E30 Zone

Just going to throw is out there to all you guys that have the good old 325i sport either 1 or 2.
Whats so good about them?
I mean its just another E30 ok with a body kit and M tech suspension its got a different gearbox and a slightly lower diff compared to a standard 325 but what the big thing about them?
I mean the are not that quick, no quicker than a standard 325 in the real world and it would never compare in handling to an M3.
Before i get a good chewing ive had 3 sports and there are lovely cars but ive also had various M3´s including a Group N car and many Alpinas and ive had every sort of E30 including 4x4 and a diesel tourer!!!! so im a big fan and I should lol!!! know what im talking about.
Just input please guys on why the sport is so loved.

I've never owned a Sport, but I'm guessing it's just a kudos thing.
Some (who aren't members here) haven't got a clue and seem to think the engine's in a far higher state of tune.

like you say sports are not superior to a similarly equipped standard car in addition they tend to be heavy(compared with a standard car due to pointless extras like the body kit) also they have attracted a muppet following for some time and are therefore often abused. So what's so special about them? well its just down to name and image really i can't see why they command such a price premium but in the world of classic cars things don't make sense.(by the way i have owned good sports of both varieties)

Hi danny ,have you had a 320is , 325 sport with an m3 engine and steering wheel on the proper side , the REAL baby M3

It's just something about them, i'm not a huge e30 fan (ducks to dodge bottles, rocks, knives, bullets etc...) but the tec 2 sport, to me, is feckin georgous, ever since i saw my first sport i've wanted one.

Then there's the driving... bags of torque rwd and an lsd, you can drive if like your ass was on fire or just sit and cruse with the bird unlike some jap scrap where you need to rev the nuts off the engine to get anywhere and then the sound of the 6 pot, it's just and all round car, kinda

its a kudos thing of having the real one no a replica ( i was going to harch and say a fake sport)

i've has 4 over the years, but if i was going to but a 325i now i'd get a late spec SE one, and work with that as 80% of tech 1's are rusty and 80% of tech 2's are probably hanging

I guess its like the 535 sport. Its the most affordable quickest version of a road going car. The m3 is something truely special, as is the m5, but often out of the price range of the masses, and often regarded as a "race car" Whereas a 325sport or a 535sport are relatively cheap due to the fact they are literally slightly "sportier" versions of everyday 325's and 535's. So it makes them more accessable.

Am i going off on the right track here?

rob320is wrote:Hi danny ,have you had a 320is , 325 sport with an m3 engine and steering wheel on the proper side , the REAL baby M3

No i havent because i had a Cecotto so i didnt see the point quite a nice car but they dont all come with the sport kit ive seen them looking like normal E30´s

binxy69 wrote:I guess its like the 535 sport. Its the most affordable quickest version of a road going car. The m3 is something truely special, as is the m5, but often out of the price range of the masses, and often regarded as a "race car" Whereas a 325sport or a 535sport are relatively cheap due to the fact they are literally slightly "sportier" versions of everyday 325's and 535's. So it makes them more accessable.

Am i going off on the right track here?

Yeah think you may be right plus the parts are not as much as M3 parts i suppose thats half of it.

Just for example ive got a left hand drive car that was a normal 325 foor door from the factory but the owner when he ordered it had M tech interior and suspension put on it , no power steering,no air con, no electric windows its really light and even with the normal gearbox and diff its leaves sports for dead and the handling is the same if not a little better thats my main point lol

Well strip half the sound deadening out a 325se and it'll probably catch a sport lol

put a small case diff on a 325 and it will own a sport. Then break.

Sports are way over rated and hugely over priced for what they are. The only reason the price for them is so high is there are people out there stupid enough to pay 4k for a 325 with a kit.

The box is nice i must admit but like you say not worth the dosh

Yeah they do come with all the kit , full m tech 2 , leather, m tech suspension , LSD , dogleg box etc etc ......i personally havent seen one with out but im sure they may exist............ cecotto you say.....nice ride !

Yeah a mate had a 320is it was like you say a baby M3 but this one had no m tech kit, just looked like a standard E30

people pay 4k plus , for a sport 325 170bhp, im selling my 320is for £3995 2 dr all the MTECH 2 suspension & kit , leather , A/C ,192bhp superb handling , cheaper insurance than 325 and no interest , ( on pistonheads ) shameless plug !

They do look the b*llocks, especially in the right colours, my favourites are black and grey, but I wouldn't pay the extra dosh for a car that is ultimately the same as a standard car.

I'd go the SE route too, prob a Touring again for about £1000, £350 on Ebay for the kit, £400 ish for a diff, gearbox and recaro-style front seats, and for £1750 I could have a car that looks as good as a Sport, has more toys and goodies than a Sport, and is also more practical. Also, the Touring would probably handle better due to the extra weight over the back end (the M-tech suspension is standard on Tourings I believe...? Sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.)

I would love a genuine Sport, I've always drooled over Lisa's, but I'm far too tight to pay £3500 - £4000 for a car that I could 'build' for less than half that.

