For today’s Shitbox Showdown, we’re following in the footsteps of John Mellencamp (or is he back to John Cougar now? I can’t keep up) and looking at cars in small towns. But first let’s see which survivor you picked yesterday:
Looks like it’s the Colt! I tend to agree. My only problem with that car is that it’s all the way down in San Diego, while the Nissan is in my neck of the woods, so it’s my pick by geographical default. Though it would be fun to buy the Colt down in California and drive it up. If only I had time and money. Sigh.
Anyway, it occurred to me that I’ve been heavily favoring large markets on here, particularly west of the Mississippi River, because I’m more familiar with those markets. But for today’s choices, I decided to see what was out there in some of the smaller markets, and found one interesting car outside Omaha, and one near Cincinnati. Let’s see what two grand in a small town gets you that might interest us.
1998 BMW 318ti – $2,200
Engine/drivetrain: 1.9 liter DOHC inline 4, 4 speed automatic, RWD
Location: Hamilton, OH
Odometer reading: 127,000 miles
Runs/drives? Yes, but needs brake work, has a stuck caliper
The BMW 3 series Compact was only available in the US for four years, and only with a 1.8 or 1.9 liter four cylinder engine, badged as the 318ti. The idea of a BMW economy car didn’t resonate with US buyers, and when the bodystyle shift from E36 to E46 happened, BMW pulled the plug on US sales. Since then, the 318ti has become a cult favorite among enthusiasts as a stubby, fun-to-drive alternative to hatchbacks of lesser pedigree.
Apparently the 318ti legend reached as far as suburban Ohio, where we find this specimen for sale. It’s a later model, with an automatic transmission. This makes it the same spec as the only 318ti I’ve ever driven. It’s a good handling little car, but the M44 four-cylinder feels sluggish with an automatic. Obviously the enthusiast’s choice would be the manual, but we have to go with what we can find.
It looks pretty good, from the few terrible photos we’re given to judge by. The nose has a little wrinkle and it’s missing the grille, but the rest of the exterior looks all right. The paint is still nice and shiny, and I don’t see any rust. Inside, it looks nice, and the seller makes a point of its condition, then gives us one bad photo of it. I’ve often wondered if someone could make a living just going around taking photos of cars for classified ads and charging people a small fee. At least it would eliminate the uploaded phone screen shots that too many sellers use.
Mechanically, the seller says it runs great, but has a frozen brake caliper that will need replacing before it can be driven. They’re including a pair of front calipers; you just have to do the work yourself.
1997 Acura Integra – $2,000
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8 liter DOHC inline 4, 4 speed automatic, FWD
Location: Wahoo, NE
Odometer reading: 301,000 miles
Runs/drives? Yep
I feel a little bad for the Acura Integra. It’s not a whole lot more than a jumped-up Civic with flashy styling and a bigger engine, but the package works, and makes for a nice little car. Unfortunately, it got wrapped up in the whole import tuner/Fast and Furious mess, and too often inexpensive used examples are trashed beyond redemption.
This Integra, a four-door with an automatic, seems to have escaped that fate, mostly. It does have aftermarket wheels, but at least they’re proper-sized, and I personally like the style. The rest of the car looks mercifully stock, and has covered more than 300,000 miles, though the engine was rebuilt at 200,000.
Being a Midwestern car, it does suffer from that Honda Achilles heel: rust. The rear wheel arches are getting pretty ragged, and I bet the rocker panels aren’t far behind. It’s still what could be called “not much rust” for a 25 year old car in corn country.
It did just have its ball joints and wheel bearings replaced, so presumably it’s not too rusty underneath, or it wouldn’t be worth fixing. I don’t think this would be a $2000 car where I live, but if they can get that much for it in Nebraska, more power to them.
And there you have them – a couple of quasi-interesting imports sprinkled in amongst all the Ford Explorers and Chevy Impalas. Which one ya got?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I daily drive a 1998 318ti with more miles (~193k). I bought it 4-5 years ago as basically an alternative to a longterm rental when we briefly needed a third car and couldn’t bear to get rid of it. As the post is titled, it’s kind of a shitbox, but it’s a blast to drive. It handles well and you feel like you are wringing it out at very reasonable speeds. Mine is the manual though. I don’t know if I’d have near as much fun with the auto and low horsepower.
Overall, for an almost 25 year old, 200k mile car, it’s been pretty reliable. Not once has it failed to start.
