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M42

Buying sight-unseen from New Mexico: 1991 BMW 318is

April 6, 2014 by Graham

 

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Old cars: buy the best example that you can afford, right? Unless you’re actively seeking a project, that’s the convention. So, imagine a listing for the car you want, at the price you like, where the only needs listed are “a wash and wax”. I found that car last summer.

I’d been driving a 91 318is as a sort of winter and minor project car up until that point. I bought that thing for $1,500 and slowly worked through it to get it into shape. I swapped in a set of matching M3 seats, replaced the cracked dash, fixed the odometer, installed a headliner, and resealed all of the oil leaks – except for one. The rear main seal leaked oil onto the clutch periodically, and that caused some bothersome slipping. It may have been a worn clutch (I had a spare clutch and flywheel), but either way, I was going to have to pull the transmission, which takes a weekend of concerted effort. Factor in some heinous oil consumption through other avenues – valve stem seals, worn rings – and the car was starting to feel like a money sink. An Indiana and Chicago car for all of its life, rust and urban parking had taken their toll on the bodywork beyond the point where I was willing to hit the car with any sort of money hammer. I figured that it would be cheaper to just sell that car and find one with fewer and less severe needs.

A serious constraint on the purchasing timeline was my goal to take a 6,000 mile trip to Seattle and back with my girlfriend about a month later. I wanted a well-sorted 318is with A/C to take us across the country and back.  Even on my rougher 318is, I was seeing 32mpg highway on premium fuel – decent for a 1991 car with that much character.

Posted in: Graham Tagged: 318is, BMW, Colorado, Feature, M42, New Mexico, Road Trip

The ideal BMW (and an e30)

December 12, 2013 by Graham
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I couldn’t italicize the title, so I had to save it for down here: the e34 is the ideal BMW.

Andrew brought his e34 down to Brown County, IN, where we took the cars out for an Italian tune-up or two.  The 3er was, understandably, the nimbler of the two German sausages, but the 5er has a pleasingly deliberate way of moving.  When it came to changing speed, the e34’s smooth, torquey M30 ‘big six’ reacted with aplomb, and reigned supreme in the undulating terrain.  Of course, I had no issue reservations with keeping the e30’s M42 at full boil.  None at all.

 

Thanks to Andrew for the photos!

 

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Posted in: Graham Tagged: 318is, BMW, e34, M30, M42

Sixteen Valve Sunrise: 2.3-16 and 318is

December 12, 2013 by Graham
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The M-B 190E 2.3-16 most directly compared to the e30 BMW M3, and rightly so, given the pair’s history of competition in DTM as well as the marketplace.  But, the current market values of these special models has diverged; these days, e30 M3s are priced as high as a new hot hatch, while 2.3-16s can be had for common e30 money.

In light of this shift, the e30 318is presents an interesting alternative to the 2.3-16.  Dual overhead cams, hydraulic lifters, timing chain, forged crank and rods, 10:1 compression, 4 valves per cylinder, and a tubular header from the factory raise the M42 engine in the 318is to the upper echelon occupied by the 2.3-16’s Cosworth-headed lump.  A limited slip differential option further boosts the 318is performance credentials, but with no dog-leg gearbox or ground effects, it lacks the uniqueness integral to the experience of the 2.3-16.

As for driving dynamics, the 2.3-16 is easier to slide, yet slower to react due to its steering box.  The 318is also reacts more quickly to throttle inputs, especially wide-open inputs broken only for shifts at the 6,300 RPM.  Now, the sounds effects of the M42 are plenty satisfying – that is, until you’ve stomped on the 2.3-16.  Wide open throttle in the M-B yields an intoxicating induction growl that is solely to blame for the 50% reduction in fuel economy whenever I drive Taylor’s car.  You’d think the reduced pumping losses at WOT would be on your side…

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Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: 2.3-16, 318is, e30, M42, Mercedes

2.3-16 makes it to Indiana

December 11, 2013 by Graham
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We met Taylor in Lousiville, before he headed up to Indiana for a brief visit.  At the end of the weekend, Taylor set off in GTI, and got to experience the elite peril made possible by a set of bald set of Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Specs in heavy rain.  The sensation is somewhat akin to driving on a rumble strip, but without the ability to change direction.  But he made it back…

Perhaps as an acknowledgment of the danger I exposed Taylor to by lending him my GTI, I installed H&R Sports and Bilstein Sports on the 2.3-16 for him.  The self-leveling rear suspension now resides in a bucket.  Not even a bucket I paid for.  It was free at the Brown County Winery.

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Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: 2.3-16, BMW, e30, M42, Mercedes

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