E30 Zone

What's with this 318is and 325 sport stuff?
I've had two of each but I still don't know what all the fuss is about!
Is it because the IS has got the reputation of being a baby M3?
Which I might add it's got about as much in common with an M3 as it has a Merc SLR!!!
I'm not trying to start a feud here
Just not sure why everyone buzzes on about them, it's like a 325 sport, nice car but is it worth the premium above a normal 25 just for some plastic bits?
Not saying there's anything wrong with these two cars or that they are not worth the money but I could sit here and go on about S14 double over head cam rightness and how great M3´s are and to be fair no E30 is better than any other E30, 318is and 25 sport included, each one has its ups and downs, pros and cons the ONLY exception to the rule is the M3 because nearly every thing on it is bespoke, but that's another story.
It just seams to me that because of the reputation of the IS, the baby M3 myth, that it has been blown out of all proportion about what the car is.
It is a normal E30 ok its got Factory fit sports suspension and sports seats and a chain driven twin cam motor which even by BMW´s admission is not the best engine it has produced, but that's were it ends everything else is boggo E30.
Like I said im not starting a feud, just a debate about E30´s in general but just getting a little bit tired of having 318is´s are the dogs and having it stuffed down the throat of everyone who asks about which E30 to drive, by possibly people who have only ever had that E30.
Like I said its not a good slagging for IS and sport owners lol because they are both cracking cars, just wanted to start a debate about the good old sport and IS, whether you've own one, owned one or want one, would like your views.

People always want ultimates in their "classics". When they were new a Sierra XR4x4 wasn't that much cheaper or that much slower than a Cossie. Today the Cossie is woth ten grand and the 4x4 ten pee. People dreamed of 325 Sports not the virtually the same 325 with some options. That explains the sport issue to me. IS? not so sure.

This one has been done to death

Pal

I've own both the regular 318i and iS and there is no comparison between them. The engine and suspension is where the difference really is. I fitted sports seats to my i and I prefer them yes, but the m42, at least when compared to the m40, is a cracking engine and the sport suspension vs. stock is also a big improvement.

its an age old argument that will always exist, and based on an individuals personal taste and preference.

one is not better than the other there is no winner

you tell me which is better, golf MK1 or MK2 , 16v or 8v or G60 ??

you can not, all you can say is which one you prefer and why.

my view on the IS and sport and M3 are my views, i know what i like about each one and i dont care what others opinions are

i think you have to remember that the m3 is pretty much the top of the food chain and as such commands a fairly steep price which some might also consider over inflated. the great thing about e30`s is that there is one to suit every budget but the is, sport and m3 are just that little bit special by varying degrees.

i chose a sport as i think they look impressive AND have a six pot, i know the four pots handle better and the kit weighs a ton blah blah blah but i love the sound of the six, especially with its btb enhancement and the car just looks good.

had the m3 been fitted with a six pot and had the steering wheel on the correct side i would have one in my drive right now but there would be plenty of people who wouldnt get what all the fuss is about. its all horses for courses.

This one has been done to death

Sorry must of been out that day

In all fairness, there's plenty of peeps who will say, that this particular e30, is better than that one and so on. In my eyes, all e30's are iconic now and in demand, in some shape or form.

It's just a ego trip for the losers who want to say, my one's better than your's....there's plenty of cars out their, better than the e30, as much as I love them myself.

Pal

dannyboy759 wrote:

This one has been done to death

Sorry must of been out that day

Before your time kid

Pal

In all fairness, there's plenty of peeps who will say, that this particular e30, is better than that one and so on. In my eyes, all e30's are iconic now and in demand, in some shape or form.

It's just a ego trip for the losers who want to say, my one's better than your's....there's plenty of cars out their, better than the e30, as much as I love them myself.

