Have a Golf GTi...am thinking of a change. Advice please.

[Treadstone81]

Hi Chaps,

Here is my current car. I'm producing 145bhp which in a car that weighs just less than a ton means I a get good power-to-weight ratio.

Thing is, I'm thinking of a change. I want a performance convertible with the german reliability I'm come to expect...is this possible with a BMW?

I don't know anything about these cars really - does anyone have the performance specs to hand? Do they handle well? I drove a F-reg 318is once, but it was a shagged example.

I can't seem to find what I'm looking for on autotrader. A car like the one used in the banner for this website is what I'm after really. I'm still just looking and researching, but I don't want get a slower car than I have now.

Nice, clean reliable example, no outrageous modifications with low mileage...this possible?

My car is also low maintence and I've heard that BMW's are a nightmare to work on. What are the service costs of a nice old-skool convertible BMW?

Thanks.

[m3ben05]

Dude thats a sweet golf! Loving the old skool mk2! What you want if definately possible with a bmw but you would need something with more guts than a 318.

A 325 drop top will give you plenty of power if your on a sensible budget, if not an M3 cab will have a smile on your face all day long . Guess it depends on the insurance, if your young expect to pay big money.

If your selling the golf give me a shout, il know a few people interested

[Conan]

You could have a nice clean 325i convertible for around 3k. thats got 170bhp and goes quite nicely - around 7.5 to 60.

Or with a bit more get a motorsport - rare and no quicker but look the dogs danglys!

[Treadstone81]

Selling the Golf won't be a problem.

Examples is less desirable condition on futreclassics.com go for Ԛ£3k+ and I'm always being offered Ԛ£2k >>> Ԛ£2.2k.

The engine/clutch/suspension have done less than 30k miles and the car has full VW service history (car itself has done 99k) and is exceptionally clean as I'm so anal about it. I've recently changed it back to a 4-lamp grille all with 'crystal' lighting.

I've also got a Mk1 Golf GTi convertible and I love driving that, but it doesn't have the performance of my (modified) Mk2.

I'm just trying to research things at the moment a blue M3 with leather would be rather pimp, I wonder what insurance would be?

I'm 24 and I'm paying sub Ԛ£500 for insurance at the moment.

[maxfield]

It should be cheap as with classic insurace

[m3ben05]

Well im 20 and paying 1600 for my M3 so i would expect you would pay around 8-900 for one but be prepaired to pay around 8k (atleast) for a tidy example

[Treadstone81]

Haha...I have no intention of playing Ԛ£8k+ whatsoever.

So what can I get which will will have the performance of my Golf GTi and be a convertible? Must be in good condition.

I assume they are petty heavy cars, so whats the peformance of the 2.5 litre?

What if I had around Ԛ£4000 to spend?

[Grantley]

How about 1.8 20v Turbo conversion on the cab !

[E30Adam]

Lovely Golf there mate and welcome to the site.

I don't think you'd be disapointed with an E30 and I don't think you'd ever go back to a front wheel drive car after owning one. They are great to drive and usually pretty easy to work on for repairs. There are a lot of people on this site who, with no previous mechanical experience have done engine swaps and rebuilds all with the help of the people on this site here online.

If you can afford a little more than 4k then you would be looking in motorsport territory. There were only ever 250 of these cars made and they are basically a sporty version of the normal 325i convertible.

They have extras such as sport gearbox, LSD, sports interior, on board computer and bodykit as standard.

My girlfriend has one and is very pleased with it. It's even been magazine featured. The motorsports come with more exquisite colours not usually seen on any other model of E30 except for perhaps an M3 in the case of Macau Blue.

They are 171bhp as standard and do 0-60 in about 6 or 7 seconds.

[Treadstone81]

Yes mate! Lovely looking car. Thats exactly the kind of car I'm after! So a Motorsport huh?

Cool. Guess I'll have to do some looking then. Is it possible to get one with sub 100,000 miles? Whats the engine good for? For instance I know my engine will be good for 150k++ easily.

[E30Adam]

Yes mate! Lovely looking car. Thats exactly the kind of car I'm after! So a Motorsport huh?

Cool. Guess I'll have to do some looking then. Is it possible to get one with sub 100,000 miles? Whats the engine good for? For instance I know my engine will be good for 150k++ easily.

Motorsports are more of a collector car so mileage on these models will be generally much lower than your average E30 because people tend to use them as weekend or pleasure cars rather than an everyday runabout.

Sub 100k cars are out there but a well looked after engine will see over 200k no problems. Just make sure it's been regularly serviced and the cambelt has been changed at the correct intervals (every 60K I belive).

