Today I bought a 1991 318i, 4 doors, 5 speed, cloth interior, 178k miles. New clutch, brakes, radiator, and other small stuff. AC works and blows cold! It's a dark grey/greenish color, almost looks black, but it's not. Never seen this color on an E30 before.
Here are the pics:
The car is 100% stock right down to the radio.
No rust, body is very straight and in good condition. Paint is nice for a 1991 car with original paint. Interior is very clean except for one 1 inch long crack in the dash that you can hardly notice. The cloth front seats will need to be reupholstered, but everything else is very, very clean.
My biggest issue with the car right now is the suspension and steering.
It rides like a boat, massive sway up and down. You can press on the hood easily and the entire car rocks back and fourth, about the worst I have driven.
There is a bit of play in the wheel, and the steering seems to get tighter the more you turn the wheel. I am thinking it may need a new steering rack, tie rod ends, etc. The wheel also vibrates pretty good when on the highway, but not all the time. Just after you hit a bump in the road.
I'm thinking it needs new front struts. My intention for this car is to have a 100% stock, reliable daily driver that rides and drives nicely. I don't want to modify anything.
Advice on where I should start with the suspension? It's awful to drive right now. I'll be doing the work myself so write ups would be appreciated. What should I replace while I'm doing the struts? How hard is this?
After that, I will move onto smaller things to make the car perfect...
The antenna broke off when the previous owner left it up going through a car wash. The power motor works (I can hear it). Is it possible to just replace the antenna part, or will I need a new motor and assembly?
Tiny leak in the trunk, which I think it from the sunroof drain. No rust though.
The door seal on the passenger side is weird. It's too small, about 2 or 3 inches too small. Are the seals on 2 door cars slightly smaller than the 4 cars? It is definitely a factory BMW seal but it is too short to be pressed up where it needs to be.
I need one of those black plastic pieces that go around the door handle.
What does the small square next to the window switches do? Not the window lock out, this one is about half the size of it and on the other side.
The windshield has a crack in it, so I'll get that replaced. No biggie.
The seats need to be redone, especially the drivers. Padding is worn out and the cloth on the bottom part is pretty torn up. Is it possible to get them redone with factory fabric?
Wheels will need cleaned up, they look like basket weaves except they don't have the hub caps? Never seen this type before.
Roundels will need replaced.
Headliner on the sunroof will need to be reglued on the edge.
Paint will need to be cleaned up, but definitely salvageable.
The car does not lock from the driver side door lock, but it will unlock. Locks from passenger door and trunk just fine. What do you think is wrong here?
The previous owner said a blower or blower switch was replaced inside the dash and after that the overhead SRS light stays on. What do you think is happening here?
And that's about it. A lot of small crap petty crap but the car runs solid, is very straight and the interior is very good. It's also exactly what I wanted. Biggest deal will be the steering and suspension.
I paid $2900 for the car. She was asking $3350. I think the price I paid was a tad high but these cars, especially a 91 318i, are pretty much nonexistent in this area and if they are, they're incredibly beat with 200k+.
Here are the pics:
The car is 100% stock right down to the radio.
No rust, body is very straight and in good condition. Paint is nice for a 1991 car with original paint. Interior is very clean except for one 1 inch long crack in the dash that you can hardly notice. The cloth front seats will need to be reupholstered, but everything else is very, very clean.
My biggest issue with the car right now is the suspension and steering.
It rides like a boat, massive sway up and down. You can press on the hood easily and the entire car rocks back and fourth, about the worst I have driven.
There is a bit of play in the wheel, and the steering seems to get tighter the more you turn the wheel. I am thinking it may need a new steering rack, tie rod ends, etc. The wheel also vibrates pretty good when on the highway, but not all the time. Just after you hit a bump in the road.
I'm thinking it needs new front struts. My intention for this car is to have a 100% stock, reliable daily driver that rides and drives nicely. I don't want to modify anything.
Advice on where I should start with the suspension? It's awful to drive right now. I'll be doing the work myself so write ups would be appreciated. What should I replace while I'm doing the struts? How hard is this?
After that, I will move onto smaller things to make the car perfect...
The antenna broke off when the previous owner left it up going through a car wash. The power motor works (I can hear it). Is it possible to just replace the antenna part, or will I need a new motor and assembly?
Tiny leak in the trunk, which I think it from the sunroof drain. No rust though.
The door seal on the passenger side is weird. It's too small, about 2 or 3 inches too small. Are the seals on 2 door cars slightly smaller than the 4 cars? It is definitely a factory BMW seal but it is too short to be pressed up where it needs to be.
I need one of those black plastic pieces that go around the door handle.
What does the small square next to the window switches do? Not the window lock out, this one is about half the size of it and on the other side.
The windshield has a crack in it, so I'll get that replaced. No biggie.
The seats need to be redone, especially the drivers. Padding is worn out and the cloth on the bottom part is pretty torn up. Is it possible to get them redone with factory fabric?
Wheels will need cleaned up, they look like basket weaves except they don't have the hub caps? Never seen this type before.
Roundels will need replaced.
Headliner on the sunroof will need to be reglued on the edge.
Paint will need to be cleaned up, but definitely salvageable.
The car does not lock from the driver side door lock, but it will unlock. Locks from passenger door and trunk just fine. What do you think is wrong here?
The previous owner said a blower or blower switch was replaced inside the dash and after that the overhead SRS light stays on. What do you think is happening here?
And that's about it. A lot of small crap petty crap but the car runs solid, is very straight and the interior is very good. It's also exactly what I wanted. Biggest deal will be the steering and suspension.
I paid $2900 for the car. She was asking $3350. I think the price I paid was a tad high but these cars, especially a 91 318i, are pretty much nonexistent in this area and if they are, they're incredibly beat with 200k+.
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