WTB:Tii

[jb88]

Bump.

I'm back. Picked up an e28 DD, but i'm still looking for a restored Tii in Polaris.

Thanks,

JB

[Gordon]

You didn't say if you are looking for a project tii or want one that is totally restored. Do you want a roundie or a square tail light tii? Any color preference,options, upgrades, etc...? What's your budget? Are you comfortable working on old cars? How long is your commute? Have you owned a 2002 or an old BMW before?

Here's what I recommend after owning 02's for over 30 years. Since you live in South Bay, land of huge SUV's and pickups with drivers who are multitasked, (texting, on their cell phone, etc..). Buy an 02 or tii but don't use it for a daily driver, make it your weekend fun car. For a daily driver, buy an E30. They make great daily drivers, especially eta models and get great gas mileage. You can pick up a good E30 for $3-4K. I own two E30's and I love them. My 86 E30 has over 300K on it and is still going strong.

If you lived in a rural area, I would say go for it as a daily driver but with the values of tii's on the rise. One good hit and it's totaled. Trust me, I've lived in South Bay so I know how bad drivers are there. There are 02 owners on this board who may disagree with me on using an 02 as a daily driver. If you had a square tail light non tii 02, that's a different story.

To see what nice tii's bring these days, take a visit to a local BMW restoration shop, http://www.coupeking.com/

Peter's shop in Wilmington, right off the PCH between the 110 & 710 freeway.

G-Man

[jb88]

Thanks Gordon. I really appreciate the advice. Good lookin' out. You mentioned eta E30's. Any other models(injected, turbo)/years that you would recommend? Thanks again.

-jB

[prosado]

JB: what's your email?

Pete

[GaryAlfaGiulia]

You mentioned eta E30's. Any other models(injected, turbo)/years that you would recommend?

-jB

A '91 318is is the closest you will find to a more modern interpretation of a BMW 2002/2002tii (the E30 is the last model where you can directly see and feel the BMW 1600/2002 lineage). At 2700 lbs. it is the lightest E30 other than the more anemic '84/'85 318i and has the sport suspension of the 325is. Combine that with a high-revving and sweet sounding 16-valve making around 140 hp and it's an amazing daily driver. Mixed city/highway mileage in the high 20's is another bonus over the baby 6.

I was lucky enough to find an original owner near showroom condition example with 43K miles on it a year ago and have used it as my daily since then (I pair it with a '73 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super for my nice-weather vintage driver after having owned a couple 2002's). A '91 318i 4-door has the same engine, although lacks the sport seats and perhaps didn't have the same suspension calibration from the factory. But since most examples now are well over 100K miles, hopefully the original suspension components have long since been replaced. There is even a chance for good functioning A/C that you'll never find in an '02. My 318is is my fourth E30 also including a pristine '88 M3 I owned for a dozen years and a couple all-wheel-drive 325iX models. After owning these more powerful models, I can tell you that there is something really special in the '91-only 318is. It may be blasphemy to some, but in many ways the 318is is a more enjoyable car to drive than the E30 M3 and I doubt anyone would disagree that it makes a better daily driver.

Gary

[jb88]

Again, much appreciated brother. Thank you for taking the time...otherwise, new Bimmer owners like myself would be a hell of a lot more lost. And I'll keep my eye out for that "91 318is.

-jB

[GaryAlfaGiulia]

Again, much appreciated brother. Thank you for taking the time...otherwise, new Bimmer owners like myself would be a hell of a lot more lost. And I'll keep my eye out for that "91 318is.

-jB

It's a one-year only model in the U.S. The 16-valve engine 1.8 liter (M42 is the BMW code) was the same as went into the E36 318i/is and then the first Z3's and 318ti. At some point (not sure the exact year during E36 production) the M42 became the M44 and grew to 1.9 liters with a slight bump in output. Given the extra weight of E36 models though it needed it. I'm thinking even the 4-cylinder Z3 outweighed an E30 318i/is (leading to the discontinuation of 4-cylinder cars in the U.S. ever since, certainly influenced by said bloat along with a price point in the U.S. making the bulk of U.S. buyers/dealers demand ever-increasing power).

