318 or 325

Fri Oct 10, 2008 1:15 pm

what is the best all round to have? i love 325s had plenty, but i'm considdering a 318 this time for the cheaper fuel etc. i'm just worried they will be too slow having never owned a 318 and dont want to be disssapointed. any help will be appreciated, thanks, andy

Fri Oct 10, 2008 1:17 pm

well worth using the search function for this one mate........horse....dead.....flogging.

325 FTW

Fri Oct 10, 2008 1:49 pm

"dissapointing" is definitly a word i would use to describe the basic 318. along with "boring" and "ultimately pointless"

The IS is marginally better but still nothing on the 325.

Can you afford an LPG conversion? i think that is a good way to good mpg's without losing out on the glory that is owning a 6cylinder BMW... after all, isnt it good knowing you are better than everyone else?

Fri Oct 10, 2008 2:13 pm

318 iS on lpg. Win win. Except for power

Fri Oct 10, 2008 3:48 pm

better than the rest.... hmmmmm i like the sound of that.... so, power + economy + good name = 325 lpg... nice one gibson, never would have thought of that. how much would i be looking at for an lpg conversion?

Fri Oct 10, 2008 4:05 pm

You can get plenty of pull out of 1.8is, But if you have had a 2.5 then you will feel like you are missing something.
(well you are)

Fri Oct 10, 2008 4:31 pm

AF5387 wrote:better than the rest.... hmmmmm i like the sound of that.... so, power + economy + good name = 325 lpg... nice one gibson, never would have thought of that. how much would i be looking at for an lpg conversion?

Big bucks (£1k plus) if you have it done professionally according to TBMW this month. You'd need to be doing a lot of miles to get it back going that way. However, have a nose through the technical and I think photo sections on here though for stories of others' diy gas conversions - Brianmoooooooore is a bona fide guru when it comes to this kind of caper.

Once in a blue moon a converted car comes up for sale too, there was a 4 door IIRC for sale on here about a month ago, could still be available.

Seems to me that if you can do the work yourself and plan on doing a few miles it can be a very cost effective way forward.

Fri Oct 10, 2008 6:30 pm

everyone knows the 318is is the baby m3.

Fri Oct 10, 2008 6:57 pm

fuzzy wrote:everyone knows the 318is is the baby m3.

Nah, M3's are crap compared to an iS!

Fri Oct 10, 2008 7:59 pm

GrindCulture wrote:
fuzzy wrote:everyone knows the 318is is the baby m3.
Nah, M3's are crap compared to an iS!

ano i mean why have reverse gear where first is

Sat Oct 11, 2008 9:27 am

djk wrote:
AF5387 wrote:better than the rest.... hmmmmm i like the sound of that.... so, power + economy + good name = 325 lpg... nice one gibson, never would have thought of that. how much would i be looking at for an lpg conversion?
Big bucks (£1k plus) if you have it done professionally according to TBMW this month. You'd need to be doing a lot of miles to get it back going that way. However, have a nose through the technical and I think photo sections on here though for stories of others' diy gas conversions - Brianmoooooooore is a bona fide guru when it comes to this kind of caper.

Once in a blue moon a converted car comes up for sale too, there was a 4 door IIRC for sale on here about a month ago, could still be available.

Seems to me that if you can do the work yourself and plan on doing a few miles it can be a very cost effective way forward.

Work out what you are spending on fuel. i know i spend over £200 a month and had been seriously considering LPG before i decided to sell up. im getting 21mpg on petrol (bit of a heavy foot) so if i could just get 40 or so on LPG the kit would pay for itself in under a year. (im talking comparitively in £s on petrol and LPG not actual MPG on LPG)

Sat Oct 11, 2008 9:54 am

Gibson wrote:"dissapointing" is definitly a word i would use to describe the basic 318. along with "boring" and "ultimately pointless"

The IS is marginally better but still nothing on the 325.

Can you afford an LPG conversion? i think that is a good way to good mpg's without losing out on the glory that is owning a 6cylinder BMW... after all, isnt it good knowing you are better than everyone else?

If you cant afford petrol anymore and you want to convert your E30 to LPG, I would recomend you to get an 318 or maybe take a brake....
In my eyes, to convert to LPG is to kill the car glory and orginality!

Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:07 am

325 12v are a poor show, you want a 24v.. owning a 12v means your really missing something

Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:12 am

78dude wrote: In my eyes, to convert to LPG is to kill the car glory and orginality!

How do you reckon that, then? Involves no modifications to the engine at all; just a few extra bits under the bonnet and boot. All totaly removable, if you should ever desire, apart from a few mounting holes.
Any modification which halves the running costs and doubles the engine life, is a good modification in my book!
Not to mention meeting the Kyoto CO2 reduction target in one!

Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:18 am

are thse diy able fits? i am quite competent with my spanners and always consider the work to be done (i have a good mechanic for stuff i cant do) and if the conversion is doable by me, its a justifiable option.

can you tell mea bit more about it? i have a 325.

Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:23 am

Brianmoooore wrote:halves the running costs and doubles the engine life

I have LPG in my van, and apparently it burns out the valves and increases engine wear. But if you say it's better in an E30, I'll put it on my mods and upgrades list. What's the reason behind it prolonging the life of the engine?

To go a little bit back on topic: 325.

Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:32 am

buy a rusty looking mk1 golf! i would still rather use the 325! 318??? not in this lifetime!

Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:33 am

Cloud wrote: I have LPG in my van, and apparently it burns out the valves

Is your van pre-war? Any modern engine is up to running on LPG

A 4 pot BMW just isnt a BMW IMO

Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:34 am

325 + LPG =

Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:38 am

my boss has lpg fitted to his 4.8 x5. he gets slightly less mpg on gas that he gets on petrol but at half the price its worthwhile.
i personally would entrust the fitting to an insured qualified installer rather than risking botching it myself. just in case.

Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:42 am

Cloud wrote: I have LPG in my van, and apparently it burns out the valves and increases engine wear......... What's the reason behind it prolonging the life of the engine?

Who told you that rubbish?? It's true that if you have an "accountant" designed engine, with valves made from marginal material (see: Ford), then valve recession may occur, but for any half decent engine, then it's all win!
Engine life is greatly increased because of no bore wash on cold engines, and almost no oil contamination with combustion products. If used exclusively on LPG, the oil comes out the same colour as it went in.

Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:45 am

Doe.s lpg elimnate oil changes then Brian, or cut down the frequency at least?.

Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:47 am

fuzzy wrote:my boss has lpg fitted to his 4.8 x5. he gets slightly less mpg on gas that he gets on petrol but at half the price its worthwhile.
............. just in case.

He gets less mpg on gas than petrol, because we normally buy fuel by volume. If you measure the mileage per unit weight of fuel, you will find that it is increased with LPG, because of the better efficiency.
Just in case of what??

Sat Oct 11, 2008 11:06 am

What's a reasonable total cost for all the parts needed for an lpg conversion on a m20 powered e30? Are they difficult to get running properly once fitted?

Sat Oct 11, 2008 11:23 am

I drive today an E34 Touring with an M60 under the hood, a much more fuel heavy car then a E30 325i! For me to fit in an LPG tank and do the mods to the engine so it can eat the gass is for me so wrong!
If I cant afford petrol anymore, I would replace it with an E30 318i Touring instead...

For me, I dont need a car with a big engine to have fun, the reason my I loved my 316i so much.... U can do 100mph on a motorway with an M40 easly

Sat Oct 11, 2008 12:23 pm

Brianmoooore wrote:Who told you that rubbish?? It's true that if you have an "accountant" designed engine, with valves made from marginal material (see: Ford), then valve recession may occur, but for any half decent engine, then it's all win!
Engine life is greatly increased because of no bore wash on cold engines, and almost no oil contamination with combustion products. If used exclusively on LPG, the oil comes out the same colour as it went in.

The *cough*Daihatsu*cough* dealer.

Thanks for explaining. I'd never considered LPG. But now, there's almost no way I wont do it.

Sat Oct 11, 2008 12:45 pm

The article in Total was quite good, but it was a more advanced system than an m20 actually needs. Also they said the benefits were only on large CC engines which is a bit wrong, well totally wrong. Unless they are talking about Non MPG benefits, as in you can now have the luxury of a 540 touring with the running costs of a 320, whereas my 318is only has the benefit of being a 318is but with the running costs of a modern diesel.

I reckon you'd make a saving of between 38-45% per tankful. That adds up pretty quick, you can't really ever get to the magic 50% at the moment due to the differentiation of the two fuel prices and the calagrific(spel?) valve of LPG.

Sat Oct 11, 2008 1:34 pm

gooner1 wrote:Doe.s lpg elimnate oil changes then Brian, or cut down the frequency at least?.

Another thread that's gone totaly O/T!
A few people have had an analysis done on their used oil, and, IIRC, the conclusion was that the change interval could be doubled, if using a decent oil.
The oil still 'wears out' in LPG engines, as the polymer chains get chopped up, so I'd advice normal oil change intervals, and reap the engine life benefit.

Sat Oct 11, 2008 4:37 pm

Brianmoooore wrote:Another thread that's gone totaly O/T!

They are much more fun that way Brian

Back on Topic. dont bother with a four cylinder

Sat Oct 11, 2008 5:15 pm

Sex with a man or sex with a woman, what would you chose?

Man sex = 4pots

Lady sex = 6 pots.

Sat Oct 11, 2008 6:11 pm

Rosc0PColtrane wrote:Sex with a man or sex with a woman, what would you chose?

Man sex = 4pots

Lady sex = 6 pots.

Sat Oct 11, 2008 8:14 pm

aceraf wrote:
Rosc0PColtrane wrote:Sex with a man or sex with a woman, what would you chose?

Man sex = 4pots

Lady sex = 6 pots.

4 Pot

"When you cant think of a better way to tell you parents your gay"

Sat Oct 11, 2008 9:42 pm

Jon_Bmw wrote:you can't really ever get to the magic 50% at the moment due to the differentiation of the two fuel prices and the calagrific(spel?) valve of LPG.

LPG where I buy it from is at its highest price of 49p, its been that much since July time and even when petrol was up to nearly £1.20 per litre
It first went up in March from 45p to 47p

4 pots are

Sat Oct 11, 2008 11:07 pm

You northern(well not really) bastards. In 'sunny' Salisbury its 57.9p.

The price of fuel has fallen, but I expect waitrose is still trying to make a killing on LPG(ie 57.9p a litre)

Sun Oct 12, 2008 12:02 am

i think both the 318 and 325 are brilliant cars and i still have fond memories of my 318 some 6 years after scrapping it.

Thing i would say is if you already had a 325 your going to hate being in a 318. Petrol is going down at a rapid rate as the market is falling for crude oil. As long as you don't drive like a muppet the 325 will be fine.