320i vs 318iS

[satty]

Hi,

Selling my 318iS to buy a 320i SE, because I drove one and loved the 6 cylinder sound!

What I be selling my 318 for the wrong reasons? Is the 320 just as reliable as a day to day run about? I know it will cost more on fuel but they go so well and so smooth.

What do I need to look out for when buying a M20 engine, as I know like the 325i, the cylinder heads are a bit weak and need more attention than a M42 when it comes to maintenance.

The 320 in question has got 133K miles and has recently had a inspection 2, new cambelt fitted, along with the tappets and emissions adjusted.

Would it be a good buy for £700? It's a 4 door in deep blue with lowered suspension and 15" BBS's??

Any advice would be an advantage!!

Thanks

[maxfield]

Oh dear, you really have a can of worms here!

[Steve-E30]

Oh dear, you really have a can of worms here!

+1

[jbh]

Oh dear, you really have a can of worms here!

+1

im waiting on the old 4 pots handle better than 6 pots.. what are you wanting the boat anchor up front for

[maxfield]

4 pots have better balance due to it being lighter.

Also the M42 is a better engine. FACT.

[maxel]

Sry, but I have a 320i, and it's absolutely rubbish.
The M20B20 is prop. the worst engine built buy BMW.
M42B18 ftw.

[madaboutthe30]

Seemingly as your prepared to endure more expensive sessions at petrol stations, you may aswell go for the 325i

[hammoj28]

Sry, but I have a 320i, and it's absolutely rubbish.
The M20B20 is prop. the worst engine built buy BMW.
M42B18 ftw.

Brilliant!

[HairyScreech]

the m42 is only 17kgs lighter than the m20, so on a car that weighs over 1 ton its hardly worth worrying about on the road, you would feel more change by taking your spare tyre out or a few psi+_ in the tyres. the only benefit id be prepaired to accept would be the more compact dimentions of the 4cylinder and the weight being further back,

can open, worms all present and correct

all of the handling debate it purely academic anyway as you wont realy notice it on the road ever unless you could drive two perfectly set up cars back to back beyond there limits and know what your looking for in the first place.

infact the weight difference is probably less than the weight of the PAS equipment and i dont here people going "ohh the non pas cars are so much lighter they dont understear like the ones with pas."

if this was a forum for the world touring car championship it may be relevent but road cars are too fat and soggy for it to really count anyway.
so can we put that one to bed when talking about ROAD cars here as they will never be as good as anything for the track anyway and tbh no-one really cares and the op didnt ask in the first place.

as for the m42 being a better engine thats subjective, it is more technicaly advanced but that does not always make it "better", yes 4 valve/cylinder is better for efficiency and power but its added complexity, weight, cost, strain on the lubrication system, friction, yada yada yada yada blah. and does the m42 wear the miles as well as the m20? i doubt it. are they as prone to toblorone cams as the other 4 pots?

what kind of fuel economy is expected from the m42 as i get 36mpg on a run out of my m20, faf all around town but thats due to swansea being all traffic lights and hills.

its worth remebering the 318 is 100hp 320 is 130hp the 318is is 145hp and a 325 will be 170+hp

700 is a fair price for a 4 door 320 in good condition and 133k is nothing, iv had 2 m20s apart now one with 170k that lost oil presure and one with 100k and both have been almost as good as new, piston rings have been within tolerence and bores have still been showing hone marks, im not sure you can actually kill an m20 there strong enough to be used in nearly stock form as the m21 diesel ffs.

the cracked heads thing is fairly rare all things considered, its got more to do with the condition of the head (corrosion in the waterways) and head gasket than anything else. they dont really need any special maintenance that any other engine dosent.

tbh id stick with the 318is and would only bother changing for a 325 in your position. the 320 will be more thirsty and slower, but will be a 6 and would be easy to upgrade to a 2.5 engine later on. otherwise i wouldnt bother unless its a seriously clean car.

[HairyScreech]

thats bordering on a rant

[darkchild]

The M20B20 is prop. the worst engine built buy BMW.

Thanks for the constructive criticism

You obviously haven't driven many BMW's.

[Chris-W]

If you like the 320i engine and the car looks good to you, then £700 is absolutely fine. No reason why it would be any less reliable than your iS.

Just buy the car you like

[darkchild]

Hi,

Selling my 318iS to buy a 320i SE, because I drove one and loved the 6 cylinder sound!

