The reason why this car cost more than the previous generation, is that it came with electronic fuel injection, a service indicator computer, electronic fuel economy gauge, digital clock, electric central locking, electric mirrors, power steering, a fully carpeted trunk, bigger tires, handling package suspension and a/c all as standard equipment in North America. The majority of vehicles at this time were still using carburetors and also most manufacturers were building vehicles with smaller engines as well, simply because the fuel crisis was still fresh in peoples minds. Where I live in the Pacific North West, it is rare not to see at least one E30 on the road a day, showing just how well these cars hold up over time. I feel that motorweek really didn't give this car the justice that it deserves. The E30 is one of the most ergonomic cars ever built. I have never driven a car with such good visibility either. Overall, this car is simply a pleasure to drive.

This was my 2nd car. I kept it from 1984 to 2000, when it finally died. Got me through college and most of med school.

These truly were the good old days, Great looking car, great size/ weight, form follow function, great visibility, manual transmission, real bumbers , no plastic engine parts, simple dash,easy to use, no computer screen cluttering the dash.

Got to say that Bmw and Porsches interior in the 80s looks very well build and sturdy.

I have a 1982 BMW E30 Coupe M10 manual with over 643400 Km. Still runs fine. 😊

This was streamlining in 1982..... By 1991 it was called a brick..... Still love it though. Good to see them new. Thanks for the videos....

I had one of these and it was the funnest car I've ever owned.

I had a great time driving my 1984 318i. Such a well balanced and nimble car.

10.5 seconds from 0-60mph is hardly slow in 1982, that is faster than many so called sporty cars built from that time frame.

This was my first car that I purchased over 12 years ago and it's still going strong. I've driven the 325i e30 and I prefer the 318i since it handles better because of it's lighter weight, so on curvy, twisty roads you can out perform and manoeuvre almost anything. I wouldn't change a thing on it, it's designed and engineered brilliantly! Also the start of production of these cars for the USA was May of 1982 so the title of this video makes sense. 318i forever!!

I had a 1984 BMW 318i in 1989. We bought it in Switzerland and imported it to Costa Rica, where we live. It had 22,000 Km and I loved it for the 128,000 Km that I had it in 4 years. It sold within a week. The engine was superior to the 1200 cc and 1600 cc cars found in my country. Fuel injection was complicated they didn’t know how to fix it. I became a mechanic for my own car and performed the tune ups myself with the help of a Bentley book and a Bosch Fuel Injection and Engine Management that demystified fuel injection! The dealer became also my friend! I drove it all over and it was a nice touring car! I still look for it in the streets of San José. However, I stoped seeing it about 5 years ago. Perhaps if I find it I might embark in rebuilding it like if it was a way to return back times of youthful driving in twisty mountainous roads of our country!

We used to call the E30 "The German Sentra"

The E30 will probably always be the first thing I think of when I hear the name "BMW".

My first BMW was an '84 318i. Great little cars. I prefer my '87 325is though.

Best looking beemers ever,still ahead of new cars today,strong engines,Brill handling and supremely comfortable,still a car to better today.a landmark car,buy one while they are still affordable classic.

The upcoming 6 cylinder 326e @5:00 lol

The E30. The last BMW worth owning. Before they started installing technology for technology's sake. No dipstick? Seriously?! Who the hell thought *that* was a good idea?

Maybe it's the american eye that sees things diffrent, but I see litle resemblance to average Japanees cars of those days. A Nissan Sunny or a Mitsubishi Galant looked far more blend then this. Time has proved anyway that this BMW styling has become classic, it was good looking back then and it still is looking today.

Is it just me or does John Davis sound more cheerful here than he does in most of the 1982-83 Motorweek videos?

Nice car back in the day. I'm looking forward to getting a 2 series eventually which seems to be the spiritual successor to this car.

This review was SAVAGE.

The central locking power door locks would freeze in the winter. I remember that I had to remember to not lock my doors in cold weather.

I bought an '87 325i for $300, drove it 9 years, probably the best deal I ever made in my life. That sold me on BMW. Now I got to get in my wife's 2003 325i and go to the bank and cash out my stimulus check... 😁

And yet GM thought they could compete with this by dressing up a Chevy Cavalier as a Caddy

Wow pretty nice overall package for only 82!

so it is possible for bronzitbeige to look nice! LOL the clearcoat on my '86 is long gone, but I still love the car =)

14" wheels? There's a counterargument to the bigger = better approach, as the current 330i comes with 18" wheels standard with 19's as a relatively cheap option. Nearly 40 years old, this car is still GORGEOUS. In spite of the reputation they have, BMW's, and German cars in general, will last forever if you know how to take care of them, replacing and maintaing whatever is necessary. Proactivity and prudence are key. One of the main reasons old 3 Series are so popular in enthusiast circles.

Love the speedgun.

I had a 85 325 and it was fun. Oh boy though the winter was scary

Still a good looking Beamer in 2019!

Love the E30 Bimmers

2:35 Cloud of smoke clears... "confident braking"!?

Pretty looking pile for the day

Isn't it a cute car? Yup!

Come on, it is the Ultimate Driving Machine and it is the best car on earth. Price does not matter, there is depreciation nowadays that make them slightly cheaper.

The best in its class.

3:40.......that is EXACTLY the same seat belt/key-in-ignition buzzer that my old Dodge Colt Vista had!!!!!!

