new guy needs help!

[dimebag_from_hell]

basically i am 18, when i am of r-plate i want to buy an e30 bmw. the reason for this is simply because of the sheer style they have, absolutley amazing looking! i want an m3 e30, only problem is, they are too hard to insure! plus i cant afford one. therefore i am looking for the closest thing to it. the 325i sport! if i bought a 325i, is there bodykits i can buy tomake it look just like the m3 e30. is it possible tomake a 325i look just like the m3 e30? if so how much would it cost?

one problem is i hear the 325i's drink fuel! i am not loaded, far from it, very young, is it a mistake buying a 325i?

all opinions and suggestions appreciated........

[Simon]

Do what I did, get a 316i, put up with it for a couple of years, get some NCB, then buy an M3.

An E30 M3 is difficult to replicate, you can make the arches look the same, but an M3 has a different roof, rear window, and bootlid, and isn't easy to give a normal E30 the same look.

A 325i sport looks nice enough as it left the factory anyway!

[Bally]

welcome, you need to look into insurance first, I have a 325 conv tried to get my son(18 yrs old) added to insurance they would not do it, also quotes for him for an bmw e30 316 chapest we have had is £2,300 tpft........... so get insurance quotes this will be the biggest outlay if you do find a company less than my qupte let me know ... good luck

[ed325i]

You can get m3 kits but I wouldnt bother. Save your money up for the m3.

[dimebag_from_hell]

mate i live in northern ireland, i will never get insurance for an m3 until i am over 25. only reason i have a chance of insurance is because i will be isnured underneath my dads company. all my other friends are paying 2000 to insure standard saxo's and 306's. mates of mine have had quotes of 3000 for a straight corsa! so an m3 is totally out of the question!!!! northern ireland is extremly high risk!!!! no one wants to insure us. luckily i have my fathers company!

suggestions?

[bmwe30mtech]

its so unrealistic to go for the M3 at 18 on NCB. To be honest i dont think a sport is very realistic either, or any 325i! Not only cost but you also want to see your 19th birthday! RWD cars realy do handle different, im 17 and have driven a few front wheel drive cars of mates and they are just so 'easy' (and plain) compared to the RWD of say an E30.

Go for a 318i , or 316i. I went for a 318i and kitted it out like a sport on the outside and an M3 on the indide. You still have the same look but with a reasonable insurance price. The 1.8 are still quite fast if well looked after, try one and see! I saw also you asked the seller about that white sport on ebay, dont buy it..its an auto!

HTH

Paul

[AC_S]

if u don't fancy a 318i and want a bit more controlable poke get u'rself a nice 318is mate.
agree with all the comments above, particulary the one about seeing u'r 19th birthday.
we all think we're ari vatanen at 18 but an M3 and a 325i are a bit too much.
i had too serious speed related accidents in a 1.2 Ibiza (porsche system engine!!) and
a 1.2 punto and taught i was going to be the next world champion!!!!
the "is" will be a perfect learning curve for an M3 or 325i
I'm 25 and only dreaming of them cars now (318is included).
so save u'r life, someone elses, some money and take a hot 17yr old out with the extra cash
and give her the "is" treatment on them lovely check seats!!!!!

[bmwe30mtech]

if u don't fancy a 318i and want a bit more controlable poke get u'rself a nice 318is mate.
agree with all the comments above, particulary the one about seeing u'r 19th birthday.
we all think we're ari vatanen at 18 but an M3 and a 325i are a bit too much.
i had too serious speed related accidents in a 1.2 Ibiza (porsche system engine!!) and
a 1.2 punto and taught i was going to be the next world champion!!!!
the "is" will be a perfect learning curve for an M3 or 325i
I'm 25 and only dreaming of them cars now (318is included).
so save u'r life, someone elses, some money and take a hot 17yr old out with the extra cash
and give her the "is" treatment on them lovely check seats!!!!!

Well said, i totally agree. But im sure a 318i is the sensible way to start . To convert to a 318is isnt a hard job.

And girls cant tell the difference between a 316i and a 325i sport

[Martin323i]

..its an auto!

Nothing wrong with that. Auto's rule. But then again, I have a 6 pot.

[bmwe30mtech]

..its an auto!

Nothing wrong with that. Auto's rule. But then again, I have a 6 pot.

