Want An M3? Look Into This Little Known Gem Instead - BMW E30 318is

What if was to tell you that for a quarter of the price on an M3 you can get a car most people would actually enjoy driving more? E30 M3s are now commanding unaffordable prices.. the 318is is possibly more fun and much cheaper!
If you're interested in buying contact: [e-mail]

[@SLAmey-mu9hd]

In my useless opinion I think BMW got the proportions of these cars absolutely bang on from every angle. Great videos Jack.

[@Number27]

Agree! Thanks for watching

[@geekandguide]

I was just thinking the same (not about your opinion being useless!) - best looking BMWs were from this era.

[@TT_1221]

Agreed. I think the 2 series coupe today is a welcome throwback to the right proportions. The 3 series today is just too big.

[@SLAmey-mu9hd]

@@geekandguide 🤣🤣🤣

[@benzinapaul7416]

I genuinely disagree, they look like a car a kid would draw, no style whatsoever and very outdated for their era.

[@CC-qe1gq]

I've grown in Italy, and then I moved to Switzerland. As a weird girl helping her father to fix his car, I was fascinated by the 320is, and when they costed nothing, I had one for a while. Maybe it was by long-lasting love for that car, but I still remember it as one of the best driving machines I've ever owned.

[@shanehnorman]

One of the best dashboards of any saloon, any era.

[@lint8391]

Saab 900's from that era had better dashboards. So much so that I think the car industry has gone backwards from the pinnacle of that car.

[@MrAndreCoutinho]

So good that they have even re-used it in the e36 compact.

[@shanehnorman]

@@lint8391 Prefer the E30 dash, but I bet the SAAB had better ergonomics. Beemers are notorious for poor switchgear placement, even poor design. I never cease to curse the push-button HVAC controls on my E46 and long for simple rotary controls that are easy to operate in the dark.

[@lint8391]

@@shanehnorman That's just it. Too many car companies prioritise the looks (and possibly lower manufacturing costs) over the ergonomics of their dashboards. Whereas with Saab it was a case of cashing in on their fighter jet credentials. Which just so happened to result in the best car dashboards ever.

[@ryanmccormick2150]

I love old Beemers but I can't stand the new stuff they produce! Cracking stuff as always buddy 👌

[@marial8235]

When they went to turbo everything I lost interest. My e30 and Z3 are fun, simple and reliable.

[@drewsimpson5967]

I recall Car magazine testing a 318is vs a 16v Golf. Unusually, they declared the winners as being the regular 318i and the 8valve Golf due to those cars being almost as good and much better value.

[@paultaylor9652]

My era of BMW, still one of the best looking 3 series. Great video Jack, looks quite small now.

[@glenbetton3146]

30+ years later and it still looks like the wonderfully proportioned, clean lined, pleasure to drive that BMW intended it to be. Mine was 138 zinnober red , sold it when I left the UK 30 years ago. Wouldn't go near the stuff BMW make these days.

[@neilturner6749]

Surprised Jack didn’t mention the key reason why the 318iS was built, and why it only had such a short production run, which was that it was a “homologation special” to meet the UK’s BTCC Super Touring rules which initially excluded 6 cylinder engines (a rule later changed to suit Ford) and required 2500 units to be built.

[@brianiswrong]

I also thought it was built for a purpose away from a road car, thank you for filling in the blanks in my mind.

[@berwhaletheavenger]

Nonsense! 😂The 318iS came about to fill the gap beneath the 325i Sport and take some Golf GTi sales. It proved a good test bed for when the M42 went into the upcoming E36. The E30 318is was never raced - the 1991 E36 version was built that was a very different car.........that used the S14 engine!

[@GoalSquad666]

This car is one of my regrets. I used to own one, bought it back in 2006 and had it till 2009, sold it for peanuts and the prices shortly after exploded - but that's not what I regret; I regret that I had to sell it, because I was broke at the moment. The car needed a big service, the chain was rattling and the valves were loud as well, especially when cold. I needed money, so I sold it for only £500 as it had no MOT. I did a few trips with it in Europe, visited multiple countries. On the small, winding b-roads it was a blast. Mine was black, it had the LSD and I run it on 16" Borbet T rims with Michelin tires. Damn, I miss that car.

