1991 BMW 318i Convertible

Make:	BMW
Model:	3-Series
Type:	Convertible
Trim:	318i
Year:	1991
Mileage:	42,036
VIN:	wbaba7317mej10651
Color:	Red
Cylinders:	4
Fuel:	Gasoline
Transmission:	Manual
Drive type:	RWD
Interior color:	Tan
Drive side:	Left-hand drive
Safety:	Anti-Lock Brakes, Driver Airbag
Vehicle Title:	Clear
Item location:	Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Extras

Air Conditioning, Power Locks, Power Windows
Convertible

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Private seller

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Description of 1991 BMW 3-Series 318i

This 1991 BMW Convertible is in fantastic condition and has just over 42,000 original miles. It is completely original except for the radio (the original broken radio will be included). I have invested over $3,000 over the past few years to get all maintenance up to date and fix a few minor issues. It drives beautifully and lives up to BMW "Ultimate Driving Machine" slogan. The 1991 318i convertible is very similar to the 318is which is known as "the poor man's e30 m3". It has the "Recaro" like sport seats (much better than standard e30 seats) and the rev happy m42 engine. The m42 is a fantastic engine that some prefer to the 6-cylinder in the 325i (no timing belt changes which can be pricey and a unique and fun character and better gas mileage). This car has a 5-speed manual transmission and is a blast to drive.
This car is mechanically in excellent condition and has no issues. I would not hesitate to drive it anywhere. I have invested in it over the past few years to fix any nagging mechanical issues and get all maintenance up to date. Here are the recent maintenance and repair items that have been addressed (I have receipts for all of this):
39,839 miles, 9/14 Brake fluid flush (the brakes are great they have a nice firm pedal feel) Coolant Flush
41,486 miles, 5/16 New Tires (I got the Uniroyal Tiger Paw AWP II SL tires from Tire Rack and they are the correct original size which is tough to find and not always in stock. So doing the math the tires have just over 500 miles on them right now and ride and handle very well) Wheel Alignment Change manual transmission fluid Replace Fuel filter
42,001 miles, 5/17 (I just had the car looked over by a local experienced German vehicle shop Larchmere Imports to make sure there were no issues or outstanding maintenance. I didn't cut corners and this work was just done at a cost of over $2,000 by mechanics that really know these cars) Replace catalytic converter (the old one had broken apart inside and was rattling, the exhaust now has a nice original sound) Oil change Replace radiator fan clutch (the mechanics determined the old one was slipping a little, there were no overheating issues whatsoever even in hot weather with A/C on but I took care of this to make sure it stays that way) replace spark plugs (the car had the original plugs in it so I decided to take care of this) replace back-up light switch (the back up lights did not turn on when in reverse. This switch connects to the shifter to make sure the car knows when you are in reverse) Replace power steering drive belt (the old one was showing some wear so decided to do this) Complete professional detail
I also replaced the rear differential fluid a couple years ago with Redline diff fluid
Everything on the car works as it should. The air conditioning is cold (not sure if it was ever converted to modern refrigerant but it works fine) and the heat works great. The only thing I can think of that doesn't work perfectly is that the blinker stalk does not go back automatically so you have to nudge it yourself when turning left (this is very common on these cars).
Cosmetically this car is in excellent condition. It was a southern car for most of its life and is essentially rust free (see undercarriage picture). I just had it professionally detailed and it looks great. While the car is overall in very nice cosmetic shape there are a few things to mention (I am trying to be as transparent as possible and mention even the smallest imperfections). The rear vinyl window is slightly faded in a couple spots but most of the window is fine and provides good visibility to the rear of the car. There is a scrape/very shallow dent on the passenger side door where the previous owner said he bumped into it with something while it was parked in his garage (there is not really much paint scraped off on this but it is noticeable, look at the pictures). There are a few very small paint chips on the car (a few millimeters across, you have to look closely to see). The bottom of the front bumper is very slightly bent in one spot (I assume from bumping into something while parking) but while the lower black plastic lip has been replaced the bumper still has a light indentation in it (look at the picture its not that bad and could be as simple as bending it back a little). There are a couple pinholes in the convertible top that the previous owner filled with what looks like rubber cement or something (see picture, the top does not leak when being washed and is in very good shape overall). The driver side sunvisor shows some sun damage on the top of it. One inch of piping on the side of the driver's seat is missing (the seat is in great shape otherwise). There is an air bubble under the vinyl on the back of the passenger seat, see picture. Having covered these imperfections I want to reiterate that you have to look closely to find most of these and the car really is in excellent cosmetic condition. I just want to make sure that potential buyers are aware of these few minor issues that keep he car from being flawless. The pictures for the listing show how nice this car is and in person the car looks very, very clean.
The seats and carpet look great and show little wear and I purchased new floor mats (nice ones from Bavarian Autosport) a couple years ago that match the carpet. The dash has no cracks and the door trim and plastic trim in the rear are in great shape. The interior is in amazing shape for a 26 year old car. Included is a wind deflector that can be placed behind the two front seats to provide extra wind protection (this alone is worth a few hundred dollars).
The car comes with all of the original tools except one (it looks like it was a socket or something). I have all of the original paperwork including the window sticker (it's faded but at least its there). I am the third owner and the car has a clean vehicle history report that shows that the low miles are accurate.
I have truly enjoyed this car and will be sad to see it go. I am a BMW enthusiast (this is my 4th E30) and I will probably regret selling this car because it will be difficult to find another one as clean as this one for any kind of reasonable price in the future. Unfortunately other commitments have to take priority over this car at the moment. The new owner will be getting a very low mile classic BMW that is in great cosmetic shape and ready to go mechanically. This is a very nice example of the classic E30 BMW 3-series and has great collector potential. Please reach out with any questions regarding the car and happy bidding.