New 318is owner

[lbreevesii]

Hi all,
  I made a project thread for this(on e30tech I think) but didn't properly introduce it.  

I owned a good ole' M10 powered 85' 318 coupe for several years but sold it in college.  It was a basketcase, but hella fun.  It really made me into the car guy I am today.  

A few weeks ago I wrecked my project- a 93' 240sx that was intended to be my track car and possibly a lemons racer(tiny gravel + summer slicks = d'oh).  I was already looking at my new 318 when it happened.  

So I introduce, my 91' 318is w/ 180k on the broken odo.

 I like whoever ordered this car-  It has 0 options...other than LSD.  Slicktop, factory Diamond schwartz, riding on bottlecaps for now.  Its going to spend most of its time this winter in the garage getting lots of stuff refreshed/replaced.  Body is in pretty good shape with a few dings on the doors, top, and hood.  Paint has been neglected and will require lots of touch ups and some wet sanding to fully bring it back to life.  It has zender sideskirts, and a cheap sony head unit, but no other upgrades as far as I can tell.  




Spent just a little time bringing the dead paint back to life using polish(I did NOT use that scratch remover stuff, its just a good bottle to contrast with)

after a little 2k grit, compound, and polish:


Things in process or to come:
FULL suspension and steering refresh
Full brake refresh
Fixing lots of little crap
Lots of paint restoration
Seat restoration
New windshield
odo repair
wheels/tires
lots lots more
and maybe an S52 one day...

Thanks for checking it out.  I'm glad to be back in the E30 fold!

[DesktopDave]

Welcome back!  I had a '97 240sx before I got back to BMW...

Your coupe isn't the only stripper here.  All our 318i sedans were stripped so they could sell under $20k in 1991.  Mine didn't even have alloys, just a crank sunroof and an outdoor temp sensor.

[lbreevesii]

yup not too uncommon, but a bit moreso for an is.  

After driving that semi-race prepped nissan for the past year or so as my toy I'm really enjoying getting back to the way the E30 talks to you and how light the 318 is, even compared to the nissan.  My nissan weighed in at 2375 sopping wet and had upwards of 200hp at the wheels.  So for now the 318 is nowhere as quick,  but its more enjoyable to drive and one day i'll up the power with a 24v swap or a rebuild/turbo.  

The E30 trumps it on style and comfort too :p

[DesktopDave]

The e30 is heavier than the Nissan?  Race stripped, I guess that'd be true.  

My S14 with the KA24DE truck engine was nowhere near as lively as the 318, but I'm sure it was faster and likely handled better.  I'd have dropped a black top SR20DET in, but when the stork dropped by that was the end of that.  I'd guess a turbo on the Bimmer could fix that right up.  The BMW engine seems better built, and the Getrag 'boxes are more durable.

The Nissan felt very tinny, and it was a stripped model - no LSD, no five-lugs, slicktop.  Odd styling too, but it was a very smooth and solid ride.  The e30 does communicate more...mine makes a lot of rattles though.

[lbreevesii]

240 carries maybe 20 more hp stock and weighs pretty close.  S13 hatch is a little lighter than an S14 as well . I was running 11.1:1 comp, cams, intake, exhaust, porting, and what not in my ka.  That nissan drivetrain is actually pretty darn durable considering.  Its a truck engine retuned for a car, girdled main cap, piston cooling jets, etc and the trans can take 450hp(same trans different case as the SR's if I recall).  Not too shabby!  

But yea,  i'll take the E30 any day! :-D

[DesktopDave]

Yeah, I miss the S14 chassis sometimes.  The little rattles drive me insane though.  I never did get that trunk lid right either.  To be totally honest, the BMW probably rattles more, but it's not tinny or buzzy.  I even miss our old VG30E Nissan Quest, even though it was an automatic minivan.  The transmission programming was really well done and the motor is superb.

The KA is a good motor but IMHO was missing something.  I could never put my finger on what it was.  The BMW motors just sound right, though they're not as good on paper.  The market for rear drive lightweight cars is small, only a few cars fit that criteria any more.  One upon a time they were all like that.

If all the e30s rust away I'd be tempted by a few of the newer generation sport coupes & sedans...Lexus IS, Infiniti G, Hyundai Genesis...