M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS

DISCUSSION => General Topics => Topic started by: bmuser on July 31, 2007, 10:47:09 PM

Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: bmuser on July 31, 2007, 10:47:09 PM: Yea so i just found out that my recently acquired 318is is not a 1991 model as i originally thought, but a 1990. March 1990. I read that there were only a few made in '90, and the bulk made in 91. Kinda makes me feel a little special. But seriously, my main question is if there are any differences at all, and preferences, as little as they might be. I just want to know as much as i can about my car, makes me feel better and more secure about it.

Thanks guys.
-Vlad
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: Shocker on August 01, 2007, 12:09:27 AM: Quote from: bmuser;30833
Yea so i just found out that my recently acquired 318is is not a 1991 model as i originally thought, but a 1990. March 1990. I read that there were only a few made in '90, and the bulk made in 91. Kinda makes me feel a little special. But seriously, my main question is if there are any differences at all, and preferences, as little as they might be. I just want to know as much as i can about my car, makes me feel better and more secure about it.

Thanks guys.
-Vlad

What country do you live in? From what I understand 91’s are USA models and 90’s were non USA models????
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: ose30 on August 01, 2007, 12:24:21 AM: M42 E30's were produced between 1989-1992 total of 41234 units. Nothing special on 1990 models. If i undestood correctly 1990 is the most common one, at least in Europe. Look for a 1992 model, that would be a collectors item.
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: bmuser on August 01, 2007, 12:35:22 AM: im in jersey USA.
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: Shocker on August 01, 2007, 12:47:00 AM: Quote from: ose30;30838
M42 E30's were produced between 1989-1992 total of 41234 units. Nothing special on 1990 models. If i undestood correctly 1990 is the most common one, at least in Europe. Look for a 1992 model, that would be a collectors item.

1992 is an E36, are you talking about a convert in 92? I think the E30 Convert went to 94???
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: bmuser on August 01, 2007, 12:55:40 AM: the vert went to '92. the coupe's stopped at 91. the 318 thing pretty much went from 90-92 (MAYBE a few verts rolled over to 93, but only a handlful)
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: peteM3power on August 01, 2007, 09:07:22 AM: As far as I was aware, the E30 318iS was built from March (or thereabouts) 1990 until November/ December 1991. Mine was built in late 1990 but never registered until some time in 1991. I didn't think that either year was all that much more rare than the other... as far as I thought there were no apparent changes between 1990 - 1991.

Pete
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: gearheadE30 on August 01, 2007, 09:52:16 AM: I have a '90 US-spec 318 as well, and it must be one of the only in america without central locking... Mine was also a march 1990 car :).

BTW I came close to buying a 1994 e30 325i convertible with a stick. That's proabaly the rarest of them all.
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: ose30 on August 01, 2007, 03:24:11 PM: Quote
As far as I was aware, the E30 318iS was built from March (or thereabouts) 1990 until November/ December 1991

Not correct. Most likely the first cars were built in 1988 ! Check out this example. This car is for sale in Germany. It is registered January 1989, so most likely it was built in 1988.

http://www.mobile.de/SIDIFUQejapNNvLrErSFznf7A-t-vaNexlCsAsCsK%F3P%F3R~BmSB11Iindex_cgiJ1186003108A1Iindex_cgiD1100CCarX-t-vctpLtt~BmPA1A1B20B16%81r-t-vCaMiMkMoQuRDSeUnVb_X_Y_x_ydcgerdsO~BSRA6D1100A9D3500BisBGND1990CPKWA0HinPublicA2A0A0A0A2NSchaltgetriebeD1985A0/cgi-bin/da.pl?bereich=pkw&sr_qual=GN&top=16&id=11111111269693174&

There are also other 1989 models for sale. I remember 318IS came to the Finnish market back in 1989, when i bought new 325I
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: Asserti on August 02, 2007, 04:41:43 AM: I have a november '89 built 318is

I've seen a timeline from the models but don't know anymore. I didn't think 318is was built in '88
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: peteM3power on August 02, 2007, 04:41:56 AM: Quote from: ose30;30883
Not correct. Most likely the first cars were built in 1988 ! Check out this example. This car is for sale in Germany. It is registered January 1989, so most likely it was built in 1988.

http://www.mobile.de/SIDIFUQejapNNvLrErSFznf7A-t-vaNexlCsAsCsK%F3P%F3R~BmSB11Iindex_cgiJ1186003108A1Iindex_cgiD1100CCarX-t-vctpLtt~BmPA1A1B20B16%81r-t-vCaMiMkMoQuRDSeUnVb_X_Y_x_ydcgerdsO~BSRA6D1100A9D3500BisBGND1990CPKWA0HinPublicA2A0A0A0A2NSchaltgetriebeD1985A0/cgi-bin/da.pl?bereich=pkw&sr_qual=GN&top=16&id=11111111269693174&

There are also other 1989 models for sale. I remember 318IS came to the Finnish market back in 1989, when i bought new 325I

Well there you go... possibly those were the years it was built and available to the Australian market then, one of the two... either way the vast majority I'm sure of were built between 90 - 91 inclusive...

