1992 BMW 318i Cabriolet (E30) |

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1992 BMW 318i Cabriolet (E30)

Sold Price

£7,950

Mileage~64,335 on clock
TransmissionManual
Engine1.8-litre
LocationChipping Norton

SOLD

1992 BMW 318i Cabriolet (E30)

I WANT ONE

Introduction

Glyn Parry

Professional Consigner

Timeless 90's styling and legendary engineering; the E30 is an ever popular classic.

The second generation of the 3 series, also known as the E30, launched in 1982 and remained in production until 1994. Automotive press from around the world praised BMW for its handling capabilities, rear-wheel drive and excellent chassis setup. The model range included various body types, this one being the very desirable and warmer weather ready, cabriolet. In 1987, a major update came to the E30 range, external styling changes included redesigned rear lights, front bumper, and a reduction of chrome trim, along with extended rust protection, increased interior cabin space, and improved suspension setup.

This E30 comes to the market from over ~31 years of ownership, having only covered under ~3,000 miles in the last 5 years - it also comes with a valid MOT until 14th April 2025.

This listing was written from information supplied by Glyn after meeting Mary the owner, and having visited and photographed the vehicle.

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Secure Auctions

We verify all our sellers and buyers to keep our community safe whilst also providing the highest levels of website security.

Full Transparency

8 out of 10 people that buy cars via our service don’t feel the need to visit due to the transparency and thoroughness of our listings.

Vehicle Delivery

We're there every step of your buying journey and will even arrange pick-up and delivery of your new vehicle.

Meet the owner

A lovely example of an E30 that has been well maintained, dry stored and truly cared for over the years.

We met with Terry, who is selling the car on behalf of his good friend and next-door neighbour, Mary. The car comes to market as Mary's husband passed away earlier this year and she now no longer drives the car.

Terry told us, "I have driven the car for around ~40 miles and it runs beautifully having started on the first turn of the key after standing for about 6 months. It's something that I would love to own myself but with limited garage space, this one can't be the one for me unfortunately!".

With the BMW being largely original, apart from a colour change, the 318i is a really lovely example of a classic E30. Terry went on to say, "The colour on the car is the only thing that has changed, I love the original spec and I know that Mary loves the car because of this as well. Mary had the colour changed on the BMW as the original red was fading slightly and she really wanted silver".

With relatively low mileage for its age, the car looks excellent inside and drives comfortably. Finally Terry said, "There haven't been any major repairs to the engine or body that I've seen, and I've known the car since Mary first purchased it. It's also been well looked after as long as it has always been garaged and well maintained".

Terry will be available to answer any questions about the car in the comments below.

Mary

Vehicle Owner

Mary saved £1,260* when they
sold their BMW with us.

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EXTERIOR VIDEO

Exterior

From its signature kidney grilles to its sporty silhouette, the exterior of the 318i exudes confidence and class.

Wheels and Tyres

The BMW is fitted with beautiful 15" multi-spoked alloys with BMW logo centre caps. The wheels look in good condition, but we did see signs of kerbing to the wheel edges with a mark noted to the offside rear alloy.

Fitted with Pirelli P6000's to the front and Uniroyal RainSport 3 to the rear, both sets showed a tyre spec of 205/55. The tyres appear to have a good amount of tread left, in line with the limited use of the car. There was a slight nick noted to the side of the front nearside tyre wall. For a more detailed view of the BMW's exterior and a closer inspection of the wheels and tyres, please refer to the photos and videos.

Bodywork

Looking over the BMW on our visit, the car maintains well-aligned panel gaps and all doors, bonnet and the boot open and close smoothly. The 318i has clearly been cared for through its ~31 year ownership.

We've highlighted our observations in more detail through our hi-resolution images and videos, so please take the time to look through all the media files for a detailed view of what’s on offer and to assess the condition of the car for yourselves.

Paint

Resprayed in a smart silver finish, the paint work looks good and is even in colour across the main bodywork panels overall. The colour was originally red and then changed to its current silver colour some years ago. There are still signs of the original 'BMW Brilliant Rot' paint through the car as the BMW didn't have a complete respray to all sections. This is most notable in the engine bay and roof storage sections.

