E30 Zone

Hi guys.
Was thinking of purchasing one of these before i bought my current car and decided against it (dont ask me why but i did)
I ended up buying a 1997 model seat ibiza GTI 2ltr 16v.
Now i dont drive like an idiot by any means but in certain circumstances i like having power too put down.
I cant get insured on a 325 which looks like it has the same sort of power as the ibiza but i can easily get insured on the 320.
Ive always wanted a RWD car hence wanting a e30 bmw.
Will i miss the extra power from my ibiza (pushes out 158bhp) orhaving a rwd car make up for that??
Is RWD that much different to drive from FWD??
Should i make the move or wait until i can get insured on the 325??
Thanks guys
Chris

well there is a major difference in driving a fwd to a rwd, and personally think you should stick out for 325 over a 320, if you like to have power....

as there is quite a bit of difference between them...

I will give you the short answer

NO

Long answer

Wait till you can get a 2.5 as you will end up regretting the day you got a 320i. A 320i sounds bloody brilliant and is a proper cruising engine but I am guessing your still fairly young and want a car with some life in it. I would say look at the 318is for some RWD thrills that will be cheap enough to insure.

if your young and dont want to pay high insurance prices, why not buy a 318is ???? the 318is has the m42 engine, which is a revvy 16v and when wound up they do go really well. but if you can, buy a 325i, thats if you can find a decent one

The Ibiza will feel like a bit of a weapon compared to the 320 I'm afraid, but the 320 does make a lovely noise.

Thats what i sort of thought.
I will hang out for 9 months until i am able to insure the 325 i think then.
What do you guys think my other options are for a RWD. Ideally i would like a 2ltr 16v or go to a 1.8turbo or somehting??
Thanks
Chris

mcchriswood wrote:Thats what i sort of thought.
I will hang out for 9 months until i am able to insure the 325 i think then.
What do you guys think my other options are for a RWD. Ideally i would like a 2ltr 16v or go to a 1.8turbo or somehting??
Thanks
Chris

do what felix has advised...get a 318is , its a lovely car/engine, drives superb and has good power, but also good fuel econemy, 325 will be juicy

also a nice 318is will be a good 1st rwd/e30 to own, getting you used to driving them, before getting a 325i when you can

If it were me and I was looking for another E30 I would buy on body work. Rust is the killer. A clean 325 is a rare beast. The 320 on the other hand are slow and thristy, but as lee said sounds the same as a 2.5 (lovely).
If you decide to keep the car. All you need to increase power is a motor. There is loads of different powerful BMW engines that will go in. (look in engine swaps section)

easiest is obviously the 325 m20b25 12v 171bhp. To fit this you need engine loom and ecu. 320 Out 325 in job done. Good M20's are hardish to find so my advice would be to 24v it when insurance allows

buy a rot free decent 320... run it for a year to get used to rwd driving.. then drop a b25 in it.. the 320 is a cruiser.. but when it comes to putting a b25 in its plug and play.. unlike the 318i.s... on that note its entirely your choice if you want to tell the insurance company about the b25 fitted.. at a glance the only visible difference is the shape of the inlet manifold.

Why can't you get insured on a 325i? I've always found insurance costs for the 320i and 325i to be practically identical.

i personly think you shud keep a car the car it is...is a 320 witha 325 engine in all fiddled about with, isnt as good as owning a 325i the way it should be and all original, more so as these e30s become more rare and sought after in the comming years

polsta wrote:i personly think you shud keep a car the car it is...is a 320 witha 325 engine in all fiddled about with, isnt as good as owning a 325i the way it should be and all original, more so as these e30s become more rare and sought after in the comming years

I'd much rather have solid 320 with a 2.5 in it (which I have) than a rusty heap of a 'proper' 325 (which I used to have). Plus I like the fact it says 320i on the boot when it isn't, sleepers are the way forward.

fully agree about the rust, but a nice non rusty 325 standard ad bmw intended, would be nicer to own than a 320 with a 325 engine

standard all original is theeee way forward

The 318iS and 325i have better suspension than all other saloon models, as well as rear discs.
So if you do buy a 320i with the intention of changing the lump for a 325 one in the future, you will need those bits if you want to do it properly.
318iS' may be insurable for you, but they generally (strangely ) seem more expensive than 325's to buy, something to bear in mind..

darkchild wrote:Why can't you get insured on a 325i? I've always found insurance costs for the 320i and 325i to be practically identical.

I can get insurance for an iS, a 320 coupe or a 325 touring for more or less the same money. A 320 convertible is a bit but not much more. A 325 coupe is nearly twice as much.

Doesn't make much sense, but it does make me quite tempted by a 325 touring sleeper. (With a 3.5 in maybe!!)

325 tourer then!

But what I really want is a (mumble-mumble) 318 convertible!

snakebrain wrote:But what I really want is a (mumble-mumble) 318 convertible!

Convertibles cost a load more to insure than saloons (double for me, all other things being equal!). I think the insurers see them as a theft magnet - cloth roof and 80s security makes for the most likely target in most car parks.

If your after a car with power that you can have some fun in they you dont want to buy a cabby, dont get me wrong there nice cars and i want to get one some day but only for summer time kicks and 2 door E30 will handle so much better than a cabby, even tourings handle better than a cabby.

