We had a 318ti in the past, and are interested in buying another. Would someone kindly share the items to look for that should have been / should be replaced? The mileage on the one we are looking at is 137,000 (5 speed manual). Any feedback is greatly appreciated!
Basic things to check would be the cooling system (make sure the plastic thermostat housings, water manifolds, water pump, radiator and hoses have been replaced), check the rear shock mounts and one item unique to the ti was a poor design of the window regulators. Be sure the windows go up and down smoothly and quietly and don't rattle really bad when you close the doors. If the car has been properly maintained, it will last almost forever. I bought mine new in '95 and it's been one of the most reliable cars I've ever owned.
I found a cracked rear spring when I was upgrading my suspension. Appeared to be a fairly common problem based on 318ti.org posts. The bottom 2-3" of the spring broke and was lodged in the bottom rubber mount. What Bimmerdan said... those two plastic cooling manifolds can be a problem. (Cooling system is easy to work on since there is no belt driven cooling fan/clutch to remove, lots of room to work) I bought my 96 last year and it still had the original fuel filter in it with a 1996 date stamp
