Faults:

Nothing wrong with it. I had to replace a lower ball joint for the MOT. No other faults for MOT.

General Comments:

1991 BMW E30 318iS. After years of high powered front wheel drive hatchbacks this was a step down in power, but a major step up in driving enjoyment. This car provides driving pleasure like no other car I've ever driven. The back end is always ready to be teased out. Combine that with low running costs, good comfort, brilliantly spartan cabin, great seating and a classic look. I love it.

Faults:

Windscreen washer jets lost pressure. Remedied easily by changing to new bigger bore hoses and blocking off the connection to the headlight washers. This allowed the pump to deliver all the pressure to the windscreen jets. The problem was most likely due to debris blocking the old hoses.

Rear tyres "scrubbing" on the inside of the wheel arches. This only really happens when fully loaded with 5 adults. The car is lowered 60mm on all four corners. For the sake of an occasional rub, it is not worth the money to roll the arches or raise the suspension.

Brakes squealing after new pads and discs were fitted. Some copper grease sorted this out.

Central locking "bounces" back from locked about 4-5 times. I am told this is due to faulty locking controllers, of which there are three. One in each door and one in the boot. Reasonably expensive to replace, and not the troublesome really. Although the car has had the door barrels removed for aesthetic reasons so a complete battery drain or lock failure could result in having to break a window to get into the car.

General Comments:

The car has extremely high spec for 91'. Leather sports seat are very comfortable and easy to clean. Hard to go back to old flat seats with cloth.

The handling in this car is terrific. With rear wheel drive, lower centre of gravity and Alpina wheels the grip levels are impressive. The same word of caution as always with the E30, be careful in the wet. While the 4-cylinder 1.8 lacks raw power, 3500 to 5500 rpm range delivers good response.

The convertible is quite a lot heavier than my last E30 316, and consequently feels a little sluggish in comparison due to the extra frame support required to stiffen the chassis without the support of a metal roof.

Due to the age and weight of this car it uses quite a lot of fuel. Best mpg is 30. It can go quiet a lot lower if driven with "enthusiasm".

This car needs to be looked after. Even knowing the Haynes manual cover to cover, the occasional bit of guidance of a mechanic who is familiar with BMWs will go a long way.

Faults:

All four tyres needed replacing at 140000 miles.

Seats had started to show there age.

Smell of petrol was always coming into the cabin. Took it to two garages and both of them could not find any problem.

Power steering leak, £500 to replace.

General Comments:

This was my first BMW, and for damn sure, it was the best driving experience of my young life.

The 6 cylinder engine sure put a smile on my face every time I started the car, a big roar and then it quietend down ready for the road.

This is not a very powerful car, 0-60 in about 8.5 seconds. What it is, is a comfortable drivers car that will get you ready to move onto something more powerful. In other words, it's a good car to learn real driving.

The gear change is the best I have encountered so far, smooth, slick and very responsive.

The interior, even though this car was 13 years old still made it very inviting to drive long distances, unlike Mercedes from even as late as 98 have the most dull interior.

I am convinced with BMW, in my opinion, the best car manufacturer in the world that combines comfort with real drivers cars.

I drive a new shape Passat at the moment, I miss the BMW oooohhhh I really do.