It’s 2021, 30 years later, in hindsight there was no danger of loosing that following! Viva le E36!

as owned of one of this i must say that aftermarket performance make it run great ! low suspension and 225/50/16 tiers make it look and handle awesome !

I've had this car for about 5+ years now and it's still going great after 250,000 kms. Just needs good maintenance but when done properly, it's bulletproof.

3:38 LOL Crusing at 5000RPM!

People saying it's a boring car have never driven one. I own a straight six 325i and it puts a big smile on my face every time I drive it. The suspension, handling, and torque it has, are enough to give you a thrill. It eats up corners.

I remember when my dad first bought this car brand new in 1992, he kept it until 2008 when the new BMW 535d m sport lci E60

brilliant car. no need for a better one. solid as a rock. everything still works and nothing's ever gotten broken.

I own the 94 318i and still drive it today like a total maniac. I have 400,000 miles. Yes thats miles. Other then regular maintenance i have never replaced a thing. My car isa 5 speed manual and believe me, this sounds like total BS But i have never changed the clutch either in 18 years, The clutch on these cars are good for about 8 years. I have been on the same one for 18 years. Its a great long and i think forever lasting car. Get one, You wont regret one. But find a low mile one. Good luck

old school never die live ur life with BMW e36 318i

Boot space definitely fine, fitted 40 cans of dogfood for my Rottweilers as well as the rest of the groceries fine. Leg room is fine also.

BMW E36 BEST CAR AT 90'S

Blimey. An actual, proper car review on Top Gear. No staged stupidity. No trick photography. No offensive comments from buffoon Clarkson. Sigh, those were the days...

i had a 1993 318i never had a single problem with it, when i sold it had done 180,000 miles and she was still as strong and reliable as ever.

Great film. I've learnt a few new things about E36.

I own a 323ti, i love the hatchback version with the 2.5 l 6 cylinder, it simply runs and runs and runs. the sound is amazing and can keep up with most modern cars in the compact class. i´m very proud of my e36 and i would recommand everyone to buy one. I think the inline 6 is one of the best engines bmw ever made, only an m3 i6 with the euro specs or a bmw v8 could beat this engine. BMW FOR LIFE

Are there any private "at-home" mechanics that you can find in the newspaper or something? That's how we found ours, and he's been fixing our e36 for nearly 8 years. We don't even get the car serviced at all (you can scream at me in rage now) since we're not exactly wealthy, and we only take it to the mechanic if something important needs replacing. The car has been through a lot of abuse, but even though it hasn't actually been to a BMW service station for 14 years, it still runs like new

I have a 1991 318i automatic (the exact same colour as this one) and it's by far the best car I've ever owned

Wow, I've never seen the interior when it was still new.

Not many of those inches have gone into the rear compartment... Uhhhmmm Right...

E36 was an amazing car functionally, a quantum leap over the E30. Im a big E21 fanatic and think the E36 is superb. The engines are tough and dont crack cylinder heads as much as the old M20 325i, the suspension is sophisticated but not aluminium and fragile like an E39.

E36s are great cars. I have had 2, both 6 cylinder versions and they were sweet to drive and surprisingly economical. Although I'm surprised to see how much understeer that 318i has! My 325i was rather tail happy in the wet! You had to be ready to catch it. or you'd end up going backwards! Kinda fun though.

V8 and V12 bmws are the money pits,the 6 and 4 cylinder cars are the ones to have. They're fairly easy to work on, and they require little maintenance.

If only we had six speed manual in the 6 cilinder versions it would be amazing

Who's watching in 2020?

Funny thing is the car looks even now quite modern for its release year and they started to design it in the early 80s, i had one with manual gearbox and m40b18 engine , quite a fun car to drive as a straight 4 bmw , economical and it moves quite well compared to the m50b20 powered cars .

ok for the rest of the cons but character?they underestimated e36...so much ahead of its time it was that it looks even better as it ages...from best bmw...

Once bought nice black '95 318i for £50, thrashed it about for a year, then sold for £500 to buy a 540. slow as hell but a great drive

omg thanks so much for this. have been looking for top gear e36 review for a long time!