[@nigelknight7798]

Great article as always Jack! A few things to add to this, The IS also had disc rear brakes which the other 4 cylinder cars didn't, and a 16 valve head with a cam chain where the other 4 cylinder cars at the time were belts, and was the most economical (apart from the diesels) . IS's also came standard with steel wheels and unique hub caps which have all but dissappeared. I believe that the engine originally produced 152bhp and 15% more torque but it would have made it virtually as quick as the 325i so was restricted to 136bhp and has a heavier flywheel than any of the others, all of this can be reversed and the steering rack from a Z3 or Z3M which has less turns lock to lock will bolt straight in and improve it somewhat. Another car which is worth a look and I think quite a bit cheaper is a E36 318Ti hatch which has the 140bhp 1.9litre version on what is at least partially an E30 chassis.

[@CosmicSeeker69]

brilliant info -

[@AlexisBracke]

An E30 318is is definitely much more fun to drive with a limited slip differential as opposed to with an open diff. Heck, same goes for a 316i . When the rear goes (and it will), it's much more fun and controllable. Vague steering feel in a straight line: probably needs fresh tie rods and / or steering rack. When buying one of these (as with many cars), important to replace most if not all of the suspension bushings to get a REAL feel of how great it drives. Pair that with Bilstein B8 dampers and Eibach springs and you're golden. When changing bushes, make sure to replace the centric 'hollow' bushings in the suspension triangles with eccentric, full ones from the E30 M3. This will up the caster, giving more negative camber when turning in. Creates the trademark sharp turn in that these E30's (can) have. Paired with the light aluminium M42 and it's near-perfect 52-48 weight distribution it's a real gem. MarkD chip adds 10HP = 146hp. When swapping out the diff for an LSD, you could opt for the S4.27 instead of the S4.10 (standard final drive ratio) to add some extra pep. As mentioned here, you can swap out the steering rack for one from an E36, reducing lock to lock from 4 turns to 3.5 IIRC. Z3 is even shorter, but much harder to come by. The M-Tech 1 steering wheel came in two sizes. 385mm across (most often specced) and a smaller 370mm version, the one to get IMO. The front lip is a must on these! In body color, of course.. If you find the gear throw too long, easy fix is to install a Z3 1.9 'shortshift'. While you're at it, make sure to replace all bushings to remove all slack from the gear shift.

[@stuart5107]

I'm lucky enough to own an e30 318is for the past eight years or so. I actually daily'd the car for the first five of the eight years. 50/50 weight distribution. Fresh bilistein suspension and a purple tag steering rack make it a very fun car to drive. Mine is black with fill tec2 kit. Stunning little car that I really don't think I'll ever sell. Puts a smile on your face every time you drive it. Thanks for the review.

[@monkeyeagle1921]

Thanks to homologation rules in South Africa we had 325iS with 2.7 litre motors (155kw from memory) and aluminium doors, bonnet and boot lid. They were very cool but driven very hard. I imagine very few still exist

[@danielbrown2715]

I cannot believe what you said about the steering!!!! I had a 318is back In 94-97 and the steering was utterly sublime! I've been on a mission ever since to find a car since with steering that good and have failed 😢 it was for me the greatest aspect of the car so i nearly fell off my seat when you said the opposite! Wow, different people different ways i guess .

[@blisterbrain]

It depends on what you're used to, what it's being compared to. Driving so many wonderful autos, he's probably a bit spoiled!

[@mick8473]

They are tiny cars now, not likely to find anything modern that steers the same.

[@ems7440]

Most of these cars have the Z3 rack swap and that is tighter than your first girlfriend

[@ems7440]

well mine is 😃

[@Elvis-dt4qs]

Even reviewers at the time said that the steering (without the power steering option) was awful. Maybe yours had power steering?

[@Yodagave]

The e30's reputation is well earned whether a 318, 325 or M3. Great cars - miss mine!

[@mikaeljakobsson8288]

I had a white 318iS. It was really fun to drive. Not as front heavy as the 6-cylinder. But it was scary on Swedish winter roads. I once experienced a spin at 110 km/h from the passenger seat. The car made a complete 360 turn in a straight line, luckily avoiding both oncoming traffic and the ditch.

