E36 touring or e34 DIESELS!

Post Tue Oct 20, 2009 11:18 pm

I own a Vectra SRI 140 atm, love the car to bits, but i seem to be spending a lot of money in fuel!

FOr example, just running about over the last week or so, its used £60 to do 290 miles.

Years ago i used to deliver lease cars for a living, and there was one car that i really loved that was diesel and that was the e34 325tds, fast and i seem to remember it was very good on fuel.

Now later on, i am starting to like the E36 tourings quite a bit, so i think the 325tds touring would be good.

I cant decide which one to go for, or what you should pay. Also what are they like on juice?

thanks!

Post Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:41 am

that'd be the E34 525 TDS

with the price of diesel these days, LPG is a very attractive proposition, providing you have a local source of it. there are plenty of LPG powered E34 535i's out there and they'll be as economical as the TDS but without smelling like a train. plus, they'll be faster

Post Wed Oct 21, 2009 5:04 pm

I'd keep the Vectra.........

325tds' are okay until they go wrong, and they're a bastard to work on. Just changing the drive belt for the alternator/PAS pump etc is a complete shyte of a job. Everything is unique to the diesel, radiator, PAS pump etc. As a manual you might get 40-42 mpg from it on a run. You'll get 35 mpg from a 318i.
E34 diesels are more of the same only heavier on fuel and equally expensive to repair. You might get 40+ on a run but around town they're not so good and the autos are savage on fuel. They were designed in an era when diesel was a lot cheaper than fuel (30% cheaper) and in those days they made sense. Now, they don't.

There are better diesels around. The VW Golf TDi mark 3 is both lively and good on fuel, so is the Audi A4 1.9TDi. Don't even consider the shitbox 318tds, they wouldn't pull a greased stick from a Dog's 8rse.
If you must have a BMW diesel, look for a clean V or W plate 320d. They do 45 mpg and are reasonably reliable plus the performance is okayish.

Post Wed Oct 21, 2009 5:09 pm

I've just gone from an E34 touring to an E36 touring on LPG. Only a wee m43, but so far it seems to be a very good thing... The above is a pretty good explanation of why I didn't go for the diesel equivalent! Plus the fact that it's cheaper to run, of course

Post Wed Oct 21, 2009 5:16 pm

Andyboy wrote:Don't even consider the shitbox 318tds, they wouldn't pull a greased stick from a Dog's 8rse.

An hilarious analogy

Post Wed Oct 21, 2009 5:42 pm

Andyboy wrote:

There are better diesels around. The VW Golf TDi mark 3 is both lively and good on fuel, so is the Audi A4 1.9TDi.

I can vouch for the A4 - if you want economy they are great cars and seem to be cheaper to buy than the A3 or Golf - which is fine if you can manage without a hatchback.

I ran one for 12 months and never got less than 50mpg.

Post Wed Oct 21, 2009 6:03 pm

I've got an E36 325tds SE get around 40mpg from it. Makes a lovely noise (from inside), and is soo smooth it's a pleasure, really would be better with a 6 speed box, as first is way too short, leaving you with only really 4 gears. Buy a 5sp switchable auto, I would if I had my time again. As above, the 318 tds, which is has a1664cc engine hasn't enough grunt to run a desk fan.

It's true about all the parts being diesel specific, try a dealer only thermostat for £27.
The real problem with them is low sulphur diesel, the sulphur being the main lubricating agent. This affects the high pressure diesel pump the most. It's not a DIY job, refurb is waste of time, so that'll be £1500 at the dealers. The engine was fitted to 3s and 5s, vauxhall omegas, range rovers, and a few (fiat?) camper vans. The injection pumps between these models aren't interchangeable unless the part numbers are an EXACT match. By the way, I bought mine just after it'd had it's pump done.

The vw 1.9tdi is a good engine, although I've never seen one with more than 175k miles that doesn't sound like a box of spanners.

BMW 320d's have 'swirl flap' issues, google it, it's highly embarrassing for BMW.

Overall, go and LPG a petrol BMW.

Post Wed Oct 21, 2009 6:42 pm

Ive got an e34 525i se on lpg and love it.

It costs me £24 to fill up the tank and i can get 330miles out of it. And the car only cost me £300 and the lpg system came already fitted!

Post Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:00 pm

Right ok, fair enough, i wont go for a bmw diesel then!

I have two options then, either look for a 325i touring petrol on lpg, or lpg the vectra... I only planned to go for the 5 series as a diesel as when i delivered them new, they where such an awesome car.