There were signs of stone chipping to the exterior and a mark to the offside of the boot lip spoiler. On closer inspection, some of the paint finish on lower edges has started to show some signs of age and there were slight notes of the original colour still being present on some of the underside sections.

Again, we have taken high-resolution images and videos of the car for you to assess the condition of the bodywork and paint for yourselves. The images are taken from various angles to provide a comprehensive view of the car. Please take the time to fully assess these high-resolution images and videos to form your own opinion about the condition of the paint.

Glass and Trim

The glass on this 318i looked good and in line with the mileage and age, we didn't notice any major chips, cracks, or discolouration on our visit.

The door glass was etched with BMW suggesting they are original. The window seals look good too and in line with the rest of the condition of the car. The front and rear lights looked well-maintained. We didn't observe any cracks, chips, or scratches to these during our visit.

The cabriolet roof trim showed in good condition and had maintenance work carried out on it in August 2015.

Take a look through the exterior gallery and review video. We take you across all areas of the car as if you were standing there yourself. This way, you can see in greater detail how the car is presented.

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INTERIOR VIDEO

Interior

A modern and ergonomic interior from the '90s - dials and switches all within the driver's reach; everything has its place and purpose.

Seats and Carpets

The BMW is kitted out with grey checked cloth interior, overall the seats look great; we only noted slight wear to the driver's headrest but otherwise nothing concerning stood out. Seat backs looked great too.

The main carpet of the interior showed in a very good condition, looking underneath the mats showed the car had no concerns especially in the rear section. As the car hadn't been used for a while, a light clean up of the carpets would raise the standard even higher.

Over in the boot the carpet areas looked excellent with limited use noted.

We cover the cabin area of the E30 in further detail in our interior review video.

Dashboard

The dashboard is a simple, straight forward setup showing well for the age of the car and we noticed no scuffs or marks on the dash. The dash and instrument cluster are clean and smart, with all the numbers appearing clear and legible.

The odometer displayed ~64,335 miles at the time of our visit.

The dials, switches, and controls all appeared to be in excellent condition, with surfaces appearing free from fogging or scratching. Our interior gallery section offers a closer look at the BMW's dashboard.

Steering Wheel / Gear Stick

The original leather bound, 3 spoke steering wheel shows in a great condition without major wear, in line with the condition of the car. The 'M' emblem is in place on the wheel and the BMW badge show without wear or fade. The manual gear selector showed with a slight sign of wear to the outside edge although minimal issues were observed to the gaiter section.

We've captured high-resolution photos for you to review and appreciate the condition of the interior in our gallery section.

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'ON THE ROAD' VIDEO

Mechanics

Under the bonnet is a 1.8L, four-cylinder engine bringing ~111BHP driving the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission, an ever popular combination.

Engine and Gearbox

Starting up the car, we noted no concerns with the engine, and the car idled smoothly. Terry reports that the engine and gearbox are very smooth, as you would expect with everything working as it should.

We took the car out on some local roads with Terry, to get a better feel for what this vehicle is all about. During the drive, we went through the motions, shifting through the 5-speed manual gearbox, and seeing how the car performs.

It is worth noting that the exhaust system was highlighted as an advisory on the last MOT where there is a minor leak of exhaust gases - you can hear this in the cold start video.

Take a look at the mechanical video also, for a closer look underneath the BMW and an overview of the engine bay.

Suspension and Brakes

We noted no knocks, bangs, or issues from the suspension when we were on the road, and it gave us no concerns in its performance or handling. It is worth noting that the nearside and offside front shock absorbers were highlighted as an advisory on the last MOT due to a light misting of oil. The brakes felt nice and responsive, easily bringing the BMW to a stop.

We cover the underside of the car in our 'Mechanical Gallery' section. Head over to our video section, where we've summarised our visit in more detail for you to view for yourself. We take you around the mechanical elements of the car and give you an overview of what's on offer here.