I think my girlfriends has done about 120k and she hasn't spent a penny on it apart from general servicing since the day she bought it about a year and a half ago. It's been incredibly reliable.

[Treadstone81]

Sounds fantastic.

I've got 100k miles in my car and I'm the same, I've never spend aything on it. (Apart from modified parts I've wanted to add).

Where shall I look for one? I seem to be drawing blanks on autotrader.

Have found this on autotrader: but its an automatic

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/WWW/ca ... ull=SEARCH


Thanks again mate, anymore photos of your car?

[dark_sounds]

lol treadstone... following the trend ;)

i believe we have encountered on edition38 ;)

i was on the look for a golf gti mk2 valver,, but at the same time on the look for a 318is.... took the is for the rear wheel drive and saloon look ;) hope you can make the conversion,,, trust me, ull love it...

dont get me wrong mk2 golfs are flippin fantastic,, but the e30 bmws another ballgame....

mind you,,, what models were you thinking about?? it seems from what i have read and learnt over the past month,,, that compared to the golfs, the beemers are not as easy to tune

getting bonus power from the stock e30 takes alot more then it did with a mk2 golf... (excluding chipping ;) )

anyway, yes,,, move on,,, i think theres me and one other who have moved from mk2 golfs (panesar_30??) and to these....

dont fight it,, its inevitable!

though god daymmm thats one fine looking mk2


edit::

just read through top post... 325 sport convertable?? 170bhp standard??

[E30Adam]

Unfortunately many convertibles are auto's because they are more of a cruising car. There are manuals out there so keep looking. Keep your eyes on autotrader and especially on here. Perhaps put a wanted ad up.

dark_sounds: All 325i's weather sport or not were all 171bhp as standard. It was only the gearbox's that were different (close ratio). The engines and power output are identical across the range.

[gazm3]

Welcome to the site mate,

Iv'e got a MK2 GTI and a E30 Motorsport. Both great cars.

Your GTI looks quality!.

Cheers Gareth.

[Treadstone81]

Yeah, I post on E38. I love my Mk2 as its not your average Mk2 at all. Its probably one of the best condition, if not the best I've ever seen.

And thats what I like about it, the fact that its as reliable as a new car and it never, ever, ever lets me down. It does exactly what I want it to, when I want it to. It returns just over 300miles per tank and is as fast as I could want it to be really, plus it handles very well on the twisty stuff.

I guess the thing with the BMW is that, ok its 20 >>> 25 bhp over my Golf, but its just got to be heavier and therefore slower. I have no idea what the handling would be like.

Plus the only other RWD car I've driven is this:


...and only for a short amount of time till I bottled it and wouldn't dare drive it any longer. Now, there is no way I can afford a Z4 or a Z1 and the Z3 were for homosexuals.

If I can get a clean example of a convertible 325 then I'd be happy. Guess I've just gotta hunt around for a couple of months learning these cars.

[d6dph]

Now, there is no way I can afford a Z4 or a Z1 and the Z3 were for homosexuals.

Where's moofles when you need him!

On a serious note, i had only driven a couple of sierra cossies before i got my 325i, was very nervous for the first couple of months. now im getting the hang of it, best purchase i have made.

[Jon_Bmw]

A very very clean golf by the looks of it. Mk3 bottom end to get closer to that 145bhp or other tweeks???

Just be a bit careful about buying a motorsport as many of them get badged up on ebay as motorsports when clearly they are not if you are used to e30's. Chassis number check is always a good option when you get more serious about buying a car. Adam or some of the other boys and gals will be able to help you considerably more than i can about identifying a true motorsport.

Go rwd at your own risk you'll never want to go back to fwd again.



Jon

[Treadstone81]

A very very clean golf by the looks of it. Mk3 bottom end to get closer to that 145bhp or other tweeks???

Bored out to 1900, bigger injection ports, flowed head, high-lift cam, shorterned and lightened crank, full de-cat exhaust, k+n and always run on Optimax (Probably other bits I've forgotten too)

Had it rolling roaded at 143bhp and 147lb ft recently and the weekend just gone VW took it upon themselves to tweak the air/flow meter and lots of other things I don't really understand and, wow, is it noticable! Have got another rolling road planned (in Birmingham) this Saturday, so I hope to get a bit more bhp

[E30BeemerLad]

think we've been a bit generous with the 0-60 times on the cabs haven't we? They are more like 9 secs aren't they? I would have thought your golf will feel a bit quicker than an E30 cab.

