Re: foglights-downshifting-and e30 question

[Michael Fennell <mfennell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

ra rabmw wrote:
> 
>     Bill;
>            On the '91 318is,the 90/91 318's were nice,plainjane BMWs,far 
> cheaper new than the 325is,and always had a relatively low resale value,due 
> to being all 5spds. with few options,and a bit slow.It's one of the real 
> bargains for manual shift owners not in a hurry.Your price is on the low 
> side of a normal resale,but not so low that you should be looking for the 
> other shoe to drop.Probably a decent car,just have a local shop take a peek.

The BIG worry with a '91 318is is the profile gasket.  This is the first
application of the M42 1.8L engine and they all seem to lose this gasket
at 50-75k miles.  If you're lucky, you catch it with a little coolant
leak.  If you're unlucky, you have a shower all over your garage.  If
you're REALLY unlucky, you overheat and damage your engine.  If the PO
can't produce a receipt for replacement, factor in $500-$750 for a good
independent to do the work.  I've been told that you can't tell externally
if the gasket has been replaced. 

We have a '91 318is with 64k miles.  Bright red w/black interior.  The car
is FANTASTIC.  Zingy little 4 cylinder that loves to rev (don't forget the
JimC chip), and a "playful" personality.  At the time we bought it, I
owned a '95 M3 and was suprised to find I enjoyed driving the 318 at least
as much as the M3.  The limits are much more approachable w/o being at
go-directly-to-jail speeds.  Sure it's not super fast, but that keeps me
out of trouble with Officer Friendly.  Less maintenance than the E30 325s
as well (no valve adjustments or timing belt). 

I would consider $3900 to be pretty low and a great deal IF it passes
muster with a shop AND the PO has some records.  Bob has a better feel for
prices, though.  I will admit to paying more than twice that last year for
ours (with 55k miles) but it's nearly flawless and STILL cheaper than a
stripped Civic (yawn!)

Mike Fennell

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