1990 BMW 3 Series 318i review from North America
"A beauty that's soon to be a beast"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Needed full engine seal kit immediately
Had to replace exhaust (It is 18 years old!)
Replace speed sensor in rear diff
Not much else... read below.
General comments?
I found this car rotting away with flat tires in some guys driveway and bought it for a whopping $350. It hadnt run in over 3 years he said, but I put air in the tires, jumped it and drove it over an hour home! I intended to just beat the crap out of it til it died and then scrap it (I own 3 other cars). WELL, it didn't die even after 3 sets of rear tires (gotta love that limited slip!) So, here I am about a year later and the car is fresh out of restoration and looks incredible. Everything but the motor/trans/diff has been replaced with actual hi-performance stuff and its downright gorgeous and gets stares everywhere I go (much more than my 04 330ci does). Now that I have the paint & bodywork right as well as the suspension and brakes I started doing some research to turbo it...Well, that's just to plain for me, so its getting a Chevy LS-2 motor w/6 speed trans (its been done, look it up) in a few months. I can't wait to see how that works out! And I'm gonna keep the wheelcovers on it for the ultimate sleeper.
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model Year | 1991 |
| First year of ownership | 2006 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 M42 Manual |
| Performance marks | 6/10 |
| Reliability marks | 10/10 |
| Comfort marks | 6/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 159000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 163000 miles |
| Previous car | Volkswagen GTI |
| Date of Entry | 15th November, 2007 |