reliability | 8/10 |
| Value for money | 7/10 |
| Overall value | 9/10 |
 LimMcSlim's recommendation | |
Brilliant handling - the E36 is known as a real drivers car!
The driving experience inspires you with confidence, and once it's subtleties are mastered you may not want to drive an inferior car.
For a family sized car it is very well balanced. It has a tight and responsive chassis, precise steering with great driver feedback, lots of grip and a tight turning circle. It just loves to be thrown about, but it can also be a super smooth cruiser.
Sensible engineering makes it reasonably easy for the home DIY'er to work on.
If driven sensibly it can be a nice cheap practical car to own.
Loud, but lovely sounding 4 pot engine.
Creaky interior! But I think the newer 96+ ones are a bit better put together; a combination of the revvy engine, lots of road noise and the creaky interior can make long motorway journeys quite a noisy affair.
No cup holder.
Compared to some other cars it can be expensive to maintain.
In this day and age, the styling may look a bit dated, but this is a matter of preference.
All together, I think it's a brilliant car for the person who really enjoys driving. It's not super fast, but I think it was born to rev hard, and it is very punchy for a 13 year old 1800cc. It has lots of power above 4000rmp, and it pulls like a trooper all the way through the red.
The clutch is nice and springy, with a lot of feel, and the gearbox is very sharp, and once you get used to the sensitivity of the controls it starts to feel very rewarding.
The steering is very precise and predictable, from long A-road bends to tight hairpins, the car always keeps its balance beautifully, and it feels glued to the road. It can be pressed very hard around corners, but as it's rear wheel drive, you have to watch the back end, especially in the wet. If you get too throttle happy around a tight bend you will loose traction, and if you're not quick you will spin off like a go-kart.
People seem to buy BMW's as fashion accessories (probably because of their association with celebrities and rappers), and they have a certain stigma attached to them, which I think is a real pity, as our roads in London are now awash with clapped out old bimmers, driven by asylum seekers, poodling along main roads at 10 - 20mph, often with no regard for other road users or our laws. BMW's can be sensitive, and maybe a touch more difficult to drive, as they command you drive them with a bit of finesse and perfection, so if you cannot confidently handle a vehicle at low speeds, maybe you should be looking for a nice Corsa or Micra?
Even though it's not the fastest car about, and there are plenty of faster BMW's, it's a super fun drive that handles like a race car. If you love to drive, and you don't want huge insurance and fuel bills, then this car could be for you.
| Helpful | Unhelpful | Agree | Disagree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Total Respect: +1
Big Dave Midlands
on 24th Mar 2008