July 2019: SOLD! After ten years of ownership (and long consideration), I put this car up for sale on eBay. It sold on July 24th, 2019 and was picked up today, July 27th. Best of luck to the new owner!
I’m a little sad that it’s gone, it was a superb little machine. But soon I’ll have two fledgling drivers in the household, so that car doesn’t fit OUR needs very well.
So with some space available, I’m looking for a new project! Once the summer job buying spree is over a new project will be showing up. I’m not even sure what it’ll be, but it’ll be fitted with an automatic transmission and side airbags at a minimum. Low insurance costs and good fuel economy are also priorities. So my usual 80s hoopties are out of the running. I’m still in love with the S52, but it’s a struggle to find E36 with the side airbag option. So maybe something a little more modern? Perhaps an E46 sedan? I’m also a sucker for the looks of the E46 Estate (station wagon).
March 2017: I’ve been spending a little time & money bringing the E30 318i back to life. I briefly considered selling the car, but we’ve decided to keep the old gal around for a few more years. She’s about to roll over 300K miles, so there is a pretty long list of items to address. I feel these repairs are a worthwhile investment since the car has been so very reliable. ‘Rusty but trusty’ really sums up my experiences. Thousands of miles of more or less effortless driving are behind us. Happily, many of those miles were for my job…unbelievably, my employer ended up buying the car on my behalf with all those mileage reimbursement checks.
Over the years, I also installed a few upgrades as a reward for sterling service. Interior upgrades include a leather-wrapped sport wheel and shifter knob, tan leather sport interior, rear headrests/ski bag/pass-through and a Blaupunkt head unit with BMW Premium stereo pods. Let’s not forget the power sunroof upgrade and the BMW glove box flashlight, shall we?
Other trim upgrades include an E34 ‘wide’ toolkit (since sold) and the ‘deluxe’ BMW spare oil quart bag (since removed). I’ve also experimented with an E36 center console. Imagine…cup holders in an E30! Mechanical upgrades include cruise control, COP kit and silicone rubber hoses in the engine bay, (mostly) stainless steel brake lines and ellipsoid headlights. I even had the rare map light mirror and trunk caddy, but sold both of them since they really didn’t work that well.
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