[@marcelhandsome6042]

Have fond memories of this car I remember my friend at college had this back in 1996 and had so many rides in it three things in which the car excelled and stood out for me were the; dashboard Bauhaus design ergonomics and clarity, the build quality was outstanding E30, E34, E32 I think were the best in the industry at the time together with Mercedes! The chassis ride/handling dynamics were again exceptional probably the best in the industry. The E30 is one of those cars which you can't explain it's worth more than the sum of its parts! an enigma! The current 3 Series doesn't stand out of the crowd like the E30 did because the gap has narrowed between rivals.

[@stu4181]

My second car at 19 was one of these, absolutely loved it, was so much fun, back end would step out with a bit of provocation especially on the budget tyres it had on when I bought it. But it was so easy to catch. I’d love to drive one today and see what it feels like now things have moved on, as I may be looking back with rose tinted spectacles 😂

[@chrisreed3929]

When BMWs were built from granite and had a sexy front grill. Makes me rather wistful.

[@AnonymousAndy2]

I had a 1989 316i with the later engine producing 101 bhp back in 1990 & I loved it. Chipped it to get the extra 10 bhp taking it up to 111 bhp 😂. Put gas shocks on it & 15 inch BBS alloys & it was a great car to drive & to this date one of my favourite cars I’ve owned even if not the most exciting or fastest.

[@Eduardolo1964]

Your car reviews with these great classics are first class and I am always happy to see such cars. Back then I drove a VW Scirocco GTI with a great 110 hp engine. The E30 is really a masterpiece in terms of design and, in combination with the 6-cylinder in-line engine, an absolute dream.

[@chrispark4310]

Everything inside out was just perfect! Thanks for showing one!

[@williamgson4055]

I own one of these. In my opinion it's the best way to experience an E30

[@deliawolfe]

Currently humming along in my second 318is. Every time I think about selling it, I take it out - drive it around on some twisty Northern California roads - then put it back in the garage, Not for sale.

[@marks-the-spot]

That's a lovely car, Jack. It is often more satisfying to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow, especially on the street. There is a certain satisfaction to using all of a car's capabilities and the 318is was certainly built to do that. All I could afford in 1987 was a white Mk2 GTI 16V which only had 123HP here in the States and was somewhat limited by the FWD layout. Still it was huge fun to drive hard.

[@lint8391]

I think there's more satisfaction to be had from driving a reasonable economical, reasonably fast car slow. EG BMW 325D, 330D, 335D from about 2008 onwards.

[@Rookiereece]

​@@lint8391yeah but they sound crap

[@lint8391]

@@Rookiereece BMW 330D sounds fine to me. Pleasantly smooth and refined.

[@Rookiereece]

@@lint8391 Yes but it's not an exciting noise that you want others to hear, it's perfect if you want to blend in

[@lint8391]

@@Rookiereece Some people are into the Max Power type yoof modified exhaust sound. I'm not. None of my friends are neither. It's not so much about blending in as having a car that's not fatiguing. With it being fine to drive slow. And able to get a move-on on the rare moments when desired. With it not breaking the bank to buy and run. And BMW 318i's are nothing special in the sound department.

[@mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm420]

I think that lower black addendum to the front spoiler works really well. I normally hate anything done to cars after they have left the showroom but this is well considered. BMW got the M635CSi front spoiler wrong too.

[@markflyer]

I’ve owned 3 of these,fantastic cars. I fitted a Z3m steering rack to all of mine,transformed the car.

[@chrisgray4651]

My brother in law had one like this from new! He loved it.

[@markcompton6750]

I remember chasing one through the Gloucester hills in my Mk1 Golf GTI 1800, i could not keep up, but it was dry. Great memories Jack.

[@judih.8754]

Had a 1990 325i here in the US. I loved that car. Sold it for a 5 series wagon. I still miss it as it was tossable and so much fun to drive.

[@resnonverba137]

Yes... It's a bit like the day I went out to buy a 911 Turbo and came home with a Lada Simca...