It's harder to find a 318is vs. a 325e/i/is because of much lower production numbers and because they were significantly less expensive when new. Therefore they were used more as daily drivers from day one of their lives and typical examples have 150-200K miles on them now. I wouldn't rule out one with 150K miles on it that has been well maintained just like I wouldn't rule out one of the baby 6 E30's with the same mileage (both can go well over 200K without major mechanical work). The eta 325e (also badged as just 325 in later years and then there was a 325es model with upgraded seats/suspension/bodywork) is probably the champ for longevity. Because it's a low-revving engine (torque over power), it puts less stress on the mechanicals vs. the 318is and 325i models (all E30 BMWs in the U.S. by the way are fuel injected including the first '84/'85 318is and the eta models).

Here are a couple URLs for more information:

M42 message board (E30 and E36): http://m42club.com/forums

Site created by an E30 318is owner in Ireland: http://www.esatclear.ie/~bpurcell/index.html

Gary

[Gordon]

My 91 318i is a four door model, same M42 motor as the coupe but it doesn't have the sport seats, basketweave alloys, front air dam and suspension mods the coupe has. I do admit that I do like the convenience and practicality of the 4 door E30. Mine does have a LSD, bottlecap alloys (originally had steel wheels and hubcaps), Bilstein HD shocks, Hella H1/H4, etc...

The 91 318is coupe is known as a "poor mans E30 M3" due to the M42 motor and option package. Prices are going up and they are getting harder to find. If you want an enthusiast car that's fun to drive, go with a 91 318i, either in a coupe or sedan. There are some real bargains on the 91 E30 318i sedan's since the enthusiasts prefer the coupe model, don't discount the sedan version. If you just want a cheap E30 commuter car, go with a 85-88 325e 5 speed. Just make sure you know when the timing belt was last changed on the M20 motor before you buy it.

For more info on the 91 E30 318is, go here http://www.m42club.com/

G-Man

[GaryAlfaGiulia]

Looks like G-man and I are overloading you with info/praise related to the M42 engined E30s. I would have jumped on a top-condition 4-door M42 318i as quickly as my 318is especially since all my previous E30s have been 2-doors. One other thing to note that is a big positive to me and makes the search a bit easier: All the M42 318i/is models were 5-speeds rather than automatics even in the manual-transmission-averse U.S. If you want one of these with an automatic, you are really looking for the wrong model (then again, I can't imagine an E30 325is with an automatic and seems like about half of them in the U.S. came that way).

Gary

[jb88]

Righteous. Just found this one...

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/2461093277.html

[jb88]

And this one...

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/cto/2500241388.html

[Gordon]

Tint that dark is nothing but a ticket magnet.

[GaryAlfaGiulia]

Tint that dark is nothing but a ticket magnet.

I'm not into the overall look of that car either with the black out wheels, grille, etc. Removing the bumper rubber is also a red-flag (I guess black-flag in this case) of someone who is more into aesthetics than maintaining a car. I'm guessing the window tint is newer because of the cracked dash (my white 318is has tint on the side and back windows although more conservative than this one and I'm sure that's helped preserve the interior in combination with being garaged) and the fact that low-quality tint that the bulk of owners apply is bad quality and turns purple after so many years.

I like the 2nd one you found better in terms of originality. The A/C working is also a good sign. Typically sellers will say that it only needs a charge when invariably it needs a couple thousand dollars in work to replace all the hoses/seals because it hasn't worked in years. But, when it is working as it should, the A/C on these E30s puts out plenty of cold air for the hottest climates (these cars were built before engineering took a back seat to bean counter economics at BMW). Still, the 2nd one has things to wonder about. The seats are non-original "comfort seats" like the 4-door instead of the stock 318is sport seats. Also with over 200K miles there are plenty of things that might need attention beyond what work he mentions having been done recently. For example, these cars used plastic radiators. I replaced mine on general principles of eliminating a weak spot for reliability even with under 50K miles.

One other advantage of an E30 over an early 2002--you can and should get a carfax on any example you are seriously considering. While a carfax isn't a guarantee for a car without issues (many accidents for instance go unreported unless it results in a salvage title), at least you know if anything major is shown on the carfax, you know to proceed with caution. Plus knowing where the car was owned and the likely number of previous owners is always important to me. The 325iX, being all-wheel drive, for example was typically owned in the rust-belt and I specifically wanted one that had not spent time in that region.

Gary

[AndyS]

Or you can do this.

[jb88]

Nice. What is it?