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Well, she's finally here. Yesterday I picked up my 1991 BMW 318iS from Enthusiast Auto Group in Cincinnati, Ohio. I flew down in the morning and drove it back home here to Chicago. Everything went totally fine without a hitch.
First off, I've never quite had a car buying experience like what EAG offers. They run such a clean, honest, and reputable shop it's absolutely incredible. I've been in the automotive hobby long enough to be sick and tired of dealing with dishonest dealers/sellers and ratchet cars that have stories and need more work than advertised. They really provide a great product. I no longer have the time to refurbish vehicles, just to maintain and do very small projects, so the choice was obvious to me.
The car absolutely exceeds my expectations. I have owned around a dozen cars and I can say that among them all this is probably the very best, most original car that I have ever owned. My E46 325Ci was equally as nice when I first bought it, but it was only 5 years old. It is really incredible to look at a 25 year old car that is essentially brand new or extremely close to it. Restorations are a great way to learn a car and enjoy the process of rebuilding a car, but owning an original car like this teaches you a certain kind of respect/desire for preservation.
It only needs a few very minor cosmetic things, all of which were disclosed to me very early on in the purchase process. I'll need to purchase, have painted and installed a new front valance as well as a small crossmember and trim piece. I'll also have to have the vinyl on the back of the driver's seat tightened up. Lastly, one of the wheel center roundels fell off on my drive back so I'll need to install a new one of those.
Mechanically, it is like a brand new car. Everything works; nothing needs attention. There are no leaks or smells, and there's no residue underneath the hood. This winter, I'll likely do the water pump and radiator as preventive maintenance. The fuel pump, fuse, and relay was done last year so no reason to do those.
As far as changes or modifications, I do not intend to make any whatsoever to this car other than installing a ZHP shift knob. Actually, I even intend to put original equipment tires back on the car. In my search for the most original example possible I don't feel it would be right to try and change anything on this car.
The experience of driving a 39,000 mile E30 is something that not many people have done in a very long time. I think one of the beautiful things about the E30 platform is that it is a canvas, however, I do think that it's important to keep a number of them just like original. One of those cars is what I was after.
The car starts up immediately with no hesitation. It comes up to operating temperature in a few minutes and the temperature gauge stays in the middle, or just to the left of it at all times. The clutch feels familiar to other BMW's and the gearbox is appropriately spaced out. The shifter feels like typical a non M BMW - slightly rubbery but comfortable and precise enough. The car accelerates nicely, and feels quicker than the magazines or M20 powered E30 owners will let on. I do not find the car underpowered at all. I do find the car to be very well balanced, so as if you feel totally competent at any speed or in any turn. The car, at no point, feels like it will do anything scary to you. I did not have this feeling in the E39 M5 I had for a short time.
The M42 engine is not plentiful with torque, but it's nothing to laugh at, either. It doesn't have the power of the M20 and it isn't as legendary as the S14, but it does just fine in the chassis. I haven't driven an E30 M3, but it is definitely one of the best motors they put in the car. It's a total blast in the upper rev range, and in use you really do forget it only makes 135 horsepower. The sound is also unique; and slightly more tuned than the average 4 cylinder car. It certainly makes noises that are quintessentially BMW.
The car handles and drives as good as everyone who is in love with the E30 says it does. It is every bit the real deal. Now that I own an E30, I understand slightly more "The Ultimate Driving Machine." The car really hearkens back to an era of driver + car = you driving it. Not only are you getting a great driving car with a car like this, but you're remembering the era where that's what the benchmark was... literally everyone wanted to achieve that. There are some new cars, or newER cars that have done well with this, like the S2000, Scion FRS, Miata, E46 M3, Porsche Cayman, etc... but there is STILL something missing from all those that the E30 provides in spades.
What astonishes me is the timeless nature of this car. It has poise, stability, and grace on the interstate just as a modern car does. At no point did I feel like I was actually driving something engineered thirty or more years ago. It has some old-school quirks like the cassette player and the crank sunroof, but there's nothing in that car that feels very old or outdated. I now begin to understand why people love their E30's so much. It is the definitive vehicle of the company in many ways. I can only imagine driving an E30 when it was still being produced. There aren't any $20,000 brand new cars today that feel like the E30. I can just imagine what it felt like in comparison to it's peers at the time. It's still such a relevant car today, so it must have been so far advanced at the time.
I am really very, very happy with my car so far. I have just over 300 miles on it including the trip home, and I can't wait to drive it more this summer. This car will certainly make me smile very much, and in turn I will take very good care of it. It is truly something to behold, as I believe it is one of the very best original E30 318iS's left. In many ways, this is the exact type of car that really put BMW on the map, so I consider it to be a very important part of the history of the company and it should certainly be preserved.
I feel sorry that you can't buy something like this in the showrooms today. The relationship that I think I will have with this car is a special one, and it's sad that the breed of vehicles that this one comes from is dying off.
Sure, the future beholds fun things like Tesla, but there's something really magical about the past and the E30 BMW. It's really something to behold.
That is why I bought this car.
