M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
FAQ / REFERENCE => M42 Buyer's Guide => Topic started by: Febi Guibo on March 10, 2006, 11:06:36 AM
-
Hey, a lot of folks will hopefully find us while researching the 318i/iS for a purchase... maybe post some comments about how you came to find your car, etc. ?
-
The first one was found on AutoTrader in 2000. The price was rght (talked him down to $5700).
The 'new' 318iS was found on CraigsList. I posted a WTB ad, and the guy replied. I got it for $2000. After some polishing, disassembling & toothbrushing the sawdust out of the interior, and completely rebuilding the timing case, it was a sweet sweet ride. CraigsList is awesome.
-
CraigsList is awesome.
Amen, thats where I found my baby. I went to see it the night it was listed (I don't recommend this) and ended up buying it the next day for $3500. This figure could've been much less if it hadn't been my first time in this type of situation. It was essentially a learning experience. However, I don't regret the purchase as it was well taken care of by the two previous owners.
-
oh man... you guys haven't seen the crap on craigslist new york... I got mine on ebay (GA car) for $2200. It was straight and rust free, but like, tired.
I was able to get a local shop to check it out and do some basic fix it stuff... so smooth sailing ever since.
You southern california guys get some *incredible* looking E30s up so sale... it blows my mind, actually. Cars around here get so beat up from our crappy roads and winter abuse.
-
I found my mint 318is on e30tech last fall. I had been searching for the perfect e30 for some time and was able to find a perfect example. I paid 4200, but the car only has 77k, mint interior, everything works, beautiful exterior. The works. It was defiantely worth paying a premium IMO. I know I have a car that will last for a long time.
-
I spent quite a bit of time looking for the right car. Even test drove a few 325e's, but those weren't for me. I finally took a gamble on one that was on Ebay. Thankfully it has been a good gamble so far. The seller was just a guy who picks up cars at auction and flips them, which isn't so good, but the car had all of the documentation and maintinance records with it, which was a plesant surprise. I'm actually the second owner somehow. The car is straight, paint is good (evidence of a respray) clean interior, no cracks in the dash. Motor runs strong, the compression on all four cyllinders is ~185.
I went into this expecting the worst, but was pleasantly surprised. Paid $2750 for the car, which has less than 150k. After having some time to assess the condition of the car, I would say it's probably worth ~$4000.
Cliff notes version: There can be some good deals on Ebay, just be patient and wade through all the junk.
Brian
-
I went through hell.
Went and looked at a 318i. Peice of shit. Every panel was dented/dinged/ Every emblem was no better. The pan had also recently been smashed. INterior was OK at best.
On the good side, it had a new waterpump, alt, belts, hoses and more.
This one one of the ONLY late e30's in the are.. (St. Louis). He wanted $3500!
Over a period of 3 months I watched Auto Trader and everywhere else I could within 300 miles. Preffering a late model IS, I was willing to take and I.
I finally found one, at 300 miles. Called, the guy wanted $4200! but it was a 318IS. I managed to get him down to reality somewhat. I convinced him to at least consider $3600, if it was in good shape. Apparently in Chicago they can get nearly $5k for decent.
Unfortunately, the map was wrong, turned out to be 500 miles (each way) and a time zone change, so we arrived almost 3 hours late. Dusk.. The second worst time to look at a car. Plus I was tired and wanted to head home. In the end, I took it, it was all I could get. While I love it, I am probably going to sell it and buy another in better condition. However, that will probably require a trip out to California.
-
I found mine on bimmerforums.com, and also saw it listed for a lower price in the local newspaper. I had a 2002 that I was trying to get running for the winter so I could drive to work but found out that a new windshield would cost 350 bucks installed, and the car needed a wiring harness rebuilt and new brakes etc..
So I went and checked out my car, even though its paint isnt in the best condition and the bumpers seem like they were put back on wrong after the partial repaint, I fell in love with the car as soon as I found it.
I talked him down from 4000 to 3500, probably to much but it was one of the first 318is I had found with a 150 miles it had all of its maitence records, and has been lowered with bilstien sports, has recaros out of a VW i think and it checked out great at the local mechanic.
I love it, in the first month or so I drove a canyon a night and put like 2500 miles on it. I have had no problems with it so far and am just now starting to think about what I would like to do to it...
-
I purchased mine from my friend's father 4 yrs ago who is a used car dealer. He doesn't have a lot, he mainly buys and sells back at the dealer auctions but upon request, he'll look for a car for you. Anyway, I had asked for a e30 325 or e30 m3 knowing that his son had 2 m3's in his driveway. My other friend, whom some of you met at DPA, were begging the dealer's son to sell either one of us an m3. At the time, he was in med school and claiming he planned on super charging one, and doing an s50/52 swap on the other. Anyway, when my friend's father saw what was to be my 318is, he purchased it because the previous owner had put an "//m" emblem on the back and he quickly bid on it not realizing it wasn't an actual "//m". He won the bid and realized he f'ed up and hoped it was the m42 knowing that I would not have bought the m10. When he told me he got me a 318is, I was a little upset. I really wanted a 325 if not the m3. However, after driving it. I instantly fell in love with it and purchased it for 3200.
-
I bought my car off Ebay from Budget Auto Sales of Cleveland (OH). Very smooth transaction, but didn't get any records or know a whole lot about the car when I bought it.
-
Hahaha… Ebay pwns… Here’s my story on how I found my 2nd e30 m42... After returning from vacation I enlisted the help of thumper3ld to help me find another e30, there were a bunch of nice ones up for sale before I left, but either the price wasn’t right, or I just didn’t want to spend that cash before going on my trip. Anyhow, after just a few days I found something promising in the vicinity of where I live (read @60 miles away from my house). To make a long story short, I picked up mine from Ebay for a little over $2000, thump went with me to pick it up and we were both pleasantly surprised at the condition. It does need some work, but nothing I wasn’t going to do anyway (ie. suspension, exhaust and new paint, just to name a few things). Took the car up to speed on the way home and it took it like a champ. The car drives straight no shakes no shimmies even at speeds much higher then the posted speed limits. Now I just have to get to work setting it up just right.
-
I'm probably the only person that bought his car from Roundel. There was an issue of the magazine about the 8-series and building a budget E30. That article about the E30 sparked my interest about getting a E30. I had been online and there was this site, "John G. Burns - I think - BMW Site," and on the site, he raved about the 318is. He said things like, "it was the poor man's M3." I didn't know jack about BMWs at the time, so I just started reading more and more sites on the M42.
I'm sure you know "BP's 318is site." This car was the perfect 318is in my opinion, and once I saw it, I knew I had to buy one. Lucky for me, in that Roundel, there was an ad for a 318is.
The ad stated the car was Dark Gray (I assumed Delphin) and it had 67k miles. I called the guy up, and he informed me that the car actually had 59k miles on it. My dad and I agreed this was the car to buy. We head out to Alabama, and right when we see the car, it looked a bit sketchy. The color was DS, and the car looked pretty bad. However, it drove like a dream, and the interior was brand new. We settled on a price of 4800, and I drove back with my ghetto exteriored DS 318. I learned more about detailing and mods, and I got it to where it was today. I'll post up pictures of what it looked like in the begining, and you'll wonder why I bought it. I just saw it, and I knew that it wasn't being cared for and I could do a better job. So, I'm pretty happy with my choice.
-
It took me 6 months to find my E30, and only because I had another car (a 1995 Honda Civic coupe) sitting in my driveway..
Anyways about 3 months before I found the car, a friend of mine that lived around the block was selling his 87 325is...It was a sick car, delphin grey, black E30 M3 Seats, Euro bumpers, head was rebuilt blah blah blah..he was selling the car but minus the rims (15x7 Euro baskets). He was like ill sell you 4 rims with tires and one spare without a tire for $500..i didn't even hesitate.
Now its late july, and this same friend sends me an email to a link on craigslist. It was located in Hartford, CT so it wasn't gonna be a long drive. I contacted the owner which was an incredibly nice older man.
The ad said $1300, 199k, service records, runs strong good paint. Heh it was really surprising to see a 318is going for this cheap, so i was hoping that it wouldn't be in terrible shape.
My friend and I went over to meet the guy and turns out he used to work for Triumph way back as their mechanic! That took a huge load of my shoulders b/c i knew that the car was in good hands. He converted the a/c to R134a coolant and pretty much kept the rest of the car bone stock...just kept up with maintenance.
So i was definitly impressed with the car...it ran really nicely, no strange noises coming from anywhere, just a tired car that needed some life put back into it!
My friend helped me bring down the price to a grand total of $1200! I drove away quite happy!
-
I went with my daughter to look for her first car. The seller bought all of the trade-ins from the Infiniti dealer that were worth less than $5000. I saw the 318is and it had that look. I knew nothing about BMW's and had never owned one since college in the sixties and that was a 500cc motorcycle that was owned by about 20 hippies that I knew of. The dealer had low-balled the trade-in a $1100 for an exhaust, $500 for a seat cover, etc. I paid $3600 in 2002. It was original and I put a $225.00 muffler on it and paid $120 for the seat cover at a trim shop. Then I fell in love with the car and was converted into the cult of the E30. My wife has unsuccessfully attempted deprogramming, hence the nickname "World's oldest high school kid".
