18th Aug 2006, 09:00
Obviously it was not a 318is, the is has the twin cam engine and is quite lively. I had one myself with 135k on it and it never missed a bit. I now have a 325 sport and the 318is is not far off it.
7th Jun 2007, 18:24
My uncle owns a 1991 318 IS. He loved the car at first, but after 3 years he loved to hate it. The car has only 79,000 original miles and he poured thousands of dollars into maintenance and repair costs. The car had an overheating problem so he took it to the dealer and they replaced the radiator and water pump. the problem still occured, and the dealer could not find the the problem. Here it was a temperature sensor that cost like 20 bucks. he also had to replace tons of other things like the starter, alternator, and more. I had a friend with the same car, just not an IS, and had similar problems. I defiantly would not recommend this car because they are expensive and problematic.
8th Jun 2007, 00:07
I have a 91 318i 5-speed sedan. Believe the hype, it does handle like a sports car. True, it is not a stop-light racer that is fast off the line, but once it gets going it is plenty swift. I love driving it and that classic BMW old-school look, even more so than my 1993 525i. That one is automatic, fast and marvelously solid, just not as much fun to drive as the four-banger e-30.
29th Jun 2007, 03:11
I have a 91 318is and I do enjoy it. Had it for round a year and a half. 247 000 k. It's not really just about the speed of the car as obviously newer cars are faster and more efficient. (Don't get me wrong it has power and handles tight.) I think the overall style and design out class new and older cars on the road. (hate the jellybean look) Sometimes the maintenance and trouble shooting can be a pain, but it's the best when it's in the zone! I hope BMW can see how sweet the 91 318is is and reissues it so I can buy a brand new one.
16th Oct 2007, 15:51
BMW is expensive, but at least your getting something for your money. If you doubt that a BMW is worth the money, just take a drive in a Honda Civic and you'll quickly remember why you like BMW.
If you want Quality, you have to pay for it.
24th Mar 2008, 15:12
Mine is a '91 BMW 318i five-speed manual, almost 200,000 miles. Refined? No. I also have a 525i automatic that is far more refined, but I most enjoy driving the 318i. Expensive? Well, when something goes wrong, its pricey, but an old 3-series BMW is really more of an addiction and therefore money well-spent. It is a cult car, and not for everyone for sure. The handling is unbelievable, particularly at high speed.
19th May 2008, 10:40
I have a 1991 318i; even though it is sprightly when running and has good brakes... most of the time it is down from one ailment after another. Even though I can work on it myself; the parts are very expensive and required constantly. The gas mileage is poor for such a little car. The trim & body seem to just be falling apart. Very very disappointed with every BMW that I have ever owned and this one is one of the better ones.
I enjoy driving my ever reliable economical Miata much much more and even the civic I have is much more a "drivers car" than the 318i.
I will be selling the BMW soon if it will stay running long enough.
17th Dec 2008, 10:37
I'm my third e30 325, first was the sport model, then the convertible, and now I'm going for just the coupe. They're incredibly addicting.
I resented the maintenance the first couple of years, but then I learned enough so that I could do it myself, and it was fun to work on my own car.
I drove a new Infiniti g35 for a while between the convertible and the coupe till it got totaled in a pretty bad wreck, and it just didn't have the same character as the BMWs.
17th Dec 2008, 17:18
In 2008, a 1991 car is 17 years old. Many makes fall apart, rust or the engines go before 17 years.
31st Jul 2006, 12:57
The guy who says that this car is slow has either never driven one or drives ferrari's and porshes for a living.