I posted this on another forum and am not getting any replies, so I figured I’d try here on gearhead’s recommendation. I’m thinking about getting a new (to me) daily driver. Since it will be primarily a summer car, I’m looking for something little, rear wheel drive. I would look :kekegay: in a Miata and it would also be like Chris Farley’s “Fat guy in a little coat” with me in there. I have my eye out for a 240 or a ae86 but it looks like most of those are over priced or headed down the wrong path. So, I’m concentrating on either a Merkur or an older BMW 318 - like an i. Anyone have any experience with either of these two cars. The Merks had weak trannys, but that can be fixed kind of easily with a swap. I’ve never had a turbo, so I’m leaning towards that. I saw a good looking little 318 the other day and it got me thinking about one of those. I’m not worried about pure power, but want something with handle that I don’t sink 40 + worth in gas a week. Looking for people who have owned/worked on either of these two to tell me what they thought.
a guy should never ever refer to a car as cute…thats what i think
:stupid:
There, it’s fixed for you guys.
:ugh2: the 318s are reeeeeeaaaalllllly small dude, i looked into buying one a couple years ago.
and if Im not mistaken they have the crappy rear suspension from the e30’s as apposed to the updated suspensions of the e36’s
get one of these
Trust me, you do NOT want an XR4Ti. I used to own probably the nicest, low mileage one on the East Coast and it was nothing but trouble. Regular repair parts are hard to find and performance parts are even harder to get and much more expensive. Their resale value sucks so if you wreck your car or it catches on fire (happens a lot) you’ll be screwed by your insurance company.
The stock transmissions suck, the driveshafts have a screwy Guibo that falls apart, and the electrical system is a nightmare. Also, no XR4Ti sold in the USA ever had a LSD and only Quaiffe makes units to fit the rear end at something like $1300. Not to mention the rear brakes are crappy drums and the fronts are too small discs that warp and vibrate. You’ll have to add some kind of intercooler to the turbo system and the HVAC systems are very problematic. Did I mention rust?
If you have to buy a 2.3 turbo Ford I’d suggest a Mustang SVO which is far and away a better buy. They don’t handle quite as good as a properly set up XR but you can at least buy parts for them anywhere and they have a much better resale value. People will also not laugh at you when you tell them what kind of car you drive.
can always get a new suspension.
i like the e30 318’s better…not a huge fan of the e36 318 with the short hatchback look.
jim u been postin a lot, getting bored at work with rpa being down
that’s the 1 i looked at
Thanks for the info. I’ve seen the resale that you mention - I was looking at XR in the middle of the state that looks like it had been hit kind of hard and was being sold for a real cheap price. Kind of scared me away since I was not real sure of the quality of the repair work. Also a lot of them seem to be for sale for a long time…
Just from reading a couple of the forums, please feel free to disagree with me since you have real knowledge of these cars - sounds like the swap to a t5 is pretty straight forward. I’ve read about some cars that have done some work in the brake area. I’ve read that the intercooler from some other Turbo Ford products work - like from the t-bird turbo? Getting old so the memory might not be right.
The only real resource that I know of for these is BAT, which they seem pricey (at least on the Formula Ford stuff they sell) so I can see your point on part availability.
I hear you about people laughing though, I would take a similar approach as Showtime with his Contour SVT - I won’t drive a Merkur - I’ll have a Sierra.
Seriously - I appreciate your comments. Gearhead and I spent some time looking for various older rear wheel drive Toyotas this morning…
Yeah, I’m looking for a little older than the 318 ti and such. I had no beef with those cars though. The older one is still going to be small though. I’ll have to look in to what can be done with suspension though. I’m just scared that as soon as you say BMW for a part the price is going to go up. It’s kind of like that with the first gen 'maro stuff I look for. If it’s for a nova or something it’s cheaper - same exact part for a 'maro and the price goes up.
That’s originally why I came over to visit but I’m starting to like this place more than RacePA.
thats fawkin ugggly
:bsflag:
Same with me. i like this site but i miss RPA.
Oh yeah i say go for the miata! i almost bought one…they are really fun cars and i kinda wish that i went with the miata instead of the teg. But if thats not your thing, go for the BMW.
stick w/ the bmw. as sheetmetal and parts for the merkur will be a pita. if you go ford, stick w/ the svo 2.3. also try to get an older model, as it had the bigger turbo. it ran a 60/63 t3, as opposed to automatics and later ones which had a 60/48 t3.
step 1) buy a damn 240sx (check out auctions or penny savers, you can find them under $500)
step 2) swap a redtop sr20det in it ($2100-$2500), even a ca18det ($1500-$1800)
step 3) Buy these:
-3" turbo back exhaust (ebay $300)
-front mount Intercooler (hybridynamics can get you one for around $300)
-act clutch ($400)
-manual boost controller ($50)
-Blow off valve from 1st gen DSM ($50)
-Walbro 255lph fuel pump ($110)
- find a factory LSD out of an SE or Super Hicas model ( Nissan 300zx or Inifiniti j30 lsd can work also) ($200 ish)
step 4) Turn boost up to 20 psi (free)
step 5) proceed to go run 13.10 @ 106mph all day long (fun)
I would highly advise upgrading to 300zx brake and doing the suspension… but these arent completely needed. (werd)