320i SE or 318is?

[Jamsy]

hi,
ive always been after a 325i sport and considered it the best of the e30's with the power and the lsd etc.

however prices lately seem very expensive and i've been offered a 320i SE for £600 which seems quite nice and he says it has a LSD! (which is a big plus) but im not sure if it does. Did they come from bmw with a lsd or will it have been a mod?

Also, I have read that the 318is is becoming sought after. Are they better than the 320i SE? Also, did they come with a lsd?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[magpie]

some IS' came with lsd.well lsd was an option on all e30's apart from M,
a good IS will fetch around £1500,it will beat a 320 se
though that seems a good price with lsd.
the 320 uses the same juice if not a tad more than a 325i.
the IS is good economicaly.

i'm sure if i'm wrong on any of the above,we'll know soon.

[SamiS]

320's are the power of a 318 (not iS) and the fuel consumption of a 325.

The iS is a 1.8, but 16 valves, so quicker. Get a iS over a 320i without any questions!

[SUMPCRACKER]

I would be carefull of people selling E30s claiming LSD, they seem to think if it goes sideways then its got one.

If you have had a 325, you will never be happy with a 1.8/2.0 car - I know as I had the same problem.
Its worth waiting for a 325i, and they do go at £600 often.

[Dezzy]

Just an idea but the 320i manul with lsd is cheap if solid.
Get yourself a 2.5 m20 engine loom and ecu.
Swap engine and you have got yourself a nice 325i with lsd.
Loads of fun and cheap.

[darkchild]

The 320i isn't a bad car at all. The smoothest of all E30's with a lovely sound. They just lack a bit of low down torque so can be quite sluggish under 3K. With a 325i throttle body and a re-chip you can easily gain 10-15bhp.

A decent 318is is a nice car but the M42 engine is more fragile than the 6 cylinder M20. Fuel consumption is irrelevant IMO. Both are hardly impressive by modern standards. A 320i will return 25-30mpg and a 318is about 5mpg better. Yes, a 318is is quicker but both will get blown away by a diesel hatch nowadays.

I'd personally wait for a decent 325i SE or buy the 320i and get Spadge or somebody on here to perform an engine swap later on. If you want a 325i any other regular E30 is always going to be a compromise.

[SUMPCRACKER]

The 320i isn't a bad car at all. The smoothest of all E30's with a lovely sound. They just lack a bit of low down torque so can be quite sluggish under 3K. With a 325i throttle body and a re-chip you can easily gain 10-15bhp.

A decent 318is is a nice car but the M42 engine is more fragile than the 6 cylinder M20. Fuel consumption is irrelevant IMO. Both are hardly impressive by modern standards. A 320i will return 25-30mpg and a 318is about 5mpg better. Yes, a 318is is quicker but both will get blown away by a diesel hatch nowadays.

I'd personally wait for a decent 325i SE or buy the 320i and get Spadge or somebody on here to perform an engine swap later on. If you want a 325i any other regular E30 is always going to be a compromise.

Even a 325i is slow compared to modern diesels!

[darkchild]

Even a 325i is slow compared to modern diesels!

Aye, but a fair bit quicker than a iS or a 320i.

As the owner of an E30 320i and an E36 316i milkfloats seem quick to me.

[Morat]

LSD is a nice option but not really required for normal road driving. The only time I would really like one is in the snow! If you are a drifter, weld a standard diff. If you decide you really need an LSD, they do pop up on here regularly.
If I was being a cynic I'd say that a 320 really wouldn't take much advantage of an LSD anyway ;)

[magpie]

my IS isn't fragile at all.it's chipped and has a pan filter.
i've had no probs with mine it revs to 7000 rpm no probs.
i give it good oil every 3000 miles and it remains sweet
the 320 only has 45mm struts and rear drums.
the IS has 51 mm struts and rear discs sports seats etc.

[LeonNewton]

is FTW

[ImysE30]

320 if it was a cab or a touring, go for the IS

[Elecblondie]

my IS isn't fragile at all.it's chipped and has a pan filter.
i've had no probs with mine it revs to 7000 rpm no probs.
i give it good oil every 3000 miles and it remains sweet
the 320 only has 45mm struts and rear drums.
the IS has 51 mm struts and rear discs sports seats etc.

You haven't been running the IS for very long though.

[Felix79]

I owned a 320 for over a year and every day I was disapointed with it. They drink like Oliver Reid go like a Sloth on heroin and rob your wallet like a pic pocket in fuel coasts. 318 or 325 is the only option IMO.

[asmith88]

Even a 325i is slow compared to modern diesels!

Aye, but a fair bit quicker than a iS or a 320i.

As the owner of an E30 320i and an E36 316i milkfloats seem quick to me.

i think it depends what the diesel is..

go for the 318is imo a fantastic car

[magpie]

my IS isn't fragile at all.it's chipped and has a pan filter.
i've had no probs with mine it revs to 7000 rpm no probs.
i give it good oil every 3000 miles and it remains sweet
the 320 only has 45mm struts and rear drums.
the IS has 51 mm struts and rear discs sports seats etc.

