E30 Auto Info Needed

[Bristolnate]

Hey guys,

Have the chance of getting a e30 320i but auto. Not my preffered choice but its a good price and i need to get rid of my car asap. Basically my question is, what are the auto's like? ive read somewhere they are tiptronic or something along those lines? Do they have a sport mode or can the limiter etc be removed as i dont want a car changing at 5grand everywher. Thanks

[casper8r]

Not tiptronic, just your good old fashioned auto. I'm not sure that all of them are switchable with S(ports) and E(conomy) modes, both of mine were, switching to S mode does make it hold onto gear for longer. 4 speeds, should be very reliable but changing the fluid wouldn't hurt.

I'm sure someone more technical will be along shortly

[DavieP]

If it's a 320i, chances are that it will be the non-switch-able gear box. If you want to hold it in gear, just keep your foot firmly planted and it will rev to 6K and beyond. Lift off ever-so-slightly and it will change up. Maximum power is at 6200 so no point in going much past that although it will do so willingly enough. As far as driving it is concerned, if you need to chivvy it along, a twitch of your right foot knocks it down a gear.

If you really want to give it some welly, push down hard to engage the kick-down switch right at the bottom of the pedal's travel (you'll feel it click) and it will immediately drop two gears with all hell breaking out. You're immediately into the power band and pulling very strongly. Great sensation and a wonderful howl from under the bonnet.

You can make these cars go at quite an impressive rate once you're used to driving them and they can really give the pugs, corsas and other chancers a hard time at the lights. Not that I indulge in such behaviour of course. However, as enjoyable as giving it the boot is, I suspect too much hard kick-down action too often might wear out the torque converter and/or the clutches. Oh a point to remember is that revving whilst in park or neutral is not a good idea (fooks the box), nor is it necessary. Just sit quietly and when it's time to move, plant your foot.

[George]

^^What he said.

Different gears engage at different speeds and you'll soon get used to which and when. With a bit of practice, the gentle lift off should see you changing gears when you want to.

If you've never driven an auto before you'll need to get used to the 'auto creep' both in forward and reverse gears.

[chris318i]

I find the non switchable auto box in my M40 very responsive, makes driving in traffic much more bearable

As said above, i doesn't hurt to change the fluid now and again.

[ali-vert]

this is good info, makes me want an auto more! i love driving a manual, but sometimes i just feel like an auto is needed.

[George]

The nature of the autobox suits the cabrio. Nice to cruise...

[ali-vert]

The nature of the autobox suits the cabrio. Nice to cruise...

this is what i was thinking!

any ideas on how hard a manual to auto swap is?

[George]

The nature of the autobox suits the cabrio. Nice to cruise...

this is what i was thinking!

any ideas on how hard a manual to auto swap is?

Been discussed a number of times in the technical section iirc, worth checking out if you're interested.

[DavieP]

I find the non switchable auto box in my M40 very responsive, makes driving in traffic much more bearable

As said above, i doesn't hurt to change the fluid now and again.

Having driven a switchable fairly recently, I'm not convinced it's a huge improvement and you can just as easily hold the revs with a standard (4sp.) auto box if you want to. Quite right about them being responsive, although that largely depends upon previous owners.

Manual boxes give disputably better performance and better mpg around town, but automatics really do take the pain out of driving in heavy traffic and that's more than enough reason for me liking them. With road congestion getting steadily worse, I can't see me going back to 'stick shift' in a hurry.