-
Ooh forgot to add one little fact to my story. About 2 years later, when JDno.5 and I were broke, my friend with the 2 //m3's, decided to sell them both for $5000 each and gave us first dibs. Needless to say, we wanted to beat him since at that time, we couldnt afford it.
-
I started out looking for a 2002. I already frequent Pelican Parts BBS for Porsche 914 info and they have a BMW forum too. A little crawling around led me to Bimerforums want ads where I began looking for a nice '02. The site intrigued me, so I started looking at other areas. At first i looked at E21 threads because i had one in the mid-eightes when I lived in Germany (an 81 320/6 that was great for Autobahn but not for the Alps), That one met with an uncooperative 18-wheeler that chose not to stop when traffic signals dictated, After the E21 phase, I moved on to E30s. That is when I learned that an E 30 is really pretty close to a rebodied e 21. I also noticed a certainfervor from some posters about the four cylinder 3 series. I really never considered a 318. I wanted that inline 6 smoothness. But one group of 318is owners were just CRAZY for their little four bangers. I read more and more about the special breed of 318 E 30s with the dual overhead cam engine. The owners seem to emphasize the fun of lightness and revs, which sounded just like a 914. I was on the verge of closing a deal for one with all the desirable mods that was on the Bimmerforums classified, until the price reached $4000. I thought that was too much so I looked on autotrader and some other sites, and quickly learned that my particular selectivity was going to create a challenge. I enlisted some help. my brother soon found one a Rockville autos near DC. It looked pretty clean on the net. He test drove the hell out of it for a couple of hours, and called me. I told him to offer $3500 against the desired $3800. The dealer snapped it up. My bro drove it down for me. The coolant system commited suicide in the driveway, guage jumping and green stuff spitting, I thought I was about to learn about profile gaskets the first day of ownership. I parked it and started looking into parts. Happened to come accross Bilstien springs and dampers, drilled zimmerman rotors, and 16inch wheels and tires, timing chain tensioner, fan clutch, and the original requirement, a thermostat. So now I have about $5500 in it. It looks Ok but really needs paint and soon I'll need tie rod ends and bushings. Its also got the e-bay chip, but it does seem a bit stronger above 3500 rpm or so. I'm loving it. I'm also loving the community. Really a fun bunch of nuts. I'm really glad this board got off the ground!
-
I picked out my e30 after sifting through A LOT of junk. I decided to go with an e30 because my dad had one long ago, and the impressions of those experiences will stick with me for the rest of my life. so we went through atleast 15 e30's before i settled on my current car.
which had its fair share of problems after i purchased, but it was progresive, and my previous car experiences prepared me for the challenges the proceeded.
I have 1 piece of advice, stay away from the dealership. i had one problem that i couldn't find for almost 2 years, they inspected it 3 times and never found the problem. later i just decided to buy a used AFM and it fixed the problem. you can draw your own conclusions on the poorly spent 1,000$ of "diagnostics" time at the stealer.
-
I picked up a 91 318is dimondschwartz with black interior and crank sunroof at 112k for $1500 back in November of 2003 [On my 20th Bday, not a gift]. Blown headgasket, thought to be a cracked head, but ended up only bering the gasket. Interior was spotless, paint had the normal clear coat issue that many of the dschwartz cars eventually got. Replaced many a things in order to make it a nice car, but over all was not much of an issue.
Around a year back the car was hit, at about 118k miles and i was eventually paid $3900 before buy back.
-
After i wrecked my '85 318i in '04 (it was my baby for 3 years, very clean) i knew it was time to man up and get a twin cam. I didnt even consider a 325i, i work on them alot at work and well.....there kinda boring. I began the search for a black 2 door. i looked at a couple of 318i, but i wanted an "is", i finally found one on ebay, i wasnt the winning bidder but the reserve was not met, so called the guy and got it for $2600, flew down to so-cal and drove back up here in one day. I just love that damn car, the only other thing funner would be a lotus exige (ok maybe an M3 evoII, also).
-
Wanted a 325is but off of a whim saw a 318is in the paper for 3000 w/ only 130,000 miles on the odometer. 3 months after I bought it the idler arm had a bolt walk itself out and ended up getting a new head and putting the same amount into it that I bought it for. Even through all the crap, I'd never give up my m42 and I love it way more than my dad's e30 325ic.
-
Well...i'm not an M42 owner yet, but an engine swap is planed during summer from 316i M40 to M42. :)
-
Well...i'm not an M42 owner yet, but an engine swap is planed during summer from 316i M40 to M42. :)
Awesome, post some pics when you get the chance.
BTW, you have a PM :)
-
I was stationed in Maine.
Around Summer 2004, I posted the winning bid on ebay for $1,800 for my 1991 318i w/ 100,000 miles.
Drove down to Jersey to pick it up and make the payment. Then noticed the paint was not as shinny as on the picture. Also, interiors were dirty and unkept.
Told the seller the description didn't match and I'd buy it for less, not the winning bid.
Seller agreed, and off I drove back to Maine having spent $1,000.
-
shellback, I applaud your jedi mind powers!!
-
I was stationed in Maine.
Around Summer 2004, I posted the winning bid on ebay for $1,800 for my 1991 318i w/ 100,000 miles.
Drove down to Jersey to pick it up and make the payment. Then noticed the paint was not as shinny as on the picture. Also, interiors were dirty and unkept.
Told the seller the description didn't match and I'd buy it for less, not the winning bid.
Seller agreed, and off I drove back to Maine having spent $1,000.
Very common scam on ebay.
Often you find photoshopped fenders to remove dents, creative angles to hide things and more.
Some of these guys are making aliving off the down payments. Glad this was not the case for you.
-
Was living in Cleveland on a work assignment for a few months. Got tired of the crappy GM rental cars and bought mine on Ebay from "Budget Used Cars of Cleveland." Hahaha
It's actually a pretty clean little car. Suspension was SHOT, which I'm replacing now, but otherwise ran fine.
-
First post, and very new to the bmw world.
Bought a 91 318is the other day and Im picking it up monday morning. I found the car on craigslist here in denver posted for 2900 and paid 2000. The car runs and looks great. No rust, no engine nocks or dings of any kind. The interior is in bad shape. The dash is cracked badley and the seats are cracked but useable. Only the RPM gauge works far as the cluster goes. My little E30 didnt come with a sunroof though, The seller and I both thought this is odd. But I like my new car and hope to enjoy the hell out of it.
-
First post, and very new to the bmw world.
Bought a 91 318is the other day and Im picking it up monday morning. I found the car on craigslist here in denver posted for 2900 and paid 2000. The car runs and looks great. No rust, no engine nocks or dings of any kind. The interior is in bad shape. The dash is cracked badley and the seats are cracked but useable. Only the RPM gauge works far as the cluster goes. My little E30 didnt come with a sunroof though, The seller and I both thought this is odd. But I like my new car and hope to enjoy the hell out of it.
Congrats on the purchase and welcome. How many miles and what color?
-
Congrats on the purchase and welcome. How many miles and what color?
Thanks, Before I bought the car I looked around for some info and ideas of upgrades on the car. Thats when I found this site and it really helped my decision of buying the car.
The miles are unknown, I did a carfax report and the last recording of miles was 166,k 6 months ago. The color is RED, very RED. I should have pics soon.
-
Ebay, some 3 years ago.
Bought it from a fellow in Minnesota for $4000.
Car came with the following:
2 owner car
94,000 miles
No A/C
No Trunk Lining
Turner Chip
H&R Adjustable Suspension
K-Mac Camber Plates
K-Mac Adjustable Rear Trailing Arm Bushings
Suspension Thechniques Sway Bars
Turner Swar Bar Re-enforcements
Turner Rear Shock Mounts
E30M3 Control Arms
E30M3 Offset Bushings
E30M3 Steering Rack (not installed)
4.10 LSD
Stock Basketweaves with Shit Ass Conti LXs
15x7 Kosei K1s
205/50R15 BFG K/Ds
New Tie Rods
New Front Wheel Bearings
Documented History back to 30k miles
Bought a one way ticket to Minneapolis and drove it back to New Jersey.
-
Ebay, some 3 years ago.
Bought it from a fellow in Minnesota for $4000.
Please STOP IT>>> Why in gods name was something like this not for sale when I was trying to buy one. Holy god, some people got some killer deals out there. It's costing me more than what you paid to put all that same stuff in my car!
I keep hearing about people buying built-out cars for cheap or M50 conversion cars for $5,000 and I found nothing but wrecked beaters for the six months I looked. :mad:
-
I keep hearing about people buying built-out cars for cheap or M50 conversion cars for $5,000 and I found nothing but wrecked beaters for the six months I looked. :mad:
Tell me about it!
-
I paid $3500 and had a buncha bad loooking stuff (little body whacks all over), but a really good interior. I'm sure that was $1K too much, and I've dropped another $3000 in suspension, timing chain, exhaust, etc. I still think it has a lotta driving fun and a lotta practicality for old honda level expenditure.