Take a drive and see what you think, just hang about on this site and ask questions and have a good look through the posts, you'll get an idea of what's out there, what goes wrong, how much stuff costs etc

E30's are great cars, i nearly got fed up with mine after discovering rot and bushes being knackered etc and I bought a jap luxobarge which is in a different league in every respect, apart from seat of the pants "i'm in charge" feel to it. I had an early 8V MK2 Gti and it was a great car that got punished day in day out. I think the E30 has similar qualities and feel and you'll feel right at home.

I'm not a cab fan though and would always have a tin top
Best of luck fella

[Treadstone81]

Really grateful for the comments chaps.

Well, lets say I had Ԛ£4+ to spend on a tin top then? What would that get me?

[JAMZ]

Dunno but nearly 5k would get you this lil number :
http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... ic&t=24132

[JAMZ]

Wow,attack of the long Sigs...

[dark_sounds]

Unfortunately many convertibles are auto's because they are more of a cruising car. There are manuals out there so keep looking. Keep your eyes on autotrader and especially on here. Perhaps put a wanted ad up.

dark_sounds: All 325i's weather sport or not were all 171bhp as standard. It was only the gearbox's that were different (close ratio). The engines and power output are identical across the range.

learn something new everyday stand corrected.

[tylerma]

Really grateful for the comments chaps.

Well, lets say I had Ԛ£4+ to spend on a tin top then? What would that get me?

I would think that sort of money should get you
a pretty decent late tech II sport

[Simon13]

1.5k should buy u a very good 2 door 325i tin top. This would leave plenty of money to build a car to waste that golf of yours!

Ԛ£500 on suspension good stuff too
Ԛ£2k on a tasty 2.7 conversion!

325i are about 1200kgs so not as fat as u think, soft tops are more like 1300kgs

[Chaos]

Lovely Golf there mate and welcome to the site.

I don't think you'd be disapointed with an E30 and I don't think you'd ever go back to a front wheel drive car after owning one. They are great to drive and usually pretty easy to work on for repairs. There are a lot of people on this site who, with no previous mechanical experience have done engine swaps and rebuilds all with the help of the people on this site here online.

If you can afford a little more than 4k then you would be looking in motorsport territory. There were only ever 250 of these cars made and they are basically a sporty version of the normal 325i convertible.

They have extras such as sport gearbox, LSD, sports interior, on board computer and bodykit as standard.

My girlfriend has one and is very pleased with it. It's even been magazine featured. The motorsports come with more exquisite colours not usually seen on any other model of E30 except for perhaps an M3 in the case of Macau Blue.

They are 171bhp as standard and do 0-60 in about 6 or 7 seconds.

very nice adam, but a touch more than Ԛ£4k

last lowish mileage motorsport i saw was close to Ԛ£8k odd - with around 80,000 miles on it.

[gazm3]

My MK2 GTI seems to be much quicker, than either my manual or auto cabs.

And seems to hold the road better.

Speed isn't everything though espically with a cab!.

[Adammcf]

Treadstone81 were you in Birmingham city centre today? Saw a golf just like yours drive past my office!

[Treadstone81]

Treadstone81 were you in Birmingham city centre today? Saw a golf just like yours drive past my office!

How odd! I am this Saturday for a rolling road, but alas it was not me you just saw

I'm in Cambridge and there is only one other car like mine that I've seen (also in Cambridge).

I've just had my car valued as Ԛ£3000 by Future Classic Cars. Very nice chaps.

I'm reading lots on e30zone whenever I can (too much really considering I'm in the office!!!)

[orangecurry]

Z3s are not for homosexuals - they have basically the same chassis as the E30 (trailing arms at the rear) but with all the other modern bits of an E36, plus 193bhp for a 2.8.

I owned an M-tech 2.8 Z3 for 4 years from new - fantasic fun; just like the E30 but everything just a bit better (power, handling, fuel consumption!)

I borrowed a Z4 3.0 for a day when they first came out - now THAT is for homosexuals - very VERY safe and numb car to drive, just like an Audi S3 that I borrowed to test.

Don't judge a car by what the press says, or whether you like the look of it.

I also own a Mk1 Golf GTi, and have owned 2x 8v and 1x 16v Mk2 in my time - so I know where you are coming from with the VW - they give different sorts of fun from a BMW, but fun is still fun

[crossie]

MY FRIEND HAS A 318 COVERIABLE WHICH HE IS THINK OF SELLING.
ITS IN GREAT CONDITION AS IT LIVED ON JERSEY FOR MOST OF ITS LIFE DID HE IMPORTED IT.

HE LIVES ON THE SOUTH COAST IF YOU ARE INTERESTED

EMAIL ME edwardcross01@hotmail.com