10.5 second 0-60?! Thats insane. Cant see anyone beating that

the first batch of these came with a higher rear end ratio, they seemed to love flat out highway driving. you could pick them out by looking to see if the rear window opened as a vent, If it did not then it it an early car. it was a much better car than the 320

Why does the newer model have a lower model number?

Didn't know it briefly catches on fire upon hard braking.

I had a 1986 318i :)

BMW has been dominating this price bracket for literally two human generations. $60,000 car in 2022 is the same as $40,000 in 2002. Look back and it's the E46 330Ci. Look back another 20 to 1982 and you see the birth of the E30 with the 318i at around $20,000.

Test 31 mpg thats incredible

Eco car with sport carecter. E30 lover

SIEMPRE HAY A ALGUIEN QUE ENGAÑAR

E30 was the best BMW's ever made.

wait for the 96 328is ! OBD2 too !

What's a bemmer? Also what's a 326e?

Here's a MotorWeek Retro Review of the BMW E30 318i from 1984.

Would love the 318is model

UN ESPIRITU ES UNA ETERNIDAD

ALEGRIA INTERIOR DE VIVIR EN EL PLANETA TIERRA EL UNICO PLANETA QUE EXISTE ME QUEDAN 10 AÑOS MAS PARA PASARLO DE FIESTA

EL MAGNETISMO ARTIFICIAL

Wait...what??? 0-60 in 10.5 seconds in 1982 was slow? Motorweek was very biased against foreign cars back then. I remember plenty of 12 second plus American cars being described as "reasonably swift" or something like that.

In this episode the presenter mentions the previous 3 series, the E21. Is there a review on the E21?

ALEGRIA INTERIOR DE VIVIR EN EL PLANETA TIERRA EL UNICO PLANETA

10 años ETAMOS EN EL AÑO 1.002.020

FANTASMAS NO SICOLOGIA SI

2:28 Time to buy new tires...

These were like "German Nissan Sentra"...

Were those drum brakes on the rear?

the m10 1.8L motor Was Very reliable, being in production from 1966 to 1986, however was severly underpowered! the e30 which was slightly heavier than the previous E21 did NOT get a power increase. with an engine that only produced 80 Horsepower and a top speed of 100mph it was one of the least powerful modern BMWs procuced.

EL MAGNETISMO NATURAL FLAGELA

QUE LE GUSTE LA MUCHA PLATA AL SER HUMANO LO ENCUENTRO MUY BUENO

SIN MAS INTELIGENCIA NO HAY MAS IMVENTOS

HAY MUCHOS PERSEGUIDOS QUE CREEN QUE LA MAGIA EXISTE

under powered but you can fix anything on this car with spanners and screwdrivers, and the only electronic tool required is a draper reset

DESDE 1 A 4 MILLONES ESTA MUY BIEN AL MES 4 MILLONES ESTA MUY BIEN 1 ES LO BASICO

TODOS LOS PENSADORES DICEN QUE ES LO MEJOR PENSAR CREER EN UNO MISMO Y NO EN LOS DEMAS

CIENTIFICO Y EUROPEO JUNTOS NACIDOS EN EUROPA Y CAPOS CIENTIFICOS ENEMIGOS SI

NO AUTO JODERME DE QUE ESTOY LOCO

MAGIA ES CON ( ESPIRITU) = ETERNIDAS O CON EL SECRETO = UNIVERSO

They're ok.

LA UNICA FORMA DE QUE LOS HUMANOS PUEDAN IMVENTAR MAS HUEVADAS ES AUMENTANDO SU INTELIGENCIA A INFINITO

CALENTAMIENTO GLOBAL 6 GRADOS Y LISTO

LA TECNOLOGIA ES LLAMADA TECNOLOGIA GENIO ES LLAMADO GENIO

I always wanted this car.. to put a small block Chevy engine

SIN MAS INTELIGENCIA NO HAY MAS HUEADAS

JOSTIN SARA TODO CHILE ORGULLOSO DE MI

GRACIAS A DIOS QUE EL HOMBRE CONQUISTARA MILLONES DE GALAXIAS CON NAVES ULTRA RAPIDAS

Did this car really have drum brakes in the rear? On a BMW?

■■■■EL UNICO CAMINO ALEJARSE DE CARABINEROS

EN 100 AÑOS MAS NO PODRIAN EXISTIR 100 EEUU LA PLATA MUEBE AL MUNDO

John Davis sounds more peppy and upbeat here than he did in most of the 1982-83 Motorweek reviews.

■■■■ BUENOS AIRES ARGENTINA■■■■

I also thought the 320i was a better looking design

Amazing BMW used rear drums even in 1982. I had a 1990 Subaru legacy and it already had four wheel disc.

I bet the old engineers are rolling in their graves or their retirement homes to see the front wheel drive cars that BMW now makes.

The four cyls never made sense to me... I cant afford any mind.

¿QUE ES MAS LA PLATA O LA TECNOLOGIA? JAVIERA LA PLATA CON ESO TE DICE TODO

Argentina 2022

LOS NACIDOS EN AMERICA HISPANA Y BRASIL SOMOS INOCENTES ___ SOMOS LOS MEJORE___

■ TOMAR MENOS CERVEZA

AHORA 80 DESPUES 160 AÑO

ESTA PICADO

SIEMPRE MENTIR DIOS UNIVERSO TECNOLOGIA

SIN MAS INFINITA INTELIGENCIA NO HAH MAS IMVENTOS

La carrera en chile con mas demanda 2021 //__desarrollador de software

EL MEJOR NEGOCIO LOS AUTOS ES JIL HAY 4 MAS