Know what you mean

As they say... if your going to do it wrong do it right. The past month my sport has cost me £Â£Ã‚£Ã‚£ to get mechanically perfect as it needed a little tlc. Now its done it drives like a new car. Many of time i have questioned my sanity but at the end of the day i'd rather drive this 'old square box' instead of any of the new crap being sold to us these days. Basically if my car was only a boggo standard E30 it probably would have ended up as scrap metal but because it is a 'genuine' sport it seemed well worth putting right. At the end of the day the Sport was only a model below the M3 back in the day if excluding Hartge and Alpina conversions, so a genuine sport in my book is always worth saving.

sports look cool, in my eyes as a road car they look better than the m3 which tends to end up lookin a bit silly with huge arches and little wheels

iS looks understated and great too, simple clean lines

as for driving they are all different

I have an M3 and is.. I am not keen on the 6 pots they feel too heavy and feel far too crude.

The M3 is special in a unique way over them all and it wouldnt be right with a 6 pot or rhd.. just wrong plain wrong!
The is handles really well and is nippy for a 1.8 16v.

You say the m42 isnt the best engine and BMW say so themselves.. based on the m40 with a twin cam head something is right as the basics of the m40 still exist in the e46 of sorts just upgraded bits over the years and the 320si uses a twin cam version pushing out 190bhp was it? they must have done something right for it's basics to remain!!

Before your time kid

Sorry Grandad

Bob_S wrote:I have an M3 and is.. I am not keen on the 6 pots they feel too heavy and feel far too crude.

The M3 is special in a unique way over them all and it wouldnt be right with a 6 pot or rhd.. just wrong plain wrong!
The is handles really well and is nippy for a 1.8 16v.

You say the m42 isnt the best engine and BMW say so themselves.. based on the m40 with a twin cam head something is right as the basics of the m40 still exist in the e46 of sorts just upgraded bits over the years and the 320si uses a twin cam version pushing out 190bhp was it? they must have done something right for it's basics to remain!!

bob nothing wrong with a rhd one using an e36 rack is there,,,,, if anyone complains of brake pedal feel loss they need a slap

just to piss u iS and m3 boys off mine is an iS shell, m3 running gear, big six lol

At least it's a proper big 6.

The S14 wouldn't be around without the S38 in all fairness.

m3 in this day and age needs some more go.....would love to go in a tuned s14 engined car or even own one someday. 350bhp s14 in a stripped m3 shell 10,000rpm woohoo

makes the whole M3 thing to me karan personal thing really makes ring trips easier as long as you remember that white line on left and not the curb lol!

The S14 wouldn't be around without the S38 in all fairness.

Dont you mean the M88?
Plus its got a lot in common with the M10

dannyboy759 wrote:

The S14 wouldn't be around without the S38 in all fairness.

Dont you mean the M88?
Plus its got a lot in common with the M10

Same difference, the M88 was 3.5 then the S38 was 3.6/3.8.
The S14 is based on the M10 block but they aren't both the exact same.

Pedantic bastard.

Karan - I really do like the sound of that. Although 10,000rpm will need extensive rebuilds!

all bmws should make a nice noise so its 6 pots for me

i would rather buy a a nice 325i se than a sport as all your doing is paying a few grand

extra for a bodykit etc which has rust underneath it.

as for the 318is its 4 pot wrongness so no noise and they look like any other e30

so yet again nothing special there imo.

rebelcruiser wrote:all bmws should make a nice noise so its 6 pots for me

i would rather buy a a nice 325i se than a sport as all your doing is paying a few grand

extra for a bodykit etc which has rust underneath it.

as for the 318is its 4 pot wrongness so no noise and they look like any other e30

so yet again nothing special there imo.

hit the nail on the head mate

I have an M3 and is.. I am not keen on the 6 pots they feel too heavy and feel far too crude.

The M3 is special in a unique way over them all and it wouldnt be right with a 6 pot or rhd.. just wrong plain wrong!
The is handles really well and is nippy for a 1.8 16v.

