Faults:

Small items, headliner sagging, door won't open from the outside, high beam light missing, no hand brake, uneven alignment, valve cover gasket oil on spark plugs, battery, thermostat.

I paid 6.5k for this car, and 2 or 3k in repairs:

Bushings, water pump, steering pinion, brakes, tires, catback, muffler hangar, radiator flush, and gearbox.

I never spent more than a grand a year in tune ups; most done myself. This car is amazing to drive, and a keeper.

Too bad the back seats don't accommodate a baby, and they don't have enough leg room. No cup holders either.

I park it in a heated garage, and at one point drove an hour on the highway each way.

General Comments:

This car is a keeper. I 'm not upgrading until I have to. Timeless style. Turns heads everywhere. Lots of power in second gear to spin the tires.

It needs a few repairs, but if treated well, lasts forever!

Since it is old, I can't align the tires nor change the thermostat, but I don't drive more than 50 km in a week.

Faults:

Fuel lifting pump in the tank failing, causing the car to become difficult to start when low on fuel.

Towards the latter stages of ownership, the electronic head on the engine fuel injection pump was failing, causing erratic running and higher fuel consumption. Sadly I didn't know what I know now, otherwise I would have gotten it repaired as opposed to selling the car.

General Comments:

Comfortable mile muncher, economical and wonderfully refined 2.5 straight six diesel engine, who's only real enemy was the galactic mileage and components reaching the end of their service life.

Fortunately, I had many miles of quality time with this car.

Quite fast, although not quite as quick as my old 318iS, but with the added torque for overtaking the power was more 'usable'.

Handled better than the E30, but the added weight at the front end did cause it to understeer a little, almost to the point of 4 wheel sliding.

Interior build quality seems superior to the E36 coupe (they tend to rattle more).

Much roomier than the E30, and with a lower loading and bigger boot.

Faults:

Wiper motor, control arm, modules ($80 used) - 2009.

Fuel pump ($375 for pump and labor) - 2008.

Water pump ($400 for pump and labor) - 2008.

Passenger front window regulator ($300, includes labor) - 2009.

OBC backlight ($5 labor free; I did it myself) - 2010.

Glovebox sag (DIY fix on the Internet; free labor, I did myself) - 2010.

Valve cover gasket (leaking oil slowly), never bothered to fix, more annoying than an actual problem, mainly because I got quoted to $325 including labor to fix; at this point I couldn't justify spending this much on a car worth $2000-$5000.

General Comments:

Most of the things here are not to hard to fix if you do most of the labor yourself. I was the 2nd owner when I bought it, so I expect most of those problems were just due to age.

Other than that, the car was a blast to drive. 318's don't have a lot of power, but the gas mileage is great. Comfort is great for a 16 year old car.

I recently bought a 01 325CI; it's more comfortable, faster and has more options.

BMWs are great; just make sure you buy one with a good maintenance history, or make sure it has service records.

Mileage isn't really a problem for these cars, as long as it's been serviced/maintained.

Parts are cheap for E36s (3 series 92-98), and they look great.

Faults:

For now, nothing.

General Comments:

I have just bought car two days ago, and drove for 400 kilometers in highway and city. I just paid 2775 CAD, and what I have it's absolutely incredible.

The car is like a plane on highway, and very fun to drive in the city. The sound of the engine is fantastic.