Twenty Years of Ownership...

[MCompact]

Today marks twenty years since I took delivery of my Hellrot 1995 Club Sport from Fields BMW in Chicago. I still love it and have absolutely no plans to ever part with it. It has been incredibly reliable; at 143,000 miles the engine has only required a new thermostat while the suspension has only needed a couple of lower control arm bushings. Other minor repairs were simply a brake light switch, a heater hose fitting and a few light bulbs. Warranty repairs were confined to a fuel tank sending unit(bad US fuel) and a recall of the O2 sensor. It is currently on its second set of pads and rotors, as it served as my HPDE instructor car for many years. The paint is still shiny and the interior looks brand new. I'll have to fix the headliner sooner than later and the passenger seat belt buckle throws an intermittent fault, but I can live with that.
My son will likely have to pry my ti from my cold dead fingers.

Here's a picture I shot last weekend when it was part of the display at the Grand Opening of BMW of Cincinnati North:

 

[AKhan87]

inline 6?

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Has to be cool to hold on to a vehicle for 20 years. It looks clean for its age and sounds like you used it for its intended purpose!

The seatbelt sets a code?

 

[demarpaint]

She looks great! I feel the same way about my 88 E-150.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
inline 6?


1.8 liter inline four; It makes 150 hp with the Turner/Conforti chip that I added.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Has to be cool to hold on to a vehicle for 20 years. It looks clean for its age and sounds like you used it for its intended purpose!

The seatbelt sets a code?


The buckle has a sensor to tell the SRS system the belt is buckled. It actually threw the code a couple of days after I took delivery, but I reset the SRS system and it didn't throw the code again until just last year. Another reset worked for a few months, but now it's back...

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
She looks great! I feel the same way about my 88 E-150.


Thanks! It's funny, but you keep a vehicle for a long time and it really does become part of the family.

 

[AKhan87]

Originally Posted By: MCompact
Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
inline 6?


1.8 liter inline four; It makes 150 hp with the Turner/Conforti chip that I added.
oh, it would have been nice if it was an inline 6, most stable engine conformation, from what I have read.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
oh, it would have been nice if it was an inline 6, most stable engine conformation, from what I have read.


Yes, with the four it is definitely a "momentum car" on the track. Screwing up just one corner will cost you for the entire lap. A six cylinder ti was sold in Europe- the 325ti, but BMWNA didn't want it over here because it might have cannibalized 325is(coupe) sales. Since the ti is an E36 sedan from the windshield forward it is a dead easy job to swap in just about any BMW six you prefer- but I wanted to keep mine stock. Racing Dynamics in Italy actually built a ti with a V12 sourced from a 750i; it's a monster.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: MCompact
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
She looks great! I feel the same way about my 88 E-150.


Thanks! It's funny, but you keep a vehicle for a long time and it really does become part of the family.


It sure does especially when you start naming them!

 

[fdcg27]

Looks great!
The ti is the lightest of the e36 318i models made, so it is the fastest.
When you note that it's still a momentum car, you can only imagine just how slow my much heavier '95 ragtop is.
The 4 cyl e36 seems to be a very reliable, durable and economical car.
I've been very happy with mine.
May you enjoy many more years of happy ownership.
Gotta ask, though.
What are you using for engine oil?

 

[HTSS_TR]

Cars of 15-20 years ago didn't have so many gadgets as newer ones therefore didn't break down a lot after 5-10 years, I don't think newer cars with so many gadgets can lasted more than 5-10 years with major failures.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Looks great!
The ti is the lightest of the e36 318i models made, so it is the fastest.
When you note that it's still a momentum car, you can only imagine just how slow my much heavier '95 ragtop is.
The 4 cyl e36 seems to be a very reliable, durable and economical car.
I've been very happy with mine.
May you enjoy many more years of happy ownership.
Gotta ask, though.
What are you using for engine oil?


I used to run M1 15W-50 but switched to M1 0W-40 several years ago.

 

[eljefino]

See, that looks good now, in fact, hawt.

Hard to get excited about todays BMW/Merc/VW, and I don't suspect 20 years will help much.

 

[wemay]

My friend, that is truly an awesome accomplishment. Not only keeping her that long but more so the condition it's in.

 

[DuckRyder]

That is sweet.

 

[JR]

Congrats, the 97 F250HD 7.3/auto/4.10/2x4 been mine since 2004. I bought it with 80k, now she's at 205k. I never want to part with her. She is family to me.
The 84 F150 exporer 300-6/4spOD/2x4 has been on farm since new. Was grampa's baby, no winters/rain, always garaged, no miles(60k). Hasn't been out since gramps passed almost 4years ago in January. I will own her for life, period.



Harvey

 

[CT8]

She looks great . Red is a nice color . Black is so blah.

 

[Michael_P]

Very nice MCompact!!! Next March marks 20 years of ownership for my truck. I'm getting exited about the bragging rights. Congrats!

 

[kd5byb]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
It sure does especially when you start naming them!


Yes it does!

2007 Tundra = son named it the "big boy truck"
2002 Lancer = Sushimoto Hovercraft
1997 Mustang = Monte the Mustang

-b