Is the BMW 318i a good & reliable car? While they've grown physically larger over the last 35 years, BMW's 3-series has been an excellent mid-size car and continues to be. While they aren't cheap they can be optioned from basic transport to luxury runabout, though servicing costs through BMW dealers can be expensive compared to Japanese rivals. It is paramount to service them on time and Cost to Drive Cost to drive estimates for the 1996 BMW 3 Series 318i 4dr Sedan and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and Ok lets start 318i very sluggish and get m43 not m40 with cambelt. 318is best to get m44 engine not m42 ones 1800cc and other 1900cc. If 320i make sure its vanos model. 320i is best as you cant beat bmw 6cyl engines bullet proof. 318is m42/44 as fast as 320i but drink petrol. So finally, with friends we found the bmw and we will be buying it on wednesday. Our mechanic checked it and approved that it will be okay for our purposes. I have few questions about tuning and modding it since we will be trying to drift it and use it as a project car. BMW E36 Sedan 318i M40B18 113ps. The existing transmission is fine to use - auto or manual. 318s with the automatic use the same transmission as the six cylinder car from what I recall and the 5 speed (Getrag 240) will tolerate the power from the six cylinder just fine. They even hold up behind M3 engines. BMW 4 cylinder and small 6 bolt patterns are identical. With best-in-class tools we can tell you how much "life" is left in your battery. Drop in for a free battery check and, if needed, get your BMW 318i a replacement battery. Car batteries are only one of our many strong suits. Our technicians are familiar with BMW-specific recommendations for 318i battery CCAs and reserve capacity. It had always been a well-made car with instant appeal and as such outdid the previous E21 3 Series. It’s also one of the last ‘traditional’ BMWs before the slippery E36 arrived. Engine and transmission. The M10 as fitted to the 316 and metal-bumper 318i is a good engine, if old fashioned. Back when German car naming schemes made sense, BMW’s model names were fairly easy to understand. For example, a 318i was a BMW 3-Series with a 1.8-liter engine and fuel injection. Six-cylinder models with BMW’s fantastic M20 engine included the 320, 323 and 325 models. C3KUQi.