[@oggie1967]

Ahh the memories! Had a bright red one back in the day & my goodness it would take a caning! Was my first “grown up” car and I loved it! Totally agree with the build quality of the cockpit, it was hewn from granite. Thanks for the memories Jack!👍😊

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

Allways a good day to see Jack and his cool cars !

[@simonread732]

Drove a brand new one in about 1990 it was lovely!

[@ba2724]

Just a tidy looking and fun car, I owned one for a bit, and enjoyed the drive. Thanks for the good vid, Jack.

[@roccoboy32]

Just sold mine after a dozen years of ownership. Wonderful, simple sports coupe. The steering rack was the one thing I didn't like with its 4 turns lock to lock. That M42 engine loved to live in the mid-range, tons of fun if you know how to work the gears.

[@rhettcorcoran2879]

A subtle looking BMW, that has aged well. Great video.

[@lrnasigo1]

You just brought back memories for me. Well done

[@fossilfish786]

I've had a e36 318is and it was so light and honestly a well balanced car, it being rear wheel drive to boot it was great. It's all about the lightness and all the kit the better cars had

[@adamfrancombe4577]

I test drove about 7 e30s when I was looking for mine and noticed that steering feel differed greatly between cars. Some felt very light with a large dead spot in the middle, they would also pull to the left or right sometimes depending on the road. The one I ended up buying feels totally different (it's still a stock rack), it's heavy but it feels alot more solid, nice connected feel. 30-40 years will take it's toll on these cars if they aren't looked after.

[@grahamsalmons2027]

I had one! I had a red one! It was a loner while my SRi 130 was being repaired. I loved it, absolutely adored it. The feeling of quality and the class it gave me as a young rep on the road made me feel a million dollars. It was the first of 10 BMWs I’ve had over the years.

[@scepticalwalker3984]

Brings back memories from my youth 😊. Owned a 1990 318is between 1995 and 1999. It was basically a more ‘sophisticated’ GTI. Everything I owned at the time fit in that trunk.

[@joebloggs4191]

Owned both back in the day, the 325i and the 318is both are fantastic cars although quite different. You are right the 318i due to the lighter front end steered a bit better.

[@garagecedric]

A couple of years ago these were very common here in Sweden as track and race cars, with some mods they could be very good for little money, at least back then.

[@arthurdardalis]

The 320is was for Greece/Portugal/Italy, great all round car. I had for a fair few years a 320i cabrio factory fitted with M-Technic suspension with Bilstein shock absorbers, 15” BBS, A/C, ABS etc. The comment on the springs is totally correct, the cars fitted with M-Technic suspension had the M3 springs and Bilsteins with different valving. The floor hinged accelerator is IDEALLY placed for heel & toe on every gear change, absolute perfection. Great video Jack

[@kungpuk5186]

320 was sold new in Sweden.

[@arthurdardalis]

@@kungpuk5186 320 or 320is?

[@kungpuk5186]

@@arthurdardalis Ahh, my bad i missed the S.

[@neilturner6749]

318iS was a homologation special made for the UKs 1990 onwards Super Touring BTCC rules.

[@thatdudeinorange5269]

Never understood the need for 'heel'n'toe' Doesnt the synchros work?

[@UtopiaRestorations]

Very much enjoyed this! We are picking up an E30 later this month 👀

[@alaricbragg7843]

Nice and simple car! Thank you for this video! 🙂

[@billyfrost]

A very fair review this Jack. My favourite ever E30 model, not at all fast but didn't feel too slow either. Cheap and cheerful back in the day. As someone else puts in the comments here the E36 318TI was a kind of spiritual successor to this model, albeit (imo) the E36-era build quality hasn't aged as well as E30s, although obviously rust is still rust!

[@jasonrivers7518]

A friend had one of these, personally I prefered my 323IS, which also came with BBS alloy wheels, here in Australia. Good video, mate, keep up the good work.

[@nearlythere9443]

Had a 320i in the 80's, loved it and keep looking at E30 convertibles.

[@sixtring73]

My friend owned 2 320iS' around 10 years ago and I can tell you they are serious machines! Left hand drive only, dogleg box, slip diff, throttle bodies, the lot! I'd love to see how much power they could make with modern management systems. As you say here, it's a stroked down M3 engine.