Pete
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: thebigbadyeti on August 02, 2007, 05:09:46 AM: hmm... mine was built dec of 91....
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: ose30 on August 02, 2007, 08:02:14 AM: Quote
hmm... mine was built dec of 91....

And E36 models were already available, at least in european market.
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: robin on August 02, 2007, 09:04:05 AM: Quote from: peteM3power;30857
Mine was built in late 1990 but never registered until some time in 1991.

Same here. Mine has a build date of 11/90 but is titled as a '91 model. It was probably sold as a 1991 car, too.
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: christophbmw on August 04, 2007, 02:13:02 PM: in the US i think the "is" is pretty rare for the '90 model year.
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: gearheadE30 on August 05, 2007, 11:00:38 AM: Yes, it is. In my case that isn't exactly a good thing. You know how central locking and the 6-button OBC were standard on all american models? Well, mine didn't come with either of those. The PO put in a 6-button OBC, but there isn't much I can do about the central locking....
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: sports.racer on August 06, 2007, 09:57:01 AM: If you go to realoem.com and select E30->coupe->318is->US You can select from 11/89 to 04/91 = 18 months

For Europe you can select from 02/89 to 05/91 = 28 months
Title: hmmm
Post by: Matt-B on August 15, 2007, 01:43:15 PM: Quote from: bmuser;30843
the vert went to '92. the coupe's stopped at 91. the 318 thing pretty much went from 90-92 (MAYBE a few verts rolled over to 93, but only a handlful)

My friends Dad has a 325i vert, and on the sticker in the door it says 93.
I though that the vert hung out a bit after production? because of lack of sale the were kinda like backstocked and then brought out
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: christophbmw on August 15, 2007, 07:16:46 PM: Quote from: matthew-mayhem;31689
My friends Dad has a 325i vert, and on the sticker in the door it says 93.
I though that the vert hung out a bit after production? because of lack of sale the were kinda like backstocked and then brought out

the 325ic was in production untill '93.....i think '94 in europe?
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: haledj on August 17, 2007, 10:51:39 AM: Quote from: gearheadE30;31084
Yes, it is. In my case that isn't exactly a good thing. You know how central locking and the 6-button OBC were standard on all american models? Well, mine didn't come with either of those. The PO put in a 6-button OBC, but there isn't much I can do about the central locking....

I dont have central locking either:)
Title: Build dates
Post by: 1991 E30 M42 on August 19, 2007, 01:49:35 AM: Look on RealOEM (http://realoem.com). The build dates in Europe go back to 2/1989 and in the US they go back to 11/89.
Title: Me Too, Me Too!!!
Post by: Matt-B on August 19, 2007, 04:00:09 AM: Quote from: bmuser;30833
Yea so i just found out that my recently acquired 318is is not a 1991 model as i originally thought, but a 1990. March 1990. I read that there were only a few made in '90, and the bulk made in 91. Kinda makes me feel a little special. But seriously, my main question is if there are any differences at all, and preferences, as little as they might be. I just want to know as much as i can about my car, makes me feel better and more secure about it.

Thanks guys.
-Vlad

I just realized that too, I got my car today and saw it was made in 3-3-90
I feel a little specail to. Does your title say 91 or 90 though cause mine says 91. I do not think there are any differences in the 2, just rolled out at different times
Title: How rare are '90 318is'? Difference b/w '90/'91?
Post by: b318isp on August 21, 2007, 04:39:20 AM: It debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1989 but was overshadowed by the launch of the 850i. Eventually, it was sold in most markets but was most popular in Italy, Spain, Portugal, UK, Ireland and North America. Even so, the 318is is a relatively rare car with 41,234 being made (out of a total of 2.2 million E30's = 1.86%). 9,442 were made in 1990, 29,171 in 1991 and 2,621 in 1992.