The Drive

The BMW handles well going through the motions out on the road without complaint. The car is a relaxed and comfortable place to be with an inviting ride and balanced level of control.

Gear changes sounded slick and quiet with the steering precise and road-holding felt sure footed. Our on the road video gives an overview of the car on some local roads and how it performs whilst driving.

Electrics and Other

The car has an upgraded Sony CD player fitted with a 10 disc changer located in the boot. All switches, dials, and gauges appear undamaged and in great condition. We noted that in the boot section, the toolkit was also present in the pull down compartment. There is also a spare wheel and tyre located in the boot section.

The electric roof has some functional issues where the motor doesn't work as it once did, the dash area has had a new switch added to power the roof storage area. The roof will need to be manually retracted in order to fully stow the roof section. This didn't present too much of an issue.

Terry mentioned that he's seen no issues with the other electrical elements of the car and believes that everything should be working correctly to the best of his knowledge.

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History and Paperwork

BMW E30’s are getting harder to find with this level of standard. With ~25 years of current ownership and fewer than ~3,000 miles travelled in the last 5 years, this one has been well looked after.

A respray was carried out changing the finish from red to silver, recent works include replacement of the near frontside suspension arm and wheel alignment completed in April 2024 with a new battery being fitted in March 2024. The tyres were renewed in August 2019, its clutch slave cylinder renewed in July 2018 and a new battery and aux belt change in August 2017.

A new roll switch for the roof in September 2016 and a fuel leak repair in July 2016. In October 2015 the BMW had linkages, levers and body repair and painting completed and the cabriolet roof system had maintenance carried out in August 2015.

The 318i hasn't been used much in recent years with under ~1,000 miles covered in the last ~3.

Overall, it's a really lovely example of an E30, ready to be driven and enjoyed over the summer months ahead - the low reserve reflects the colour change of the car and inoperable electric hood.

The private registration number plate will be sold with the car as part of the final sale.

For a comprehensive look at the car's history and maintenance, please refer to the history and paperwork media, which includes previous MOT reports and service receipts.

We’ve done all our usual seller checks including photo ID, V5 and actioned a HPi check on the vehicle.

Should any questions be required, Terry would be happy to answer these in the 'ask the owner' section.

We've summarised our own view on the car based on information gained from the seller in the listing above, however, and as you can see, we go to great lengths to photograph and video the car in hi-resolution detail - this has been done for you to make your own assessment from the comfort of your sofa. So please sit back, have a cuppa and take your time to review everything on this listing in order to make your own assessment on the vehicle's condition. Viewings are also welcomed with all our listings, so please get in touch with us to arrange a suitable time - we just need to speak to you first and receive a valid photo ID before confirming.

If there's anything you're unsure about, no matter how small, then please first ask the owner in the comments area below before placing your bid/s, as bids can't be retracted and form a binding contract if you win the car - just like a traditional auction house.

Service History

Date	Type	Mileage
15.04.2024	MOT	64,286
22.06.2022	MOT	64,159
28.04.2021	MOT	63,667
05.08.2019	MOT	63,328
27.07.2018	MOT	62,757
07.08.2017	MOT	62,162
20.07.2017	Service & MOT	62,157
21.07.2016	Service	60,711
20.07.2016	MOT	60,711
05.08.2015	MOT	59,937
18.06.2014	MOT	59,218
26.06.2013	MOT	58,845
20.06.2012	MOT	58,033
22.06.2011	MOT	57,231
17.06.2010	Service	56,766
16.06.2010	MOT	56,766
17.06.2009	MOT	56,095
16.05.2008	MOT	55,363
10.05.2007	MOT	54,884
11.11.2004	Service	53,328
02.08.2001	Service	44,814
28.06.2000	Service	42,307
26.04.1999	Service	35,179
10.06.1997	Service	27,533
28.03.1996	Service	20,730
19.04.1995	Service & MOT	12,884
11.01.1993	Service	4,620
10.06.1992	Running In Inspection	1,855