[@The9meister]

I had a near new grey metallic 318is in the 90's,, it had another spoiler above the boot lip spoiler, great car, felt like a quality car back then, classic.

[@drewwagar]

Back in the day this was supposed to be the "grown up" equivalent to the Mk2 Golf GTI 16v. It wasn't as fast or as practical though. The real step up from the Mk2 16v was the BMW 325i. I had the mk2 16v as a company car in the 1990s... my boss got the 325i - that's how the pecking order worked. :) The 318iS was ok, but never sold all that well.

[@MarkEardley1968]

I had one of these in the mid 90s…silver 4 door…great car!👍🏻

[@natjes6017]

My brother in-law had a red 318is, and it drove really well. Almost as good as my Saab 9-3 turbo. He drove it into the ground, which I always thought was a crying shame. Great choice of car for the video, really enjoyed it 😊

[@TheActionslaxx]

Had one of these and that looks like a lovely example

[@dinkyduffy4458]

Great video. Bringing back serious dad memories

[@Czechbound]

My dad has the earlier 318i. A coupe with full leather, sunroof, optional alloys, chrome bumpers and window surrounds. Apparently its "build sheet" is pretty unique. For the first 2 years of its life it was the car that the local BMW dealership owner's mother was driven around in. It's been garaged its whole life, and looks like new. He has the wheel arches replaced, and I couldn't tell where the old paint ended and the new paint began. It was a perfect repair. He tells me not a month goes by without someone approaching him and asking if its for sale. In the 35 years he's owned it, only he has driven it. I think it has 180,000 miles. He reckons its original 105 (?) bhp is now probably 90 bhp. Your description of that machine matches my experience as a passenger of how it handles and performs. And although as you say, on paper it's not a heavy car, no other car I've been in has doors that close like it. Bank vault build quality to my amateur experience. He's getting on in years, but it's his only car, so it's taken out at least once a week. He maintains it in as new condition, and that dealership loan him whatever special tools might required for certain jobs, on the proviso that he doesn't lose them 🙂

[@MrAarongilbey]

I had one of these E30 and then an E36, both 318iS and used not new to me. At the my E30 cost the same as mates were buying Escorts and Fiestas. Aside the usual consumables such as brakes, one set of tyres it only wanted for a new back box. Handling was good in the dry with that lighter 4 cylinder engine, but it was nippy bum time in icey weather! There was no traction or stability control back then and it was twitchy. Both cars really taught me to drive, respecting speed and road conditions.

[@macpdm]

Wanted an E30 325i sport. But couldn’t afford one. I found a G plate 318iS in red close to home and bought it. And it was superb. I changed the steering wheel for the later Mtec 2 wheel. Still regret selling it. And it was so happy to hang out its bang end very controllably. As I found out when making progress a little too keenly 😊

[@alexlang5649]

We had a 325iS and even a 333i in South Africa, although we never had the E30 M3.

[@CherylCold]

Back in 2000 we had an integrale and the lower e36 318ti sport compact. Ok it was not a 318is but probably quite similar to drive and loved it. Always feel the compact was an unsung hero.

[@rivaroci]

PU Bushings for the Swaybar help with the steering feel

[@3000FAst]

Great little car. Mate at college had one. Stuck a straight through exhaust induction kit and it was a proper fun little car. This white example is lovely. Needs a blaupunkt stereo but that's nit picking😅

[@pandc1000]

I used to have a red one back in the late 90’s, awesome wee car and was sideways everywhere

[@focusrssteve]

Went to test drive a 320 is in the very early 00's, but it had the same issue the m3 had only left hand drive, and I've never liked it, so I went for a alpina c2.7 great little weapon. Cheers for the memories.

[@lint8391]

In the late 1980's I bought an 8 year old Saab 900 Turbo. It had about 140 horsepower, an interior that was at least as nice as the BMW, a well sorted suspension, hugely comfortable seats and ergonomic controls, hatchback versatility and good reliability. The BMW would have the edge for being less understeery than the Saab and no turbo lag. But personally I think the Saab was the better car to own and use as a daily driver.

