BMW 318ti - A Good Choice For A Secondhand Car?

When I made my decision to temporarily relocate myself to New Zealand to complete my studies, many issues came to mind, the first being reliable transport. Aware that Dunedin is a small centralised town (can't bring myself to call it a city) I investigated the public transport system which turned out to be quite good. However, being a person that would rather chew broken glass than ride a bus, I decided a car would be a good investment. There was also the factors of convenience, independence, safety at night and that I could have a good look around, to keep in mind.

Armed with the above, my thoughts turned to cost and whether to buy new or used? Given that my immigration was a temporary one, buying a good preloved car appeared fortuitous. New Zealand as any Western country is awash with secondhand cars of all makes, models, ages, prices and conditions. I decided that $5,000 (NZD) was my spending limit and so it was that I hit the classifieds, car dealer web sites and online auction sites.

It was TradeMe (www.trademe.co.nz) that proved to be the best tool in shopping for a car. Trademe is online auction site for New Zealanders that lists all manner of goods, services, real estate, jobs and CARS. It would prove invaluable as I was able to research the market in terms of dealers and private sellers all over NZ on one site.

After much searching and market analysis I chose a BMW 318ti 1996 model with 132 000 Km on the clock from a dealer in Christchurch. The BMW to me stood out as a good buy due to it's price - $5,000 NZD ($ 3850.00 AUD), Kms travelled and excellent condition. I was initially disappointed that it was an automatic rather than a 5 speed manual. However this changed on the test drive as I found the switch on the automatic transmission to change from economy, manual or sports mode. The latter proving invaluable on the winding NZ roads.

As you can ascertain from the pictures, my BMW is silver with charcoal interior. In the Ti specs the 318 comes with ABS, 4 wheel disc brakes, alloy wheels, driver and passenger air bags, air conditioning, power steering and excellent sound system. A pretty good level of comfort and safety that I envisage will aid in the resale value when I sell the car in a year or so on my return to Australia.

The one point I cannot emphasise enough when buying a secondhand car is to get a prepurchase inspection done by a mechanic! This can avoid heartache in the long run or indeed the short term. I chose the Automobile Association of New Zealand to conduct my inspection www.aa.co.nz which cost me $140.00 as I am a member, or $160.00 for non members. If you are buying privately I would also recommend you undertake a history check to ensure that the car is not owned by a finance company or has road taxes due. Again this can be done on the AA site for $20.00 members price or $25.00 non members price.

On the road the BMW is a joy to drive with an adjustable driving position, plenty of leg room, and easy to reach controls. I am over 6 foot tall and have absolutely no complaints about the legroom offered in the cabin. The back seats are another issue as with all coupes, leg room is at a minimum and best suited to small children or better still your snow gear or luggage.

Being a BMW the handling is superb, however I do feel that she has a tendency towards over steer, this tends to make me back off a bit in long sweeping corners. The 1.9 litre 16 valve DOHCV petrol engine is willing and able to rev and is noted to have 103 Kw of power at 6000rpm, enough to propel this mighty compact to a top speed of 209 km/h. Although nimble with a boot, the 318ti returns excellent fuel econmy and I regularly achieve 585 Km from a full tank of petrol (45 litres). Which in this day and age is vital as she runs on premium which in NZ is around $1.85 a litre!

So to answer the title of this article "Is the BMW 318ti a good second hand car"? The answer is a resounding yes if you want lively performance, comfort and fuel economy. There is also the added bonus of the looks people give when they see a BMW badge ;)