Just how poor a drive is a 316i?

[Ranchero]

I used to drive 325i but when it failed its MOT through rust, looking for another one i saw a 316 for sale and bought it because it was very solid.

After my last experience I'm definitely making solidity a priority. It seems to me that once you have a decent shell you can,within reason, do what you want with it.

[bilun777]

I think I'd rather have a M10 then a M40. M10 seems to have such pedigree.

the m10 seems to have slipped through the net with our younger zoners. It's a bullet proof engine[norubber band cam drive] can be tuned,bored and stroked.It's the basis for the m3 and years ago 1500 bhp F1 turbo engines

[BadDave]

Might as well throw my two peneth in as well

A couple of weeks after picking up my current 316i Touring( now M20B25 powered),I went to a meet organised by 320Touring, which invariably ended in a back road hoon round some rather nice tight twisty Scottish roads.

As I had the smallest engined car there, it was suggested I take the lead.
Following, or should that be, trying to keep up, were a 318 I.S,325 tourings and a few tweaked 325 Sports.

None of which could keep up with the standard poverty spec touring on the day.

To summerise

Don't knock them, as they are still capable of embarrasing larger engined, more powerfull motors available.

[Coops90]

I have a 316 auto, very slow, pretty boring to drive but its a nice cruiser when you cant be arsed. Can just sit back and it does all the work.

However, saying that i cant wait to drop something bigger in it.

[Coops90]

As far as i know they are now considered proper classics.

How old are you?

Im 25 and pay £124 a year fully comp for a 325i touring with lancaster classic insurance, my old 325i sport was £220 a year fully comp with them. I found when i bought the touring the prices varied madly, confussed.com came up with the best again which was lancaster.

Bloody hell i cant wait to be 25.

At 19 with 1 years NCB i pay £1600 on a 316 auto. Shafted.

[kieran325]

I drive a 316 touring and I actually enjoy driving it, it starts first time and runs sweet as a nut.

I can't complain to be honest

[mc_hawkings24]

I'm paying 600 FC on a 318i
Mines not returning good mpg atm but i do thrash the life out of it so i'm looking to upgrade to m42 when the time comes.

The cam timings out so tops out at 98 on the clocks maybe why bad mpg?

[gooner1]

I drive a 316 touring and I actually enjoy driving it, it starts first time and runs sweet as a nut.

I can't complain to be honest

Have to agree, if you have to get a 316, get a touring.
If only for the fact that if ,or when you decide to drop
a bigger lump in, it,ll have the brakes and suspension
already there. Happy with mine.

[kieran325]

I drive a 316 touring and I actually enjoy driving it, it starts first time and runs sweet as a nut.

I can't complain to be honest

Have to agree, if you have to get a 316, get a touring.
If only for the fact that if ,or when you decide to drop
a bigger lump in, it,ll have the brakes and suspension
already there. Happy with mine.

I will be inheriting a 740i hopefully this summer and if its beyond repair, which it doesnt look like it, I might drop the M60 V8 in my touring as it's super solid underneath

[jaymos]

What are peoples problems with 4 pots? Ive got an M10 which i use every day, ok so it aint the fastest thing in the world, but she starts every time and has never let me down once, how many cars can be this reliable for a few hundred quid.

[mc_hawkings24]

Fiesta diesels :p

[Blitz]

What are peoples problems with 4 pots? Ive got an M10 which i use every day, ok so it aint the fastest thing in the world, but she starts every time and has never let me down once, how many cars can be this reliable for a few hundred quid.

+1 makes most modern car look unreliable.

[Ranchero]

I'm beginning to wish I'd had a punt on a clutchless 316i that went for £180 on ebay recently. It looked very solid, the owner had only recently had the arches, inner and outer, attended to. The only thing that put me off was that it was a 316i.

[Baurluvva]

I have just recently acquired an L reg 316i auto touring in met black - needs a rear box and a wing - off ebay for the princely sum of £99.00 - looks and runs superb - very clean
I'm going to run it around for a while then transplant a larger lump!

[anisotropy]

If I were buying an e30 now I wouldn't worry about the engine at all. Anything rust fee.

[SteMarsden]

The difference between a M40b16 and a M40b18 is about 7 seconds (2m22s vs 2m15s)around the full Oulton Park circuit which suprised me!

[jaymos]

I have just recently acquired an L reg 316i auto touring in met black - needs a rear box and a wing - off ebay for the princely sum of £99.00 - looks and runs superb - very clean
I'm going to run it around for a while then transplant a larger lump!

how do people find these bargains, i can never seem to drop on any

[fuzzy]

i reckon id rather take the bus. id get there quicker.

[Alex]

I have just recently acquired an L reg 316i auto touring in met black - needs a rear box and a wing - off ebay for the princely sum of £99.00 - looks and runs superb - very clean
I'm going to run it around for a while then transplant a larger lump!

how do people find these bargains, i can never seem to drop on any

I bought a 318i Lux, L reg touring on ebay for £70 with a weeks tax and test

the guy had advertised it in the Wheels section, came with a set of perfect 15" BBS with good tyres and caps

[schnaarf]

I have just recently acquired an L reg 316i auto touring in met black - needs a rear box and a wing - off ebay for the princely sum of £99.00 - looks and runs superb - very clean
I'm going to run it around for a while then transplant a larger lump!

how do people find these bargains, i can never seem to drop on any

yeah same here!! Never see them

[jaymos]

I have just recently acquired an L reg 316i auto touring in met black - needs a rear box and a wing - off ebay for the princely sum of £99.00 - looks and runs superb - very clean
I'm going to run it around for a while then transplant a larger lump!

how do people find these bargains, i can never seem to drop on any

I bought a 318i Lux, L reg touring on ebay for £70 with a weeks tax and test

the guy had advertised it in the Wheels section, came with a set of perfect 15" BBS with good tyres and caps

Jammy get sayin that im quite glad i dont see any bargains cus the front of the house would be littered with e30s, dont think the mrs would be impressed

[Alex]

how do people find these bargains, i can never seem to drop on any

I bought a 318i Lux, L reg touring on ebay for £70 with a weeks tax and test

the guy had advertised it in the Wheels section, came with a set of perfect 15" BBS with good tyres and caps

Jammy get sayin that im quite glad i dont see any bargains cus the front of the house would be littered with e30s, dont think the mrs would be impressed

it was a rotten shed but i could have mot'd it with a new ball joint

[autopia]

A 316i is a great intro to E30 motoring, cheap to run and if you don't have experience of a RWD car, it's a good car to learn in, will step out on a damp corner if you want it to?

I bought one to convert to a rally car because it had no sunroof and everything's interchangeable with other E30 models - brakes, engine, gearbox, diffs.

When you get bored of the performance, you can always change the engine to an M42 or bigger, there's plenty of info about engine swaps on the forum.

rgds

[Cheekychunkyfunkymonkey]

Quite happy with my 316i lux tourer
In my experience with speed cameras, road humps and restrictions all over the place a 316i is great for general trundling around.
It's also a very well balanced car having such a light engine up front.

[jbh]

when I split with my ex years ago. I decided to get back into an E30 I had a mk4 escort 1.6 estate at the time.. first solid E30 I came across was a black 2 door 318i it was a great going car wasnt the fastest thing in the world but felt a hell of a lot faster than the escort plus it was a nicer thing to drive.. wasnt long before it had a 2.5 in it and a full 325i brake and suspension set up though