E30 Zone

Right. i've driven them all and owned a couple of 325s but now looking for a touring.

Is the 316 and 18 really not powerful enough, or are they fairly good all rounders. I've been told the 320 is sluggish and a heavy drinker, a 325 i know is lovely.

So basically wanted to know is the 316 and 318 model tourings any good? What about the 327? 2.7 alpina lump, is that much difference on the 325 lump in terms of power?

All information much appreciated lads and ladies.

if you buy a touring it will need to be a 2.5 any thing else will be to under poered to pull the weight of the car the 320 is usless mine was one for about 10 minutes and it was way to slow

Buy a late touring lux on a K or L plate, which will probably be a 316 or 318, since production of these continued for around a year after the 325, and several years after the 320. Rip out the M40 engine and box, and replace it with a M50B25Tu engine and box, and you will have an extremely nice motor vehicle!
All tourings use the same suspension and brakes, so no mods will be required here, other than to change the 4 pot front springs for higher rate 6 pot ones.
As a bonus, with the right company, it will be cheaper to insure than a M20B25 engined 325 touring.

the 316i and 318i arnt bad when there running right, a 318i has nearly the exact same preformance as a 320i with better fuel consumption so if yo uarnt fussed about the sound of a straight 6 then a 318i would be better than a 320i imo or you could get a 325i which is best of all

gutor har a green 318 tourer and during one of our zone meets convoy he was easily keeping up with the 325's. I would say no matter the body style the 318 and 325 are the best by a country mile

All tourings use the same suspension and brakes, so no mods will be required here

Brianmooore- are you saying 316,318 have the same brakes, i was under impression, that 316,318 have different brake system in the back compared to the 325's, and a few other difffrences...

Cheers lads, now its all about the sound, i'll have to go hear a 318, may be at ultimate bmw show.

As for engine conversions, i just want a reliable e30 to be honest, don't want to have the car off the road for a period of time... rather stick with the original lump. Just going to use it, and restore it really, with a few slight mods, all ready got the wheels ;)

I have a renault scenic which i use for most of lugging around and there is alot more room in it, the touring is just for when i need a little carrying space but the scenic has gone out. I just love the e30 shape...

So whats the insurance group difference between the 325 and 318?

@lowm3 318 is a group 13 and the 325 is a group 15 IIRC

@SHAKEELE30 all tourers 316/318/320/325 have discs all round and 51mm struts up front

Best engine for a Touring, fit an M60 with twin turbos....

Alex wrote:the 316i and 318i arnt bad when there running right, a 318i has nearly the exact same preformance as a 320i with better fuel consumption so if yo uarnt fussed about the sound of a straight 6 then a 318i would be better than a 320i imo or you could get a 325i which is best of all

Surely nobody chooses an E30 for decent fuel consumption. Yes a 318i is more economical than a 6 cylinder but by not nearly enough to make M40 power a consideration. 316i/318i's are OK but utterly ordinary and most are neglected, tappety, camshaft eating turds. A 320i is a far nicer drive and a 325i better still.

My advice? An E30 325i touring or an E36 328i touring.

I once had a 316i tourer and it was one of the worst cars I have ever had in terms of fuel consumption. It's like they're trying to be something they're not. My old 2.5D transit van was better, and that had all the crap of the world in the back and all my ladders on the roof.

i have had a 318 , 320 and a 325. The 320 was heavy and under powered. For an every day car i totally adored my old 318 , even on a car of 16 years old i was well into the 30's for the mpg. My 325 cab is a dream and is very easy drive as it has such a smooth power range which is great in traffic. A little thirsty but still better than the 320. Test drive both the 318 and 325.

Think i'll have a run in both, any one up for handing me their keys at ultimate bmw

As for an e36... its like the mk3 of the vw golfs, what was BMW thinking? I absolutely hate that dipped side skirt they have put on them. Its so wrong!!!

SHAKEELE30 wrote:

All tourings use the same suspension and brakes, so no mods will be required here

Brianmooore- are you saying 316,318 have the same brakes, i was under impression, that 316,318 have different brake system in the back compared to the 325's, and a few other difffrences...

ALL tourings have disc rear brakes....4 cylinder(M10,M40 engines) saloons have drum rear brakes.

I had a 318 touring for a couple of years and it was fine. I was lucky because I got one which had had all its remedial headwork done so it was quiet and smooth. It would get over the ton eventually and it was pretty nippy low down but I can't say it was impressive 50-80mph. Overall I'm much happier with my 325, but I wouldn't buy a frilly 325 over a sound rust free 318.

Thanks Morat, i would definately be looking for a well looked after model, else you always spending that money later on the car if its a little rough to begin i guess.

My 2p

I had a 318i touring, and it was very useable, plenty fast enough for me at the time (first car). I still have it, and I'm in the process of dropping the M42 from my iS in the thing (still can't afford 2.5 insurance). It should be still be quick enough to put a smile on my face.

So who's taking me for a spin at ultimate bmw ??

I've had my 316i touring for 5 years now and it's never let me down. Only done 89,000 from new and is on an 'L' plate. Personally, I love it.

Lowm3 wrote:So who's taking me for a spin at ultimate bmw ??

If your near Oxford i am happy to take you out in my 325i cab. I have the old 12vale type but i have recently spent over 2k on the engine. You should get a good impression of the smoothness.

Felix, cheers mate, i'll take you up on that just to be cheeky, i've had a couple of 325s. Just wondering what its like in a touring.

Don't forget that tourings have a slightly shorter diff...