Digestible Collectible: 1991 BMW 318is

If there isn’t some sort of church-basement support group for unrepentant car shoppers and buyers, there should be, with stale coffee and plenty of doughnuts. I know there are thousands of us nationwide, eyes bleary from constantly refreshing eBay and Craigslist searches.

Those two are gateway drugs, certainly. The layout of eBay and Craigslist easily allow one to browse their listings like an automotive Silk Road until a car catches one’s eye, whereas places like Cars.com and Autotrader are for the hardcore junkie; the one who knows somewhat specifically what machines they choose to lust over.

I guess I’m the methadone user who is also selling the good stuff on the side: Obviously, I write about these classics a few times a week, pushing the product onto screens everywhere, but I barely have enough spare funds to shop the free section of Craigslist.

There are times, however, when the urge is overwhelming, and I begin looking at objects in the house that could be sold for quick “project-car” cash. What’s the going rate on cats, by the way?

This weekend I stumbled upon some old photographs from the days when I autocrossed my Miata. The photos that caught my eye, however, had me behind the wheel of a very different car: a BMW 3-series. I’d gotten to the venue early, as I was slated to work the waivers at the gate, but my car was not healthy. The clutch decided to crap out en route. After limping to the parking lot, I started begging for a co-drive. A friend let me turn some times in his E30, and I was hooked.

That car was a six-cylinder car, which I recall was a bit nose-heavy. For all but one year in the E30’s lifespan, the four-cylinder option was gutless (save, of course, for the almighty M3), but in 1991, BMW fitted the new M42 twin-cam four, which really livened up the car with power and better balance. Sport seats and suspension made the 140-horsepower 1991 BMW 318is a viable alternative to the 325i

I’d love to get some seat time again.

So I hit up Autotrader. This one isn’t too far away from me, and it looks nearly perfect save some wrinkled vinyl on the driver’s bolster. I love the later car’s smooth plastic bumpers and air dam; so much cleaner looking than the massive early aluminum bumpers. It’s been repainted, but the work looks well done. An asking price of $7,000 isn’t that much unless you are on a writer’s income, so I have no doubt this will find a good home soon.

Now, if you need me, I’ll be setting up the folding chairs and brewing some Maxwell House. All are welcome.