Now other things often happen. Right now it needs a new transmission as getting it back into first gear from reverse is a chore if facing uphill. The passenger window fell into the door several times until I fully replaced the plastic clip. I once lost my gas gauge (and I think several tail lights), because the rear light circuits were insulated only by carpet which was held in place by punching a hole in it and jamming it over a stud. I need to refill my steering fluid semi-regularly as there is a leak I can’t find. And so on.
But really I love this car. I can easily afford a newer car (and have several on order), but I’ll be super sad to give this one up. It’s hard to pony up to fix the transmission when it costs more than the value of the car, but if I had more spaces to keep things, I absolutely would. It’s just a really fun to drive, decent handling, underpowered, little throwback of a vehicle.
Grew up with Hondas, still have several, love ’em but…
That’s some nasty interior and rust. Fix the caliper on the Beemer and flip it fast before something expensive breaks.
You made me vote for a BMW! I hope you are satisfied!
It look like a great little car, and for a decent enough price. There’s one in my neighborhood that I like better, green VS black.
And I just couldn’t find any reason to vote for that Acura, AND it seems more likely to have been to the meth lab than the 318!
Grumbles ” cute Lil thing”
both are terrible choices. I went with the BMW as it doesn’t appear to speed holes like the Acura. When I can see the interior through the body, that is a hard pass.
“Hey Siri, does Nebraska salt their roads? Did they do it for the last 25 years?”
Ugh… normally I’d go with the Integra over the BMW… but that Integra looks like it has been molested, had the shit driven out of it and them molested some more. On top of that, it’s an Integra sedan with the slushbox… the least desirable Integra… with a decent amount of rust to top off the shit sandwich.
So in this case, I’m gonna go with the much lower mileage and unmolested BMW.
I had a ’97 Integra 4-door with a 5-speed. Man I loved that car. But mine didn’t have 300,000 miles on it, and didn’t look like someone had been gardening on the floor mats. I’d take the Bimmer just for the adventure of it all….
1. The Poll thing.. hasnt worked for me in ever. I wish it did..
2. The Teg looks a tad bit beat. Its got the messed up calipers. Its got the Honda rear quarter Rust. Interior is a dirty bucket.. and (from what Ive heard in here) you have to lock this thing down tighter than Dorothy in a Tornado. If I put the dough into it.. it would be stolen and beaten.
3. I do love the 318ti.. but its a BMW. So, I dont think its gonna help me in the long run. Im gonna be in over my head so fast..
4. Im… going to with-hold my vote. (Much like the Gov Race in Pa, they both suck.)
I can see the poll with a Chrome Incognito window, otherwise it’s missing for me too.
I looked at it further.. and it really hurt me:
1. I had that dash in my 92 Accord aka CB7.
2. That lower key release by the seat.. is from the CB7.
3. The cover over the wheel.. is all Acura.. but the wheel is a CB7.
4. I always thought that the Teg had a 4spd…. boy was I wrong.
Shit.
Im not voting. Fuck this Teg. Fuck this BMW.
I was dead set on the Acura even with the high miles until I saw that last picture with the rust. BMW all the way.
When I first saw the grill of the BMW my initial thought was no. Then I saw the Acura. I have always thought they are sort of meh, when combined with a lot of rust and filth they become a firm no in my book. Besides, since when does a Honda product need an engine rebuild at 200,000 miles? Someone thrashed this car.
I don’t really want either of them, but that Integra is a rusted out shit-heap, so ugly BMW it is!
My vote goes to the Be More Weird hatchback. I forgot about those little Bimmers – I think I like the looks of that one more than most of them. I can sort of understand a vote for the Integra though. As mentioned, the F&F franchise treatment did a number on those. Midwest rust didn’t help. If a person wants a cheap(ish) one, they don’t have many options.
That Integra is a hard no, based on the rust. Brakes are easy to swap out, but that level of rust isn’t worth fixing.
Tinworm. Honda. Ohio. Nope nope nope.
I love the E36 (had two of them back in the day) but the Compact is the runt of the E36 litter. Also, I suspect the brake issue is more than a stuck caliper otherwise why not fix it and ask a couple of hundred dollars more?
I find the Integra the more desirable of the two cars offered but the rust is a big red flag.
In the end a bit of a toss-up but I went Integra, but I might change my mind in 10 minutes.
I lost my shot at buying a new Integra in 1987 when I stood on the floor of a NJ Acura dealer and failed to convince the salesman to drop the $750. upcharge.
