E30 Zone

As you can see im very new to the forum, and i just got my E30 but there really doesnt seem to be a whole lot of love for the 320? is there any particular reason for this?

It's slow, sluggish and has the same drink problem as a 325

But i love my 320i

Most Common criticisms are that they are no faster than the 318i in the real world and much more thirsty, and that the same fuel consumption can be had from a 325i so you might as well buy one of those because they are quicker.

All of which is true - however the 320i is still a very nice car - they have arguably the best sound of any of the M20 engines and a good one will be super-smooth to drive.
I've had 2 and really liked them both.

Most people here seem to think that people buy E30s because they want to go fast. The 320 isn't a fast car but mine's been my daily drive for 8 years now and I'm more than happy with it.

320i's are sliiiiick... Regardless of what everyone says... Its for cruising, not for racing. Get some pictures up of your beauty!

Having owned both, I've had better fuel consumption from 325s than 320s. That makes the 2.5 option a no brainer, as long as you can afford the insurance.

I have a bronze, 4 door - 320i (some people are just unlucky)
But I would kill anyone who tried to take it away. I enjoy this car more than any other I have ever owned. I would never put a 325 lump in it and spoil it.
This is why I have gone staight to 2.7 with a 320i badge
If you have a 2.0L chip it - enjoy it - remember it is still an E30 and the smoothest of the bunch, be proud.

I've got a 320i, and tbh I'm loving it! Ok, the fuel economy isn't the best but I'm still getting 30mpg which isn't exactly shocking.

I have just had mine converted to a 2.5 but i had no real complaints about the 320, I ran with that for nearly 4 years. Was super smooth, made a great sound, just lacked a bit of power. They do get a bad press but i think that's a bit unfair really.

capri_rob wrote:they have arguably the best sound of any of the M20 engines

Ahhhh yeah.

The hate is banter.

I love my 320i (Slugbox) to pieces, buts its a propper, propper shitter.

As above the drink, they're slow, they're the rubbish baby six and so on. But, as above, they are silky smooth, lovely sound track, especially with an exhaust.

Theres a video on youtube with a fully rebuilt and tuned M20B20 and it sounds superb.

i think thats answered my question then...
I think a 325 lump is the way forward then...
its a 91 on a H and i will get sum pics up ASAP, what age 2.5 lump do i need to get? because its just a plug play job isnt it? or thats how they make it seem on the forum?

Love my 320i. It does drink alot and is slow but it's a nice place to be and my exhaust sounds lovely

Nothing wrong with the 320, as long as you love it as it is! It's the 'how do I get more power from my 320" threads that are pointless.

I had a 320i for 4 years , did have an auto more door but sold that to a friend, who's sister now has it on the Isle of Man (It's a Zinobar red one, D reg... if anyone sees it, take a pic! )

Admitely it wasn't the fastest thing in the world, but i did find a few things that did give it a bit more poke on the butt dyno..

Speedtouch 'Wild' chip, best £30 i've spent! smoothed out the delivery and gave it some extra revs.
ITG filter helps, but also saves you money (cleaning kit's not expensive and it's a once a year clean)

And a 6kg flywheel... which is now in a 318iS i believe... That made a LOT of difference

I bought a 320 convertible new in 1987. The point being that it was significantly cheaper than a 325 (318's weren't available then).

Silverfang wrote:I had a 320i for 4 years , did have an auto more door but sold that to a friend, who's sister now has it on the Isle of Man (It's a Zinobar red one, D reg... if anyone sees it, take a pic! )

Admitely it wasn't the fastest thing in the world, but i did find a few things that did give it a bit more poke on the butt dyno..

Speedtouch 'Wild' chip, best £30 i've spent! smoothed out the delivery and gave it some extra revs.
ITG filter helps, but also saves you money (cleaning kit's not expensive and it's a once a year clean)

And a 6kg flywheel... which is now in a 318iS i believe... That made a LOT of difference

I will be over to the Isle of Man in June, i will keep my eyes open for it

I have a btb and chip on my 320 and having paid £70 for it 3 years ago, I am very pleased with it.

I do agree with Mr Moooore as trying to make the 2litre something it isn't is pointless.
The mods on mine mean no more speed just better pulling and a smoother tick over.

I have a 320 and as they say fine for cruising, smooth with a nice sound.

Going to do a 2.7 though after the summer and try and match it with the correct diff - seems like a lot of the b20 parts are useful - bottom end, gearbox has good ratios etc

Nothing wrong with a 320i. My last one was a 320i and I loved it, until the rot did for it .

I'm picking up another one next Wednesday .

My fist E30 was a 320is. it cost me at the time about 1p a mile more to run than the X mrs P reg fiesta 1.4 . It was quite quick from what I rember it red lined at 7500 revs and I took it up to 130 before I bottled it. had it 6 months after passing my test. And kept it for 4 years with with no problems. it had a custom exhast fited wich sounded awlsome Really miss that car wish I had a photo of it 2 put up but the only things I got left is a copy of the log book

They're all good. Unless your a boy racer, a 6 pot 320i is just a nice car. Fair enough a 325 has more power, but what can you really do in a 325 nowadays that you cant in a 320, or for that matter a 318 or 316 even. All go 90 on a motorway without breaking sweat, all can leave a nice 11 shape if you floor it, and all will pottle on at 30 at about the same mpg I bet (does 3/4 mpg really matter that much when you have the car of your dreams)

The 6 pot sound is all that matters to me (no offence to 4 potters, I just prefer the sound - god I miss my 535 V8 soundtrack - i want it back now...)

As long as its clean and rust free, whatever you buy will be your baby

The only real problem with the 320 is that you can't brag about figures in the pub. There again, if you run a 325 you can't do that either because so many modern, relatively modest cars are more powerful. If you're into traffic light races, then you've got to have the bigger engine and will still be put to shame by a whole load of less interesting cars.

In real terms, there's not a great deal of difference apart from the 320 having the smoother engine and producing the best noise, although even that is argued by some 'haterz' on here. It's still a proper E30 and a proper 6 pot with a wonderful sound track. Great on windy roads (with a decent suspension set-up) and a lovely car to drive. In its day it was one of the best N/A 2L cars around. But that was over 20 years ago.

As for fuel costs, well if you're that worried you need to be looking at Korean crap and forget about E30s altogether.

tunnyx wrote:As long as its clean and rust free, whatever you buy will be your baby

Sums it all up really.

I honestly reckon that if you were to fit a mappable ignition system to a 320i, it would do the kinds of mpgs it should (i.e. more than a 325i)

If anybody wants to swap a 320i for a 325i with a busted engine and a Honda Civic I'm more than willing to put the point to the test!

the 320i was only made so the head could be used on a 2.7

and a 318 is could beat a "6 pot"