RE: e30 timeline?

["Fadeev, Alex" <alex.fadeev@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

tedcrum@domain.elided wrote:
> 
> I seem to have forgotten how late the e30 4-dr cars were sold 
> in the US. I recall that the "C" model went on about two years
> more, maybe the "S" too, but what I am considering is a 4-door.

Ted,
In the US, the last E30 2/4-door model ("i" or "is" for 2 door, always "i"
for 4 door) year was '91. '92 for the convertible (iC). A few leftover E30s,
particularly iC's, were lingering in the dealership into the next
corresponding calendar year, but the model year designation was not
effected.

> 1989?

you bet!
'89 was the first model year for E30s to get euro bumpers ('90 for iCs). 
'90+ cars got a driver side air bag (among other trivial updates) at the
expense of '88 & '89 ellipsoid head lights. 
If I was shopping for an E30, I would aim for '89-'91 samples. '89 if you
don't care for the air bag. 
Whatever year you get, stay away from the 4HP22 slush boxes. All E30s got
them, few lasted past 150K miles!

> I recall that there were eta's before that, with the super-eta 
> in '88, then it's a blur.

AFAIK, 3-series eta's first appeared late in '84 along side 318's, squeezed
4-cylinders E30s out of US line up in '86 and, as you've mentioned, finished
their life span with a super-eta engine in '88. All to be replaced with
M20B25 ("i") engines starting in '87 and utill the end of E30 production
run.
In '91 4-cylinder engines made a comeback during the last year of regular
(non-iC) E30 production. That was the (in?)-famous M42 engine with a
defective profile gasket.

alex f

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