1991 318is restoration/value question?

[Shock(/\)ave]

Apparently the fine members of this forum have misplaced their balls.

Wanted to throw this out there and see what everyone thought.

If that's truly the case, you should anticipate and appreciate thoughts that aren't in agreement with your own.

I am restoring(originality restoration not complete) a 1991 318is Brilliantrot over Natur Cloth interior back to factory original with just deep cleaning and paint correction etc. I have replaced almost every single maintenance item already and well as restore the under side of her to look new. Right now it has ORIGINAL: paint, original interior, wheels, spare wheel/tire, tool kit, jack tools, M42 motor, bmw leather folder with owners manual and books, service check stickers, factory windows, no accidents, matching vin tags everywhere, true 8-9 out of 10 condition survivor.

Sounds like a nice car.

My question is this: The interior seats(Natur Cloth) are ripped in places and a lot of the front cloth fabric is off/missing in 4 places but the rest of interior is like mint. A fellow forum member steered me in the right direction to Global upholstery who actually had the factory original Natur Cloth patterns(only place I've found) in bulk material.....BUT I am wondering whether you guys think I should do this restoration of the interior or if I should leave it as is because it speaks to it's originality?

Depending on market trends, originality can be a huge asset when selling a car if the car is popular and in pristine condition or has significant historical value through a combination of rarity and desirability.

Preserving ripped seats instead of repairing them to factory specifications isn't going to increase the value of just about every classic car out there. Ripped seats are gross even in rat rods.

With all that stated, there have been many periods where fully restored cars brought the money, not survivors.

Right now I just have the BMW embroidered tan front seat covers over them. In terms of value down the road and what not , even though I am keeping this is my collection for the rest of my life, just want to hear everyone's opinions and thoughts?

If you're never selling the car, why do you care so much about its value? Are you concerned on behalf of your heirs?

Personal enjoyment > resale value

That is all

I agree on principle, though the two may overlap for many of us.

I guess that's my whole point, is that it is a rare 1 year option bc we know that the e30 318is is 1 year production and special to a certain extent and moreover I was trying to say that having the brilliantrot over Natur cloth interior is rare bc they didn't produce many like this and it's only in the last months of production of the 318is that they did. Guess everyone's vote it appears is to re-do the seats anyways.

Rarity based on exterior and interior colour combinations has always struck me as trying too hard. I'm sure you have a nice car, and in my region (Ontario, Canada) finding a low mileage nearly rust free 1991 318is is an incredible challenge that isn't getting any easier with time, but they're only truly rare in the sense that there aren't many good ones left, and they seldom come up for sale; the same could be said about a 1991 CRX Si as they've all but rusted into dust here. Your car is rare today and special, but it isn't rare like an early M5, for example, to the point where modifying it significantly yet tastefully and in keeping with the original design ethos of the car would detract from its value.

I've owned two low mileage 1991 318is by the way, and though that took considerable effort and luck to accomplish it took me literally years to find my Canadian Edition M3, as there were only 45 of those. That, my friend, is rare, and yet I would and have still replaced what needed replacing in that car with factory parts.

it's not rare. They made tens of thousands of those cars worldwide - and some obscure interior color doesn't make it worth more just because it wasn't common. Some things aren't common because nobody wanted them..

Agreed. The whole concept of rarity is relative, too, as my E34 M5 is much more rare than my E30 M3.

Wow....hahaha....nm, closing thread I guess with all the smart ass remarks.

Smart ass remarks? Please remove the sand from your vagina and reread the earlier posts. Nobody was being a smart ass, they were being honest.

I didn't mean the whole interior,there's just 4 bad spots but I figured it out bc a fellow forum member just sold me all the seat parts in the cloth I needed. Didn't want to redo the whole interior for 2k+ when only several places needed attention. Btw Nando, why comment when your just going to be a disrespectful, negative, ass? Lol.... it's obvious these 318is's are becoming more and more rare so why even say that?..... makes no sense.....but thanks to everyone else who had good input I appreciate the help.

After your butt has stopped hurting I have some final words for you on this subject: if it's original but shit, restore it; if it's original and nice, it's worth preserving.

