FS: 1991 318is Brilliantrot, 96k miles, Georgia - No Longer Available

[DocV]

FS: 1991 318is Brilliantrot, 96k miles, Georgia

I have a 1991 318is Brilliantrot to list. This is my first E30, and was the best car (cleanest, most original) I found after a 6 month search in the Southeast. It has 96,696 miles on an uninterrupted, working odometer at the time of writing this. I intend this to be a realatively comprehensive sale post, so a little about how I came to own it:


History of the car:

This car was sold as new in Athens, GA and has been a Georgia car. Carfax registration history shows that it was driven from '91 to 2005-6, with the last entry being in 2005 at 89k. It was bought from its original owners by two r3v members in the Atlanta area in 2014. Said r3v members diagnosed a faulty in-tank fuel pump, which was replaced. At this time, oil was changed, a new radiator installed with coolant flush, new plugs installed, a new battery installed, and a cracked intake boot was replaced.

I got into contact with the sellers and went to see the car. I paid for a professional inspection by a independent BMW mechanic (German Car Repair, Roswell, GA). Salient points were:

Brake calipers binding due to sitting
Wheel bearing noise from driver's rear
Cracked guibo/flex disc
Thermostat ran too cool (car slow to warm to operating temperature)
Power steering hose leak


I had the sellers make the necessary brake repairs prior to making an offer. I also had them have the A/C checked and serviced at a dealership, as working R134a A/C is a major selling point here in the South. A/C was serviced, with the system properly vacuumed, and given a refill of R134a and the proper system oil. I then bought the car in 2014. Since that time it has been my daily driver (I drive ~ 8 miles a day round trip), and I have put ~8k miles on the car. I have done basic maintenance items and worked to address small issues on the car as I drive and enjoy it. Work done since I have owned it:

- Tires (Nexen brand in OEM size) and shop alignment
- Basic service: oil changed x 4 over 8k miles with LiquiMoly 10w40 or Mobil 1, oil filter with each change, air filter, fuel filter exchanged along with underbody fuel lines. Differential fluid and gearbox fluid exchanged (Redline MTL and differential oil)
- Cooling system addressed: new thermostat (Wahler) and water pump (Saleri) installed, with necessary gaskets, and coolant changed (BMW coolant). Car reliably runs with temp gauge dead center.
- M42 chain tensioner replaced with upgraded OEM BMW one, and lower oil pan gasket changed, with attention to oil pan bolts (retorqued to spec) (this is recommended maintenance from stickied threads on M42club)
- O-ring changed around cam position sensor, fixing an oil leak
- Underbody rubber parts replaced: Guibo/flex disc, transmission mounts, center support bearing, and all new exhaust hardware
- New wheel bearing (driver side rear)
- Rear suspension hardware (sway bar endlinks, replaced rubber rear shock mounts with upgraded units + Bav Auto reinforcing plates), rear shocks replaced with KYB AGX
- Blower motor stopped working and was replaced (ACM) along with blower motor resistor
- Fuel pump replaced
- New front control arms and control arm bushings (Lemforder), front sway bar endlinks
- New OEM Bosch fuel injectors, and new vacuum hoses in engine bay, intake manifold cleaned. (I did remove the throttle body heater plate, pls see M42 club for stickied discussion on this plate)
- New Bosch O2 sensor
- New driver?s seatbelt receptacle
- New coolant temp sensor.
- New clutch slave cylinder
- New headlights
- Gauge cluster solder joints reflowed to correct an intermittent tachometer
- Valve cover gasket replaced
- ECU upgraded with Turner Motorsports/Conforti chip, has been run exclusively on required premium fuel (93 octane in my area)

(Please see rest of text at: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=404126 )

List Date: 3/26/2017

For more info, click here to view the original listing: FS: 1991 318is Brilliantrot, 96k miles, Georgia
--------------------------------------
This item is no longer available.


--------------------------------------

[DocV]

(the Panjo text box was too small so my description continues here):

This car is otherwise original. In terms of factory equipment and options, it has factory optioned power windows, power mirrors, power sunroof (all work fine). It does not have central locking. It has the base (non-premium) stereo, and the 4.10 open differential (no LSD option).

I consider an original, sub 100k mile E30 to be a relative unicorn, and was the only such car I found in my search for a "first E30." I think that it presents very well. I frequently get positive comments about the condition and appearance of the car; people enjoy seeing this car on the road and in daily use.


