E30 Newbie..... After a touring, 325i its is!! Anyone?

[SamE30]

Hello

Im new to the e30 game although have had a soft spot for them for many years now.

I am after a Touring of some description.

My initial instinct was to look for a 325i as they are the most powerful and possibly highly specced? but it has occured to me that I maybe shouldnt dive straight in and perhaps I can get a cleaner 318 / 320 for the money. Also I guess the 325 is quite high on the old fuel consumption.

Have done some searches but just wanted to know what peoples experiences are as you lot are the experts.

I reckon I have got just under a grand to spend... would be preferably be looking at a dark blue / black one.

Are the 318's sluggish? ie will I get bored quickly
Are there advantages other than fuel consumption of the 320 over a 325
What Lsd's fit what and are they available
Spec levels?

All opinions and advice welcomed......



P.s. would i deally be looking for a pretty clean one rust wise... as im sure every man and his dog is!

Cheers

[fuzzy]

hi mate, welcome to the zone for a grand you will get a decent 325 but not 'mint'. tourings seem to be becoming more sought after these days as people are starting to realise tourings are much cooler does fuel economy bother you much?theres not much of a difference bertween the 320 and 325 in mpg but a big difference in performance.not sure if all 325 tourings came with factory lsd's or if they were an option .

[Simon13]

325 all the way, theres still plenty of good ones about for around a grand but don't expect a mint one in any engine size for that money

325's always have the best spec as they had alot options fitted as standard compared to the smaller engined cars

[dazleeds]

deffo 325

318 cant pull the touring they well slow

and 320 drinks like an alchy

so no contest

[kempo_perth]

iv got a 316 and as much as i love the car i really want a bigger engine in it wounld of thought the 1.8 would b very much better

[SamE30]

Ok so consensus so far is 325i.. thats what I was always thinking to be honest but after a brief scan of Ebay, Autotrader etc there seemed to few quite a few dogs about! Thought it might be better going for a lower spec version......... i imagine i will get bored fairly quickly though.

What sort of fuel consumption can you get if you are careful with th 2.5 engine?

Well keep em coming, opinions that is....

Have just seen that theres a load of people going to ACE tomorrow night! think im gonna pop down to get some inspiration!

cheers

[Cotty]

Ok so consensus so far is 325i..

Yep if you go for a smaller engine you will kick yourself. Just get a 2.5

What sort of fuel consumption can you get if you are careful with th 2.5 engine?

I dont do enough mileage to be botherd but last time I checked, bit of town driving then motorway, 300 mile round trip with blats up to 120 returned 27mpg, thats with an auto

[snoops]

deffo 325

318 cant pull the touring they well slow

and 320 drinks like an alchy

so no contest

+1!

[Jesus325iTouring]

deffo 325

318 cant pull the touring they well slow

and 320 drinks like an alchy

so no contest

+1!

+2!

Forget the 320,not only does it drink fuel,it's also considerably less powerful than the 325,however,if economy and regular light driving is your game you may as well go for a 318i.

My 325 is great on trips and returns good economy,even with caravans,trailers etc etc (30mpgish ),but local day to day driving it drinks it TBH

Good luck

PS,don't buy a Tourer with a tow bar,it will,if like mine,have done a lot of hard graft!

[RapidE30]

I've only had my 325i Tourer for a week, my first BMW as well, and all I can say is...... I wish I'd brought it years ago.
Such a hoot to drive, with what seems like never ending power, and handles extremely well (in the dry).

Mine cost me a grand, it's not mint but it's not a dog either...... go buy one, you won't regret it.

[E30BeemerLad]

personally I would be looking for a nice late 316 touring on a J to L reg, much better chance of getting a nice clean RUST FREE car as a base. All the other stuff can be swapped over in time.

If you plan on being in the E30 circle for a while you'll have a much better time getting the cleanest car you can find rather than a wankered 325

[SamE30]

personally I would be looking for a nice late 316 touring on a J to L reg, much better chance of getting a nice clean RUST FREE car as a base. All the other stuff can be swapped over in time.

If you plan on being in the E30 circle for a while you'll have a much better time getting the cleanest car you can find rather than a wankered 325

Yeah this was what I was thinking, but im sure i will get bored of the lack of power fairly quickly and although im fairly handy with some spanners, lack of experience and space means engine swaps arent really on the cards in the near future..

I am the kind of person though who will polish my car weekly and look at it lots and therefore bubbling arch patches etc will really get to me!

[ShineOn]

They are out there - I got my 325 Touring last month, 1990 with 61k on it. Its certainly not mint but its sound with no rust except a tiny bit on the tailgate and a stack of its complete service history.

I'm finding mixed driving is giving me 25-27mpg, I gave it a 400 mile round trip run last weekend and I got 33mpg sticking to a steady 75-80 on the motorway so I was pretty pleased with that. But I didn't buy this car for economy!

[SamE30]

Ok,

To be honest im not that bothered about fuel economy as will predominantly be a weekend, going out for a quick blat car, just as long as they dont use comedy amounts of fuel...

Any suggestions as to where to look for a tidy one obviously looking at autotrader, ebay, on here etc, but didnt know if there are any specialists or better places to look!

[327]

Bought my 325i touring about a month ago, not mint but pretty decent condition for the price. Totally happy with it. U are welcome to have a look around it at Aces tonight......its diamond black with 17' alloys.

[SamE30]

Lovely jubbly will do!

[Morat]

Did you miss this one?
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... ic&t=57809

[SamE30]

Only saw that yesterday ... pretty high mileage.
Isnt he breaking it now?

[Morat]

its not about mileage, its about condition. These cars will go to the moon and back with the correct maintenance. Call him, it might be worth a shot.

[SamE30]

What do we think about this?
am speaking to the guy now!!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1988-BMW-E30-325i ... dZViewItem

[Morat]

drive before you buy. Always. I didn't when I got mine off ebay and although I love my car - it cost me a hell of a lot more than I thought it would to get it up to spec.

[riklusby]

Look at the state of the roof lining and the load cover, looks like theres a serious leak in the roof somewhere, could be a lot of rust, i think i,d rather buy the one from Less2303 to be honest

[SamE30]

Good point! using my heart not my head at the moment!!! Its the seats that got me all excited!