E30 Zone

Hi guys

Been registered a while, but never really posted.

My Civic ran out of MOT last week and i'm getting rid, it's knackered.

I'll have 3 years NCB by the end of the month, and I've just got a new job on more money, so I'm in a good position to buy a better motor.

Just a couple of questions - what's the market like for tidy 318 is's at the moment? I'd like a black one ideally, and it must be tidy.

Is £1500 a reasonable budget for a nice example?

What's the fuel consumption like in MPG, and how does it compare to a 325i.

Cheers

Con

Don't think they ever came in black.

An £1500 will get you a nice one

they handle better than a 325 due to lighter engine.

this is gonna be a long and highly debated thread!!

let me start by saying welcome to the zone

£1500 should get you a nice and tidy 318iS with reasonable mileage, £2000 a near minter and £500 a dog!!

compared to the 325i, the fuel consumption is astuond... mine does about 35mpg day to day, which for the speed its got when i hoon it, is very good. this can be achieved in a 325i, but only if you drive like doris or mavis...

in a straight line, it wont beat an 325i, but they do handle better due to their being lighter and with a slightly better weight distribution...

enjoy mate...

maxfield wrote:Don't think they ever came in black...

so what colour is mine...

pink?

stuartgallafant wrote:

maxfield wrote:Don't think they ever came in black...

so what colour is mine...

White

They must be pretty rare in black ??

318is's are great cars, very fuel efficient. I got around 37-38 mpg on a recent trip and I wasn't nursing it. If you rag it it doesn't seem to affect fuel consumption that much.

They are also cheap to insure as lots of insurance companies think they are just 318i!

You can also pick up a bargain when buying one, because some people don't know the differences from normal 318i.

I have bought 2 for under £400. While both have needed work, they are far from dogs. 1 I have had for nearly a year and has been very reliable.

stuartgallafant wrote:

maxfield wrote:Don't think they ever came in black...

so what colour is mine...

They only came in 4 colours I know of.

Anyway, Conrad welcome to the zone mate, plenty of everything e30 related here

Fuel consumption as already said is pretty good, not as quick as a 325i in a straight line, but still a pretty quick car all the same, with sweet handling. You don't say hold you are? Presumming young'ish, due to insurance Q's, but insurance should be ok tbh.

For 1.5k you should be able to get a reasonably decent one, but the price does seem to be creeping up at the moment tho'

Pal

where you from anyway conrad?

Black Is' are mint I USED to have one but I sold it for an M3..

Maxfield, there are a shite load of black is's on here lol!

my old one, stu's, dan318-is's, hammoj28 to name a few lol

I'm 22, and have 3 years no claims...

and I'm from Bristol.

I did a quick quote on confused.com and it was about £550 TPFT, but I reckoin I could knock some more off that by ringing round personally.

thats a good quote. my renewal price is about £400 but thats on a classic policy.

with you being in bristol, you have the luck of being near tim_s, the 318iS guru!!!

having 6 points probably doesn't do my quote any favours, damn safety scameras...

thats rediculously good with 6 points!!!

I reckon I can get it down to 500 at least. TPFT this is...

Now to find the right motor!

Just to confirm, they came in five colours:

Black, White, Silver, Blue, Red.

Aw, I cant wait to sell the i-lux so I can get 1 as well . there making 3-5k euro over here across the pond, Lad I know went over near London and got an absolute mint example, Laser Blue with an e36 M42 engine, M-tec kit. All for £750. Bargains can be got

i got a black one

Cava wrote:Just to confirm, they came in five colours:

Black, White, Silver, Blue, Red.

The other colour I couldn't think of...white!!

Pal

lovely car

im new around here too, and like you, i was looking for a 318is.

picked it up last friday. such joy to drive

anyone know any places where i can pick up the factory m tech shift knob???

the one with the M stripes (not the actual M letter and strips) very very hard to find

Conrad check this out: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1990-E30-BMW-318- ... dZViewItem

Good luck with the hunt for an iS Con

Just bought a rather tidy red 318is for £1400. Insurance was about £700 fully comp, 22 with only 2 yrs driving and 1ncb. It's lovely, handles beautifully and I can't stop flooring it just to hear it start really pulling at about 4K..

Have a look on www.moneysupermarket.com for car insurance deals, saved me a bit over just ringing round...

hi mate,,just bought a white is,only paid £750 4 it and apart from front fogs missing it's basicaly mint with full service and all original,,,i've had a 325 tourer before and got to be honest i thought i'd be dissapointed with this but it's the nuts......

the iS rocks! It is the poor mans E30 but such value for money!

If you are still looking, check out this site http://www.esatclear.ie/~bpurcell/index.html it has a really extensive section on what to look out for when buying an iS.

Good luck on your hunt, took me quite a while before mine but if you can be patient it'll be worth the wait.

I pay £255 with Admiral. 3 NCB.

They do come in Black, albeit Diamond Black which is very mettalicy and looks like dark grey in strong light.

Also Red, Laser Blue and White.

Nicest E30 aftre M3 and as they're just that bit newer than the rest.

Laser blue is the best colour IMO. Like Royal blue with added Zing.

Andyboy wrote:Laser blue is the best colour IMO. Like Royal blue with added Zing.

it is a really nice colour, but i find if the paintwork isnt looked after and isnt particularly good, it looks awful, however, if its kept well, washed and waxed properly etc, then it does look gorgeous!!

diamond black sold my car to me though!! i absolutely love it, and im not really a fan of black cars coz they're hard to keep clean, but every time i look at mine in the light, it just looks so f*cking nice!!!!

white iS's like tim_s one look spot on too

Sell me yours

Conrad wrote:Sell me yours

who, me??? never, she's gonna be extra special by the time im done with her!!

If you are still looking, check out this site http://www.esatclear.ie/~bpurcell/index.html it has a really extensive section on what to look out for when buying an iS.

Interesting reading

If your interested this thread's worth a look. More picks on email if your interested, just PM me.

http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... 921#607921

Love my iS but since selling my 325i Touring i'm really missing the low down torque, but it is great fun when you open it up!

I reckon it's got to be the best E30 to start out with, everything about them is cheap! Well if nothing goes wrong with the engine like the profile gasket!