People love them for the look, the name, and also the fact they are fairly uncommon.

Only 2000 ever made, and only about 800 arround now (most hanging on by a thread), thats including tech 1's and 2's. People love them for the fact that they have a certain image, not a great image, but they are very distinctive.

As for making a replica, i did with a mint shell, and its not worth the effort and money. I will cost you sport money to make a replica.

I was really pleased when i bought my 325i sport, but then again i didnt pay the sport premium
I guess it depends what your after.

That iS looks lovely if it's this one Rob...

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/233913.htm

Nope touring didnt come with m tech suspension but they di do an m tech version quite rare tho
The only difference between the touring and the same engined car is the touring have stiffer and slight high rear springs but all the touring rear springs are the same regardless of engine

thats the one dude !

Thanks for that dannyboy. Sure I've heard a couple of people say it was the same suspension as the Mtech. Oh well...

are they not in a higher insurance bracket too ?

over rated, over priced and for a few extra grand you could buy an m3 !

Always the wa tho put gti or sport on the name and the insurance man is laughing lol

Mind you my M3 because it was an import, obvioulsy lhd and highly modified it was a group 20 H ooohhh but it wasnt too bad once i found someone who would insure it lol
but sports arnt worth the extra dosh over another 325

NO.......... cheaper than my 325 that i had before it ..... a few extra grand to buy a M3 you would need to part with 8-9 grand to buy an m3 in this condition , which is a lot of extra £Â£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£ for 10-15 bhp ,(Cams and remap 15bhp gain £600) and extortionate parts prices .... dont get me wrong i think E30 M3's are one of the greatest cars EVER made , but they out of reach of most ...

rob320is wrote:NO.......... cheaper than my 325 that i had before it ..... a few extra grand to buy a M3 you would need to part with 8-9 grand to buy an m3 in this condition , which is a lot of extra £Â£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£ for 10-15 bhp ,(Cams and remap 15bhp gain £600) and extortionate parts prices .... dont get me wrong i think E30 M3's are one of the greatest cars EVER made , but they out of reach of most ...

Very true but in the real world youd never get a sport to handle like an M3 unless youve got deep pockets but then again ive had 325´s sit up behind me on the autobahn and i was quite supprised.
but for day to day driving i use my 325 less to worry about than an M3 and if you clever and got the know how theres little things you can do to an M20B25 to make it run nice and in the real world its all about torque.

German cars have a 320is running on the 5 stud set up , he did tell me what he used , some sort of 5 series front i think and z3 rear , not a lot of £Â£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£ if you know where to look for it and how to fit it your self , as i never tracked mine i never felt the need .... i have a 205gti for that

dannyboy759 wrote:but sports arnt worth the extra dosh over another 325

In your opinion!

At the end of the day we are talking about 20 year old cars, none of them cost a lot of money!!

Sports are special coz you dont see many about, They look the business and have loads of torque and they are great to drive......Especially in the wet .......Oh and i forgot to mention the sound of them.

e36boy wrote:Sports are special coz you dont see many about, They look the business and have loads of torque and they are great to drive......Especially in the wet .......Oh and i forgot to mention the sound of them.

but any e30 is great( in my opinion better than some lesser later models

rob320is wrote:German cars have a 320is running on the 5 stud set up , he did tell me what he used , some sort of 5 series front i think and z3 rear , not a lot of £Â£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£ if you know where to look for it and how to fit it your self , as i never tracked mine i never felt the need .... i have a 205gti for that

The 320is was only sold in itzaly but a fair few have been imported to Germany and the running gear should always be 5 stud as it uses the same running gear as an M3

It was sold in italy and portugal actually , the standard wheels for these were 14"bbs , and they dont make them in 5 stud lol , the engine and transmission is the same along with the negative camber front end bushes , but just about every thing else is 325 sport

worth also noting that the 325 sport is only sold as a ''sport'' in uk(and Ireland?), its not an ''official'' BMW model, Basically BMW UK took the 325 and added the sport pack option and various interior options imported them and sold em as sports (Hence why they only came in limited colours for the Mk1), this leads the discussion as to what is a real sport which is a much hackneyed subject as there is no real answer, but what you really pay for is the LSD and CR box (if its a manual) and of course the bodykit, the shocks are different i know but likely to be knackered now anyway so aftermarket ones are likely to be in there anyway. There is no definate ''sport'' interior as some are leather some cloth,

here in the middle east all our E'30's are made (or assembled) in Japan, all ''sports'' here are autos but have the kit and LSD plus all are full option with OBC,AC elec windows and sunroof... does this make them Japanese sports? No. they are a 325 with the A/C box, Body kit, LSD, Swithcable Auto etc boxes ticked on the order form.

mrlee

yeah right rings a bell now lol just M3 engine and tranny and diff but 325 running gear

at least the 25% slip part isnt it a 3.46 diff

aint got a clue mate, i aint that bothered with all that technical info , i' m a chrysler jeep head technician ,all day long i deal with that kinda info , i just wanna have fun when im out of work.........all i know is that its bloody good fun LOL