Only down side of LPG is the tank, and having no spare wheel, or do you mount the tank somewhere else underneath?

Thankyou very much for hte advice so far!!!

Post Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:05 pm

capri_rob wrote:
Andyboy wrote:There are better diesels around. The VW Golf TDi mark 3 is both lively and good on fuel, so is the Audi A4 1.9TDi.
I can vouch for the A4 - if you want economy they are great cars and seem to be cheaper to buy than the A3 or Golf - which is fine if you can manage without a hatchback.

or for what's the same car underneath, the seat leon and skoda octavia are alternatives. all based on the same platform and engine. in 90, 110, 130 and 150bhp varaints, be careful as some have been up-badged to increase their 'value' as it's hard to tell otherwise. with all of these cars, the colour of the 'tdi' badge and what parts of it are red/blue dictate the power. very easy to swap

e301988325i wrote:The vw 1.9tdi is a good engine, although I've never seen one with more than 175k miles that doesn't sound like a box of spanners.

my brothers seat leon cupra tdi (150bhp jobbie) has just needed a new cam and turbo at 120k. it does now put down 177.5 bhp and 290lb.ft of torque on the rollers. a pleasant suprise

Post Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:14 pm

if you're looking at E34's, a cylinder tank will go in the boot and leave space for all of your shopping and the spare wheel.

I have a complete single point mixer type LPG setup here for sale that will fit a E34 with a M20 or M30

if you're looking to LPG convert a later car (M50's etc) with a plastic manifold, you'll be needing a multipoint LPG setup

my touring has a donut tank in the spare wheel well and i keep the spare in the boot, strapped down with bungees. that's actually fairly useful at letting me drive home from the shops at a fair rate and keep the shopping it it's bags still

Post Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:58 pm

e301988325i wrote: BMW 320d's have 'swirl flap' issues, google it, it's highly embarrassing for BMW.

Overall, go and LPG a petrol BMW.

Only later ones from 2002 with the 150 bhp engine. Older 136 bhp cars were flap free. It's a simple enough job to remove the flaps on the later cars and install blanks. BMW diesels all need 30'000 mile replacement of the crankcase breather as well. The 150 bhp cars are also known for turbo failure - I'd be buying a cheap high miler (150k) and replacing the turbo, flaps and breather in one hit.

Post Wed Oct 21, 2009 11:54 pm

I highly recommend an LPG'd BMW. My Gas system is now 6 years old but you can tell the difference in performance or mpg against petrol.

I think you will struggle to find an e30 touring on LPG without paying top dollar (as the majority that have been converted will be near on 'mint' examples) as i did myself.

Thats why i went for a 525i with the same straight six lump as the old e30s!

Saying that, i do have a mate who has a complete LPG kit for a 325i sport but will fit a 325i if youre interested?

Oh and my LPG tank is not in the spare wheel, its in the boot and its a 70 litre tank, and have still got a huge amount of space aswell.

Post Thu Oct 22, 2009 12:03 am

Im after a e36 325i touring, not a e30, i like them but i like the e36 more and as i am going to be rallying the compact, it goes with it i supose LOL!

How much would i be looking at if i found a car that i liked that wanted converting to LPG?

My mate has a e30 325i sport , ill let him know about your LPG conversion!!!

Post Thu Oct 22, 2009 12:21 am

for a multipoint DIY system. somewhere between £300 and £800 depending on spec and how much you can get /are prepared to buy 'used'

plenty of larger BMW's out there on LPG. finding a cheap 5 or 7 series with the right engine on gas, pulling it all of and flogging the car again is a surefire way of getting a working setup and you can test it all first.

Post Thu Oct 22, 2009 12:29 pm

If you are after a touring you wont want a gas tank mounting anywhere but the spare wheel well, to kill the load space of a touring is a bad idea and you will regret it. E36 has a bigger hole for a tank than an E34 (surprisingly)

Post Thu Oct 22, 2009 2:39 pm

Avtovaz wrote:Im after a e36 325i touring

You won't get one - 316i, 318i, 320i, 323i or 328i are your choices in e36 Touring form.

The 323i has a 2.5 litre M52 engine which is more geared to economy than power - I've got one and although I don't thrash it everywhere I usually get about 30mpg - not bad for a 2.5

As far as load-lugging capacity to be honest its not that great - the suspension turrets take up quite a lot of the boot space.

Your best bet is to LPG a 328i if you can find a good one