Hi everyone, opinions on this 1991 318is

[phivethreephive]

I'm looking at this car for a beginner autocross/track car. I wasn't really considering a 318is, instead looking for an e30/e36 325i for under $3000 but those have been few and far between... it's -15 degrees here so I have a few months to wait out a great deal. First AutoCross of the season isn't until 5/2009

This 318is above just popped up nearby and the price seems right.

$2000 318is Des Moines.

It appear to have a rusty fender, but the interior seems decent. Is there anything that stand out or that I should look for? Does it have an LSD that anyone can tell from the model or VIN WBAAF9317MEE71857?

Carfax says it was involved in an accident that damaged the front, clean title though


05/09/1991        112        Iowa
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Des Moines, IA
Title #77M923126      Title issued or updated
First owner reported
06/15/1999      42,908      Iowa
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Clive, IA
Title #77W968562      Title issued or updated
02/20/2001           Iowa
Police Report
Case #014248      Accident reported
in Polk County
11/02/2001           Iowa
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Clive, IA
Title #25W128853      Title issued or updated
04/29/2003           Iowa
Police Report
Case #020869      Accident reported
in Polk County
Involving front impact
with another motor vehicle
Minor damage reported
Front area primarily damaged
10/26/2004           Iowa
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Des Moines, IA      Registration updated when owner moved
the vehicle to a new location
02/16/2005           Iowa
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Des Moines, IA
Title #25W128853      Registration issued or renewed
01/13/2006           Iowa
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Des Moines, IA
Title #25W128853      Title issued or updated
Registration issued or renewed
Duplicate title issued
Vehicle color noted as Black
02/15/2006           Iowa
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Des Moines, IA
Title #25AA20740      Title issued or updated
Duplicate title issued
Vehicle color noted as Black
05/03/2006           Iowa
Motor Vehicle Dept.
West Des Moines, IA
Title #77AC05576      Title or registration issued
08/03/2006           Iowa
Motor Vehicle Dept.
West Des Moines, IA
Title #77AC05576      Registration issued or renewed
Registration updated when owner moved
the vehicle to a new location
05/07/2008           Iowa
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Des Moines, IA
Title #77AE98861      Title or registration issued
New owner reported
Vehicle color noted as Black
10/03/2008           Iowa
Motor Vehicle Dept.
West Des Moines, IA      Registration updated when owner moved
the vehicle to a new location

[av8drvr]

I saw this as well, only questions I have are the bottlecap's and non-sport seats (they look comfy though). That price may be too good to pass if all is mechanically in order. I am in Houston so I can't visit to look at the front, which appears damaged (lower valance). Let us know how it goes if you stop by to look, though who can even go outside up there these days!! FYI, I have exchanged a few e-mails with the owner of that dealership and he seems to be a nice guy, very small town, honest feel FWIW.

[phivethreephive]

I saw this as well, only questions I have are the bottlecap's and non-sport seats (they look comfy though). That price may be too good to pass if all is mechanically in order. I am in Houston so I can't visit to look at the front, which appears damaged (lower valance). Let us know how it goes if you stop by to look, though who can even go outside up there these days!! FYI, I have exchanged a few e-mails with the owner of that dealership and he seems to be a nice guy, very small town, honest feel FWIW.

That's the impression I got as well. BTW, I think those are sport seats. Were the bottlecaps not stock?

[av8drvr]

I have only seen 14" weaves on the 91' IS and those seats look like later (E36) seats but I may be mistaken. I wouldn't let the wheels bother you as the weaves are easy to find cheap if you like them more (I happen to strongly prefer them over the bottlecaps). For that price I would not expect a full maintenance history or unmolested stock car, but I would be looking for a running motor and no rust, which it appears to have. This may be a heck of a deal.

[xwill112x]

just paint the center area of your bottle caps black, looks better than any weaves..check my profile pic to see what it'll look like.

save your $$ for a real mod if u dont like the way bottlecaps look, spending 8$ and 2 hrs of your time beats spending 250$+ for a set of weaves

[phivethreephive]

just paint the center area of your bottle caps black, looks better than any weaves..check my profile pic to see what it'll look like.

save your $$ for a real mod if u dont like the way bottlecaps look, spending 8$ and 2 hrs of your time beats spending 250$+ for a set of weaves

That does look good.

If I do buy this car, I'm likely going to just do the bare minimum to get this car on the autocross course for a year, use it for my winter beater next year and then sell it for a small profit and upgrade to a e36 325i for autocross for next year.