Used 91' BMW E30 w/ M52 swap + other fast bits, all original, well... for sale in Rockville, District Of Columbia

All,

For sale is a 1991 BMW 318i (VIN# WBAAJ9311MEJ01936) with 221,313 original miles on the body and approximately 100K miles on the engine (which has had several refreshes in the years to be discussed further). Car’s exterior color is Alpinweiss 2 (code 300). The interior is tan (0192 code). The car is a slick top (rare) meaning that it does NOT have a sunroof. From reading the car’s CarFax (which is clean) and having extensive conversations with the prior owner who was also friends with the owner prior to him it is believed that I am the 4th or 5th owner. The car was a Texas vehicle through 2002, which is when it made it’s way over to NoVA.

The car has all original paint from what my body guy has been able to tell. It also has all original body panels (stamped with the vin number) less the hood, which was replaced with a matching Alpinweiss 2 color code hood at some point. Having had it looked at by a body shop there is absolutely no damage of any kind anywhere on the vehicle that they were able to note --- that said, the hood replacement may have been due to discoloration or something else. Structurally the car is fantastic. There are certainly dings, dents, and road rash – however, that’s expected for a 30 year old vehicle with original paint and body panels and adds some character. The rust is VERY minimal. The rear section under the battery area (as typical for e30’s) has a small rust spot, which could certainly be cut out and re-done; however, hasn’t been my focus as it’s rather minimal and is way smaller than most e30’s. No other notable/noticeable rust on the car. Two other areas that are worth noting --- passenger floor pan up front had a bad jack pad placed on it at some point that punctured it…. NOT rust, but again, misplacement of the jack. The other area is the front passenger side fender that had some not-so-quality touch up work completed on it at some point in the past. The fenders on the car have been “rolled” and “pulled” a bit due to the fitment of the beefier tires. It appears as the paint did not like that much (under past ownership(s) and there is some paint cracking on the edges). Not a big deal --- but it is there. All the glass is original and BMW stamped. The interior is all-original and in nearly MINT shape. NO cracks on the dash, the glove box is like new all of which are hot points for these cars. The headliner and B-panels are nearly mint as well as the door cards. The car has been VERY well preserved on the inside. On the exterior --- it most recently received a buff and has a very nice appearance to it.

On to the mechanicals --- the car started (and lived most of it’s life) as a 4-cyl 318i. In approximately 2010 while under the 3rd owner it was converted to a 5-speed M52 with the engine out of a 1998 328i (M52B28). At the time of this conversion the M52 was fully gone through prior to being installed. Moreover, an S52 camshaft/ECU, M50 intake manifold as well as a metal valve cover were installed as well. Aftermarket performance headers and full custom exhaust were completed as well along with a cold air intake and a larger radiator. A bit later the following additional upgrades were performed on the car:

- BC Racing BR Coilovers (front and rear --- fully adjustable)

- Solid front lower control arm bushings

- 4x100 to 5x120 wheel adapters/spacers

- Stainless steel brake lines

- IS lip

- Aftermarket PIONEER headunit and Kicker KS525 speakers

- M-Tech Streering wheel

- “M” Shifter

As I purchased this vehicle in the beginning of this year (219K and some change miles) --- I wanted to make it as perfect as possible without reinventing the wheel. I have completed the following work on it which makes it what it is/how it sits today (as shown by the attached pictures). All work completed within the last 500 miles.

- Removed the transmission (G260), thoroughly cleaned everything, installed a new SACHS sport clutch kit, throw-out bearing, guide bearing, slave cylinder, refinished the flywheel (M20 single mass, I believe) and reduced it in weight a bit (shaved off a couple of MM). Installed a 15% tilt DSSR from UUC Motorwerks as well as new shift joint to center the shifter. Installed all new stiff shifter bushings from Condor as well as a new BOSCH starter. Changed transmission fluid and bled the brakes. Replaced the rear main seal of the engine and the input/output shaft seals throughout the driveline. Installed an “M” shifter. Installed a new Guibo bushing on the driveshaft.

- Installed a new oil pan with a welded in VAC Motorsports oil pan baffle and new oil pan gasket. All appropriate pump pick up as well as a new dipstick were installed as well.

