How does it feels to daily drive a 35 years old BMW E21 for 3 weeks after 2 years of restauration

I would like to apologize to the less lenient readers about my potential spelling mistakes : I am a simple french guy who was distracted during english lessons at school.

I bought this BMW E21 318i from 1982 nearly two years ago for 1200 € near Paris. She didn’t start and the cause was uncertain.
But too late, the blow of heart was there.
250 kilometers later, here I am with an old BMW who does not start in the basement of my parents. They were delighted.

I would spare you the superfluous details and the energy loss taken to know what was the cause of the non-starting of the car, but to make it simple, the car started after replacing the fuel distributor completely rusted inside with a new one (which only costs 1000 €).

But the little 1.8 4 cylinders M10 did not turn very well, so we also rebuilt the whole fuel circuit (fuel tank, fuel pump, injectors), all ignition (coil, distributor, beams), suspensions (shock absorbers , Springs, silent blocs), reconditioning the front brake calipers (change of discs and plates is expected within a few weeks), change of clutch transmitter/receiver, change of the 13’ original Alpina wheels by 15’ Rial with 4 new tires, and finally, engine/gearbox/differential oil change.

Now, we can begin to get to the heart of the matter: driving.
Insofar as the various mechanics were within a radius of 20 km, once the papers were in order, it was simple and not risky to bring them the car by road, cautiously, respecting more than reasonable the mechanics which is still waking up from 3 years of a deep sleep.

But since, my daily, a 1998 BMW E46 318i, has some electronic problems (central locking, electric windows, passenger airbag, air conditioning) and is in diagnostic at BMW Le Mans. So I have no choice but to drive a 1970s coupe everydays. And it’s not to displease me.

I live in Bordeaux, 450 km south from my parents. The grandmother, therefore, made her great baptism of fire to make this journey of six hours, and frankly, it was a magic mixture of absolute happiness and anxiety about what she might reserve for me as a surprise. The journey went smoothly, and 3 weeks later with more than 1000 km traveled, there is nothing to report except a few small leaks, like many grandmothers eventually.

As for impressions behind the steeringwheel, it is a bipolar car: it has everything from an old, but also everything from a modern car.
This is not easy to explain, but basically, the owners of 2002 consider it to be too modern, and the owners of E30 see it as a limp antiquity. In her comportement on the road, you feel much more things than in an E46 for example (steering, gearbox, chassis …) but I am still as surprised to see how well she behaves very well all along different types of journeys: comfort of the seats, noise in the cockpit, direction that does not float …
Even in the rain it turns out pretty serene. But I for the moment abstain from touching the accelerator in 2nd gear in a roundabout in rainy weather, it remains a car with a better weight/power ratio than my E46 318i (1030 kg-105 HP vs 1350 kg -118 HP) and a balance of the masses that we will define as “playful” with a very light rear train.

For a daily use, I notice especially its good quality of design and manufacturing for her age, everything falls under the hand, the boot/trunk is large, and the car does not heat even by 35 °C.
The negatives? A few bodywork defects (which will be fixed in September after a complete painting), the absence of air conditioning, an unassisted steering that allowed me to get back to sports, Pioneer speakers of only 2x15W, and an unfortunate tendency to make saucepan noises at 2200 rpm when decelerating under a tunnel. I’m joking, I love that last defect!

I delight in the warm, jealous, astonished or complicit glances that drivers or pedestrians throw me. Because I do not know why, but this first generation of 3 Series becomes rare and I can count on the fingers of a hand how many I have seen in recent years.

It is time to conclude by saying simply that in my eyes this car is a perfect balance between the authentic spirit of an unassisted car (with only one electronic element: the digital clock under the tachometer) and the beginnings of the comfort that we know today on any sedan or coupe we respect.

Driving pleasure is more intense in a car whose driving is not aseptised.

Thanks for reading, don’t hesitate to comment!

Alex.