Pros:
- Low mileage on working odometer (96k, will increase by a small amount with my commute to work). Has been reliably daily-driven for the past few years without issue.
- Georgia car, no rust (see my pics)
- Working A/C, professionally converted to R134a by a shop in the early 2000's (see picture of engine bay sticker/documentation), recharged 2014. Blows cool and works, but won’t freeze you out of the car like an R12 system would
- Adult owned, has received careful attention while in my possession and has not been thrashed
- Car is a 5 speed (as all 318is’ are)


Cons:
- Car has timing chain rattle when cold, at 3k rpm. Tensioner has been replaced. Rattle is not noticable afer car warms up, but would likely benefit from timing system refresh.
- Car sometimes requires 2 cranks to start when warm. Car always starts when cold, and has no problem restarting say after pumping gas. But if left 15-30 min, requires two cranks to start. I am not sure why. Car never fails to start
- Radio doesn't work. This car has the original "touch-slider" stereo (see pics). When I got the car, there would be intermittent noise (low frequency buzzing) through the right front speaker, which has become continuous. I deliberated on whether to replace with another BMW stereo to keep the orginal look vs aftermarket stereo, and ultimately haven't fixed it
- Fuel level sender does not seem accurate below 1/4 tank. I fill up at 1/4 tank
- 6 button OBC screen sometimes flickers when it is very hot out, due to dash plastic expansion (always works though)
- Remainder of suspension components are original and somewhat tired. I have two new front shocks/strut inserts (Bilstein HD) for the front, which I haven’t installed yet because I am afraid of spring compressors. I have replaced the front control arms/bushings/end links as above. Rear subframe/trailing arm/differential bushings are original, don’t seem too bad, but there is a clunk if you are ham fisted with 1st-2nd gear changes
- SRS (airbag light) flashes for 5 min. when the car is turned on. Supposedly this happens when the car and/or airbag system is disconnected from power for a length of time, and has to be reset with a dealership tool. As it stands I am unsure if the airbag works.
- I rate paint at 6/10 condition. I think that it presents well after wash and wax, as the pictures reflect. There is some peel of clear coat on the passenger side front quarter panel (see pics). The paint on the bumpers and spoiler (non-steel surfaces) has faded in the Georgia sun. The paint looks better in pics than in real life
- Interior shows two small tears on the driver's left side bolster, and one tear on the passenger seat (see pics), but other than that looks very well. I rate it 8/10 condition.
- Dash has 1 small crack of ~1 inch, on the passenger's side on the "swimming pool" area. I hadn't noticed it until writing this ad actually.
- Power steering hose leak: Noted on pre-purchase inspection. There is no appreciable leak in terms of fluid level, does not leave a mark on the driveway, etc., but if examined from the underbody there will be telltale red ATF seen on the line. I do not appreciate any leak from the rack itself, boots are dry. I bought new lines to and from the reservoir, but haven’t been motivated to install as it has not presented a problem in 3 years
- Fog lights do not work. I have not been motivated to trouble shoot these.


When viewing the pics, some of them are taken with the wheel center caps removed (were off for cleaning), and the iS front lip removed (to facilitate getting the car up on ramps). I have lost one of the center caps (have 3 to include), and the iS front lip is included. There is a spare basketweave to include (I took it out of the trunk for pics to show no rust in the spare area).



My reason for sale — I bought a 2015 Evo X, and that has gotten all of my attention lately. My enthusiasm for this car has fizzled. I want a beat around daily to potentially rallycross as well (Japanese appliance car), and I think this car “too nice” and original to thrash in rallycross (didn’t want to drill front valance for skid plate). I would trade towards a more recent car suitable for rallycross (Civic Si, WRX, MR2, Miata with hardtop?), competitive car already prepped for autocross/rallycross, a camping/offroad rig (Toyota 4x4), or tow vehicle (full size pickup). I will likely miss this car when it’s gone.

My sale price is $5500. I am one hour southwest of Atlanta, GA. I have limited time to respond to PM's, text, email etc., due to work demands (65-70+ hr weeks), so I hope that this posting is sufficiently comprehensive to answer most questions. I am posting here instead of Craigslist for this reason — hoping to find someone from teh internets who knows the 318is and decides they have to have this one. Thanks for looking.

[Johnnyboy101]

Dang whoever gets this is getting an excellent deal. Nice to see a reasonable price after all the craziness on BAT and rising prices in general. GLWS!

[yellow2black]

Interested in trade.
Email sent.

[Chasen88]

Stunning.

[DocV]

I am encouraged by all of the fairly immediate interest. I do have to note that it may be a few days to week(s) before I can show the car. I had surgery this past Wednesday, and am posting this while I am laid up in bed.

[nnorris7413]

Pm sent

[WilC]

This car reminds me of when I bought my E30.
PM sent as well.

[Steenos]

Beautiful Car, Very tempting especially because I'm not far from you.

[e30sh]

Nice looking car. Is the sunroof aftermarket?

[tmacbmw74]

Interested in your 318IS and sent you a PM. Glass sunroofs were either installed by the dealer or at a later date by the owner. Glass sunroofs aren't oem but a great upgrade! I had to have one on my 318is checkout my build in the link in my signature

Nice looking car. Is the sunroof aftermarket?

[e30sh]

I know you can swap the glass panel in for the steel on the stock sunroofs. I was wondering if maybe it started life as a slicktop. There was a very similar 318iS here in NC a few years ago that had a sunroof added.

[c0rbin9]

People who install aftermarket sunroofs in slicktops should never be allowed to own a BMW again. Maybe a new one, but nothing E30 or older.

[DocV]

There is a sticker in the trunk "American Sunroof Company," which shows that it was installed 3/3/91 (dealer installed option?)

[benge100]

Sent you a PM,