FS: 1991 BMW 318is, Mtech II coupe, 36k miles.

[jonsayz]

I totally agree with this. If this car were stock, I would buy in a heartbeat.

I think restoring the car completely to stock would attract the type of buyer who is looking for a perfect low mileage car. I agree with removing the eyebrows and restoring the grill. I suggest also removing the window tinting and getting a new set of 5 original wheels, which I think would be 15" euroweaves if the Mtech II kit was factory installed, 14" basketweaves otherwise. If the Mtech II is factory original I think that would add to the value, but I'm not sure if it would hurt it if it was added later. I would also remove the aftermarket sound system and put in the original stereo, and restore the suspension to factory original as well. A vin decode (http://bimmer.work/) could help you in determining what the original parts are. To get top dollar I think you could sell it on consignment at a dealer who specializes in vintage & classic cars, or let an auction house handle it, like Bring a Trailer.

[Julien]

Looks like a US-spec car (maybe bought on base?):


Vehicle information

VIN long WBAAF9317MEE74533

Type code AF93

Type 318IS (USA)

Dev. series E30 ()

Line 3

Body type LIM

Steering LL

Door count 2

Engine M42

Cubical capacity 1.80

Power 103

Transmision HECK

Gearbox MECH

Colour STERLINGSILBER METALLIC (244)

Upholstery INDIGO STOFF (0271)

Prod. date 1991-03-15




Order options
No. Description
242 DRIVER AIR BAG+SERIES STRG WHL RIM(PUR)

281 LM-RAD 6 1/2 X 14

300 ZENTRALVERRIEGELUNG ELEKTRISCH

400 SLIDING SUNROOF MANUAL

410 WINDOW LIFTS, ELECTRIC AT FRONT

428 WARNING TRIANGLE

481 SPORT SEATS F DRIVER/FRONT PASSENGER

530 AIR CONDITIONING

556 EXTERIOR TEMPERATURE DISPLAY

675 BMW SOUND SYSTEM

[Gabe1103]

nice car and im interested... i dont want to sound like a douche, but isnt that wear shows a tad more than a car that only ran 36k miles and got stored after its first 3 years?? engine bay and driver side carpet and seat... i dunno maybe its just me.

but yeah, really clean 318is orig mtech - ill keep an eye out on it on bat.

[g.ruff561]

+ 3 on the eyebrow delete and putting back the chrome kidney grill. Awesome car! Really nice. GLWS.

Cheers!................. G.

[mikeb23ft]

nice car and im interested... i dont want to sound like a douche, but isnt that wear shows a tad more than a car that only ran 36k miles and got stored after its first 3 years?? engine bay and driver side carpet and seat... i dunno maybe its just me.

but yeah, really clean 318is orig mtech - ill keep an eye out on it on bat.

To be clear the car was driven from delivery to 1995 in Germany, then imported to America and driven here from 1996 to 1998. As someone mentioned in an earlier post it is a USDM car that was likely delivered to a military post overseas.

There's really no wear on the driver's seat, but the engine bay and driver's floor mat are a bit dingy. Keep in mind that the car is still 25 years old and does have 36k miles on it, also I had been driving it around all week when I took the photos.

Edit: you certainly do not sound like a douche! I welcome any questions on the car, and I will be the first to admit that the mileage cannot be proven with documentation.

[Mr. Wolfe]

The best thing about this car is, unless you absolutely kill it with miles, the value will never go down. Even at 100k miles, it is worth very good money. GL

Mr. Wolfe

[juane30m3]

Not to be a skeptic here but the car fax shows last reported mileage 50,000 on 04/29/97.

[kronus]

Not to be a skeptic here but the car fax shows last reported mileage 50,000 on 04/29/97.

that might have been kilometers.

[Julien]

that might have been kilometers.

That would indicate a cluster swap as the car was USDM, no?

[kronus]

That would indicate a cluster swap as the car was USDM, no?

yeah, I guess.


on an unrelated note, that's a Kamei kidney grill, not a black-painted stock unit.

[SSE30]

Not to be a skeptic here but the car fax shows last reported mileage 50,000 on 04/29/97.

This meatball is becoming increasingly spicy.

[ALPINE_M5]

I totally agree with this. If this car were stock, I would buy in a heartbeat.

Buy it and put back a few small pieces to make it stock. You would let a grill, some wheels and minor things stop you from buying it like you said you would if it were stock?

Anyone serious for a low mileage car like this would not hesitate and not let a small amount of items to return it to stock. The wheels are fine. Window tint is a personal choice and I would leave it for the next owner depending on condition of tint. If it's faded or has hazed or bubbled then remove it.

Eyebrows takes a couple of minutes as well as a grill. Wheels is another personal choice and basketweave being only a few hundred dollars should not hinder the sale of the car either.

If I didn't already have an MT2 327iS I would consider this car and an E28 project under way I would have considered this one very seriously.

[ALPINE_M5]

Not to be a skeptic here but the car fax shows last reported mileage 50,000 on 04/29/97.

interesting...

[mikeb23ft]

Update, I got some Pioneer six disc cases and the CD player and remote work and sound great.

The cluster hasn't been swapped, and it never read in kilos - remember this is a USDM car. Somebody did go to the DMV at some point and put 50,000 miles on the registration. Take that for what it is, again I can't really prove the mileage and don't have any documentation on the car beyond my ownership.

[mikeb23ft]

Further updates: The eyebrows and grille are indeed Kamei pieces, as a previous poster suggested.

Did a basic engine bay cleanup. The intake, cam cover, and most of the plastics seem to have some type of clear coating on them. This is peeling in some places. The mileage that was written in ink on the intake manifold came off. Aside from that it cleaned up quite nicely. The M42 remains bone dry with no leaks to be found.

I have had some offers on the car, but no deal as of yet.