You haven't been running the IS for very long though.

i wouldn't like to do 6 mths hard labour.
that's how long i've owned it.
i think that's long enough to make my assumptions.

[magpie]

I owned a 320 for over a year and every day I was disapointed with it. They drink like Oliver Reid go like a Sloth on heroin and rob your wallet like a pic pocket in fuel coasts. 318 or 325 is the only option IMO.

good man,tell it like it is.

[Elecblondie]

my IS isn't fragile at all.it's chipped and has a pan filter.
i've had no probs with mine it revs to 7000 rpm no probs.
i give it good oil every 3000 miles and it remains sweet
the 320 only has 45mm struts and rear drums.
the IS has 51 mm struts and rear discs sports seats etc.

You haven't been running the IS for very long though.

i wouldn't like to do 6 mths hard labour.
that's how long i've owned it.
i think that's long enough to make my assumptions.

That's probably fair but I've heard it's not fragile from people running them for years so that's got to be more impressive

[e30bmlover]

320 ftw!! with the option of chucking an engine that the i.s could never match... you would be a fool not to! and please dont listen to the remarks about the i.s's handling... give me a b25 with bilstein+eibach's and day of the week.

[magpie]

^

[robbo86]

As the owner of an E30 320i and an E36 316i milkfloats seem quick to me.

Its always been my dream to stick a v8 supercharged engine into a milkfloat, then embarrass people off the lights!

[Raw_Wheel_Drive]

320 ftw!! with the option of chucking an engine that the i.s could never match... you would be a fool not to! and please dont listen to the remarks about the i.s's handling... give me a b25 with bilstein+eibach's and day of the week.

Do this only if you still stand in awe of steam engines and ponies pulling coal etc etc.

However, if you enjoy living in the 21st century, take the iS.

Superior in every way.

[leeparkes]

Id choose the 318is over the 320i,fair enough the 320i sounds better but they are slugish compared to the 318is,i should know i had a traffic light grand prix in my 320i and the 318is put me in the weeds!

[Blitz]

318is vs 320i= 323i.

[capri_rob]

I'd take the 320i SE over the 318is every time. There are bargains out there at the moment if you're lucky ( Alex ) but a lot of 318is have been caned to within an inch of their lives - whereas a 320i SE would probably appeal more to shall we say the more mature driver.

Condition wise pound for pound you'll probably get a much better 320i SE than 318is for the same money - and if you can always upgrade the 320iSE to a 325i lump quite easily later on.

Oh and you'll have the right number of cylinders to start with....................................lights blue touch paper and stands well back

[Raw_Wheel_Drive]

I'd take the 320i SE over the 318is every time. There are bargains out there at the moment if you're lucky ( Alex ) but a lot of 318is have been caned to within an inch of their lives - whereas a 320i SE would probably appeal more to shall we say the more mature driver.

Condition wise pound for pound you'll probably get a much better 320i SE than 318is for the same money - and if you can always upgrade the 320iSE to a 325i lump quite easily later on.

Oh and you'll have the right number of cylinders to start with....................................lights blue touch paper and stands well back

So what you're saying is we should be looking for cars that have not been caned and try to get a good deal when doing so.

And using this logic the only answer is a 320i SE.

Genius.

[capri_rob]

You got that from what I said ? wow.

What I said was that for the same money ( i'e if you're on a fixed budget ) you'll get a better 320iSE than you will a 318is.

With the £600 mentioned in the original post he could probably get several other cars that would be quicker/better condition than a shagged 318is but that wasn't the question.

[darkchild]

Ignore Ratch - he thinks the M42 is state of the art.

[Raw_Wheel_Drive]

Compared to the M20 it's a holograph of an engine.

[capri_rob]

Compared to the M20 it's a holograph of an engine.

Holograph ???? Do you know what a holograph is ?

[capri_rob]

Ignore Ratch - he thinks the M42 is state of the art.

it was..........in 1989...........

[magpie]

if he's buying a car to maybe put a 325i in like most 6 pots are suggesting,
the IS again wins imo,already on sports suspension [standard]<rear discs,etc,etc, etc

[Alex]

i was thinking about getting a 320i but then my IS came up

i sometimes wish i had baught a 320i, if it aint got 6cyl its not a proper bmw (ex m3 )

[capri_rob]

i was thinking about getting a 320i but then my IS came up

i sometimes wish i had baught a 320i, if it aint got 6cyl its not a proper bmw (ex m3 )

It must have helped based on the condition you'rs is in though that you practically stole it from the previous owner

[Alex]

i was thinking about getting a 320i but then my IS came up

i sometimes wish i had baught a 320i, if it aint got 6cyl its not a proper bmw (ex m3 )

It must have helped based on the condition you'rs is in though that you practically stole it from the previous owner

he had no idea, iirc his advert was an old run about bmw, that could be worth in excess of 1k in a few years time

deffinitly stole it of him i even found loads of change in the ashtray