I have had both and i can see what people see in the IS but you dont get guys going on about "2.3 16v twin cam chain driven s14 rightness" do you!, and even if you did the fair enough the M3 is a lovely car where as an IS is a E30 with a twin cam, chain driven motor and thats where the simularity with the M3 ends, its chain driven, so whats all the fuss?
Ok they handle well compared to having the good old M20 boat anchor upfront, and ill be the first to admit when I came from and M3 back to a 325 I was shocked and the difference that the extra weight of the engine caused, but in real terms, does it really make a difference out on the road, or indeed on the track?....No and Not really so what has the IS got going for it?
I mean the torque band is high on the IS not ideally where you want it unlike an M20 which is more grunty and low down where you need it in day to day life.
People only like the IS and the fact that that it revs high, is they can drive like cnuts and thrash the shite out of it

Same difference, the M88 was 3.5 then the S38 was 3.6/3.8.
The S14 is based on the M10 block but they aren't both the exact same.

Pedantic bastard.

I wasnt being pedantic
Just if thats what its called then thats what its called an M88 which the s14 was based on was from an E28 and the s38 was from an E34, which im sure you know!
Still a different designation

The M88 was also used in the M1 and 635CSI. And is single chain and also higher compression IIRC.

Think they were the only differences between the S28 and M88.

Then the S38 and S14 are double row timing chains, so technically the have more in common

Now I'm just being arsey and you probably know it all

dannyboy759 wrote:

Before your time kid

Sorry Grandad

Now Then - Now Then

Pal

lol just kidding mate

My 2 pennies..... I have had a few M3's and have an Evo2 and Sport Evo now. I prefer the Evo2 as it just feels right, the Sport Evo I am frightened to leave anywhere and always very consious of what other road users are doing. So the Evo2 although is probably rarer than the Sport Evo, Its less "attracting".

I also have a few is's too, all are not road worthy right now and are project cars, but I wouldn't have looked or bought them if I was not impressed with my mothers 318is. That car feels very light and lively to drive. It hangs onto roundabouts almosts as tightly as the M3 can hang onto them and are also very economical. Performance between the is and the sport are not miles apart but the sports or should I say any 6 pot E30 economy is pretty obismal.

The best Sport I have driven was Ron Parish's late 325i sport, now in Ireland. I worked hard to get rid of a driveline vibration and totally rid it of every vibration. Now, having driven that car I can see why people rave about them. But for me to buy a 325i it would have to feel as tight and as new as the day it rolled out of the showroom. I will have one one day.

For everyday driving you cannot beat the 318is. For Sunday driving or long distance cruises, the 325i is in a league if its own. The M3 however is a good mix of the two but not as practical for everyday use because of the LHD.. 320i... no thanks 320is... yes please

lhd is fine i think, its like riding a bike really. once you have used it often it's like second nature ok so I tried a left hand gear change last week but i wasnt exactly 100%!

the other thing the 318is has going for it is that when you open it up it loves to rev where the m20 doesnt feel quite as free.
Other s14 plus point is that it's pretty fuel efficient... if you can resist the temptation!!

I bought a 318is purely as loved the way it drove and that it's got a little power if you need it. It's a car I've wanted for years and it's only there as a break from driving my Corsa during the week really.

If I were out to buy a high performance sports car I'm not even sure I'd look at BMW considering the price of the Vauxhall Monaro - and that has 5 litre LS2 rightness...

personally.... i love the noise and the torque of engines with more than 4 cylinders.... revving engines really hard just breaks them anyway so go for low down grunt.

V shaped engine? even better!

Gibson wrote:personally.... i love the noise and the torque of engines with more than 4 cylinders.... revving engines really hard just breaks them anyway so go for low down grunt.

V shaped engine? even better!

were not talking about fords here anymore mate!!!

4 pots sound 10x better than any 6 pot with the right mods!

nah six pot soundtrack is the way to go.... all day everyday!

Listened to a E46 CSL going round the circuits? Or even the new M3 V8! Awesome sound!