E30 Zone

Hi everyone, 1st post!

i have been looking around and have found this car for sale, what do you guys all think of it? is it diamond black? and its a 316i, is this a reliable engine?



Thanks alot!

Jack

Looks nice need to change them wheels though!! Some nice 14"or 15" BBS on there, whats the spec and price of the car?

316i is reliable, just comes down to how well maintained and serviced everything is.

same as above all depends on how i's been looked after check everywhere for rust don't be afraid to pull up carpets etc to have a look

nt sure on price yet, what would you say its worth?

apparently no rust, 1990, MOT July 08, 94k mileage.

some service history and old MOTs

yeh definitely would get new wheels lol!

i'd say expect to pay around the £500 mark depending on it's condition

£500 sounds about fair, and as above make sure you check everywhere for rust, the last thing you wanna do is pull up the carpets and have a nasty suprise!

check inside the rear wheel arches for rust. usual rust place.

if you can feel inside to the boot its bad.

looks clean from the little picture but give it a test drive as the 1.6 aint the fastest e30 but i good run around.


i really wanted a clean 3 door shell for my conversion that would have been perfect

Looks tidy enough from the photo but hard to say without seeing it in the metal. Nice low mileage and its always good to have some recent history. The 316i is powered by the M40 engine and is OK as far as an old 4 cylinder BMW engine goes. Most though sound a bit tappety by now. If theres no evidence of the cambelt being recently changed, make that your first priority. I had a 316i as my first E30 and, whilst it's never going to be a quick car, it was reasonably torquey. Economy was fantastic - 40mpg + on a run. A set of 15" BBS will finish it of nicely.

Welcome by the way!

how fast can i expect the car to be?

what is its bhp, top speed, rough 0-60 time?

I previously drove a 1.2 corsa, so i expect it to be faster, but want to know if the engine is still fairly strong.

thanks for the great replies!

expect top end of about 110

hugefoot wrote:how fast can i expect the car to be?

what is its bhp, top speed, rough 0-60 time?

I previously drove a 1.2 corsa, so i expect it to be faster, but want to know if the engine is still fairly strong.

thanks for the great replies!

102bhp at 5500rpm, torque 105 lb ft at 4250rpm. 0-60 is about 11-12 seconds. In all honesty, mine felt just as quick as the 320i I've got now, but the 320i has more power further up the rev range. If the engines been regularly serviced and well looked after it will see 250k with ease. My old 316i had 132000 on the clock when I sold it and still drove really well. A 316i is a good (and sensible) introduction to the delights of rear wheel drive.

It wont win much kudos at the traffic light GP, but will be a lovely car to smoke around town in. The engine will be strong, so long as it's properly maintained. A good motor to build up no claims in for a young driver. Kept well maintained, becomes an excellent donor car for a larger engine 3 years down the line.

Am I right in thinking that some 316i were single point injected 1.8s?

Rosc0PColtrane wrote:Am I right in thinking that some 316i were single point injected 1.8s?

M10 316 - 1766cc carb
M40 316i - 1596cc injection

IIRC there was a Euro only 316i based on the M10 with LE Jetronic.

a GOOD 316 IS A NICE CAR and goes ok but you must get a good one as most are past it now. the good news is really good ones of these are available under a grand. by good I mean lots of history especially recent bills and regular oil changes that are vital to these; authenticated mileage under 150k and no major rust look at arches,boot, behind number plate lights and sunroof. i really liked the one i had but don't expect it to be a cheap car to run as they will need regular attention.

Rosc0PColtrane wrote:It wont win much kudos at the traffic light GP, but will be a lovely car to smoke around town in. The engine will be strong, so long as it's properly maintained. A good motor to build up no claims in for a young driver. Kept well maintained, becomes an excellent donor car for a larger engine 3 years down the line.

Am I right in thinking that some 316i were single point injected 1.8s?

Well some 316s were definately 1.8s cause my Uncle had a pensioner spec 316 with a 1.8 in from the factory.

when you say regular attention, what do you mean?

it sounds like it could be the car for me! just need to sell mine 1st!

regular services etc general maintenance

darkchild wrote:

Rosc0PColtrane wrote:Am I right in thinking that some 316i were single point injected 1.8s?

M10 316 - 1766cc carb
M40 316i - 1596cc injection

IIRC there was a Euro only 316i based on the M10 with LE Jetronic.

correct. i have one

hugefoot wrote:when you say regular attention, what do you mean?

it sounds like it could be the car for me! just need to sell mine 1st!

None of the E30's I've had have been particularly expensive to run apart from regular servicing, tyres etc which is the same for any car. As long as its been well maintained throughout its life you should be OK. They start getting expensive if they've fell into the wrong hands and been run on a shoestring, not regularly serviced, badly modified etc.

The main thing to look for is rot as bodywork is expensive to put right. pnd mentions the main areas to look out for. Mechanically, they're quite a DIY friendly car and you'll find a load of assistance on here.

From the photo, yours looks a nice straight car. Fair enough its on steels, but this makes it appear to be an original and unmolested example. Full tool kit in the boot, glovebox torch, orginal number plates and service books etc all indicate a well cared for car. If you can, remove all the boot trim and have a good look round for any rot. Also, its well worth lifting up the rear carpets as they can often be hiding swimming pools under them!

The key to low running costs is to buy a good, original and well looked after car to start with. Its the ones that have been bodged that cost money to put right.

huge foot check out the insurance on a 316i, 318i and a 320i before you make the purchase just to see the diffrence as sometimes its not that much.

the 1.8 is only slightly faster than the 1.6 but its good to see the difference.

the 1.6 will be a good start to rear drive! you will notice the difference from the corsa its a totally different experience.

enjoy.

Never ever believe the 'no rust' quote, until you've had a look for yourself!

Simon wrote:Never ever believe the 'no rust' quote, until you've had a look for yourself!

and still dont believe it then lol


welcome to the zone and the joys of rear wheel drive