-
I'm not sure how many people saw my first post on this board, but I was originally looking at a 318is that ran well, but was just in OK shape overall, with some hideous wheels and painted side moldings that I wasn't too keen on. This was my original post:
http://m42club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=482
The car was going to be sold, then it wasn't and then it was again, but the owner was going to need to wait for a while to sell it. Just for giggles, I checked out all the California Craig's List pages and came across a nice-looking example up in NorCal. Long story somewhat short, the seller had JUSt put it up and I was lucky enough to be the first to contact him. I live in SoCal, however, so I had to act quickly. On Friday morning he agreed to my offer if I were to fly up (I was hoping to offset the price by the amount of airfare and fuel for the drive back).
Middle of the day on Friday, I decided I was going to buy it, pending inspection, but I had to do it THAT night, as he was leaving town for a week and I'd be out of town next weekend. I booked a flight out of LAX, left my other car there (still there and I need to get back to pick it up ASAP) and had a friend pick me up in San Jose when I landed. Three of us went to look at the car within 30 minutes of landing and we had a 3-page list of questions as well as a jack and stands to get under the car.
The dent in the pic looked a little worse in person, but not enough to deter me. Same thing with those BB gun scars and some minor scratches and rust here and there. I just kept thinking of the price I was paying, and it made things better. (pics can be seen in the "Member Profiles" section under "Interlocker")
It was the original owner, had only 129K, has the LSD and runs really well with only very minor things needed, but nothing out of the ordinary for the age/mileage, and nothing that needs to be done right now. Everything works and works well, and it's in better shape than the other one I was looking at for slightly more money.
I'm really happy with the purchase and am looking forward to several years of daily driving glory in this car. Of course, it will see some minor track time, as part of the reason for getting it was to teach my girlfriend how to drive stick and have something fun and safe to use for the rare track weekend she can get to with me.
Good times ahead!
Here's the rundown of my Friday and Saturday this week:
1) At work Fri morning with emails from the owner agreeing to my offer if I were to fly or drive up this weekend.
2) calls to rental car places but no one has a car available for 1-way trips with such short notice.
3) Flights on Southwest are cheap and plentiful, so I book one.
4) Can't find a ride to LAX so I have to drive my car and leave it there.
5) Get to LAX JUST in time to get on the flight.
6) Land, get picked up and head to pick up one other friend for the purchase inspection.
7) Meet owner, check out car and buy it.
8) Take friends to dinner for the incredible amount of help they were.
9) Get to my sister's place in San Jose which she moved into THAT day, and visit for about one hour before falling asleep at 1am.
10) On the road at 5:30am Saturday to get to a BBQ I promised to be at in San Pedro, which is 1.5 hours further than my home destination and actually got there on time!
11) Slept like a log last night and off to wash and wax the "new" car right now. :D
(Oh, and the car only cost me $1,800 with a $127 flight, $80 for dinner and beer for four people and $40 in gas for the drive home... Not too freakin' bad and possibly the deal of the year!)
-
Got my Alpine White '91 on ebay with 133k. It looked great in pictures and not bad on delivery. It was some dealer in Gainsville Florida. I was completely ripped off. It needed brakes, complete front end, timecase/cover, waterpump, steering rack, exhaust, centerbearing, guibo, it was even low two quarts of oil, the spare tire rim was bent out of shape, and the dash had a severe crack. Worst of all, after a few hundred miles the head blew on a back road in Vermont. Turns out someone had Mickey mouse welded it just to get it running for sale to a sap like me. I paid $3500 for the car but when all was said and done, I am into the car at least $9500. Don't laugh! The dealer took no responsibility, basically told me to stick it. Anyway, wish I paid less but I love the car and would not sell it now even for all I put into it.
-
I just picked up my red 91 in portland on saturday.Found it on it on ebay. Looked good in the pictures, interior was immaculate and he showed all the angles and damage in the pictures. The front fender needs to be replaced and has some dings, normal for its age, and there is no structure damage and a clean carfax. We had talked on the phone and he is known on r3vlimited so it set me at ease a bit. Flew up there from LA, couldn't get a hold of him because his phone was off. Had told him I was flying up on saturday and he had got it mixed up with sunday... ALMOST got screwed on that.
Picked it up and he hadnt fixed the things he said he would have (ac pump, fan switch, window switch) aside from the diff that he had changed out. He just didnt have time because he thought i was flying in the next day. So we spent sometime doing the oilchange and changing the wheels out. Aside from that, it runs really well. The car has 127k on the motor and 190k on the chassis (the engine had blown up so it was swapped out) and it runs flawless. Interior is REALLY clean.. except i spilled some hot chocolate when i walked out to check tire pressue, so i have to get it shampooed.
Aside from the fact that i had driven for 18 hours straight, it was fine. He is saying he will send me the parts he didnt have a chance to put in and he threw in some ellipsoids and a new IS lip. I think he got a good deal out of it, paid him 3900. Probably higher in the 318is range being that it wasnt immaculate. However he has all the receipts from the previous car the motor came off of and some from the previous owner. He also threw in a bentley although it doesnt cover the m42 motor :-(. I am pleased though, just need to fix the problems he wasnt able to, remove the god awful purple tint, shampoo the interior, and throw on my wheels and coilovers.
-
...on ebay. I was really looking for a 325is but the prices asked did not match what I wanted to spend. My car was located in VA but was originally purchased in FL. My first plan was to put in a bigger motor but after driving it I realized it was a fun car as is. Right now I am in the process of repairs and mods. Loving the drive. Paid $2200.
-
Got my Alpine White '91 on ebay with 133k. It looked great in pictures and not bad on delivery. It was some dealer in Gainsville Florida. I was completely ripped off. It needed brakes, complete front end, timecase/cover, waterpump, steering rack, exhaust, centerbearing, guibo, it was even low two quarts of oil, the spare tire rim was bent out of shape, and the dash had a severe crack. Worst of all, after a few hundred miles the head blew on a back road in Vermont. Turns out someone had Mickey mouse welded it just to get it running for sale to a sap like me. I paid $3500 for the car but when all was said and done, I am into the car at least $9500. Don't laugh! The dealer took no responsibility, basically told me to stick it. Anyway, wish I paid less but I love the car and would not sell it now even for all I put into it.
I just picked up my red 91 in portland on saturday.Found it on it on ebay. Looked good in the pictures, interior was immaculate and he showed all the angles and damage in the pictures. The front fender needs to be replaced and has some dings, normal for its age, and there is no structure damage and a clean carfax. We had talked on the phone and he is known on r3vlimited so it set me at ease a bit. Flew up there from LA, couldn't get a hold of him because his phone was off. Had told him I was flying up on saturday and he had got it mixed up with sunday... ALMOST got screwed on that. Picked it up and he hadnt fixed the things he said he would have (ac pump, fan switch, window switch) aside from the diff that he had changed out. He just didnt have time because he thought i was flying in the next day. So we spent sometime doing the oilchange and changing the wheels out. Aside from that, it runs really well. The car has 127k on the motor and 190k on the chassis (the engine had blown up so it was swapped out) and it runs flawless. Interior is REALLY clean.. except i spilled some hot chocolate when i walked out to check tire pressue, so i have to get it shampooed. Aside from the fact that i had driven for 18 hours straight, it was fine. He is saying he will send me the parts he didnt have a chance to put in and he threw in some ellipsoids and a new IS lip. I think he got a good deal out of it, paid him 3900. Probably higher in the 318is range being that it wasnt immaculate. However he has all the receipts from the previous car the motor came off of and some from the previous owner. He also threw in a bentley although it doesnt cover the m42 motor :-(. I am pleased though, just need to fix the problems he wasnt able to, remove the god awful purple tint, shampoo the interior, and throw on my wheels and coilovers.
paragraphs dudes, paragraphs!!!
it hurts my eyes to read!
-
sorry, i normally switch off editorial writing skills when i get on these forums. fixed for ya
-
sorry, i normally switch off editorial writing skills when i get on these forums. fixed for ya
cool...just remember that a lot of people do read the threads.
-
My little E30 didnt come with a sunroof though, The seller and I both thought this is odd.
You have a rare slicktop e30. I have one as well. People always comment on it and I like it a lot. Less is more!
-
I too originally wanted a 87-90 325is, until my best friend informed me how great the 318is was...I went searching on autotrader and found a few 325is's for sale, but they were all 150mi away...then I found mine...a diamondschwarz 318is. i found it at a german car mechanic in clifton, nj. It was actually the owner's son who since found a deal on an MR2 turbo and realized the M42 didn't have the same modding potential. They had a small used car business outside the shop and mostly worked on BMWs. What got me was the interior was super clean, no rips in the vinyl sport seats and it was schwarz (always had a thing for black-ish BMWs). Got there, found a ding on the pass fender- drove it, had bearing noise and sputtered some when mashing the pedal between first and 2nd - they were original asking $2900, but talked them down to about $1900 due to shock suspension, bearing noise, fender damage (u can see it below in my sig) and made them give me a tune-up with parts I brought over.
On the way home, my odometer gear went and my wipers stopped, but a quick tug on the arms fixed them - linkage was loose.
For the next 2 weeks, I drove it everywhere without issues. 7mo later, I replaced the suspension and worn bushings, redid all the vacuum and coolant hoses, fixed the wheel bearing, replaced the fuel pump/lines, full tune-up, cleaned the engine bay and powdercoated the intake manifold, new headlights, fixed the pass side fender, wet sanded the whole car (looks a lil better/shinier) new stereo and very soon new wheels. Thanks to m42club, checking out all the possible nightmares - timing chain, oil pan gasket issue etc...
