1991 E 30 BMW 318is, white w/tan interior, 190,000 miles, M42 engine. Outstanding condition, rust-free, solid drivetrain, suspension, electrical, cooling. Have manuals & all service records. I bought this from a BMW mechanic & it was in great running condition but needed little things. Here is a list of the parts installed/work done BEFORE I bought it:
• Sebring cat-back exhaust
• @ 151,000 miles
o Profile gasket. Also replaced head, intake, timing case gaskets at this time.
o Hoses, thermostat, water pump
o Idle control valve
o Left tail-light assembly
o Sunroof crank handle
o Radiator
• Front & rear brakes & rotors
• Lower control arms, left & right, w/bushings
• Rear axle & bearings
• Clutch
• Drive shaft
• Rear differential (limited slip)
• CV joint
• Sub-frame bushing
I have not figured out the replacement of the clutch, etc. except this mechanic probably figured that an 18-year old Bimmer was going to need these eventually.
When I bought this in December 2009, car was grimy, uncared for, had a hole in the exhaust & generally ran great but looked like Hell. Here is a list of the parts installed/work done AFTER I bought it:
o Vacuum hoses (preventative)
o Catalytic converter
o Dsylvatech Chip-very good edition; I saw a nice increase in torque @ 2,500 rpm+
o Valve cover gasket w/O-rings
o Fog light delete covers
o Hood insulation
o Front brake pads, w/sensor
o Front air dam spoiler
o Sway bar link
o Tie rods, steering rack boot
o Impulse sender
o Goodyear Assurance tires @188,900 miles-not sexy but are good highway tires
o Bilsteins HD front & back, shock mounts-BIG improvement. I left the springs as-is. Has a solid ride.
o Gaskets-oil pan, valve cover, timing case (upper & lower), crankshaft seal – no issues other than oil leaking from various spots
o Water pump, thermostat & housing, coolant flush – no cooling problems, just dealt with these while the gaskets were being replaced
o Speedometer repair
o Bavarian Autosports Neoprene seat covers, front-there is some wear to the front seats: a split seam or two and some scruffs but I mainly wanted these for comfort. I really like them.
o ½-inch wheel spacers
I did this work over the last 2.5 years & have enjoyed the car very much. I have a spare set of E30 wheels & some beater tires that I autocrossed this car 3-4/year in G Stock. Cosmetically, it looks great in & out and has no rust & clearcoat is perfect. Power windows work fine (unusually for older Bimmers), sunroof works & has no leaks, interior is very good (see note about seats).
Now, here is what doesn’t work:
o AC-busted long before I owned it, so I just removed the compressor & dryer; hoses are still intact.
o Power steering – again, busted long before I owned it, so I had it decommissioned (drained) but all parts are still intact. NOTE: just for grins, I put a belt on just to see what was happening & it worked OK for a few weeks. But when I pushed it hard at an autocross, fluid leaked out, so I removed the belt. Personally, I prefer the un-powered, rack-and-pinion steering for day-to-day driving. It is very easy to steer.
o Power locks- hey, it’s a Bimmer, of course the older locks don’t work. But you still can lock doors & trunk manually.
This car never fails to start, even after sitting for a couple of weeks (it’s a garage queen, couldn’t you tell?) and runs great. No leaks, no smoke, nothing needed (unless you have to have the AC, etc). I have $5,000 invested & am willing to take $4,000 for the best E30 318is you will find in the region. Pics available.
Topic: for sale:1991 318is Central Kentucky $4,000 (Read 3790 times)