Remember back to when you were 17, manual is just so much more fun at a young age?!

I agree though, auto's in general are actually in the nicer cars in my opinion. But when it comes to E30's i dont like the auto.

[bmwe30mtech]

But then again, I have a 6 pot.

That doesnt necissarily make it any good! TRhe best engines are the 4 pots, the s16....

[dimebag_from_hell]

i wont be buying the 325i until a month or so after my 19th bithday. i am quite a sensible chap really due to it wil be insured under my dads insurance, i screw that up and am screwed for a long time.see i want to get a car, pay a good price for a great condition car. keep it for a good few years. personally the closest thing to the m3 e30 seems to be the 325i. so what sort of cars are they, have seen alot of them about. i know they are rwd cars thats, why my dad wouldnt insure me one for my first car. when i asked him, he went mad! told me to drive sensibly for a year in a shit car, then after a year its a possibilty!

[Martin323i]

But then again, I have a 6 pot.

That doesnt necissarily make it any good! TRhe best engines are the 4 pots, the s16....

Didn't mean to say that 4 cylinders aren't as good as 6's. Just that, having a 6 myself, i have a bit more power to compensate for the loss of power when driving an auto.

[bmwe30mtech]

personally the closest thing to the m3 e30 seems to be the 325i

No, its the 320IS (rare) or the 318IS.

[m3ben05]

A man after my own heart!

The M3 is not as unobtainable as people think. Shop around for insurance, you will get some rediculous quotes and some pretty reasonable ones. Fit a tracker, you will be amazed how those quotes come down!

Dont listen to this negative lot, get what YOU want, dont settle for less

PLEASE dont go fitting a kit to a lesser car - they always look crap and very chav!

Seriously though, If your thinking of buying one at a young age do some extra driver training, before buying mine my dad made me do a skid control course and an advanced driving course. Id already raced karts for 2 years and got my MSA lisence.

Hope that helps

[bmwe30mtech]

Dont listen to this negative lot, get what YOU want, dont settle for less

I dont want to hear of a zoner ending up in hospital or worse!

You are a very lucky lad ben, m3 was your first car right?

[m3ben05]

I dont want to hear of a zoner ending up in hospital or worse!

Well said, youth and a high powered car is a very dangerous combo! Like any RWD car, they need total respect. You need to remember what you are driving if you do get one. Im a total wuss when im driving it, too scared of what might happen if it all goes wrong!

m3 was your first car right?

No, not my 1st car. I had a 206 as my 1st road car.

I also drove my dads old ravaglia M3 a fair bit when i was younger.

[Sharon]

And girls cant tell the difference between a 316i and a 325i sport

OI i object to the last comment i can tell the difference lol

[bmwe30mtech]

And girls cant tell the difference between a 316i and a 325i sport

OI i object to the last comment i can tell the difference lol

lol well most my girly friends dont have the first idea since i took the badge off the back .

Sounds like your my sort of girl unless you object to the 4 pot that is lol!!!

[dimebag_from_hell]

what is the main difference between a 316i and a 325i? see i cant shop sround for insurance! basically fi i was insuring my 306, which i am driving at the moment underneath a normal car insurer in northern ireland it would cost me around 2000!!!!! no joke! i get insurance underneath my dads company as i work for then. building and what not. so an m3 is out of the question. a group 4 car under the company cost 500 quid which is bloody cheap for northern ireland. therefore an m3 is out of the question! is there any difference in appearance between the 316i and 325i? fuel consumption? speed?

thanks for all the help, appreciate it!

[bmwe30mtech]

Not a lot of difference in appearance between a standard 316i and 325i. The sport howevr has, well look it up on the zone!! Lots of bits! Go on the search bit.

HTH

[cass1_5503]

Well said, youth and a high powered car is a very dangerous combo!

not always just depends on the youth some of us are carefull unless its safe to have some sideways fun

[m3ben05]

True some are careful but surely you agree that there is no substitute for driving experience.

Its when young drivers think they know everything and put too much confidence in their limited ability that things go wrong - dont you agree?