-
My dad had one a few years back. Alpine White 318i 4-door. He did the whole suspension, and then got bored with it. So he bought an E36 318i auto and immediately wished he had the E30 back.
So we went on the hunt for another E30 and it took us FOREVER! Finally one day we were just driving home and see another Alpine White parked on the side of the road. So we get out and look at it and see that it is a 318i 5-speed. So we drive home and my dad writes a note saying that he is interested in the car blah blah blah. I jump on my bike and stick the note under the wipers.
6 months later we are eating dinner and get a call. My dad talks for a little bit and when he hangs up he told us that it was an older women calling us about the car. We go look at it and pick it up for $3500 the next weekend.
This lady ordered the car here in California, picked it up in Germany where she was going to be living for a year. When she came back to the U.S. she had it shipped over and had been driving it ever since. It had 210,000 miles on it when we bought it and I have only put another 10,000 on it.
So I am the second owner of a 1991 318i with cloth seats.
-
I'd been messing with a few older 318i coupes for a few months because I found 'em real cheap and they were fun cars to drive and tinker with. Having owned Acuras and Lexuses for the last decade or so, it was a real joy to look under the hood and to be able to actually identify the parts of the engine. Even better was having the feel of the road again.
So, I started reading more about them and became convinced that I was wasting my time with the '84s and '85s. I had to have a '91 318is. I started scanning Craigslist every morning and night. I found several, but nothing that seemed quite right. Then in the Eugene, Oregon Craigslist, I found it. A 318is with a broken out back window and an interior with "issues" (his dog got pissed and ate half the interior). The good news was that it had only 145K miles and was in good condition on the outside. Only problem is that I'm in northern Washington State and Eugene is halfway down the state of Oregon. So, I negotiated with him via email and bought it sight unseen for $1,500.
A friend from Portland went down to pick it up. I already had the interior and rear window glass I needed, so it was a one day repair. In the 9 months I've had it, I've had to do some repairs, throw-out bearing and timing chain tensioner, but it's now a great running and very fun car. Hopefully, over the next few months I'll get it into prime shape.
Noel
-
I was sorta half-heartedly looking for a 318i, wanted a low-key 4dr. I drive by an independent BMW repair shop in Portland on my home, and decided to stop in and put a note on their bulletin board. As I parked I noticed a grey 318i parked in the lot. The owner of the shop asked me what I wanted, I said I was looking for a car. What kind? Ah..one of those, pointing to the 318i. Well. it was a customer car and they just bought it from the owner and were planning on selling it after they fixed a few things. Really? I paid $3000, but it's a 110,000-miles, two-owner car with all the records. It's straight and clean. Only slight driver seat wear. Basically, I got lucky.
Hey, Hamann318is -- I wrote that story in Roundel on the budget e30, my 1989 325is. It was originally a build-up in Eurotuner magazine, but Satch at Roundel asked me to condense it for Roundel. Glad it was an inspiration! It was a great car, but I like the 318i better.
-
Im going to get my M42 on saturday.
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/car/276944797.html
This will be my families 5th e30 and my 3rd. I cant wait i've wanted one of these since I was 8 yrs old(when my mom got her first 318is).
Hopefully it wont take to much to get her up to snuff.
Hunter
-
I saw my 318is pop uo pn Craigslist after searching for a few weeks. I'd looked at another 318is but didn't feel right about it so I didn't pull the trigger.
When I saw this one, I knew I had to be the first to see it.
Called the morning after it was listed in the evening and was told he had a 6:30 showing, if I could make it down before that it'd be first come first served.
I was stuck at work, crazy busy, and resigned myself to just forget the whole thing. I called to tell him I couldn't make it down. He said that he'd hold it for me since the first guy hadn't called back again so I made plans to see it.
I went down late, drove 40min and paid $5 in tolls. Saw the car, and bought it. The only thing I would have done differntley is take the time to haggle on price. The car has 153K, clean interior, crack and tear free. Everything is stock as the day it rolled off the line. There is a small dent in the front fender and a crease on the lower part of the door panel but other than that (hello Ding King) the paint is in great condition and shiny. I detailed the whole car and it buffed up to a great looking ride. Shiny paint, immaculate interior, even all the stains came out of the carpets and they look relatively new again.
Now I'll fix the A/C, new brake system, struts/springs, hoses and belts, new fluids, new thermostat (just to be on the safe side), and new wheels.
At $2900 I may not have gotten the best deal, but I think I did fine.
-
*Update*
Ive been busy working on the car and searching for/buying parts I've barely been on the forum. The Car was just as expected, ruff, a little rusty, a terrible paint job but it runs and drives like a dream and had a pretty fresh interior. Drove it over 3 hours home without a hitch. mostly highway these have more guts than I remember on the highway.
Got home pulled the interior apart and steamed cleaned it. its going to be my beater while im working on my m52 swap in my 325i.
Im definetly having a blast with this little thing.
Hunter
-
brand new member and brand new owner of a 1991 318is m42. Having owned a 535is 87 and a 735i in the past, i have been chomping at the bits to own a another bimmer.
I started looking at the 325is and had been watching craigslist and ebay heavy for about 3 weeks and refreshing on the newly listed bmw's.
this little 318is popped up 2 nites ago as a buy it now and after a quick email to the seller i bought it very quickly for 2500.00
It has 186k
completely rebuilt top end
timing chain
new belts
new suspension
new exhaust
new fuel pump and filter
all new front end parts
this was listed on the auction.
after i bought it he told me that the wheels and tires were also new (aftermarket wheels) and it has a new battery.
The car was painted about 2 years ago a corvette yellow. Will keep you posted when i pick it up.
(http://img101.mytextgraphics.com/photolava/2007/07/11/2b9a1jpg-4741iuul9.jpg)
-
The bimmer is at my house. I happen to be out of town but my car was driven in today from houton tx to MO. 600 miles of trouble free driving. I cant wait to get home and see the car.
-
Found mine on craigslist! I bought it from the original owner -a 60 year old woman who had had the car for 14 years and 135K miles! The car appeared pristine if a little behind on the maintenance, and so when she didn't budge I gave here her asking price of $3800. The car buying process was more like an interview and at the end she wanted her picture taken next to the car handing the keys over to me!
BTW, I'm a new member who just joined a week or so ago in search of a support group (sorry :)), as most forums seem to cater to the nose-heavy E30 crowd! The 318is is my track car and my DD. Since I purchased it I've done the following
a) UUC EVO SSK with cartridge bearing -stolen from my e30 m3 which seems to appreciate the Z3 1.9 shifter more for some strange reason!
b) E21 320i tranny mounts -this was the end of missed shifts!!!
c) Team Dynamics 15X7 rims with T1-R 225/50/15s
d) Mark D chip that he detuned for me as my car pinged with the 91 octane chip. It still pings, but only in 3rd and 4th past 5000rpm. Not a problem on the street but I'm forced to at least run 50% 100 octane on the track.
e) Ate power discs and Hawk HP Plus -works just fine on the street!
f) IE 25mm FR and 22mm R sway bars. Works great, but rubs on control arms.
g) H&R OEM sports w/ Bilstein sports.
h) IE 1.25 degrees fixed camber plates.
i) offset control arm bushings.
I'm in the process of replacing the Bilsteins with Konis to improve the ride. Although I suspect the IE bars may have to share the blame here. Other mods planned are lightened flywheel, supersprint catback and an LSD -and while I'm at it go to a 4.44 ratio as well.
Narayan
-
sweet nice car, my was on craigslist to
178k 318is for about 2300$
-
Like most people here, I found mine in Craigslist.
1991 Alpineweiss, no sunroof, with 179,497 in the non-working odometer. The car looked good in the pictures, but the description indicated that the car had overheated and might need a headgasket. Listed price was $1,000.
I contacted the seller and arranged to see the car. I was the first one to contact the seller and first one to see the car. First impression of the car is that it had the dings and scratches you would expect from a car with 179,XXX miles. Checked the fluids, looking for mix of oil and coolant, and found no mix. Attemp to start the car failed due to a discharged battery, but since I was driving my M3 i was able to use the battery to get it started. Once the car started, the engine sounded quiet and revved well. After being idling for 5 or minutes it reached oprating temperature and then started to creep up to the hot side. Shot down the engine and started negotiating with the seller. We settled for $800, in part because I was driving a "similar" car and I would take good care of the car.
Towed the car back home and after reading up on this forum regarding cooling systems issues and doing some tests, I decided to change the thermostat before commiting to replacing the headgasket. Upon removal of the T-stat I see that it was mounted incorrectly by the "mechanic". Replaced it with the new t-stat and voila, now I have a new car. The car had recently replaced starter, alternator, bilstein shocks, clutch, water pump and t-stat. Also, based on how the engine looks, clean and does not leak oil, and the way it feels I don't think it is the original engine, however, I have no paperwork to prove it.
In the 3 or so months that I have owned the car, I have put about 3,000 miles on the car, including a 250 miles each way trip from Dallas to Houston on a 100 degree day, and not a hiccup. The 318 is now my daily driver and I am surely enjoying the gas savings compared to my previous DD a BMW 540 with a V8 engine.