[@zacharymulcahy4821]

Great stuff I just started to fix the rust on my e30 88 325ix keep it going. I have way more rust than your but I'm gonna stick with it it's a great car

[@gazzafloss]

Nice one Jack, a great little drivers car from the days when BMW made good looking functional cars. My old boss had one of those back in the day, I used to enjoy driving it, sweet!

[@badgersalesman5595]

Literally had loads of them. Greatest BMW,s ever 318/320/323/325. They are amazing machines ❤❤

[@simonelliott5956]

Back in the late 80s and early 90s I used to install car audio, alarms, phones and trackers for a number of BMW dealers. I drove countless different E30s and the one that sticks out in my mind as special (except for the M3 which I dearly love) was the 318iS. It felt more responsive than the 6 cylinder cars and more light on its feet. I had an Alfa 75 Twinspark Veloce at the time and for a BMW of this era, the 318iS was more comparable in terms of throttle response and handling than any of the 6cylinder models, so it was the one I used to enjoy dropping back to the workshop the most.

[@jimdordan1794]

Nice video and nice car many years ago I had a bmw 318 fun car and now I have a wonderful 1997 328is and I love that car 🚗.

[@annewhistleketle6350]

I remember my dad bought one "new". Mauritius Blue, was a demo car, just few moths old from the dealer. New model 3 series engine in a outgoing model. Fun fact; we went on holiday to the UK with this car and did several B&B's, got a few owners going; "is that your BMW? Wow, great car!"

[@Tacko14]

4:50 I agree on the floor hinged pedals, I don’t like ‘em. The 930 in particular, where the hinges are quite a bit above floor level. Maybe it needs getting used to, but to me it felt like trying to aim your drink at your mouth while going over a speedbump. Yes you can, but it’s gonna be messy

[@stevesmith2214]

Have fond memories of an E30 325i company car, a door in white, But it was expensive after the extras were added ( it came with steel wheels then) only ABS was standard from memory. It was over £20K on the road in August '88, which was a lot of money! Good car though, had lots of fun in it.

[@NealyLL]

I had a 320i with that exact body kit . Tremendous car

[@canucklehead0]

I always liked the little 318is and the odd 320 you'd see here in North America but, of this lot there was another major contender for the small, great handling title, that of the Mercedes - Benz 190 ( in 2.3 or 2.5L guise). I had a 190 for a couple of years until we bought our 300e but it was the 2.6L inline six and the handling suffered having that big inline 6 lump over the front wheels. The 2.3 and 2.5 variants and the much adored Evo were really exceptional 80's cars. If you find an Evo especially you really have to nick the keys and go for romp down that lovely B-road you use in your tests. Between the 190 and the M3/320/318 the old Merc might just surprise you!! - Dave Great review as always, Jack!! I always look forward to your videos, always fun and informative, plus you feature some truly glorious pieces of machinery!! Please keep up the fine work you're doing!!

[@Number27]

190 2.3 16v Evo would be amazing.. but pricey I think 🤔.. thanks for watching buddy!

[@davidhayes4814]

I guess that the attraction of the E30 M3 is that it had stellar performance in its day and was the halo car. Other E30s, good though they were, had to find a place in the queue. Other cars have a similar mystique compared to their siblings. A Capri 3100 springs to mind

[@Stuart3162]

Always wanted one of these but sadly didn’t need one. Went straight for an E46 330 ci. Amazing car. Still admire these though very much.

[@josvandencamp8441]

I've owned a 318is for 8 years and covered 204000 kilometres. A great car. mine was in brilliant red.

[@stevec9704]

This imo as a BMW fan is the best model ever made for the general public. Less maintenance than an M car and more fun as a daily driver. Wish they still made them. Imagine, a current coupe the size weight and wheelbase as an E30 with todays B48 engine powering. Pure enjoyment

[@simewood2040]

Rock solid cars. This version strikes me as the successor to the 2002. Light. Not over-powered, but still quick.

[@olivers.6420]

I had a 318is with a limited slip diff which makes all the difference if you drive on wet roads, these BMWs are very loose on the rear in rain 🙂But a great car.

