1991 BMW 3 Series Consumer Discussions

BMW 3-Series Maintenance and Repair

Re: What oil consumption should I expect in the first 3000 miles [kominsky]

Written by: bhill2 on Nov 20, 2009 00:52 PM

Thanks, kominsky. I am a newby to this forum (1st BMW) and you saved me some searching. As luck would have it, in 1991 I bought an '85 Mercedes with 70,000 miles and was concerned when it burned oil at the rate of a quart every 3000 miles (i.e. it was down a quart at every oil change). 190,000 miles later it's still doing it. As long as it isn't a problem I am happy. Read More...

BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

Re: 3er for my son [erickpl]

Written by: roadburner on Dec 17, 2008 09:27 AM

Anybody have any input on performance of these 4cyls? I have experience with BMW's I-6 and V8, but not their 4 cylinder. How is acceleration? Longevity? That 318 has about 138k on it, so I have a concern for reliability. The M42/M44 engines produce @140 bhp stock. They develop most of their usable power above 3500 rpm so you have to shift accordingly. An E30 318is ... Read More...

Entry Level Luxury Performance Sedans

Re: LS400 / Q45 [habitat1]

Written by: fedlawman on Jan 09, 2008 04:27 PM

It's not just the luxury cars. The MSRP's of the 1991 Nissan 300ZX Turbo, Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4, and BMW M3 were all in the mid to upper $30K's. Considering that today, $35K buys a 300hp Subaru STi or BMW 135i, you can see just how exotically priced those early-90's halo cars truly were. On the other hand, I guess one has to consider the cost of the technology back ... Read More...

LS400 / Q45

Written by: habitat1 on Jan 09, 2008 03:54 PM

Back when the Lexus LS400 and Infiniti Q45 first came out, I was working for a Fortune 500 company and every other VP and SVP started looking at them. Some of it was the better price/value they offered, but at least as much of it was the fear of expensive repairs and maintenace headaches. Lexus gave very good luxury- albeit in a boring to drive chassis - with Toyota ... Read More...

BMW 3-Series - AWD or RWD?

Re: Speaking of AWD [circlew]

Written by: roadburner on Dec 12, 2007 08:49 AM

If I wanted a BMW track car, M3, please. A REAL -E30- M Drei, I'd hope... ;) And once again, I wouldn't rule out an E28 M5. Then again, as I mentioned in another topic- Some poor sod up the road from me has a 1991 318i four door for sale. The guy spent a ton of money(rebuilt engine, clutch, radiator, and so on) on and now wants to get out of. The guy isn't mechanically inclined, ... Read More...

BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

Re: E30s [sunilb]

Written by: roadburner on Dec 05, 2007 10:56 AM

So, I'm contemplating picking up an E30 (specifically a 318is)... anyone have any experiences with these? Anything I should look out for? Great cars. A LOT of BMW for the money. The M42 engine had a problem with what BMW calls the "profile gasket" , but any cars that suffered from than problem should have had the gasket replaced with the upgraded part years ago. ... Read More...

Article Comments - Comparison Test: 2007-2008 Sport Sedans

Re: CTS [circlew]

Written by: sevenfeet0 on Nov 28, 2007 11:04 AM

I would disagree. Cadillac was world class for much of its early life and certainly through the hey day years of the 20's and 30's where it was one of the marques you hired a custom coachbuilder to make you a unique vehicle. V12 and V16 engines were available. The 40's and 50's were highlighted by new and increasingly radical styling along with the first OHV engines. ... Read More...

Article Comments - BMW 328i vs. Volvo C70

Re: Which would YOU choose? [10scoachrick]

Written by: rschleicher on Oct 18, 2007 03:58 PM

We've had our 2007 C70 for 8 months or so, although we haven't put much miles on it. We've had zero problems so far. I had test driven the prev. model C70 during its last year of availability, and the new one definitely feels tighter, with far less cowl shake, etc. I can't comment on the issue of the leather wearing, although my impression is that the leather on the new ... Read More...

Volvo S40 vs BMW 3 Series

Re: sorry bmw [dhanley]

Written by: cubanomx on Jun 22, 2007 01:40 PM

As I say before, the Volvo name has become synonymous with strength and reliability. See this $81 million dollar Volvo Safety Center, the most technologically advanced crash-test facility in the world: http://www.driveandstayalive.com/info%20section/crash%20testing/crash-testing-centers_volvo.htm "Volvo's crash laboratory is the most advanced ... Read More...

Entry Level Luxury Performance Sedans

Re: All those names... [hauss]

Written by: shipo on Mar 11, 2007 07:31 PM

hauss, blueguydotcom is referring to the nomenclature for the specific BMW models. A quick cheat sheet (off the top of my head so may be off by a year here and there) is as follows: 3-Series: E30 -- 1983-1991 E36 -- 1991-1998 E46 -- 1999-2005 E90 -- 2006- (Coupe version called E92) 5-Series: E28 -- 1982-1988 E34 -- 1988-1996 E39 -- 1997-2003 E60 -- 2004- Options: ... Read More...