I already see many of the parts that will be replaced from my M3, finding a new home on the 318. Ahhh, the possibilities....
-
My parents bought my 318is from my cousin for my 16th birthday a few months ago. It had 145k miles. I don't remember how much they settled for. I've only put like 1,500 miles on it. I love this car. It just feels so much cooler driving it than my dad's E46.
I remember my parent didn't really want a car thats was as old as me, but it was in so much better condition than any of the E36s that we saw.
I want to keep this car forever :)
-
Ok, to be frank, the buying experience was pretty shitty. I was informed the car only had some vaccum problems which were going to be fixed before i bought it. But when i gave the guy the money and started driving it around nothing was wrong. i get 2 miles from the buying location and the engine overheats, wtf right? This is what i get for buying off of ebay, and not only ebay, but kansas. The car had a cracked cylinder head, $300 for a new one + $100 for the appropriate parts, And a new windsheild. Plus the muffler was hanging on by the hangers. wasn't even attached to the connecting pipe from the catalytic converter.
The car itself, its my first car, i love it to death, but soon im parting with it, im no mechanic and this car needs so much T.L.C.
I might get another one later, i am definately buying another e30 for my dad, he loves these little cars. Probably a convertible.
Next time, im going to do more research on the car before i make a 3 hour trip to go drive it back another 3 hours, just to find i have to make another trip to bring it back on a trailer, and then spend a month to fix it.
I learned quite a bit about cars, but im still a newbie.
-
Car is a 1991 318i. I bought it for what the previous owner had spent having a brand-new steering rack professionally installed -- $750. Strong M42, but needs everything rubber replaced. Brakes were completely rebuilt by me following purchase. New control arms and bushings just installed. I'm trying to convince my father-in-law (a professional bodyman) to help me fix the valances and paint the car this Christmas -- gotta do a hose kit before the trip though lol. He also is going to be basically giving me an accessory -- a 1997 328is that has 85k on it and is very nice. Anyways, also has a very good condition interior (except dash is cracked). Also has a lifetime of service records (was not advertised to, but I discovered after purchase).
All in all, it's been good so far. Gets 24mpg in town and 31 on the highway, and costs us $35/month to insure. And with the M20 cabrio and the M52 coupe, makes for a nice stable.
-
Picked my car up yesterday 1991 318is with 150k on the clock for 2300 with all new breaks and a good running motor. It needs some work like cooling system and cleaning but other wise really clean. Also off of craigslist drove 2 hour there, test drove the car and bought it on the spot and had no problems on the way home except the motor never warmed up cause i think it needs a thermostat but other wise great haven't really driven the car yet but ya I'm loving it!
-
Bought my 91 318is off craigslist in Denver. I had been looking for one for about 4 months. I have previously owned two e30's and sold them when money was tight and regretted it ever since. I was ready to settle for any e30 with decent mileage that was well maintained. I found mine with 130k from a BMW enthusiast with a sick E28 in the garage. The car had some issues, rust in the trunk under the battery box, spot rust in other places. PO replaced the injectors, AFM, entire exhaust including CAT, ICV, chased down the vacuum leaks.
I chose this one after researching extensively on this site and others. One of the PO's had installed the rear fog light mod, so I knew somebody owned it who knew what they were doing to have the desire to effectively complete the mod. All in all the car had new brakes, new tires, Bilstein's, m3 springs, m3 CAB's, perfect interior, less dash crack. I've since replaced the windshield, stereo (blau wasn't playing cd's), radiator as I had a spare and the expansion tank sprung a leak somewhere. I also recharged the AC and did an alignment.
Car is running like a champ, misses on one cylinder at start up for about 5 seconds, and has erratic idle with A/C on, but I've averaged 34 mpg.
Exterior does have some waves and some hail damage, but has been repainted. Wasn't the best paint job/body work but it's still a head turner. Paid $3700 for it.
-
Sounds like a great car. How do you like the ride/handling with the M3 springs and the Bilsteins? How does it compare to the other e30s you owned? Also, do you know if you have Bilstein HDs or Sports? I actually bought some used E30 M3 springs a couple of days ago and am trying to find out peoples' impressions of this set-up.
-
John, you know, I can't really compare. it had that set up when I got it and my previous e30's were saloons. The bilsteins are the HD's. From what I read there isn't a big difference in the M3 springs other than the spring rate. I think I'd go with the Sports with some other shocks when it comes time to change it up for something more aggressive.
-
Bought mine from a Craig's list ad. Not running. College guy who loved it but had no money to fix it. I traveled a ways to see it and turns out it is a pretty decent car. 132k Diamond Swartz on black 1991 m42 5speed 318is. No rust, no bends, good interior, 2 documented owners. California and Colorado, Bought it for $1,000 and towed it home. Turns out the college guy pulled the plugs to tune it and got the wires crossed going back. Runs great. Love the deal!
-
three short storys about my 3 cars!!
NR1: my first 318is e30 was our second family car. my dad bought the car back in 96 ? with 30000km, from first owner. now the car has 240000km on the clock and is still running....well, a second head, the first one cracked on the highway at 140km/h :-) bang!!!pfffffff....
no abs, no ac, no electric windows, power steering, alpinweiss II, ALL ORIGINAL
NR2: the second car was in a internet advertisement listed as an 318i with 100hp. but on the pictures i saw that the car was too low and didnt seem at all as an 318i, so i called the seller and he told me the code of the car...a 318is!!! he didnt know that there were different 318, i didnt say anything and i bought the car for 700.-$ with 4 14"bbs alu rims, a stinking interior and 180000kms. its gonna be my streetlegal racing car! discovered at 5pm and bought the other day at 9am 300km away and 8hours of working between...!!no, i didnt see my bed this night...
no abs, no ac, no electric windows, no power steering, alpinweiss II, NO ANYTHING and stinks :-(...
NR3: i was just walking around on the yunkjard looking for an e46 dashboard when i saw a red e30 bmw.. with 180000km, a damage on the rear and on the front, no rearlights, fuelpump and half of the interior missing. i walked around the car and it was a 318is... unbelievable, because the 318is e30 is a very rare car here in switzerland!! so i bought it for 600.-$ incl. shipping to my carshop 100km away and with a dead rat or whatever in the enginebay! ;-)
ABS, no ac, no electric windows, no power steering, red or so?, DEAD ANIMAL
-
Years ago my brother visited us in Wyoming and I privately snickered at his "cheapish" 1991 318is, which of course he loved. I was raving on about my '90 735i--certainly great on the open road. Two years ago we moved from wide-open Wyoming to urban Utah and my wife and I decided to downsize. We first tried a 91 535i beater but it didn't get any better gas mileage than the 7, and it was only a tad more nimble. During a trip to the Pacific Northwest we saw my BMW-mechanic brother-in-law's three e30s, one of which is a track 318is, and another a nice 318is he found abandoned in a vacant lot. Then I found this website. I got the bug. Bad.
I started looking on ebay and autotrader, and after a few weeks I saw an Autotrader ad for a charcoal 318is about 15 miles from home. I called and arranged to meet that evening. It was dark by the time we arrived, and another shopper was still there, trying to decide if he could get it past his wife. We test drove the car; it seemed to run OK if a bit rough, and with a broken exhaust pipe it was hard to know. I tried to look it over objectively--the windshield was cracked and the driver's seat was roached but the rest of the interior and exterior was otherwise good: i.e., no rust. The other buyer was still lurking around, talking on his cell phone. My wife loved it so I just told the seller we'd take it. $2500, full price.
The seller was a high school kid who bought it from an acquaintance who was fixing it up until he was disabled in an industrial accident. The kid decide to stick with his VW Golf instead. I left a down payment, wrote up a bill of sale with signatures, we made a photocopy, and I brought cash and got the car and title the next day.
In the daylight it turned out the underside was massively coated with oil and gunk, but the leakage was mainly from the cam position sensor and p/s lines. Since then it's been exhaust, windshield, license plates, radiator/fan clutch, bad idle/air control valve, coil pack, control arms, and junkyard seat--and then the speedo croaked. I'm currently into it for about $2000 in parts, but that might include tires and 15-inch wheels and more tires.
Meanwhile I noticed a post here at M42 club from a member in Washington state regarding a friend's red 318is on Craigslist in the SF Bay Area. The photos looked great so I emailed for more photos. After a couple of days I realized the seller lived 25 miles from my brother. I phoned and had a nice chat. Once again, there was another interested buyer, this time in San Diego. So I said I'd buy it, full price ($2600), assuming it was as advertised. My brother test drove it, phoned me to say the car was great and so was the seller, who was with his wife and two kids. We figured they wouldn't cheat me so I wired the money, my brother picked up the car a few days later, and I flew out, got the car, and drove if back to Utah. So far almost no problems except new radiator and goofy speedo.
We love both cars and they should be ready for autocrossing by spring. Meanwhile the red car sees 500 miles per week with my wife's job. :)
-
i wish i had two, you gluton.
