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Newby...Getting a BM

2K views 12 replies 12 participants last post by  gunner1 
#1 ·
Morning people:D

Just signed up here, As im in the proccess of getting my first BMW:thumbsup I am, however, having a few problems deciding, and insurance isn't helping either:frown Im 20yrs old, with 1yrs ncb, But my insurance company (and any others, including quinn) wont touch me on a 318is, so i have been looking into the 316's, but they seem a little 'underpowered' so to speak:confused Anywho, i discovered last night, that something called a 318ti exsists...I can get insured on one for penuts:jaw-dropping and there are a couple up for sale round here at the mo:D But what is the difference between the 'is' and the 'ti'?? will i regret a 'ti', or will i love it to bits:confused

Right...off to go reading some posts:thumbsup
 
#4 ·
m8 i have just put a deposit down on a 318ti. they are the same 16 valve lump with 140bhp as the 318is. i am 18 and have got insure by quinn on the m44 lump- they changed the capacity in 1996 from 1.8 (m42)to 1.9 but kept power the same. i at first found a 1995 with the m42 lump but quinn would not insure me on the older engine even tho its slightly down on torque. i had put a deposit down by then grr. as a result u will prob find the m44 cheaper to ensure..
 
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#5 ·
Hi Nimrod and welcome to Bimmerforums UK, it's good to have you here with us. :)

The e36 318ti is the Compact version, like this, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/BMW_E36_compact_front_20080409.jpg

http://www.bmwism.com/all_bmw/e36_5_bmw_compact_rear_view.jpg

Where as the e36 318is is most commonly the Coupe version, body like this, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/BMW_M3_E36_coupe.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/5nrzo6.jpg

They also did do a e36 318is Saloon, but it's a rarer beast, body looks like this, http://images.paultan.org/images/BMW_E36_M3_2.jpg

The compact is a good car, and the rear end goes out sideways easier :D
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the welcomes guys:) So i am to take it, then, that the 'ti' is just a different body style to the 'is' ??

This confuses me further...Because surely the compact (ti) is lighter, and so should be more to insure?? Even my mate (a BM mechanic) cant understand it...Yet he wont let me get a 316 because 'You'll only end up wanting more power'
318ti it is then :D
 
#10 ·
talk about insurance. i just sold my knockaround saxo vtr to a lad who was 19 the other day and it cost him £2000 to insure it!!!!! when i picked my jaw up off the floor he said he had a rover 214 before and that cost him £1500! looking into it most people under 21 get loaded bigtime on insurance specially if they have little or no ncd. when i was 18 it cost me £550 to insure my mini 1 litre- lol.
 
#11 ·
My first BMW was a 316i Compact back in 1997; I drove a 318iS about 4 years ago & was impressed; the 316 always felt underpowered; the 16v mill in the iS/ti certainly makes a huge difference.

I would guess that the insurance difference is to do with the price & placement of the 2 cars back in the mid/late 1990's - the Compact was a lot cheaper than the coupe as it used a lot of surplus E30 parts (the older 3 series) such as rear suspension & switchgear. The Compact body was related to the saloon more than the coupe despite being a 3 door. The coupe was lower, sleeker, more modern (despite being released 2 years earlier than the Compact), better engined, generally faster and more appealing than the Compact.

When I bought my 316i Compact in 1997 I paid DM30,000 for it (£10k) - it was 6 months old. The equivalent coupe at the time (a lowly 316i with cloth seats on the same forecourt (BMW Niederlassung Essen)) was DM40,000 - 33% more.

I loved my Compact though, it was so well made, economical, quick enough & had brilliant brakes compared to my old Peugeot 309GTI!!!
 
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