Cheers,
Royal
Well, she's finally here. Yesterday I picked up my 1991 BMW 318iS from Enthusiast Auto Group in Cincinnati, Ohio. I flew down in the morning and drove it back home here to Chicago. Everything went totally fine without a hitch.
First off, I've never quite had a car buying experience like what EAG offers. They run such a clean, honest, and reputable shop it's absolutely incredible. I've been in the automotive hobby long enough to be sick and tired of dealing with dishonest dealers/sellers and ratchet cars that have stories and need more work than advertised. They really provide a great product. I no longer have the time to refurbish vehicles, just to maintain and do very small projects, so the choice was obvious to me.
The car absolutely exceeds my expectations. I have owned around a dozen cars and I can say that among them all this is probably the very best, most original car that I have ever owned. My E46 325Ci was equally as nice when I first bought it, but it was only 5 years old. It is really incredible to look at a 25 year old car that is essentially brand new or extremely close to it. Restorations are a great way to learn a car and enjoy the process of rebuilding a car, but owning an original car like this teaches you a certain kind of respect/desire for preservation.
It only needs a few very minor cosmetic things, all of which were disclosed to me very early on in the purchase process. I'll need to purchase, have painted and installed a new front valance as well as a small crossmember and trim piece. I'll also have to have the vinyl on the back of the driver's seat tightened up. Lastly, one of the wheel center roundels fell off on my drive back so I'll need to install a new one of those.
Mechanically, it is like a brand new car. Everything works; nothing needs attention. There are no leaks or smells, and there's no residue underneath the hood. This winter, I'll likely do the water pump and radiator as preventive maintenance. The fuel pump, fuse, and relay was done last year so no reason to do those.
As far as changes or modifications, I do not intend to make any whatsoever to this car other than installing a ZHP shift knob. Actually, I even intend to put original equipment tires back on the car. In my search for the most original example possible I don't feel it would be right to try and change anything on this car.
The experience of driving a 39,000 mile E30 is something that not many people have done in a very long time. I think one of the beautiful things about the E30 platform is that it is a canvas, however, I do think that it's important to keep a number of them just like original. One of those cars is what I was after.
The car starts up immediately with no hesitation. It comes up to operating temperature in a few minutes and the temperature gauge stays in the middle, or just to the left of it at all times. The clutch feels familiar to other BMW's and the gearbox is appropriately spaced out. The shifter feels like typical a non M BMW - slightly rubbery but comfortable and precise enough. The car accelerates nicely, and feels quicker than the magazines or M20 powered E30 owners will let on. I do not find the car underpowered at all. I do find the car to be very well balanced, so as if you feel totally competent at any speed or in any turn. The car, at no point, feels like it will do anything scary to you. I did not have this feeling in the E39 M5 I had for a short time.
The M42 engine is not plentiful with torque, but it's nothing to laugh at, either. It doesn't have the power of the M20 and it isn't as legendary as the S14, but it does just fine in the chassis. I haven't driven an E30 M3, but it is definitely one of the best motors they put in the car. It's a total blast in the upper rev range, and in use you really do forget it only makes 135 horsepower. The sound is also unique; and slightly more tuned than the average 4 cylinder car. It certainly makes noises that are quintessentially BMW.
The car handles and drives as good as everyone who is in love with the E30 says it does. It is every bit the real deal. Now that I own an E30, I understand slightly more "The Ultimate Driving Machine." The car really hearkens back to an era of driver + car = you driving it. Not only are you getting a great driving car with a car like this, but you're remembering the era where that's what the benchmark was... literally everyone wanted to achieve that. There are some new cars, or newER cars that have done well with this, like the S2000, Scion FRS, Miata, E46 M3, Porsche Cayman, etc... but there is STILL something missing from all those that the E30 provides in spades.
What astonishes me is the timeless nature of this car. It has poise, stability, and grace on the interstate just as a modern car does. At no point did I feel like I was actually driving something engineered thirty or more years ago. It has some old-school quirks like the cassette player and the crank sunroof, but there's nothing in that car that feels very old or outdated. I now begin to understand why people love their E30's so much. It is the definitive vehicle of the company in many ways. I can only imagine driving an E30 when it was still being produced. There aren't any $20,000 brand new cars today that feel like the E30. I can just imagine what it felt like in comparison to it's peers at the time. It's still such a relevant car today, so it must have been so far advanced at the time.
I am really very, very happy with my car so far. I have just over 300 miles on it including the trip home, and I can't wait to drive it more this summer. This car will certainly make me smile very much, and in turn I will take very good care of it. It is truly something to behold, as I believe it is one of the very best original E30 318iS's left. In many ways, this is the exact type of car that really put BMW on the map, so I consider it to be a very important part of the history of the company and it should certainly be preserved.
I feel sorry that you can't buy something like this in the showrooms today. The relationship that I think I will have with this car is a special one, and it's sad that the breed of vehicles that this one comes from is dying off.
Sure, the future beholds fun things like Tesla, but there's something really magical about the past and the E30 BMW. It's really something to behold.
That is why I bought this car.
Cheers,
Royal
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