-
I had a horrible time finding my first car. What a chore. I wanted something higher class than a ghetto messed up ford focus. I wanted something that I would enjoy driving, something that I would dream to drive. For 6 months, I searched 3 websites: buffalonews.com (online version of the newspaper auto classifieds), autotrader.com, and craigslist.com. I came across many cars I was interested in. At first, there was a Porsche 944s for $1600, but it needed cams (about a thousand bucks each 0.0), then there was a 1987 BMW 325, which sat on eidbach springs. It was all nice and everything, especially the gold Koing spare rims that came with it, but the interior was junk. Several trim pieces were missing, the whole cluster didn't function, and when we got around to driving it....wow. It had an idle problem, no big deal, until we got on the street, stepped on the clutch to go from first to second, not in a hurry, and the RPMs must've jumped to 5500! I was scared I was going to blow the engine. There were plenty of other electrical problems and such, but I wont go into much detail. Then I looked at a, get ready for a surprise, Ford Ranger. $900...it was in good shape, etc etc...I was ready to take it to a mechanic to check it out, and the guy sold it from under me. (Glad he did now) Then i was checking craigslist, and there it was, my 318is. It was for sale for $2200. I was pleasantly surprised by its condition, considering I live in freakin NY. It only needed brakes at the time, along with replacement of hoses. It had 99,000 miles on it. Now, 3 months later, it is sitting in my driveway waiting to be driven, and I still haven't done the breaks yet, I replaced the hoses and air filter, and it now needs a timing chain tensioner. Blah blah blah, I am happy I got my beautiful e30 and cant wait to drive it legally =), no insurance, registration, plates, inspection currently.
-
i was moving to florida to go to school and wanted to trade my civic in but did not know what to get. then one day my neighbor pulled this thing out of his garage and stuck it in his yard with the for sale sign. i checked it out drove it around and was extremely impressed with the 69000 miles it had the awesome handling and of course that bmw screem this m42 makes. so i went to car max the next day traded my civic for cash money and went to his house. 3400 dollars later i had a smile from ear to ear and was ripping 3rd pinned around turns. then i come to find out that this car is a collectors piece and i had the super nice 318is. ever since then its been like peanut butter and jelly i love my car and would not trade her for anything .
this one is going to the grave with me 318isFOLIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-
I thought I posted it.
Well, here is the story of my car - a friend of mine found this thing on CL, said 318, dead tires, needs been sitting a while and needs a good cleaning. A nice woman was selling it having bought a newer mini a while ago, this car made it all the way here from california and sat in her driveway ever since the mini.
Well, I dropped her an email, not expecting anything, and got her number - then we set up a meeting with her the next morning, and I drove out and came to her place.
The car was a 1991, 318is debadged from california. Had less rust than my friend's red 318is that he got for $3.5k with a dent. So right away I was happy, dropped the price down to $700 on the spot. Hood was up, the fenders had dents from the hood being forced to open through the back (go figure - some friends the PO had), ran loud as hell, misfired occasionally, but the unibody was flawless, and I took another test drive, having said that the brakes need to be replaced and the exhaust - she agreed to let it got for $600 if I picked it up right away.
Well, I threw my plate on it and drove it home, and there were some pics of my car as I picked it up. Naturally, I was and still am at school and couldnt focus on its repair, so I ended up taking care of things bit by bit until the oilpan cracked and I got a new motor. It still runs fairly well, just a bit loud. I will post some audio when i part out or sell my motor. As of now, it has most of minor problems gone, and im getting it into a nice body shape. :)
-Artem
-
Some pics
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x56/ArtemL/P1000878.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x56/ArtemL/P1000871.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x56/ArtemL/P1000875.jpg)
-Artem
-
I thought i might as well contribute to this thread..
So heres my story...
My E36 318is is my third car in three years of driving.
My first car was a 4 door 1.6 civic which was nice, but civics have a bad reputation and are too easy to break into.
After that i bought a 1.4 5 door mk3 vw golf off of my friends parents. They were just about to pay €300 to have the car scrapped because it was running like a dog but instead i offered to take it off their hands, with the idea being to drive it until it goes BANG!!
Well i had it a week before i took the head off, and it turned out one of the core plugs had rotten so it was a €25 fix and it ran like a dream after that...
In may of last year i had enough with driving the white lunchbox and looked into buying something else. The shortlist was AE86 Corolla, KP60 starlet and any bmw.
As you can see they all have a common theme, under 2litres and rwd.
With my earliest experience of drifting being in an e30 318 the bmw seemed like the best option...and then we came across my one.
It was sitting in an Opel/Vauxhaull garage looking very sorry for itself, missing grilles, tatty interior, bald tires, missing most of its trim and spewing oil from the diff.
But underneath that was a very solid car with no rust and a fantastic little engine.
So far ive fixed all the little problems and kept it on the road, saving and planning for this summer where i can take it off the road and give it an overhaul.
To date the only modifications are a crappy headunit, 16inch e46 wheels and a fogged airbox.
But enough about me, tell us about you!
-
Here is my story. I have been wanting another e30 for awhile now after giving my 84 318i to my parents a few years ago. My dad drove that until the engine died and then it went through a flood that ruined most of the car. I wanted an e30 for an autox/DD/track car to keep some miles off my e46. I have been looking on craigslist for a few months and found a Diamond Swartz 91 318iS for sale about an hour from where I live with 165K miles. It was listed for $1200, but was not inspected and hadn't been driven in over a year. I drove out and looked at it, it started, drove and revved nice. It has a few dings from tree branches and the driver's side front fender was replaced (with a gold colored one). The owner bought the car from the original owner and then his son drove it for the past few years. Apparently it is chipped and has an LSD. Interior is MINT, no cracks in the dash. Has some rust spots around the car and the drivers door is rusted out on the bottom. Needs new tires and a muffler to pass inspection I believe. I offered the guy $1000 but he wouldn't take it. Fast forward a month and I get an email from him saying he will take my $1000 offer. I bargain some more and get him down to $950. Just picked it up on Monday and had it towed to my house. I'm gonna do a tune up, replace the plugs, water pump, T-stat, belts, gaskets and timing chain tensioner. Get some new tires, new muffler and get it inspected. Then get new suspension (I think the original suspension is still on the car) and get it ready for autoX. Here are a few pictures.
(http://luckysnafu.smugmug.com/photos/302881067_YHKsj-XL.jpg)
(http://luckysnafu.smugmug.com/photos/302881150_6NPdn-XL.jpg)
(http://luckysnafu.smugmug.com/photos/302881508_fP7A6-XL.jpg)
(http://luckysnafu.smugmug.com/photos/302882019_NDgF4-XL.jpg)
(http://luckysnafu.smugmug.com/photos/302882553_gXZQr-XL.jpg)
(http://luckysnafu.smugmug.com/photos/302883670_JLVm5-XL.jpg)
-
double post somehow...
-
Got mine yesterday :)
(http://www.kylejochai.com/reflexgti/318is/318is-030-web.jpg)
(http://www.kylejochai.com/reflexgti/318is/318is-035-web.jpg)
I found it through a former coworker who is a BMWCCA driving instructor. I've been keeping an eye out for the right car for 1.5 years. This was a bit too soon (I would have rather waited until Dec/Jan), but the deal was too good; 10+ years of records and a meticulous PO, lots of recent work (service II, tires, rad and water pump, lots of misc stuff), and the price was right.
Big ups to m42club and to a lesser extent the other forums... if it wasn't for the active online E30 community and knowledgebase, I think I would have ended up with another Benz or a crotch rocket. My IS will be a daily driver, but I also want to use it to learn how to wrench on my own cars, so every little bit helps. ;)
Kyle
-
"she loved e"... super nice and clean car.. congratulations!! i like the oldschool graphics on the side of the car..!
on this cars you can easely learn how to wrench.. its like LEGO for older childrens.. (check it for body rust around the rear towing-hook)
best regards from switzerland..
-
I blew my sebring's motor at the track when my fuel solenoid for my NX kit became "ungrounded" and threw in a rather large DRY shot... blew 3 pistons. So I didn't have the money upfront to take it to a shop (these motors are really, really expensive!), or a place to pull a motor myself, so i just left it, sitting in my driveway there till my buddies in a auto tech class can swap motors for me for free, pretty soon actually.
So I was looking for a cheap, temp replacement. was looking at jeeps as I know those are bullet proof as I had one previously. But then I came across my local chicago auto club's (http://www.thechicagogarage.org) for sale section and someone was selling a "good beater" car. It was there and i saw some others post that it was a god deal for $1500 and I was getting desperate for a ride. So the next day i met up and bought it. Had plenty of cosmetic problems, like interior and pass door latch and paint fading, but after i fix my sebring, this is my new project car.
It's not bad, parts aren't a problem as some have told me they would, and it's a nice car for being 15 years old...
btw, I think i have a 92 (may be a 93, I don't know) e36 right? so do i have a m42 or m44? and do i have an airbag since it says SRS on the steering wheel?
thanks guys and I hope t build this car back up to good condition.
Oh and this car is 10x's easier to work on than my sebring...
-
hi im in the uk and i got my e30 318is 2years ago it cost me £1400 and it is very tidy it has covered 147,000 miles but the engine still feels good. it had a few electrical prpblems with the elec windows but i found this was due to the alarm i have sorted that out and had no other problems. i love this car, i think its the best car i have owned. i am slowly modding it hoping to turbo it soon.
