1991 BMW 318is e30 - $7500 (Orange County)

[ELCID86]

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/4766598679.html

[danewilson77]

:like

"No flamesuit required"

[rguti153]

Need one in my life

[mbeckel]

Need one in my life
You sure do

Sent from in the bushes

[rguti153]

they keep going up in price

[3ZHP]

My Son has one of these but, a little more track rat!


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[az3579]

Would rather have a 325is for that kind of dough...

That one really is nice though. Need more pics!


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[blalor]

The 318is -- especially a slicktop like this one -- is quite a bit lighter than a 325is. I think the biggest difference is the lack of sound-deadening material. I've talked to a few guys who have done E36 engine swaps and they seem to favor the 318is because it's so much lighter. I had one and miss it pretty dearly; too rusty to keep throwing money at it, tho. :-(

[az3579]

The 318is -- especially a slicktop like this one -- is quite a bit lighter than a 325is. I think the biggest difference is the lack of sound-deadening material. I've talked to a few guys who have done E36 engine swaps and they seem to favor the 318is because it's so much lighter. I had one and miss it pretty dearly; too rusty to keep throwing money at it, tho. :-(

If you're going to do an engine swap, sure, but if keeping stock, I prefer the torquier M20. And it sounds better, too, and got some better options as well.

[blalor]

The 318is is still an absolute hoot to drive. The M42 revs more freely than the M20, and it's got a higher red line. You *have* to whip it to get it to move, but it's a ton of fun to do so. :) If it has the 4.10 LSD, it'll still scoot, and you can look like a hero any time the pavement's wet!

As with any used car, check the maintenance records. Mine had ~190k when I bought it. 1,000 miles later the idler sprocket for the timing chain dropped its balls into the oil pan. $300 later I had a replacement engine in my garage, and a few hundred more dollars later I'd replaced just about everything else on it. Seems that the timing chain components are prone to failure after about 150k miles. A few years ago M42s were common as muck. If you're feeling saucy, you can drop a much larger amount of money on a 9,000 RPM Metric Mechanic M42 with about double the power. ;)

[brianf408]

The 318is is still an absolute hoot to drive. The M42 revs more freely than the M20, and it's got a higher red line. You *have* to whip it to get it to move, but it's a ton of fun to do so. :) If it has the 4.10 LSD, it'll still scoot, and you can look like a hero any time the pavement's wet!

As with any used car, check the maintenance records. Mine had ~190k when I bought it. 1,000 miles later the idler sprocket for the timing chain dropped its balls into the oil pan. $300 later I had a replacement engine in my garage, and a few hundred more dollars later I'd replaced just about everything else on it. Seems that the timing chain components are prone to failure after about 150k miles. A few years ago M42s were common as muck. If you're feeling saucy, you can drop a much larger amount of money on a 9,000 RPM Metric Mechanic M42 with about double the power. ;)

Mine is about to hit 270k miles, original engine and as far as I know original timing components (no receipt for them in my stack of receipts) other than the tensioner. Getting that car up into the higher RPMs is a complete blast, the car in general just has a special feel to it.

[Hornung418]

Friend has one of these...hes DDing an F-250 (that he bought for a 12-pack of Bud Light!!!) while he's building a 1.9L turbo monster. Can't wait for next year.

The engines for these cars are pretty cheap from what I understand. Everyone dumps them for the S5x swap...

"You don't have to blow out my candle just to make yours shine brighter."