I still have my 1992 318i with 255km, the thing refuses to die to break down. Hasn't left me stranded once in all my years of ownership, not even so much as a flat tire. Likewise I have a 2002 330i as well now for the wife, now with 110km on the odo and no issues with it either. Other than oil changes, brake pads, rotors, nothing has had to be replaced on it yet, not even any bushings surprisingly. Very well built vehicles I must admit.

I got a 1996 318is E36 for my first car! Great first car!

I have my 1995 BMW E36 318i and I am really happy about it. Great handling, great to drive, of course mine has lil bit lowered suspension etc. "slightly tuned one" but still love my car even if its now like 15 years old!

i owe the 92 model, love this model..

A very good and long lasting car! Maybe the best in his class when it was launched back in the early 90ies. But expensive and not much toys as standard. The Accords, the Mondeos, the Dedras, the 405s... You could all get them with power locks, power windows, climate control and stereo for the money, BMW gave you an engine. But what an engine. ;-)

E36 is the Sport Version of e38

top gear was so formal then...

Hey, glad you're considering an e36! I'm not sure if this will be any use to you at all anymore, seeing your comment is 3 months old and you probably already made your decision. I can tell you that in my experience, the e36 is not a "money pit". Certainly, if something did break, it would cost you a fortune if you repaired it at BMW, but over 15 years of owning the car, the only "major" repairs were brake pads, AC fluid, centre console backlight, battery and lamps. The engine itself never broke.

I own this exact same car and one of the many things i can tell you is that it is a marvelous car!

I'm planning on buying a 1993 BWM 318is.

I have a good knowledge of old BMWs so i feel i might be able to help. 1. Great cars! 2. they are surprisingly heavy on petrol (especially the smaller engines). 3. most of them will go forever (200,000+ miles) but if they go wrong they can be a nightmare because they are 'high end' cars, parts and servicing from a main dealer garage will be really expensive. 4. also E30 and E36 models are great for DIYers. Bottom line: if u work on cars: Buy. if you don't: Don't buy Hope this helped

Great Car.. was my first car.. 12 years ago.. now I continue with BMW cars through the time.. excelent Cars are BMW... totally recomended...

Hello, my answer comes a bit late but maybe it still can help: These cars are absolutely reliable, especially the 6 Cylinder versions, but of cause you should have the right money for it, it depends on your insurance, don´t expect to get a cheap car, but the big advantage is that this cars can drive for decades if you treat them right, we have two E36, the 316i with 99 PS and the 323ti with 170 PS. Never had big problems with them:)

@racingisnotacrime21 up untill 1995 they had some interior issues, but remember the materials used in the E36 were quite a bit different than in the E30 (headliner for example) so issues are to be expected. get a 95+ E36 and you should have no major issues.

Love the sound when the boot goes down at 3:06 haha !

@racingisnotacrime21 I had an E30 1987 saloon for 19 years and i can say the interior quality was better than the early E36s, they were better after 95, the E46 was the best looking though.......Must say the old M10 engine was more reliable than the M40 as well.

I buying a 92' e36 318i for my first car. All I can say is. It's awesome.

my car

I have basicaly same car 1993 318i with older M40 engine, and only car that would replace this is e36 325i or 328i. 29 years old 310000km + and still very reliable car ( of course some maintenance required, all rubber parts and some rust ) and still i find it very fun to drive, compared to mostly brand new cars that i am usually driving at work, this is still very entertaining, the feeling that you are in control of everything, engine reacting instantly, feeling of brakes, clutch, steering etc...

E36 are great drivers cars. Nice gearchange, driving position, handling etc. I had 2 E36s a while back. A 328i saloon that looked quite similar to the car in the video (I think it was even the same colour) and a red 325i coupe. I'm surprised to see how much understeer the handling of this 318i has. The cars I had, espcially the coupe (I think it had m-tec suspension) was actually quite tail happy and would go very sideways if you chucked it about like that! Quite fun though, but care needed.

In the US, it would have been on sale by sometime in 1991, for the 1992 model year. I think the coupe/convertible were available only later on.

