Regular Car Reviews: 1991 BMW E30 318i

The BMW E30 is the prerequisite to "being a car guy" even more than the Mazda Miata MX5.

The M42 engine was not put into E30 sedans until 1991, although it did exist in E30 318is coupes. It was in every E36, so in a lot of ways my E30 is sort of unique.

This car is one of the few E30s to not have a sunroof. The point is most people weren't as cheap as the original owner who bought this car in 1991. In fact, This E30 only has one optional extra: a digital clock/temp gauge. That might have been standard in 1991. I'm not sure but it wasn't at the start of the E30. It is the cheapest E30 you could buy in 1991. The fact that it doesn't have a sunroof is sort of a subculture thing; I've heard them referred to as "slick tops".

This E30 is untouched in terms of performance; as slow as BMW wanted it to be. Lots of E30s are slammed or track-day focused, but mine is stock as a rock. Still great to drive.

Ask any E30 owner, maintenance is expensive and sucks. In a lot of ways, owning an E30 is like dating a super-expensive high-maintenance MILF who cheats on you and sometimes abuses you, but whom you live anyway.

[CarambleTV]

I once drove an E30 (325) with a million miles on it. It was basically stuck on a rolling road for years and used as a test car for Mobil 1. It still ran totally sweet and had an immaculate interior as basically it had never actually been driven by a person. Mobil 1 loaned it out as a demo to show how good their oil was, not sure how that was going to be a great demo but all I heard was 'Would you like an E30 for a week?'  YES. Hilariously the E30 had a low oil light up by the rear view mirror. I assumed it was just a broken sensor but it turned out to be correct and an oil company had given me a car with no oil.

[uuuu]

"what AMD is to building your first computer"
well that aged poorly
until it didn't

[victorkoroshilov]

why didn't "$12000 DOLLAR ENGINE REBUILD catch on? honestly my favorite regular quote

[alexgreen]

My friend has an '89 325i sitting on her driveway. She keeps saying she's going to restore it....and I'd love to see that. Bloody awesome cars.

[zedxrom]

"Miatas can be fixed with swear words" XD

[brencas]

My first motorcycle was a Ninja 250 and my first pc build was AMD....god damnit

[hduncan]

The entire beginning had me thinking of Brak. haha

[goldmegaman]

"The only difference is Miata's can be fixed with swear words" amazing line 😂

[splewy]

Also climbing on the cam brought back memories of the old DOHC VTEC Hondas. The power band was like "Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, still nothing, nothing, nothing, (VTEC) Oh damn, now it's finally making some pow-REV LIMITER".

[claudemountain]

"You have to take working on these things seriously." At this point in my time of owning an E30, I can say that half the things can be fixed with duct tape and spit and the other half can only be fixed by a steel pin you have to special order off the internet that takes a week to arrive.

[TyStelmach]

From working on my e28 (m20), if I learned anything about old BMWs, if there is any problem, it's an air leak. That sums up the whole experience. They are pretty simple cars, but their fuel to air ratio is very strict and can easily get thrown off.

[OddisProductions]

You nailed it!!! As a die hard E30 fan I laught so hard, it's like an echo of the BMW forums. Only one small detail you didn't get right. E30s DOES climb onto the cam especially the E30 325 with the M20 B25 engine. It kicks around 4k, but sure, not as "bad" as Honda VTECs. The e30 you drove with the DOHC M42 is probably the only engine that doesn't have a slight cam climb.

[Revitalyzed]

The first 30 seconds of the video was the best 30 seconds ever. Had to pause to video just to say that.

Also, did anyone else found Mr. Regular's voice deeper? I paused the video and compared his voice to an older video, and his voice sounds much deeper. 

[bravowhiskey]

Must have watched that intro 15 times
Still chuckle at "12, 000 dollar rebuild son!" part every time.

[lemonscented]

This video is 5 years old and still one of my favorites. Also one of the best intros. Something something engine rebuild...

[marcusmartinez]

My life is now complete. You reviewed an e30. The first 30 seconds had me dying

[daDIGITALfrk]

"Ask any E30 owner, maintenance is expensive and sucks. In a lot of ways, owning an E30 is like dating a super-expensive high-maintenance MILF who cheats on you and sometimes abuses you, but whom you live anyway." What are you giving the poor thing, all I've done is the clutch at 180, 000

[alexc]

This was the first Regular Car review I ever watched and I am so happy I discovered your channel since then. The writing, funny, edgy, and informative, as if South Park and Top Gear had a baby.

[claudemountain]

"You have to take working on these things seriously." They're pretty typical cars. Nothing so different compared to anything else.

[ELGlueckert]

Now do an E21, the most underrated 3 Series.