7.25 Rear Durability

If you use it "just for cruising" and "occaisional hard acceleration" the 7 1/4 will probably last quite a while. Burnouts, neutral drops, max-effort hole shots, or anything which involves slicks will wear it out real quick. Thats the bad news. The good news is junkyards are full of these rears, so if (when) you break it just go get a few spares for cheap.

As rumblefish indicated, an 8 1/4 would be something to keep your eyes open for. An 8 3/4 is probably overkill for a street driven 318, especially if dollars are an issue.

Bottom line, a 7 1/4 will hold up under normal "use" but will tolerate very little normal "abuse".