Hi there! New Member just joined and need info on E30 conv.

[tzakitsan]

Hello, I ve been searching for a factory condition E30 convertible and I prefer a 6 cylinder 320i but I just found a 4 cyclinder 318i and I'm puzzled about the pros and cons between the 318i and the 320i and what year car I should target (I like the facelist models with the plastic bumpers). Any advise is welcome. Thank you

[Blitz]

In a convertible I would rather have a 320i. It's much smoother and sounds better.

[ross_jsy]

320's are smooth and sound better as Blitz says. Problem is they have 325i fuel consumption with 318i power

[Gert_8]

In a convertible I would rather have a 320i. It's much smoother and sounds better.

Verts are cruisers, so smooth makes much more sense.

[aimlessrock]

In a convertible I would rather have a 320i. It's much smoother and sounds better.

Verts are cruisers, so smooth makes much more sense.

+1

the 320i is not the quickest but very smooth

[viz007]

+1 for a 320i convertible. I have one and love it

[ajay]

We have owned a 318i facelift cab for over 10 years, after 3 years of ownership my misses was fed up with constantly moving over (changing lane) basically getting out of the way of faster (normal,as she called it) traffic on the motorway so i fitted a 318is engine & gearbox to improve performance which did the trick a treat. I doubt we would still own the car had i not improved its performace! If you can't stretch to a 325i get a 320i there smooth and imo better than a 318i.

[robbo86]

The IS lump is brilliant fun. Used to love hooning about country lanes in mine

[tzakitsan]

Wow! A big Thank you to all of you members for your advise. I want to say 2 things... 1. How can I give back to the community so other people can be helped? 2. A new clarification please... between the 318 and 320 or 325... isnt there a diffrenece in material/built quality in axles, drivetrain, dics, calipers, suspension etc... meaning is it really correct to overpower a 318 model without changing all the rest? And once again I really appreciate the input from all the members.

[ah]

Hi welcome to the zone,I know most zoners are anti 320i ,ok their not as rapid as a 325i but they make a nice noise and are smooth apart from mine which is in dyer need of the fuel injectors sorting.Saying that I had a 1987 318i moredoor
M40 and it was nice.It was an auto so I can't give you info on the driving manual 318i.I didn't go out to buy a 320i as I couldn't find a 325i at the time I was looking.

[Brianmoooore]

All tourings (except the diesel), all convertibles, the 318iS, and the 325i saloon have the better spec. suspension and brakes. It's just the smaller engine saloons that have the inferior suspension and brakes (if no ABS).
The 325i cars use a stronger manual gearbox and diff. than the others, but experience shows that the weaker gearbox is up to 325i power and more, although the weaker diff. will be destroyed if abused.
The 2.0 litre M20 engine seems to have been introduced for political, rather than engineering reasons - to comply with tax breaks, etc. in various countries. It's problems arise from its bore/stroke ratio, which is more suited to a race engine than one for the road, resulting in an engine that needs to rev. to develop power, and consequentially runs a numerically high diff. ratio, which does nothing for the fuel consumption.