I'd like to watch old top gear episodes but I cannot find them

@Silumnet It's something manufaturers do. BMW introduced the E36 in 1991 as a 1992 model. and btw all new model cars come out in september in america, therefore to keep the cars seeming newer they label them with the next year.

this car was solid like the rock ,it's not the same thing now with electronical shit lolll

My first bmw was the 1978 320i E21 4 speed manual which i had for 4 years and enjoyed it, but now own an E36 318is M spec and its a fantastic vehicle to drive, very smooth and plenty of power and is fun to drive and handle in the wet, only problem i had with my e36 is the camshaft postion sensor went on me which cost alot to fix, but other than that its a great car :)

My first car was a 97 318i they are awesome for modding and really easy now I have a 2000 328i

" Of course you shouldn't forget that even though it's just the 318 the BMW is still a powerful rear wheel drive car and if you really want to be silly and provoke it it's possible to get it into fairly extreme attitudes... " Been there, done that :D

1:40 It's just incredible how clean this thing is... M40B18 motor, brand new... I cannot imagine this, I've always seen them dirty, soaked with oil and grease, with dangling hoses etc...

Sidenote: Cars in the Eastern states are a bit cheaper then the west, so you should consider trucking it over if you are in the west, I was just fortunate to find a good buy in Perth.

where can i look for more old top gears? i know on streetfire are some old top gear episodes. but maybe somewhere else are even more?

I like the 318, but I am still glad I got the 328.

Thanks for the reply. You are all helping with my decision and I am still trying to find the right one for the right price with the right service history. In Australia, BMW's of this vintage have been mostly owned by M3 wannabes who put crap 19" rims and a $20AUD exhaust system I am sure I'll find one though :)

Let's face it Goffey would do Clarkson on the track

even after 20 years the car looks still cool, I love the stock look, no spoilers no tuning....only original is legal....save the classic e36. a e46 touring driver

To be honest i havent driven the other models. I had a few friends though that had them and they didnt last so long. They had some problems along the way. The 318i i have is still running strong though. I would do the 318i, but thats me. Cheap maintenance and out standing reliability.

These are good buys second hand, i had a 1996 318i touring some years ago and it had 220,000 miles on the clock when i sold it, it would do close to 50mpg on a run if you kept it around 60-65mpg, overall pretty good on fuel and dam reliable. Best of the bunch in my view is the 325tds, better performance than the 318 and close to 320i performance, but gives about the same mpg as the 316. I had a 325ise a for a couple of months, it was a dam quick car, but 27mpg and doing 350 miles a week!!!!

I have a 96 e36 316i 4door and it is the most reliable car i have owned better than the A4 which i had before, so i would recomend e36 to any1 but check its condition and history first.

The E36 and E46 3 series were so much better looking than the e90 (Although the front is ok, the tailights on the sedan are hideous!). I really liked the stern 'don't mess with me' looks they had as opposed to the fussy/confused/melancholic looks of the rear of the e90. The tail lights of the e92/93 look OK, as does those of the F30, but IMO they still don't match the classic looks of the e36/46.

@TheConradChannel I don't floor it, I can't afford that privilage. It empties the tank if I dare to keep upto traffic speed. The white MPG needle points at 28-40 but it drinks more then that.

Perfect review, exact car I'm looking at on craigslist.

The conclusion is a bit laughable. The e36 was one of the best selling BMW's of all time, and paved the way for the success of the e46 haha.

At 5:50 it sounds like he's saying innit, innit.

The compact is very nice, and still very modern. My advice on purchase is this: These cars are getting close to twenty years old, check for cosmetic damage. Generally the engines are fine.

Thanks man. I hear the 318i/318is's have almost identical acceleration to that of the 6cyl 320i-328i's just with 4cyl fuel economy, is that what you would agree with? I would prefer a 6cyl for more grunt but fuel economy will be average for around town thankyou again.

just brought a 1994 E36 318i....and i am inlove with it aha

i have a bmw e46 convertible facelift with M pack, (318i) all original but the exhaust has changed and the owner has selled the m wheels :(, and now i have black BMW wheels :D its matched really good with my black interior and also the BMW is black, full black, i dont gonna put aftermarket stuff on it except the exhaust because when i drive it it feels like you sit in a BMW M3 lol, its a dark sound not too loud like the other kids cars :/ i am 19 years ol and love BMW but some guys make it ugly!

on highway.. max of 18km/lt ...on city.. max 12 or 15 km/lt this depends of the car is manual or automatic gear box... i haved mecanical transmition. ( my model was a bmw 318i e36 1992).

shows dashboard while casually driving at 5.1k rpm

I have one. Love it!- especially in sports mode!

my precious

i've got a 1992 sedan 325. i got it 5 years ago. i'm never selling it!

blimey how top gear has changed!