He patiently explained that the $ 750 gouge (my words, not his) reflected the true market value of the car and this is why he insisted on maintaining the price. I replied that I, buying at MSRP, *was the market. He refused to see it my way, and I walked.
I’ve written about my subsequent purchase of the ’88 Honda Accord LXi hatch, black, 5-speed, with which I was happy. I can still hear that growly little 2-liter I4 with its 120 rambunctious ponies!
I learned to drive on my dads 1987 Accord Hatch 5 speed. It was probably his favourite car.
Having owned Hondas in the rust belt there is no way I’d buy something with that much showing. So I voted BMW by default. And I’ve always liked the look of those.
Personal anecdote!
So back when I was graduating college in 2002, my parents wanted to get me a car as a graduation present. I narrowed it down to three options (all manual, all hatchbacks): Mazda Protege 5, VW Golf (not GTI), or my cousin’s BMW 318ti. The BMW would have been the cheapest of those, and we knew how it was maintained.
What did I pick? The Mark IV Golf with the 2.0L, of course. Goddammit I was dumb.
Both of these are awful for different reasons. The rust on that Acura probably means the underside looks like the Titanic. Its probably at this point not structurally sound to be on the road.
The BMW is also a bad choice because its a German car which translates to shit tons of constant issues. Plus it looks pretty ratty as well.
I “Guess” I would go with the BMW only because it doesn’t look like it would split in half once taken onto the freeway.
The BMW is from the years when they were slightly less bad and of course it lacks a turbo so it should be pretty decent to keep running. I hear parts from this era are not as hard to find as I owuld expect, but I also expect the ones you find are likely more expensive than the Honda. Still the Beemer is in much better shape even with the busted front teeth.
Gotta love the “runs great, but doesn’t” ad. But I’d still take the BMW over the holey-moontrip Integra.
Well it seems to run just fine. It’s the whole moving part that’s an issue right now.
Despite the missing grill and needed repairs, I’d take the Bimmer. The Integra scares me.
I must be one of those weirdos who equates “running” with an expectation of a certain amount vehicular mobility.
318ti because it’s a gorgeous car that’s aging like a good wine. How I long for the era where BMWs were attractive cars…
*era when
Honestly I don’t know why, but these are the most appealing BMWs to me, purely on looks..
4 door Integra!!! I blacked out and voted Integra. Not sure if it runs and don’t care. No ragrets!
You should buy it… so you can experience some regrets…
I’ll roll the dice on the reliability of the BMW (yes, I know they weren’t all utterly unreliable) in exchange for that lower mileage and great cosmetic condition. Plus, that pseudo-sedan liftback styling appeals to me. Either way, it’s a way better value than an Integra with moon mileage and a bad case of rust worm.
This is a slam dunk for the BMW.
Yep – the Integra has a lot of red flags. The (aftermarket?) cladding on the rocker panels is definitely covering rust holes. A Honda engine that needed a rebuild at 200k miles is a hint the car was likely abused. An automatic transmission with 300k miles may be close to needing a rebuild. While the BMW isn’t a great option, it seems less risky than this particular Integra.
A well-used, Boston Green Metallic, 318ti was my first major purchase after graduating college. With a set of snow tires it did everything I could ask of it and then some. I sold it when I bought a Fiesta ST, the Fiesta is also gone now, and I wonder if I should have kept the bimmer. I am pretty sure there is a kit to jam a 5.0L and T5 into the e36 chassis, you would have to source a lot of parts but that would be an impressive car once the work is done.
why go to all that trouble when an S52 is plug and play
The rust is a bummer, and those wheels are hiddy (imo), but I’d still take the ‘Teg over a super-old BMW.
That BMW is right down the road from me in Hamiltucky. What a shithole. I’d gladly drive to Nebraska and buy a high mileage Honda than an hour to buy a Bimmer that’s probably spent time parked outside a meth lab and is guaranteed to explode and need costly repairs within the year.
Repeat after me: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A CHEAP BMW
“parked outside a meth lab” is a lot less of a turn off than rust.
YMMV
The purchase price is like a theme park admission, there are a lot more costs coming your way unless you just want to sit there
BMW all day. The 318ti is a marvel of chassis engineering. too bad about the auto, but thats a realtivly easy fix.
It’s fun that it uses the regular e36 front suspension but uses the rear suspension from a e30.
If you want a laugh, look up the front end of the e46 compact. It’s hilariously bad.