What I be selling my 318 for the wrong reasons? Is the 320 just as reliable as a day to day run about? I know it will cost more on fuel but they go so well and so smooth.

What do I need to look out for when buying a M20 engine, as I know like the 325i, the cylinder heads are a bit weak and need more attention than a M42 when it comes to maintenance.

The 320 in question has got 133K miles and has recently had a inspection 2, new cambelt fitted, along with the tappets and emissions adjusted.

Would it be a good buy for £700? It's a 4 door in deep blue with lowered suspension and 15" BBS's??

Any advice would be an advantage!!

Thanks

The main thing to look for is history of recent maintenance and if all of the above is true (cambelt, tappets, Inspection 2) and the cars is decent rot free nick £700 is a good price. A Doom Blue 4 door isn't the best combo but £700 is peanuts for a car that starts, stops and goes. Any toys? Check Control should be standard but an OBC is a nice toy to have.

The B20 is wonderfully smooth. Quick no, but a lovely cruiser with more power than most rival manufacturer engines of the time. A 2.0 Sierra or an E30 320i is no contest. They sound gorgeous as the revs rise.

320i's were purchased by a different type of buyer than a 325i and a lot more seem to have survived in excellent condition. The main problem area was cracked cylinder heads (caused by BMW casting some heads with a water jacket that wasn't thick enough) but if the worst happens you can always drop a B25 in. IMO the cracked head syndrome affected 323i's and 325i's more than the 2 litre anyway.

[Bob_S]

as chris says if it's right to you its worth the money..

for instance I just picked up a 2.7 converted 320ise 2 dr in lazur blue with lsd, obc, sports seats, elec roof, 6 branch etc etc, £1000

personally I would stick with the is though or go for a 325

[orangecurry]

all of the handling debate it purely academic anyway as you wont realy notice it on the road ever unless you could drive two perfectly set up cars back to back beyond there limits and know what your looking for in the first place.

having owned a 318 and a 325 at the same time, I disagree strongly - the difference between the two is very noticable;

the 318 feels lighter/more responsive and behaves 50:50 weight distribution; you can chuck it into corners and it will let go later than a 325.

the 325 drives around the nose; the back breaks away more easily (due to momentum not due to extra power) in the classic 'pendulum' effect.
You are always aware that the weight is in front of you.

its worth remebering the 318 is 100hp 320 is 130hp the 318is is 145hp and a 325 will be 170+hp

it is worth remembering that BHP/torque for the engines when they left the factory was as follows:

M40 was 115/122

M42 was 140/129

M20B20 was 129/120

M20B25 was 170/167

BHP/ton is even more revealing, but I can't do the maths right now.

[Bob_S]

i agree with orange curry.
my 318is was raked like an alpina but never felt nose heavy but my 327 sits pretty level and you can feel the nose keeping the front down definately, if anything atm i prefer the 6 pot i have (excluding the m3) will see when my is is built

[DanThe]

Mmmmmm..... a 320i .....

£3.50 eBay chip and away you go!


Even non enthusiasts know the 318 goes better

[ed325i]

IMO the cracked head syndrome affected 323i's and 325i's more than the 2 litre anyway.

The 323 has the same head as the 320.

[ShepsEvo3]

My mothers 320i was ultra reliable, but rust got the better of it and it had to be scrapped. The engine in that car was awesome! Dead smooth and actually liked to be reved. It was pretty gutless down low and pretty poor on fuel too.

I found a cheap but immaculate 318is for her and that car feels much lighter to drive. It handles much better and the engine is a screemer. But mothers opinions on it is that it feels it needs another gear, doesn't quite feel as grunty when you rev it but it just about halved here fuel bill! On the whole, she loves the car. She has had it now for about 4 years now and doesn't want to part with it. It too has been ultra reliable. I have only had to replace the ECU which didn't let us down, but caused a misfire. The gearbox and axles I had overhauled while I was doing the clutch and I've had to fit a radiator and water pump. Thats it.

Personally I would hang onto the 318is if you are a "spirited" driver. But if you want more refinement and smoothness, I think the 320i is better.

[darkchild]

IMO the cracked head syndrome affected 323i's and 325i's more than the 2 litre anyway.

The 323 has the same head as the 320.

Its probably more to do with the manufacturing date. I've always found the earlier ones more prone. The E30 M20's are vastly superior to the E21 M60's though.