I had 2002 e46 318 2.0 beemer. Very bad experience, every month a brake down. spent a fortune on fixin' it and finally got rid of it. good looking though, can't beat that.

The current show could do with moving in this direction in tone. Not all the way - but a couple of notches.

THI IS MY CAR!!

You had the 318is coupe as well.

They are great forever lasting cars if you do everything on time of course. To be honest i am not sure. I dont think they would even be cheap. After all its a BMW. If your on a tight budget and you buy one leave it the way it is as the style of it never really dies. Its a really fun car to drive. Its a fast and reliable car. I have the 94 and am the original owner and shes still running strong. Just regular maintenance and it will last as long as you want. Good luck

I have an E36 318i, Its fairly reliable. Haven't had any major problems at all, although many little things go wrong, which add up. I would say they are reasonably reliable, but are also money pits.

Thank you, I haven't made up my mind yet and they are still in my market for purchasing, just can't find a time to sell my current car. They are nice cars and I will be etting a manual 323i probably, but just in Australia, particularly Perth in Western Australia, there aren't many European car service centres besides the dealers, so I am a little un-sure about whether to go ahead or chose something a little cheaper to maintain.

@skolms thats quite a bold statement, what makes you say that?

I have a 1995 320i, with the M50 engine, and so far I haven't found it to be particularly more expensive. It's about the same as a Commodore/Falcon to keep on the road, and if you get your parts from the states, it shouldn't be at all a money pit.

I want to buy a 95'e36 318ti for my first car! This car is amazing, my perfect 1st car!

really thats strange because for us here in the 1991 was still the e30 body style

@FLYNVL dealer here wanted $200, if you DIY and you source your parts online or find a good aftermarket reseller BMW maintnance is quite affordable i've found.

just getting to 400,000 kilometers in mine, no real dramas or expensis, just drive it (no wheels spinning or racing) bit are available via interweb. look for one with service history and in a "untouched" condition (no after market wheels or boy racer add ons) and you should be ok, go for after 94 model 318/320 and you be a happy chappie

even for todays standards those cars aren that bad... too bad they all start to rust away, but the engines (m43) are very reliable. The e36-4 316i needs 8 liters of petrol per 100km, and can drive 200km/h. In my opinion very good values for a mid-class car with the smallest engine from 1991/92. Only one very big problem in the e36: electronic problems at the "display" (sorry, i dont know the english word for Instrumentenmkombi), while driving, all "things that display values" (petrol, temperature, speed, rpm of the engine) just stop to work, and start to work again in very different times (1 second to a few minutes). That is a well known issue in the e36-series.

I have a feeling it is much the same here in Australia, many young "bogans" put what looks like a $40 fake M3 bodykit on with some M badges and a exhaust which looks like it belongs on a lovely Skyline. I have a feeling i'll go for 325i as 328i insurance and petrol may be a little over the top for my liking (not out of the budget just i like to spend more on clothes than insurance :) ) Thankyou again.

good old times :D

£16565 was a lot of money back in 1991 !

it was in the 3rd gear.....look at the speedometer...the car was doing about 115 km/h...at this speed in 5200 rpm, the car can be in the 3rd :) I have an 318i, and I know these cars very well

145,000 is nothing on a car like this, specifically the 318i, I would take it any day. Like i mentioned one of the most reliable and indestructible cars out their from BMW. Go for it if i where you. I am going to drive mines till it dies which looks like it isint going to happen any time soon. I drive fast and its still running. Your safe. Just to a back round check first. I would take it over any other BMW model out their.

Whats your take on a 93 318i 5 speed with 145k? I'm buying my first car and its one of few cars with a CLEAN body.