[Ant131313]

How is stating a fact being disrespectful? Is anyone who isn't a Pollyanna negative by default? The 318is is a great E30, but none of them are rare. I'm just being realistic.

nando: "it's not rare. They made tens of thousands of those cars worldwide - and some obscure interior color doesn't make it worth more just because it wasn't common. Some things aren't common because nobody wanted them"..
__________________

Really?! Read that statement again and see if you don't think it's rude, negative, and totally not necessary to reply on a thread? Really? None of the 318is are rare? lol, a 1 year unbelievable option, the reincarnation of the 2002 deemed by BMW and their engineers of the "is", and the baby e30 m3? we won't be having this discussion 15-20 years from now when there are hardly any near mint condition ones left after being a 1 year run and very special to BMW engineering history. :-) Your being realistic? or in your own warped reality filled with negativity and ignorance? :) It's members like you why members like me stop posting threads and being involved bc of your attitude and responses like yours all why justifying it bc your a moderator. Stinks, but it happens and you roll with it, thanks man. ;)

[nando]

or maybe you just have thin skin and are offended by something that wasn't even mildly so. I wasn't saying your car was something nobody wanted, but pointing out that just because something isn't common, doesn't mean it's worth more or rare. you could say the same thing about my ix and I wouldn't be offended at all.

and no, the 318is wasn't rare. They made them for more than 1 year BTW, they just didn't sell them here before then (and they still made a ton of them). you seem to think that it's going to be worth M3 money some day - and it's not.

It wasn't a reincarnation of the 2002 either - it drives great, yes, but it was a budget car BMW made because the higher end E30s were expensive and not selling well. same reason they dropped the 325is and cut out all the standard features and made them options.

So they stripped it down and put a 4 cylinder in it and now you think you have a baby M3. Right. BMW was just trying to market a budget car so they could make a few more sales before the E30 replacement came out.

finally, you asked for our opinions, so we gave them, and now you're complaining because you don't like them. Sheesh.

[dude8383]

Actually, I kind of disagree. Granted the 318iS is not super special by any means but the North American Market received less than 10,000 units. That makes the car relatively rare. That doesn't make it any more valuable than any other E30.

For classic car insurance purposes it is a rare though. I went through that process in order to be able to insure my own car. I even reached out to M Registry for help.

A total of 9,779 examples were built: 8,837 for the USA and 942 for Canada. However, there were roughly 30,000 additional examples produced for other worldwide markets.

Alex Palevsky

BMW M Registry

[nando]

10,000 is a heck of a lot more than other models though - that's twice as many as the ix, which isn't especially "valuable" in comparison to any other E30. I mean, how many actual 325is's did BMW build? we don't know. are they "rare"? does it really matter?

[dude8383]

BMW built around a hundred thousand of the 325i's which is why their more readily available.

The iX has lower production numbers for sure which does make the clean examples fetch a bit more coin than regular 325i's. I'm just saying that their relatively rare comparatively speaking but not necessarily that much more valuable than the other variants offered.

I'd say that in a few years the unmolested cars will be more sought after. It's inevitable. This chassis has a cult following and the attention it has received in the past few years is hard NOT to notice. We won't be seeing E30 M3 money though lol...

EAG posted a 200k M3 for sale recently. I think thats certainly pushing it in terms of value.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/661454762/overview/

Approx figures:
Model Year Units produced - Globally
318i 1987–1991 89,637
318is 1989–1991 41,234
320is (2-door) 1988–1990 2,542
320is (4-door) 1987–1990 1,206
325i (2-door) 1985–1991 113,906 325i (4-door) 1985–1991 83,080
325ic 1985–1993 85,246 325ix 1985–1991 29,589
325e (2-door) 1983–1988 114,498
325e (4-door) 1983–1988 74,789
M3 1986–1991 17,184

I'm sure you've seen these numbers float around.

[nando]

yeah, it doesn't break out the 325is though.

I agree that clean examples will rise in value as time goes on - but it doesn't particularly matter which version it is, when we're talking non-M E30s.