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1991 BMW 318is E30 Diamond Black w/ Tan Sports Interior 5 speed

  • Location: Union City, California, United States
  • Condition: Used
  • Make: BMW
  • Model: 3-Series
  • Type: Coupe
  • Year: 1991
  • Mileage: 233000
  • VIN: WBAAF9314MEE70326
  • Engine size: 1.8L M42
  • Number of cylinders: 4
  • Power options: Air Conditioning, Power Windows
  • Fuel: Gasoline
  • Transmission: Manual
  • Drive type: RWD
  • Drive side: Left-hand drive
  • Safety options: Anti-Lock Brakes
  • Options: CD Player, Leather Seats, Sunroof
  • Vehicle Title: Clear

1991 BMW 3-Series Description

I am selling my E30 318is.
This is a "rare" E30 since the 318is was only released for the year of 1991 and known as the "Poor Man's M3". Daily driven for 3 years and has never let me down, Driving feel or reliability wise. I have driven it back and forth from LA to SF over the past year 5+ times.

Bought it from the first owner in 2016.
Original color is Diamantshwarz (Diamond Black).
Pros:-I'm the 2nd owner.-Clean California car-I have a folder full of paperwork of services and parts from 1995-2018.-No Rust-Original body, paint, interior (I still have the original front and rear bumpers)-New Muffler-Drives great-Handles on rails because of coilovers. Haven't tracked it yet-Authentic 3 piece 16" BBS RS wheels-Most of tool kit is there
Work Done in my ownership-Fuel Pump
-Both front Control Arms, Tie rods, Control Arm bushings E30 Poly
-Replace A/C Belt, Alternator Belt, P/S Belts
-Ellipsoid headlights installed
-Oil Change, Fuel Filter Replacement, Odo Gear
-"Under The Intake Delete", Upper intake manifold gasket, Lower intake manifold gasket, replaced all coolant hoses, replaced engine air filter, performed cooling system service, bled cooling system disconnected throttle body heating plate, cleaned the ICV, TB
-4x100 - 5x120 Adapters, authentic 16" BBS RS, New 225/50R16 Tires Installed
-B&G Coilovers, Sachs Strut mounts, KYB Shock Mounts, new fog lights
-Valve cover gasket, spark plugs, Oil Change
-Replaced AC Belt, Serpentine belt. Chipped
-Oil Change, OEM premium speakers, tweeters installed
-Pioneer Radio Unit installed
-Purchased January 25th,2016 Los Gatos AAA
Cons:
-Paint is faded on roof, trunk, and hood, and a bit of the rear passenger quarter.-Both front and rear bumpers are green and plastidipped black. I have original bumpers, but front is cracked and missing a piece, and rear is cracked and faded.-ODO was stuck at 225404. It is now working fine, but the cluster tabs were snapped in the process. It is still secured. I'd guess it has about 300k+ miles right now on the motor, 232kish on the dash.
-Glovebox handle is missing. Still opens and closes fine.
-Original clutch just started slipping on the freeways past 90mph or when flooring it.
-Dash cracked (normal for this age)
-Driver seat has minor tear. Interior is clean otherwise
-Shifter is loose.
-Airbag light on because 3 spoke steering wheel
-ABS light on because Speed sensor wire chewed through ($100)-No Spare Tire

Some words about this car:
"BMW's E30-generation 318is is a curious little beastie. The model's purpose was seemingly clear: Keep in touch with the marque's strong sports-sedan roots by channeling the original, vaunted and classic-even-in-the-'80s 2002. Stir in the firmer M-Technic suspension (M3-stiff springs, firmer Boge shocks, anti-roll bars measuring 20 mm front and 12 mm rear) and the brand-new 16-valve M42 aluminum-DOHC-headed four into the formal, outgoing, ridiculously popular 3-series architecture, add an air dam and trunk lip to look sporty, and minimize the available options (sunroof, limited-slip, fog lamps, anti-theft equipment and metallic paint were it; not even an automatic to confuse matters). Then sell it for a bargain-basement price: $19,995 to start if you choose the four-door, the first BMW since 1986 to come in under the 20-grand mark, even chock full of standard equipment like a slick-shifting Getrag 240/5 five-speed stick, air conditioning, four-wheel-disc brakes with ABS, power windows, central locking, AM/FM/tape deck with four speakers, and a driver's-side airbag.
...
The 1.8-liter M42 four was, in its day, the most powerful 1.8-liter normally aspirated four sold in the States, according to BMW. As it happens, the M42 was BMW's first production 16-valve four intended for volume production (the first M3's S14 doesn't count as volume production). A compression ratio of 10:1 requests, but does not demand, premium fuel. The cams are chain-driven, with rubber-coated guides for quiet operation, and the shafts themselves are hollow, for lighter weight and to cut inertial forces. The eight exhaust valves are sodium-filled to better deal with heat issues. Its two-barrel throttle body has a 1.4-inch opening for steady cruising and light loads, and a secondary 2.2-inch opening for hard acceleration. 134 horsepower out of 110 cubic inches makes for 1.22 horsepower per cubic inch, a figure that demands a closer look no matter who built it...yet even magazines that fawned over BMW products in the past had to confess that the M42 needed a bit of caning to get going. (Torque was rated at a meager 127-lb.ft. at 4,600 RPM, rather less and higher up the rev range than BMW's customers had become used to.)
...
Though the EPA rated the 318is at 22/27 MPG, Robert regularly sees better than 30 on the highway. "I'd probably get better mileage if I kept my foot out of it, but I always seem to be revving it hard--the power is above 3,000 RPM in these engines. Even so, I get a combined mid-to-high-20s for gas mileage--and better than 30 on the highway."
-https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hsx/2014/08/The-Meaning-of--is----1991-BMW-318is/3740671.html