[Sharon]

BMWe30mtech

I like 4 pot but i do love the sound from a straight six......just a growly mmmmmmm sound

[Jhonno]

the nearest e30 to the m3 is 318iS imo... light revvy 4 pot.. better mpg than a 325i with practically the same speed

[dimebag_from_hell]

only thing is the 318is seems to be a harder car to find! is there much difference in insurance between the 325i and the 318is? what about fuel consumption?


cheers

[MadE30mike]

If you ask me i dont think any1 should get a rear wheeler for ther 1st car.

I know if i did i prob would not be here 2day. im with Ben on this 1 no substitute for driving experiance.

[dobbie82]

And girls cant tell the difference between a 316i and a 325i sport

OI i object to the last comment i can tell the difference lol

oi! I object too lol but yes a lot of girls wouldnt know the difference, I have a 318i with iS lip, least I can pretend I've got a fast car!!


I think a tidy 316i (like that one in the for sale section) would be a good idea, a nice blank canvas.

I started out in 1 litre micra! get some driving experience under your belt first.

Though in reference to teh RWD thing, its taking me ages to get used to Front Wheel Wrongness!! who on earth thought it would be a good idea to put power through the wheels that steer?? some dodgy moments on wet manhole covers on bends!!!

[Jhonno]

only thing is the 318is seems to be a harder car to find! is there much difference in insurance between the 325i and the 318is? what about fuel consumption?


cheers

plenty of iS' for sale

answered the fuel consumption question already

insurance - quite a bit i believe

[bootyman]

I havent read all the threads and dont take this the wrong way mate, but you sound like a "CHAMPAIGN DRINKER WITH LEMOnADE POCKETS" You want the best, but cant afford it, so want to create one. My advise is simple mate. Go buy a real M3 cause what ever you think it will cost you to create a fake M3, trebble that amount and i can guarantee you that it will end up costing more than a real M3 and your's will always not be an M3 either. You're better off buying a 316, whilst you build up your no claims and save money, then buy a real M3 in a few years. Either that or just rob a Bank and come buy my Rieger for £50k

[jamesh1977]

i would agree with most of the ppl on here start with a 318i or 318is build some experiance of rwd and a ncb before you think of a m3 or 325sport. i know by experiance of rwd cars they can be great fun but they can be very deadly if it catches you out. i started my driving in a rwd escort and thought it was great had sierras and a few more rwd cars before i got my first e30 and i dont know if anyone on here would agree with me but the e30 will catch you out a lot quicker than other rwd cars but saying that once you learn the character of your car and know its limits it can be great fun and youll have a smile on your face. the 318is is a great car to start with there quick cars for a 1.8 and being honest i think its the closet thing youll get to an m3 (putting the 320is aside as its as rare as hens teeth) . ive used a 318is as a daily driver and there great cars mines was that good the day i bought my 325 my sis bought my 318is to use intill she had her m535 restored and shes now breaking her heart to be selling it and wishes she could keep both..

[Cotty]

Insurance will be the cripler, no point spending all your money on insurance and not being able to maintain the car.


Personally I went

1275cc Vauxhall Chevette
1300cc Ford Escort Mk3 (FWD )
1500cc Ford Cortina Mk1
1600cc Ford Cortina Mk1 (engine swap)
1800cc BMW E30 316 coupe
2800cc TVR S1
2500cc BMW E30 touring

I had the 316 (1800cc no injection) when I was 21 it was a great car and because it wasnt an injection it was easier on the insurance. It also taught me a lot about E30's as I owned it for 8 years. I also spun it the second day I owned it (hence Cotty180) and I had previous driven rear wheel drive cars.

[Cotty]

If you ask me i dont think any1 should get a rear wheeler for ther 1st car.

All but one all my cars have been RWD, when I was younger all my mates had RWD cars as their first cars as they were the ones we could afford.

[SidewaysScouser]

Fellas -

If you declare all mods to your insurers you'll probably find that a standard E30 made to look like an M3 will probably cost more to cover than a standard M3- especially in the Emerald Isle.

If you've got access to a garage, and the car's got Thatcham protection, try a specialist insurer (Adrian Flux?) - go for limited mileage policy and save £'s! I pay less than £400.00 pa for comp cover on a modified E30 M3...although !'m 35!

Try it, they're classic cars now... but you will need the car to be garaged, and you'll probably need to have access to a second car.

Trust me, In a former life I was an insurance investigator (working for high risk insurers), and I kicked out loads of accident/theft claims!!