-
I recently bought a 1995 318i for $3K with 242,000 miles. The car came lowered on Eibach springs with Bilstein shocks, with angel eyes, m3 front, and euro tails, I dont know if the side skirts and rear bumper are different. It also had supersprint exhaust and came with a cone intake. The car is super clean with its dings here and there. Coming from an AWD DSM, I didnt know what the hell to look for on a BMW. I got the car and it idled like crap, needed tires, no e-brake, and had a noisy T-chain. But the OP was trying to hide somethings or didnt realize them. It also had a 1222 and 1226 code.
I replaced a leaky radiator, the TB tensioner, idler pulleys, belts, did the FDM the right way and I had to tap out a thermostat housing bolt to a bigger size due to stripped leaky threads. I also bought 2 new knock sensors, new plugs and wires, an O2 sensor and I ditched the cone filter for a stock airbox. I also bought newer 3 series rims with tires, and I had to tap out the oil drain plug for a bigger size because it was stripped too. I had my RTAB's give me a scare so I replaced them with the polys from UUC. A couple days ago I ripped off the Ter Tech drifting stickers too.
When I did the KS's I cleaned out the IACV and deleted the TB heater. My 1222 code and bad idle was because of a bad Crankcase ventilator, which also gave the car a nasty loud squeal. Now the car purrs like a kitten and I couldnt be happier, all I have to do is replace the rear shocks and get the e-brake to work.
I have a good turbo background, and I plan to boost this car even at the high miles with a small T3 at no more than 11lbs of boost, the reliability is all in the tune. Let me know if you guys think I got ripped or if it wasnt that bad.
(http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn4/joedellio/b6.jpg)
(http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn4/joedellio/b5.jpg)
(http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn4/joedellio/b1.jpg)
(http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn4/joedellio/b3.jpg)
(http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn4/joedellio/b2.jpg)
(http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn4/joedellio/bmw4.jpg)
(http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn4/joedellio/b4.jpg)
(http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn4/joedellio/bimmer5.jpg)
(http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn4/joedellio/bmw1.jpg)
(http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn4/joedellio/bmw3.jpg)
-
I'd been looking for a smaller car to replace my e34 525i. The A/C needed repaired to the tune of $1000, and I figured for the money I could buy something more fun. I was looking for an e36 325i, but they were all either overpriced, trashed, or rusted out. Then an ad on Craigslist caught my eye. It was an '88 318i five-speed sedan with sunroof, power windows and foglights. And it was red! Never had a red car...
Mileage was high at 266k+, diff was shot and she refused to start, but there was very little rust and I had a donor 325is for parts. After cleaning the crank position sensor (from suggestions on this board, thank you very much) she fired right up. Now she just needs a gas tank, brakes, F&R suspension overhaul, e36 steering rack, updated chain tensioner, lower oil pan, fan clutch, hose delete, etc. I'm currently swapping the 325's sport interior over, and undoing 20 years of wear & tear.
I can't wait to get that medium case 3.73 bolted all the way in, just won't line up right. I'm thinking one bolt in the subframe isn't quite enough...this little car is so much fun to drive!
-
Got my 91 318is from cragis list for $600
-
Got my 91 318is from cragis list for $600
hell of a buying experience there!
:D
-
Two Saturdays ago my neighbor walked into my home garage (turned shop) I keep & work on my experimental airplane in my garage. My neighbor had the 2 keys & the title to his 1993 318is in his hand. He handed me the keys & signed the title over to me....no charge. How’s tat for a neighbor? The car has 175,000 miles on it. The interior is very deteriorated. Both windows don't work, door panels falling off, headliner falling down, paint fading. That is the BAD,,,now for the GOOD...He changed the oil every 3,000 miles, recent brakes/rotors, engine runs smooth & strong, did clutch, water pump, alternator, air cond service.
I am an old Fiat guy & knew hoe to fix, modify cajole....Fiat Spiders for the last 33 years....my last Fiat went away 4 years ago.
Now I am a BMW guy....I have been on the internet every night for the last 2 weeks learning everything I can about these cars. In 1995, I bought my wife a 318i 5sp & she kept that car 11 years. She would not let me take her car out hardly ever... it was maintained by a Mercedes/BMW mechanic, not me. Every time I drove that car I kept saying to myself..."man this car can be a lot of fun with a few mods, windy roads & spirited driving"
Now..working on the windows first, already got the motors out & rebuilt...then passing state inspection...then the interior... then struts & shocks...then...summer performance tires & 16X7 rims..then...then...hey wait. I got to save some time to fly my experimental plane...oh well juggling spare time is hard.
-
First saw mine at a stealership parked off to the side in front of many old cars instantly had to stop never saw a e30 318is before and i was hooked went inside and asked about it and it was a trade in with a bad engine knock but ran he said the engine was crap the car itsself was flawless all stock except alarm i then asked how much and the moment he said 400.00 i gave him cash threw the rod driveing it about a mo later before i could get shop time.so ordered new motor from bavarian installed it and new fuse box with new wireing harness now it wont start lol but after only driveing it hurt for a mo im in love and its my money pit happily so....look for my white e30 318is on the road soon!
-
$400 got me a salvaged 91 318is off of Craigslist with a bunch of sh*t missing; no power steering, no A/C, no dipstick, busted ignition tumbler with a screw driver as a key, and busted shocks. $300 in DMV fees and about $500 in parts, the thing is running ok...not sure at this point if it's worth keeping. It will need all kinds of bushings, seals, mounts, and misc parts just so I'm comfortable driving around in it.
-
I'm confused about 318ci price. i find one on craigslist for $4200.
92 M42 with . It needs a complete 4 set of pad/4 rotor/rear calipers. I don't want them to fix it,, because they will go cheap.
Body nice, little rust above one of the tail light. top great, interior 7 out of 10, but not leather.
Here is a not to good picture of it.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/img_popup.jsp?car_id=288136113&photoIndex=0
-
I traded a 1990 GMC truck for mine, the guy I traded seemed very anxious to get rid of the little e30, mainly because his son didn't want to learn to drive stick. I figure I had about 1800 in the truck, and since my e30 has a salvage title and dog legs going down the road, some would say I got screwed.....I say I won! I can go two weeks on $25 worth of premium and destroy Camaros and Mustangs while I'm doing it. 6800 RPM shifting FTW
-
This thread's pretty dead, but I figured I'd share my incredibly lucky experience with buying my Alpine White 1991 318is from the second owner (who owned it since 1992) two weeks ago.
I've been wanting one of these cars for years. I hate boring daily's, and an M42 e30 seemed ideal. Fun to drive, economical, reliable, and could get me through the occasional autocross. Every one I’ve found has either been too expensive or beat to within inches of its life. I wanted something stock and well cared for at a reasonable price, which seemed to be too much to ask for. To kill some time on a boring Wednesday morning, I did a search on craigslist for e30 M42’s. Found nothing in LA, nothing in Orange County, but I was visiting my sister in Phoenix the upcoming weekend…so I checked Phoenix. Listing for a “BMW 318is” for 3,950. Probably a clapped-out e36…
WRONG.
“I am the 2nd owner, bought in 1992.
135380 miles, very well maintained, all records since new.
Always garaged”
A few crappy craigslist photos indicated an e30 car that looked immaculate. I almost couldn’t believe the ad. It looked and sounded like everything I wanted, but there was no phone number. So, I sent an e-mail just to see, pleading my case about being a German car enthusiast and wanting one of these for years. I received a response within a few hours and was short and to the point.
“Buyer backed out, extremely disrespectful. All people contacting me are disrespectful. I want the car going to someone who will love it, and you sound sincere. Would you like to see it?”
I pleaded my case some more, but mentioned I was in LA and wouldn’t be able to come out until Saturday, and I understood if the car sold before then. The response:
“I want you to have my car. I won’t show it to anyone before Saturday. If you have a pilot friend, you can fly here, I live on a private airstrip.”
Private airstrip? I didn’t have a pilot friend, but now I was fascinated. I set up a time, he sent me the address. It was in the middle of the desert, a paved strip of runway with driveways off it leading houses. At the end of his e-mail, he mentioned that as I turned on his street, I had to make sure no planes were taking off or landing. If the car was garbage, at least I’d have a story out of it. My wife was convinced we were going to be the last parts of the human centipede. It took some pleading, but she agreed to drive out with me.
We booked a one-way ticket and my sister picked us up in Phoenix. I borrowed her car, and my wife and I drove well into the desert the following morning. The runway his house was on was off a dirt road that wasn’t labeled, and I drove past it twice. The 5 rusty mailboxes on the edge should have indicated civilization, but they blended into the desert all too well. I checked for planes and turned onto the runway, found the house, and pulled in the driveway off the runway. There was a large hanger at the end of the driveway and a 4x2 car garage off the house. Looked like a dream. I walked up to the front door, and Otto answered the door.
Otto, the car’s owner, spoke with a thick German accent. He proudly proclaimed to be 86 years young, loved flying, and adventuring. His wife Rita told us of the time he drove his 1973 2002 from New York City to Buenos Aires, Argentina and back. Because he could. He was the type of person you read about in fictional stories, almost hard to believe. He was excited to show me the car, took me out to the garage where there were two covered cars at the back, an e46 330i, his wife’s Toyota Solara (which he lamented the existence of), and my new e30.
