Just thought i'd ask for your thoughts on a 323i E36, its for my nephew. He's after a 325i coupe but they seem to be a bit scarce. Spotted a nice 99T 323i with decent miles and money but i dont know much about these.
Should he just wait out for a 325 to show up?
Cheers
Al
E36 323i - oppinions
Moderator: martauto
I drive a 98 323i as my daily.Actually owned it twice now after selling to a mate a couple of years ago.
As a daily I cant fault it.Goes pretty well and is also good on fuel.Very reliable and has never faulted on me apart from bonnet cable snapping half way through the MOT
Mine is now on 242k miles and never had any major mechanical work.Original clutch lasted untill 239k
Spec wise they all differ.I got lucky as mine came with full sport Black leather inc door panels,full OBC,Black roof lining,dual climate,air con etc but I have seen some with proper poverty spec interiors.
I have fitted a 2.8 exhaust on mine and also have an M50 manifold and TB to fit at some point too,this should take it from 170 brake upto 192 as the 325i.
As a 2.3 though its still not gutless as such,infact shown a certain M50`ed E30 whats what on more than one occasion
As a daily I cant fault it.Goes pretty well and is also good on fuel.Very reliable and has never faulted on me apart from bonnet cable snapping half way through the MOT
Mine is now on 242k miles and never had any major mechanical work.Original clutch lasted untill 239k
Spec wise they all differ.I got lucky as mine came with full sport Black leather inc door panels,full OBC,Black roof lining,dual climate,air con etc but I have seen some with proper poverty spec interiors.
I have fitted a 2.8 exhaust on mine and also have an M50 manifold and TB to fit at some point too,this should take it from 170 brake upto 192 as the 325i.
As a 2.3 though its still not gutless as such,infact shown a certain M50`ed E30 whats what on more than one occasion
Yep, M50 325 being iron block and the newer M52s being alloy block iirc.pacerpete wrote:323s are all 2.5 litre, the 325 was discontinued in '95 and replaced by the 323 and 328.
325 192bhp 181lb ft torque
323 170bhp (can't remember the torque figure, somewhere in the middle)
328 193bhp 206 lb ft torque
As mentioned, a BBTB and M50 inlet manifold should see the 2.5 in the 323 pushing out figures equal to that of the 325.
There should be plenty of 323 coupes about. Many will claim you should worry about Nikasil, but my personal opinion is, if it hasn't failed by now, it's unlikely to fail at all.
Sold: 1986 E30 325i Cabriolet, Alpine White
My Mrs has a '98 R reg 323i SE saloon. It has decent spec, dual climate, sport seats, M technic steering wheel, M3 side skirts and all electrics, all specced when new. I have adder M3 17" "sunflower" alloys, a complete twin cat, twin pipe 328i exhaust system and i have an M3 front bumper to go on at some point. Its montreall blue with sliver cloth.
We've had it two years and have taken it from 150k to over 171k and its never let us down *goes to touch wood! Its still on the orginal clutch and has never leaked a drop of fluid from any mechanical component, ie engine, box diff etc.
Whoever says E36's have poor build quality are talking shit.
E36 325i's are getting scarce now as they are quite old and most have been counciled up or run into the ground. It is still possible to find sub 100k 323i's in perfect condition with FBMWSH for sensible money as well.
In short, a deffinate thumbs up from me!
We've had it two years and have taken it from 150k to over 171k and its never let us down *goes to touch wood! Its still on the orginal clutch and has never leaked a drop of fluid from any mechanical component, ie engine, box diff etc.
Whoever says E36's have poor build quality are talking shit.
E36 325i's are getting scarce now as they are quite old and most have been counciled up or run into the ground. It is still possible to find sub 100k 323i's in perfect condition with FBMWSH for sensible money as well.
In short, a deffinate thumbs up from me!
-
capri_rob
- Married to the E30 Zone
- Posts: 9681
- Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:00 pm
- Location: South Staffordshire
I run a 323i SE Touring as a daily - its a cracking car. Still drives nice and tight, engine is very smooth, quiet and leak free, no squeaks or rattles from the interior, and absolutely everything works. Its got 96k on the clock now.
I average about 30mpg from mine - not brilliant but if getting better MPG was the be all and end all I'd get another diesel.
In terms of performance it goes alright - obviously not as quick as a 328i but once you wind it up a bit it pulls pretty strongly - still a match for plenty of more modern stuff.
The SE spec ones come with a good trim level as standard including climate control - the 16" Double spoke alloys are a nice upgrade if it doesn't already come with them and can be had for a reasonable price from Ebay - I got a set of good straight ones with nearly new tyres ( admittedly budget brand ) for about £70 earlier this Year.
From me too.
I average about 30mpg from mine - not brilliant but if getting better MPG was the be all and end all I'd get another diesel.
In terms of performance it goes alright - obviously not as quick as a 328i but once you wind it up a bit it pulls pretty strongly - still a match for plenty of more modern stuff.
The SE spec ones come with a good trim level as standard including climate control - the 16" Double spoke alloys are a nice upgrade if it doesn't already come with them and can be had for a reasonable price from Ebay - I got a set of good straight ones with nearly new tyres ( admittedly budget brand ) for about £70 earlier this Year.
From me too.
e30topless said : Proper BMW's have 4 headlights, last of the run was the E30 and E34/E32 anything after that is just complete shite
Cheers everyone, that's cleared a few things up for me.
I didn't realise they stopped doing the 325, and yes, all the 25's we have seen have been a bit council. I'll just pass all the info on to my nephew and let him make the decision.
Thanks again folks.
I didn't realise they stopped doing the 325, and yes, all the 25's we have seen have been a bit council. I'll just pass all the info on to my nephew and let him make the decision.
Thanks again folks.