[daveyboy20]

I have recently bought a 320i and the engine is beautiful, VERY smooth sounds well nice 3000rpm+ its a screamer and guzzles motorways with ease. Handles very well, predictable progressive oversteer and the nose doesnt dive when braking. One thing i will say though is it uses a lot of fuel around town. It has been as low as 19mpg but i drove very carefully around town for a whole tank and got 23mpg. The official figure is 25 i think. It does much better on the motorway though. Drove to Kent and back yesterday and although it wasn't cheap it was definately 25mpg plus. If you dont mind the fuel costs the 320i is superb. In fact id say its the only thing that lets it down. Apart from the existence of the 325i. If this car didnt exist then less people would criticise the 320i and realise its actually a really superb car. So there!!

[bss325i]

If this car didnt exist then less people would criticise the 320i and realise its actually a really superb car. So there!!

But the 2.5 does exist and so do all the other varaints of engine availible in E30's. The 2.0 is not a rubbish engine, its just the least popular petrol engine for valid reasons.

[78dude]

What I like with this world is... diffrent taste!

[e30bmlover]

the e30 320i was the best selling model in the bmw range at the time.... dosent that say something? i have no doubt that the m42 will return better m/g as its got 2 less cylinders to feed. the 320 is a good engine in terms of reliability and the sound! also if you get bored with the b20 chuck a b25 in. if you keep the i.s it will be more of a pain in the ass to put a b25 in it.

[darkchild]

Done 300 miles in my auto 320i over Christmas with an average of 32.4mpg according to the OBC. All long journeys though!

[DanThe]

the e30 320i was the best selling model in the bmw range at the time.... dosent that say something?

It was cheap?

[e30bmlover]

the e30 320i was the best selling model in the bmw range at the time.... dosent that say something?

It was cheap?

lmao you are proberbly right!

[bss325i]

the e30 320i was the best selling model in the bmw range at the time.... dosent that say something?

It was cheap?

The middle models usualy are the best sellers.

1.8 mondeo, 1.6 escort etc etc.

[Andyboy]

I took a 320i Touring on a trip to Derby for an inspection on Friday. The orange light came on so I added a £15 worth, about 3 gallons. 120 miles later the light came back on - no it wasn't doing 40 mpg but a good 35. Of those miles, about 50 were motorway, 20 getting lost around Derby!
The car didn't feel nose heavy to me, just like any other E30. With a 325i throttle body and chip they gain about 5-10 bhp and go very well indeed.

[alan1272]

i'm fortunate to own both a '85 320i and a '91 318is. after driving the 320i for a year i thought it was very good albeit very soft. after hearing so much about the 318is being the greatest thing since sliced bread i jumped in and was immediately disappointed, it felt gutless. so i had it rolling roaded and it did 140bhp at the wheels. the problem was i was driving it like the 320i when it really needed to be revved hard.
they're both e30s but in reality they're very different cars.
the 320i is a great cruiser with a lovely soundtrack, the 318is is a brilliantly balanced lanes basher which is infinitely improved with the addition of an lsd. buy both.

[DavieP]

the 320i is a great cruiser with a lovely soundtrack, the 318is is a brilliantly balanced lanes basher which is infinitely improved with the addition of an lsd. buy both.

I've just done a 350+ mile round trip to the Midlands and back in my 320i and it was a dream. Easily eating up the miles with no fuss or horrendous din from either end, it happily kept up with or passed everything and still gave a very creditable 34.6mpg based upon brim to brim calculations. I strongly disagree that the engine is the worst BMW ever made - it is a smooth, very comfortable and effortless cruiser that sounds wonderful at low or high revs. If I can be bothered to exercise my right ankle, it is decidedly lively on kick-down as well.

The bad bit is that with Torquay being built on 7 very steep hills and grid-lock being the norm a lot of the time, town driving gives just 18mpg on average. There again, I'm not constantly forced into mega clutch-work so I can give my left foot a rest. Of course if your whole life is bent upon beating me and others to the next set of lights or roundabout by a fraction of a second and having it recorded on a camera of the wrong sort, well ...

[e30den]

your selling an is for a 320 that is a backward step imo

[DanThe]

Unless the guy is pushing 70 years, he will defo regret it

[fuzzy]

your selling an is for a 320 that is a backward step imo

even i would agree with that and i consider 318is's to be highly over rated.

[HairyScreech]

ill third that, and im a 6 pot pervert.