The speedometer broke recently, I was originally under the impression that the cable had broken. I was advised that the dials were all electric and after having quite a large amount of cables and wires out of the car I was amazed and amused to find it was only a blown fuse.
I did extensive research into all BMW 3 Series models and found that the 318is best suited my needs and desires.
It has been described as a poor mans M3 and in some respects I agree. Having owned 3 E36 M3's I actually find the 318is a better car, yes it's not as fast off the mark as an M3, but the car is quick off the mark and pulls well from anywhere in the rev range whilst still keeping excellent fuel economy.
The seats are superb and comfortable with excellent support in all the right places they are fully adjustable too.
The ride is superb, as the 318is was fitted with M-TECH suspension in the factory it handles very well although on long journeys the ride can be a little rough for people that like complaining about nothing of importance.
Going from a small engined turbo diesel car to a larger engined petrol car the fuel economy does seem a little excessive to me, but I'm sure that with a little time both myself and my bank manager will cope.
Bounce your passengers all over the place - as long as you are comfortable that's all that matters.
Really interested to see what you had to say about E36's because I love my E30, but one sad day E30's will be too old except for restoration projects. Until then the 318iS is going to be driven hard every day.
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