If you dont want to wait then get your self a 318IS have around 138bhp in standard form and they can push 150bhp+ with a bit of light fettling plus they have much better suspension and brakes than your run of the mill E30

Also bear in mind that if your handy with the spanners or have a mate who is you can more or less drop any BMW engine of the same era right in so you could always get a 320 to start with and drop a 325 lump in when your ready.

Thanks guys. What are my other options for RWD cars??
Ive looked at mx5s and have ehard they are great cars but again they dont seem to bbe pushing the power my ibiza has
Thats aside im not mad on the design of them but i could live with that
Chris

just buy a 318is and when your ready (insurance wise) stick an m52 engine in it, instant 193 bhp

the 318is is almost perfect for the conversion because of the suspension, only things you will need to change is diff and springs

iirc the 318is gear box mates up to the m50/2 too

btw this is the e36 2.8 6 cyl engine, also the m50 is the e34/e36 2.5 m50 which produces 1bhp less but weighs loads more than the m52

e30s are good fun drivers cars get one now while you can

I have a MkI MX-5 at the moment - in terms of handling, it's far and away better than an e30, and the steering feel especially is sublime. They are bulletproof mechanically too, though the quality of the interior and the paint etc is frankly rubbish, and tbh have stopped me falling in love with it. They only really rust in the sills, forward of the rear wheels, so if its OK there then it should be pretty sound. Not quick in a straight line, but they're not really about that, and a lot of mechanical noise in the cockpit which can be wearing, particularly on motorways - I find myself dropping to 60mph sometimes just to have a rest from the din (4000rpm plus at 70mph with the engine in your lap and no sound-deadening to speak of!). Not really an everyday car, though much more fun at town speeds than a car has any right to be. Can be lethal in the wet on crap tyres, and heavy aftermarket wheels can ruin the handling - a lighter car needs low unprung weight to work acceptably. Plenty of mods out there for them if you want more pace and better looks, though there is a lot of aftermarket cheap tat to avoid too. Basically fun to drive, but not such a pleasure to own as an e30, and common as muck.

Frankly, if you want to go quick in a straight line, you don't want a standard car from the 80s - times have moved on in this respect.

ok here goes

if your after a rwd with power then the e30 really isnt an option unless your prepared to do an engine swap, 170bhp hardly blistering in todays world is it

if i was in your situation i would run the seat till next year

in the meantime i would track down a poor bodied e36 either 325 or 328 and strip it of all it useable bits for a conversion into an e30 shell as and when your insurer will allow the upgrade

325 m50 is 190bhp and i think a 328 is a touch over 200bhp still not blistering quick but better than a poxy m20b25 lump thats for sure and probably better on juice too

ps ignore all the purist bullshit about standard only blah blah blah unless your starting out with an absolute minter of a sport,alpina,hartge etc there is no point being so anal

snag on this site is that most will try to convince you the e30 is the only car you ever wanna own drive etc they are good fun yes but there is more to life,hybrid e30s are the future sod standard

The 170bhp may not be quick by todays standards, but compared to the standard E30 brakes and suspension it's 20bhp too much!

Try getting insurance for a 325i moredoor (4dr saloon) or touring (estate). It'll be worth it. If not, a 318is is a better car in nearly all respects than a 320i

The main difference with RWD is that stamping on the throttle mid corner is much more fun than in a FWD.

With only 50% of the weight on the driven wheels, not 60+% like a fwd car, you tend to get stuck on grass easily. . .

IMHO the 320i is not a worthy buy as they are too slow and too thirsty, best to stick with a 325i for the money.

I think it depends on whether you want something that will be quick as standard or something to use as a base for further modifications, while a 318is is better than 320i, and a better starting point if you are going down the road of m50/52 conversions, with the better brakes as standard etc a 318is can be quite expensive these days, where as a good 320i can be half the price, with the money you saved you can easily add rear discs and other things later, plus the late (89,90,91) SE spec 320i can have good specification and as an everyday car can be quite nice.

So if the 320i is rust free and has good spec, then I think it could be worth it, you will just have to do more work to get it to the spec you want, while you are waiting for you insurance to be ok with you driving around with an m50b28 under the hood you can be upgrading the brakes and suspension etc,

So it really depends on whether you think you can live with 129bhp (it will probably be less!) In the mean time, and as someone else already pointed out a 320i is not a bad place to start to get used to rwd.

There's not a lot wrong with a 320i (i've owned 3, and a 325i), but a 325i or 318iS is a better car in equivalent condition - because of this, they cost more to buy. All e30s are pretty much depreciation proof, so it doesn't really matter which variant you go for from that point of view, though my feeling is that convertible values are on the rise, certainly the best examples are commanding a real premium now. If your budget is sub-£1000 for example, a nice 325i 2-door or an iS is probably out of reach, but 325i 4-doors and tourings should be available and up together, and you'll get an absolute minter of a 316i/318i/320i with little effort.

If insurance is a problem, it pretty much has to be an iS IMO, but nice ones are few and far between for sale - you have to be prepared to pounce. I find a 6-pot and nce otriginal condition just makes the car for me though, hence the brown geriatric spec 320i in my sig, which I just wouldn't part with now.