[wahooooman]

I figured i may be able to post this here as the other forum doesn't get much traction. My Dad really wants to buy this E30. 1991 318is with 140k on the clock.
The only problem is the guy is asking $12,500, and not knowing much about E30's besides a little research i feel like that is pretty high.

That being said it is extremely clean, no rust(put it on a lift), no rips in the leather the paint has minimal swirls.

Can any of you guys help me out with what this thing could be worth ? thanks !

[neilvan]

318is e30 was truely only available in 1991. low production model and coveted. Not sure on market where you are but where I am if its a clean car that would be gone in less than an hour

edit because everyone loves videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTiHxV0XaWs&t=234s

[hassmaschine]

E30s have been expensive for a while now, especially clean ones, and the 318is is a sought after model. Since you live in the rust belt, a non-rusty, clean late model E30 is going to pull a premium unfortunately. Luckily I bought mine over 16 years ago..

[Jesda]

I sold this for just under 12 grand in 2014:
http://jesda.com/2014/06/07/1988-bmw...a-to-missouri/

They are fabulous cars and the sense of intimacy is amazing.

[tlow98]

Price sounds about right, tbh.

There are also lots of crap “restored” cars out there that people want $10k for, so buyer beware.

Check the BAT listings for sense of value.

[naf]

may find a recent GRM build interesting:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/pr...991-bmw-318is/

[wahooooman]

Originally Posted by neilvan

318is e30 was truely only available in 1991. low production model and coveted. Not sure on market where you are but where I am if its a clean car that would be gone in less than an hour

edit because everyone loves videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTiHxV0XaWs&t=234s

This is good insight thank you!

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

E30s have been expensive for a while now, especially clean ones, and the 318is is a sought after model. Since you live in the rust belt, a non-rusty, clean late model E30 is going to pull a premium unfortunately. Luckily I bought mine over 16 years ago..

This is true he has been looking for a while and there are maybe 2 clean ones out there. Thanks

Originally Posted by Jesda

I sold this for just under 12 grand in 2014:
http://jesda.com/2014/06/07/1988-bmw...a-to-missouri/



They are fabulous cars and the sense of intimacy is amazing.

Yeah this is exactly what he is going for the true "ultimate driving machine" feel of old school german engineering, and dam good write up!

Originally Posted by tlow98

Price sounds about right, tbh.


There are also lots of crap “restored” cars out there that people want $10k for, so buyer beware.

Check the BAT listings for sense of value.

Good to know the price is about right .Very true, Im a mechanic by trade so i have seen my fair share of bad body work and hack jobs. I will certainly check this out thanks!

Originally Posted by naf

may find a recent GRM build interesting:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/pr...991-bmw-318is/

This is sick if only they were all this cheap/restorable



This forum truly rocks and never disappoints Thanks guys
Make me miss my e92's and e90

[bizzleb109]

I've owned and restored many E30s mainly motorsports. Must say they are wicked cars when looked after reliable as well. Main things to look out for is rust check under floors as well and check the boot under carpet. Listen to engine for any unusual sounds. E30s if anything are going up in price. A good one to look out for is low ownership service history and if possible low mileage but many have over a 100k. Good luck

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

E30s have been expensive for a while now, especially clean ones, and the 318is is a sought after model. Since you live in the rust belt, a non-rusty, clean late model E30 is going to pull a premium unfortunately. Luckily I bought mine over 16 years ago..

I'm pissed now that I sold my '89 in 2006 after 18 years of owning it...

[EnintyToo]

When I had my E30, a friend bought a used '91 318. He did a bunch of mods to it, mostly in the interior (added an electric sunroof drive and reupholstered the seats and door panels in leather), so I'm pretty familiar with the 318i too. The E30 with the M20 is a much better car. If you can find an '89 that's the ideal version in my opinion (the one I had), because it has the thin European-style body colored bumpers and no airbags (so the steering wheel is nicer). The M42 in the 318 can have a leaky timing chain cover and there is a cooling system profile gasket that can be problematic and dump coolant into the oil system (since corrected with the M44 updated motor). The E30 318i is a rare 1-year car. Not sure they are worth $12K though.

Make sure your dad stays away from any E30 before 1987, either with the M10 4 cylinder (318i) or the eta M20 (325e), both engines were not that good. The M20B25 (with 168HP) was released in the US as a 1988 325is (sport package) or maybe 1987 IIRC. Starting in 1989 the M20B25 became the standard I6 in the US. The 1991 318i had the M42 engine in it.

Hope he finds one. Great driving BMW.

[floydarogers]

There have been several articles in Roundel lately about the crazy-high prices that very clean E30 have been getting lately. Regular E30s have skyrocketed over the last few years, in sympathy with the E30 M3 - which are collectable.

You might pop over to BringATrailer - I believe that many have been sold there; don't know if past auctions (and critiques of the cars) are available but it's worth a shot.

[vb7200]

I bought a 1992 E36 318i a few years back for $700. It's a little beat, but with some work I can easily bring it back. Its a tiny, lightweight, RWD, 5 speed sedan, I absolutely love it. Going to fix it up this summer and hang on to it as long as I can.

[BimmerTom94]

Originally Posted by wahooooman

I figured i may be able to post this here as the other forum doesn't get much traction. My Dad really wants to buy this E30. 1991 318is with 140k on the clock.
The only problem is the guy is asking $12,500, and not knowing much about E30's besides a little research i feel like that is pretty high.

That being said it is extremely clean, no rust(put it on a lift), no rips in the leather the paint has minimal swirls.

Can any of you guys help me out with what this thing could be worth ? thanks !

Late to the party in replying, I bought a 1986 318i Auto for 500 and got it back to health for a while.

Here is a wee video of my E30. Ps what did you decide on?

[ryan stewart]

I had one rebuild with Alpina parts and an STOP for years. Fun cars, albeit dated rear suspension.

They are expensive as hell, especially that model.