[@ICE-nl6zs]

Great vid. Come to South Africa and review the 325is

[@paulcavacuiti4176]

I owned three of these (two runners and a spares car) for a number of years but ended up having my main car stolen while at work and then an attempted theft of the back up car a few days later so ended up selling everything for something less appealing to the car thieves. Some parts specific to this model (like suspension) were difficult to source even fifteen plus years ago and you would often find a wide range of specs / optional extras fitted to different cars including manual or electric sunroofs, rear headrests and front fog lamps. Biggest issue I used to find was rust particularly around the sunroof drain pipe fittings but generally not bad cars even when used as daily drivers.

[@joaosabino2909]

In South Africa, a BMW fan created the 333! With a 3,3 straight 6 big block engine!

[@aussieausdeutschland4245]

Mate of mine has one of these, bloody great little car.

[@viriatvsoflvsitania5422]

I had the pleasure of driving both an M3 and a 320is a few years ago, from the private collection of a gent I know who has a small collection of BMWs. I actually preferred the 320is for some reason, they're exactly the same S14 engine, the 320is being the S14 B20 with 1990cc and the M3 with the S14 B23 and 2300cc. The power difference is only around 8 hp or so between them, but the 320is feels livelier and more revvy. 320is are quite rare and expensive, they're going for 35k to 55k now, and let's not talk about the M3 that is now a six digit car everywhere... Now, I never tried one of these 318is but I've heard nothing but good reviews about them . And values are not that bad, I see them poping every now and then under 20k. Great review, Jack. Cheers

[@robertlevasseur6843]

I owned one in the early 90s. One of my all time favorite cars. That is the car that taught me you don't need outrageous power if you've got light weight. It was so much fun to drive. Unfortunately, it was totaled when a truck rear-ended it in the rain. I am sure I would still have it today had that not happened.

[@TheFlyingBusman]

Given the M20 straight sixes were such glorious sounding things, I never cared much for 4 pot E30s but this one is an exception. The 318iS was a fun little thing but all the same, I do miss my old 325i with LSD.

[@bb5242]

The high revving M20 was special, hust so good

[@alchemyracing]

I love my 318i, while it is not fast in a straight line, we NEVER get passed on the corners at the track.

[@roelandzw1846]

I owned a lachsilber 316 (90hp carb). Bottlecap alloys, foglights in the front, black trunk spoiler and a revcounter in the dash. What do you need more? loved it to bits.

[@ralphhargesheimer1230]

I had a lot of BMW, but the car I liked most was my 323i, e 21 with Bilstein for me still the most fun car I have ever driven.

[@farkinarkin5099]

Used to drive one of these. What it lacked in torque and HP, it made up for with just pure driving fun. 😛

[@wokeybrokey8006]

Very pretty this and the E46 where my favourite shapes

[@James-cs2wi]

I had one of these BMW exactly the same colour as this and exactly the same year it's a 16 valve twin cam back in those days it was £35 for each hydraulic lifter 16 of them adds up to quite a lot of money 20 years ago also the rocker cover always has over tighten bolts and it needs to be helicoils not a particularly good engine and you need special timing pins to time it up my one had blue tartan interior

[@Iceeeen]

The chassi and swaybars are the same as a 325 mtech. It had the bigger 51mm front dampers from 325. m42 do need ecu tune to lift the revlimit and you raise the power quite a lot with one to. what I love most about the e30 is how amazingly well built they are. No rattles even when you are on a gravel road, little wind and road noise compared to anything else at the time and even some cars from this day even, and when you consider it was relased in 1983.. The only thing I miss in them in europe is that AC was so rare otherwise I would happily drive on daily today. Love how small it is compared to the stupid things they sell now.

[@skilgour44]

The 333i would be worth discussing in this video as well.

[@Assimilator1]

A beautiful little car, and you're right, I'd never heard of a 320 iS, but seeing it wasn't for the UK, no wonder! ;)

[@user-uj9ji2wp3b]

Bought one new in 1991. Loved it, but did have to change the profile gasket at around 50K miles and the A/C compressor & steering rack around 100K miles. Wish I still had it.