As he opened the garage door to let the morning desert sunlight in, I was trying the best I could to contain myself. This car was pristine. I couldn’t find a dent on it, and besides paint that could use a good buffing, an engine compartment slathered in 21 years baked on cosmoline, and a dirty underside from being on a dirt road, the car was incredible. The interior was perfect. Flawless dash, and pristine cloth sport seats. Factory radio with CD changer that works, and factory-installed alarm that works. He hadn’t started the car for days because he wanted me to hear it on cold start. It started effortlessly almost immediately and as it settled down into a high cold idle, I was sold.
We drove the car up and down the runway and it was like driving a new car. Sure there were some squeaks and rattles from the 21 year-old interior plastic, but it tracked straight, accelerated great, and handled perfectly. We returned to the house, my wife and his were having tea in the backyard, and he asked if I wanted to see in the hanger. I think he knew I was sold, and it was hard to contain my excitement. I couldn’t believe the experience. He showed me the plane he built himself in 1994 and told me stories about flying to South America, Mexico, and Canada. He had the title and all of the maintenance records in his office in the hanger, and I didn’t even try to haggle the $3,950 price. As I flipped through the records, he mentioned that if anything wore out, he replaced it instantly with BMW parts. Anything less would compromise the integrity of the car. The car is probably worth 50% more in California. I was getting a deal.
He invited us to stay for lunch, but we had to be on our way. I could have spent all day chatting with him, but I had a new e30 to drive, and my sister was expecting us back for her birthday party. I buy and sell cars like crazy, and my sister just rolled her eyes when I pulled up in yet another car, but this time it was different. This thing was what I always wanted. We drove the car from Phoenix to LA that Sunday afternoon without a hitch. The old 14” tires are little out of round, but that’s not a big problem. When I got home, I changed the oil, air filter, fuel filter, timing chain tensioner, spark plugs (from Bosch Platinum to NGK), gearbox oil, and diff oil. Just for my own piece of mind. The car passed smog with ease, even with the stock cat from 1991. The smog guy offered to buy the car from me, saying it's the nicest running e30 he's seen.
I’ve been driving the car for the last few weeks and am completely in love. What a joy this little thing is. This car will break my streak of buying and selling cars for a long time, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I like to recall my story of meeting Otto and learning about the cars 21 years of love. I hope I didn’t bore you all with my lengthy story, but buying experiences like this don’t come along often, and I thought I’d share.
Here’s a photo of the car at a quarter wash as I sprayed off the underbody. I can take more if anyone's interested.
(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/680431_10102716058019774_758671674_o.jpg)
-
Ja, genau der Mann uber mir.
Having been traveling back and fourth to Switzerland/Germany for nearly five years now, I suppose I was more or less initially impressed by German ingenuity, seeing it first hand and admiring the concept of simplicity and refinement that the Germans could attain. Don't get me wrong, I had no idea what an E30 was five years ago, but after being exposed to BMW and Mercedes on a daily basis made me grow to appreciate the marques and pay a bit more attention to what they had going on over there.
A little over three and a half years ago, I started scanning the Honolulu craigslist for something old and German with a cool factor to pop up, so again, I wasn't specifically seeking this particular car or model. I simply knew I wanted something fun and not normal. I have always had a problem with mundane or the word "commuter" and could never force myself to pay for something that I will not enjoy and for the very most part, all my past cars have been classics in one form or another; a turbo charged 1997 Acura Integra Type-R #122/320 that I built myself, a 1976 Datsun 280Z, 1967 21-window VW bus, 1964 Impala SS and others... So I was looking through the ads almost on an hourly basis, and I came across a modest post selling a silver 1991 318is with black/black vinyl interior that was/is easily a 9.5/10 with modest suspension modifications; the car spoke to me. Two doors, cool factor, modest engine with decent gas mileage for an asking price of $4,000. I contacted the owner.
After speaking with him, I quickly learned that his phone had been more or less blowing up over calls since he posted a few days prior, but for reasons unbeknownst to me none of the prior phone calls stuck, and he sounded sincere, so to me, there was a sense of urgency to have a look before someone else pulled the trigger before I did. After making arrangements, we met up a few days later and I took it for a drive. Definitely not the fastest car I've owned, but for what it lacked in power during that first impression, was made up for in handling, drive ability and simplicity through refinement. After all, it needed to be a daily driver. As I was driving it around he explained his situation and that's where I think he made a fatal error; in mentioning to me that he (being in the military) and his family were scheduled to leave the island in a matter of a week and they were lightening their load as quick as possible. He being a father of three growing girls, the car simply didn't fit his needs anymore and as sad as he was to sell it, he gave the impression that he was willing to work on getting rid of it to the right person. I pleaded my case: I'm going back to school in the spring, this is a cool car but it's old and needs a bit of TLC blah blah blah.
Upon returning, the bartering began. I pulled out $3400 which I had pre-planned with the remaining $600 in another pocket. I told him my offer and assured him the BMW was going to go home with a good owner who would take care of it, and for me, I was honest in my statement. After a long moment, he agreed. I drove him home in the car, parked it in his driveway in its spot for its last time and his family came outside to meet me. All three of his little daughters were crying that the car was leaving and that they were really going to miss it- this family was really attached to it and it was obvious! Once we were done with the formalities, he gave me all the extra parts he had laying around, along with a set of OEM optional black weaves that had semi-slicks.
Since owning it, I have put on a little more than 18,000 very slow island miles and aside from the engine it's self, everything in the engine bay has been replaced with OEM parts and 90% of the time for the piece of mind knowing when a certain part has been replaced. The suspension is modestly modified with Ireland Engineering front and rear sway bars and Ireland Engineering sway bar end links with the welded on tabs to the LCA's. Springs are H&R sports and the struts are rebuilt AC Schnitzer Bilstein's that I very recently had serviced. When I bought the car, the wheels were on it were 15" Ronal's with shadowline black weaves (which I still have), but have since replaced them with 16" Hartge's with a +25 offset. What little external and internal "modifications" I have done are all with OEM parts, like a rear sunshade, rear headrests, M-Technic 2 steering wheel and illuminated shift knob, mud flaps and fog lights European grills and German blacked headlights. My mentality is to keep it simple and OEM as well as if needed, I can always revert the car back to stock with minimal funding and minimal effort.
I have not seen very many of these cars on the island. Granted there are other E30's most of which are owned by very sociable and wonderful people whom I now call friends, but the 318is is definitely a rarity here. I am asked off-hand at least three times a month if I want to sell it, and that always makes me smile. The brief stories that come along with the proposition to sell are usually along the lines of "I had one of those in the early 90's and I wish I still had it; what a cool car." and it is! It has been in three episodes of Hawaii 5-0 (season 1 finale, season 3 premier and season 4; episode 9) and has been requested for a few car related photo shoots here and there. Everywhere I go, there is always someone who has to give a thumbs up or words of encouragement. After all, it's an iconic body style that has touched a lot of people.
Though, I digress, when the time comes for me to transition permanently to Europe, the car will not be coming with me, but the void that selling this car will make will be filled with a German replacement of the same model...along with a 325ix Touring (I must have one of those). And so the automotive circle of life will continue and the next owner will get to enjoy my 318is just as much in their own way. In a sense, that is poetic and precipitates into feelings that are hard to describe. You all know what it's like and can empathize, so there is no need to put words on it and dissect them: It just is and driving these cars are so rewarding.
March 1991 born Regensburg, DE, BMW 318is:
(http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad48/brandons_focus/3O1F9800_zps9e725fff.jpg) (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/brandons_focus/media/3O1F9800_zps9e725fff.jpg.html)
(http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad48/brandons_focus/3O1F9801_zps4599e5f4.jpg) (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/brandons_focus/media/3O1F9801_zps4599e5f4.jpg.html)
(http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad48/brandons_focus/3O1F9806_zps15beaae2.jpg) (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/brandons_focus/media/3O1F9806_zps15beaae2.jpg.html)
(http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad48/brandons_focus/3O1F9807_zps5b70c45a.jpg) (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/brandons_focus/media/3O1F9807_zps5b70c45a.jpg.html)
(http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad48/brandons_focus/3O1F9808_zpsdee5b905.jpg) (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/brandons_focus/media/3O1F9808_zpsdee5b905.jpg.html)
(http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad48/brandons_focus/3O1F9814_zps1bbc936f.jpg) (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/brandons_focus/media/3O1F9814_zps1bbc936f.jpg.html)
(http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad48/brandons_focus/3O1F9819_zpsab61cb72.jpg) (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/brandons_focus/media/3O1F9819_zpsab61cb72.jpg.html)
(http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad48/brandons_focus/3O1F9821_zps801eb1df.jpg) (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/brandons_focus/media/3O1F9821_zps801eb1df.jpg.html)
(http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad48/brandons_focus/3O1F9822_zps86dc387b.jpg) (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/brandons_focus/media/3O1F9822_zps86dc387b.jpg.html)
(http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad48/brandons_focus/3O1F9825_zps0ae87deb.jpg) (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/brandons_focus/media/3O1F9825_zps0ae87deb.jpg.html)
(http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad48/brandons_focus/3O1F9828_zps44b2e4e6.jpg) (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/brandons_focus/media/3O1F9828_zps44b2e4e6.jpg.html)