Why Do People hate the 318 so much?

[Wh33lhop]

There are plenty of M42 fans here. Less weight over the nose of the car is always a big plus when it comes to flinging it into tight corners.

Personally I'm a big inline 6 fan though, I'm done with 4 cylinders for now unless they're mounted behind the driver (or under the rider).

I'm appending this post to exclude S14s in my statement. 320is 4 door, do want.

[cagedbunny]

For DD duties an M42 is boring as watching Martha Stewart on TV.

Nonsense. They're unusually fun for a daily. With the 4:10 and a lightweight flywheel, the car rips stoplight-to-stoplight. Granted, there's not much more there if you need to push the pedal further, but the car feels so eager and fun, I tend not to care.

[Wh33lhop]

Yeah, that just gives you an excuse to preload before you hit the hill. On some really big hills I have to get to 50-60 to keep from having to drop a gear. MA has big hills.

IMO it's these kinds of things that add to the car's personality, I keep its tendencies in mind when I drive and I can't help but feel a little bit more attached to the car.

Disagree. The car's strong points are what you're attached to, the shortcomings are just things you come to live with because of said strong points.

[Jand3rson]

Wh33lhop, your avatar is W1N.

[Jonny Cash]

TheM42 e30 is a great little car. It definitly serves its purpose.

And as fast as they can be, there definitly a reason why theyre outlawed in the specE30 series as of this year. The m20 is just a 10x better all around motor.

[Wh33lhop]

Wh33lhop, your avatar is W1N.

:up:

[FL318is]

To me it is like driving a go-cart with a/c. I enjoy the shit outta mine!

[gearheadE30]

I definitely like mine, and it makes a great daily. The car sees regular autocross and HPDEs and has a few mods, though. I love the balance and the rev-happiness, but it's left me wanting a lot more power. M20s feel (and are) all around much quicker.

[Mauiwowi]

I like driving my 318is more than my 325ix as long as I dont need all wheel drive.

[DeM3n]

318s aren't too bad. I'd roll one.

[Jean]

Compare an early m10 318 with no power anything vs the late model 318is and I bet m10car is lighter still. I beat the shit out of it last year all year in autocross and it was basically a momentum car, i doubt a late model 318i/s cars will the same as the early light m10 318 cars. I don't really care for mpg much, 20+ is good enough for me :) I love being able to merge w/o having to count the cars and downshift 2 gears.

[ck_taft325is]

I've had an m20 iS and ETA. Currently building a 2.7i stroker and picked up the 318iS to DD, gas mileage etc etc... I'm not going to lie and I'll totally preface this statement by saying that I haven't driven a m20 non-ETA in awhile but that aside, I REALLY enjoyed driving my 318iS. It's a total blast! And I completely hear and understand the limitations of the 4cyl. but it's about what you buy it for. I love handling and driving a car around some twisties now and again. I don't want to drag race anyone or even highway race anyone anymore. I can still get from A to B in a very nice, quick fashion. All the while pulling 30mpg.

SO, if you want to drive really fast in a straight line and pull tons of power, pickup a V8 of some assorted American brand. If you want to drive quick and sporty while still getting affordable gas mileage? Pick up a 318iS. If you want a bit more power, I'd def. suggest the m20 route.

Something else to keep in mind is that I see a lot of people that go from m20 to say, m5x/s5x will tell you the m20's a total slouch. It's all about perspective and what you're really looking for.

My long winded .02!

*EDIT*

And yes, I would totally suggest chipping, lightened flywheel (m20 or what have you), SSK and such to a 318iS to get a bit more feel out of the engine. The turbo potential for $1,500-$1,800 is really a pretty good steal.

[george graves]

The REAL 318i is the 84-85 m10. It's a blast to drive if you know how. It is like a kart in lots of way - limited power, so you have to learn to carry speed through the corners.

[Simon S]

TOO MANY COOLANT HOSES !!

lol

[Wh33lhop]

The REAL 318i is the 84-85 m10. It's a blast to drive if you know how. It is like a kart in lots of way - limited power, so you have to learn to carry speed through the corners.

At 2400lbs, it's certainly the lightest. You can actually build the M10 up to be no slouch too, but it's not cheap. There's a local guy with a 2002 with a 2.3 (IIRC) race-spec M10. That car is tits and it's fast as shit.