- Resealed the entire front end of the engine and installed a new timing cover. Also installed new intake manifold gaskets, valve cover gaskets, vanos re-seal kit (gasket, solenoid O-ring, etc.). Resealed the thermostat housing and literally every other gasket/seal you can possibly purchase for the engine…crankshaft/camshaft seals and all new “lower engine” seals.

- Replaced the water pump

- Installed a new brake light switch

- Refinished the headlights, refinished the front grill pieces

- Installed new tie-rods and steering rack boots

- All new oil, coolant, filters.

- Deleted the faulty factory antenna with an antenna plug and installed a concealed antenna in the dash area

- Installed BMW Style 7 rims with new Hankook tires

- Re-under coated the bottom portion of the car. Metal looked fantastic. No rust except the aforementioned area under the battery box.

This is an awesome, fun, “raw” ride. This doesn’t compare to the now a day BMW’s (I have a daily driven F31 wagon). They simply don’t build them like this anymore. If you’re looking at this you likely know what you’re looking at. This one has the M52 swap done RIGHT and is a BLAST to rip on the road.

Disclaimers:

1. The car has road rash, dings, dents, etc. IT IS ORIGINAL PAINT. ORIGINAL PANELS.

2. The front lip appears to have been mounted with zipties at some point. I purchased new appropriate mounting tabs, refinished the lip to best of my ability with Plasti-Dip and reinstalled it. Not all of the clips are there on the lip – however it holds well the way it is now.

3. The fog lights need to be wired in. They appear to have been added to the car later and, the wiring appears to be there – however, I don’t believe the wiring was finished, as there is no fog light switch inside the car.

4. The rear diff seeps a bit and could use a reseal (this was the next thing on my list --- just haven’t gotten to it)

5. The coolant reservoir could use a remounting. This was also on my list. I was actually planning on purchasing a different, aftermarket coolant reservoir.

6. Horn needs to be installed. It is in the trunk.

7. The coolant sensor could be replaced. It reads the temp sometimes and sometimes it doesn’t. Hasn’t bothered me enough to get to it just yet – but a very easy project. There are a couple of other dash lights on but that is solely due to the swap. I was going to sort through a few of them in the future.

8. Has a very slow power steering (I believe return line) fluid leak. Was on my plans to do when all the seals were getting done; however, ordered the wrong line and never got around to it again.

9. The car does not have a hood strut. I am looking at getting one before the sale – however, can’t guarantee it. These are cheap off e-bay!

10. As of today (11/29/2020) the speedometer and odometer stopped working. I actually had a spare speed sensor from a past e30 (I’ve had a few of these over the years) and I threw it on – however that did not fix the issue. Likely something simply – but, I am not going to spend time looking into this at this point.

This car is a fantastic hobbyist/driver. It does NOT have AC as that was eliminated at time of the M52 swap – however, that hasn’t bothered me even on the hot days of summer as this car is built to be driven and not so much for the daily “comforts”. This has been my Saturday/Sunday driver and “go get coffee” car and kick it around the curves on some roads on the way back.

I have a VERY rare set of OZ Fittipaldi 16 x 9 rims that I am also selling (separate) unless the price is right for them to go with the car. They are 3 piece and I am attaching a picture of them on the car. They are 5x120 and therefore, utilize the same exact adapters as do the Style 7 rims currently installed. They are a bit more of a “stretched look” wheel on this car vs. my preferred appearance of the beefier tires that I get on the Style 7’s.

I also have a RARE Luisi steering wheel (wooden) with a quick release hub that I am also selling (separate). Would be glad to work in the deal for the right price.

Reason I am selling the car? I am selling this and my RS6 as I have purchased a 996 Turbo. I am looking to retain one weekend driver instead of 3.

LOOKING FOR $10.8K ON THE CAR AS IT SITS. Hoping to sell soon; therefore, cash talks. I am NOT interested in trades. I am NOT interested in other’s selling services. There are certainly no warranties of any sort/kind for this vehicle. The car has a clean history and clean title with ACTUAL miles on it and in my name. The car has historic tags which is FANTASTIC for insurance (cheap) and registration (cheap) purposes. Moreover, in the state of MD registering a car as a “historic” means you don’t have to go through emissions nor inspections, etc.

These E30’s are going up in price and, doing so rather quickly.

Please let me know if you have any questions! I have tons of pictures. Happy to show the vehicle with all COVID related guidelines. Also – happy to provide running video’s, etc.