325 Vs 318 is

Thu Dec 14, 2006 11:34 am

Okay i'm new to E30`s, well any BMW infact, very soon i`ll have some funds to start looking for a car, originally I thought a 325i was what I had to have, now i'm thinking a 318is could be worth a punt, this is pureley based on what people have written about them on here, it would seem that they are quite responsive to tuning and with the smaller, lighter engine I would imagine the handling is marginally better than the 325i, what do you reckon, would I be dissapointed with a 318is and constantly be wishnig I had gone for a 325i.
Another consideration is cost, am I right in thinking the 318is is a bit rarer than the 325i, if so does this mean they command a higher price.
I think to be honest I want a 325, mainly because I like the idea of a 6 pot and the accompanying sound track you just don`t get with 4 cylinders. Trouble is I think i`ll be silly to ignore them. Decisions decisions.

Thu Dec 14, 2006 11:49 am

318iS - better on fuel, slightly slower.
325i - Sounds good, thirsty

For your first one, I'd seriously consider an iS.

A poor condition 325 will be cheaper than the iS's but there is a large price range with 325s, depends what you want.

318iS's range from ~Ã‚£800 -> Ã‚£2000 for the best.

Go for a Ã‚£1200'er!

Thu Dec 14, 2006 11:55 am

Good advice Dave....

You can get a decent iS for that sort of cash..

Pal

Thu Dec 14, 2006 12:10 pm

Get a2.5.
a 318is will be quite a bit slower. youll have more fun in a 325 with a good suspension setup. then again i own a 325is so i am abit bias. if you want a fast car and you buy a 318is youll just want a bigger engine after a while.
my car is not that thirsty if i drive it "nicely".
see what you can get for the money youre willing to spend. eg. if you find a is in better condtion than any 325s youre looking at id go for the is.
i bought my 325is for 1500 and ended up spending loadsa Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£s onit cos there was alot wrong with it that i didint notice when i looked at it- hidden rust, cracked head, gearbox went soon after i bought it tooo. i was a bit unlucky though!
whichever you go for just make sure you give it a THOROUGH check over first.

Thu Dec 14, 2006 12:12 pm

Do a search, in romsey there is what looks like a really nice IS with a new engine in the last few years for Ã‚£1000. Do a search under Helen i think in the cars for sale section and go buy it, as it's severly tempting me!

Thu Dec 14, 2006 12:26 pm

There is also the fact that the 318is is quite a lot cheaper to insure - most insurance companies treat it as a 318i.

Ok - so if you are an old git with full no claims like me it only makes a few tens of pounds difference - but if you are young with very little no-claims there could be a huge difference. Better to pay a lower premium and spend the money on the car instead!

Cheers

Robin

Thu Dec 14, 2006 12:27 pm

Jon, that one is sold now. Gone to Ireland.

Thu Dec 14, 2006 12:35 pm

One of the things that made me consider the 318is was Helens one, it`s not to far from me and sounds like a fair price.
I think i`ll be looking at spending around a grand on car, tatty body work doesn`t bother me to much as I have welding gear and spraying equipment of my own.
Thirst isn`t too much of a problem either, the E30 will be a second car and will not be used that much, only weekends really and the annual pilgrimage to Le Mans, really looking forward to driving down their in something interesting, like a 325/318is.

Thu Dec 14, 2006 1:10 pm

oakey wrote:Get a2.5.
a 318is will be quite a bit slower. youll

in standard for the i.S. is almost as fast accelerating as it has shorter gearing.

oakey wrote:Get a2.5.
youll have more fun in a 325 with a good suspension setup.

Two cylinders more and a boat anchor at the front don't aid handling as far as i know; the 318is is much more nimble in corners as there is less mass over the front axle.

oakey wrote:my car is not that thirsty if i drive it "nicely".

My car is not that thirsty an i drive it like i stole it.

oakey wrote: hidden rust,

Got that one right

If you want a good 325i be preapred to spend big. If you want a good run around that handles nicely has a lot less issues is slightly newer and a lot cheaper, get a 318is

Thu Dec 14, 2006 1:47 pm

How do the performance figures actually stack up between the two cars.
I read a road test on the 318is and it sounded very good, it mentioned that the power delivery in the mid range and up to the red line was excellent, this is what I'm after, the traffic light grandprix isn`t something I'm to fussed about, it`s the in gear times I'm interested in.
Some of the posts I have read indicate that the 318is is quite tunable, one post mentioned 162 bhp, this was achieved with just the usual mods, exhaust, air filter, remap etc, to me that sounds pretty good.

Thu Dec 14, 2006 2:15 pm

mate. 325 all the way

Thu Dec 14, 2006 2:33 pm

I'm really not convinced by the handling argument between 318is and 325. The one that has been maintained the best will handle better, and the cost of replacing the shocks/springs/bushes/arb links etc could be more than the difference in cost between the two models. Lets face it, a 318is with shot subframe bushes will be as big a liability as a 325 with the same problems.
Of course, if any 318is owners would like to let me have a drive to convince me - I'm up for it

As for tuning, I'd really go for the 325. One man's "Boat anchor" is another man's "Rock solid bottom end" and as long as you're careful with the head you can talk to Mr Ant and get yourself 300bhp and up. 162 bhp is about what a decent facelift 325 will be making stock.

My personal choice is a 325i Touring, you get the Mtech suspension, ABS, disks all round as standard and you can bolt on an LSD just like any other E30. Some people don't like the touring shape, some prefer it.. but its bloody handy! And the weight distribution is spot on with the 325, the 318 I had before was too tail happy for me.

Horses for courses, and personal choice!

Thu Dec 14, 2006 2:35 pm

Go for the 318is if you're going to rag it everywhere, or are particularly bothered about economy. Otherwise go for the 325i. Price'll be much the same for a similar condition example of either, but there are fewer iSs around so you might have to look for longer...

Actually, if you're really handy on the bodywork side of things, go for a mtech-1 325i sport - lovely cars, all the spec you want, but most of em need a fair bit of tinworm sorting out (which does mean they can be cheap)!

Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:12 pm

Dan318-is wrote:
oakey wrote:Get a2.5.
a 318is will be quite a bit slower. youll
in standard for the i.S. is almost as fast accelerating as it has shorter gearing.

oakey wrote:Get a2.5.
youll have more fun in a 325 with a good suspension setup.
Two cylinders more and a boat anchor at the front don't aid handling as far as i know; the 318is is much more nimble in corners as there is less mass over the front axle.

oakey wrote:my car is not that thirsty if i drive it "nicely".
My car is not that thirsty an i drive it like i stole it.

oakey wrote: hidden rust,
Got that one right

If you want a good 325i be preapred to spend big. If you want a good run around that handles nicely has a lot less issues is slightly newer and a lot cheaper, get a 318is

im with dan on this!!! the iS' are fun cars, and so underestimated...

Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:17 pm

IS, handles better and not too far of the 2.5's in performance

Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:17 pm

esp. your old one Kos...

Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:18 pm

I think to be honest I want a 325, mainly because I like the idea of a 6 pot and the accompanying sound track you just don`t get with 4 cylinders.

This is an unarguable benefit of the 325i over any 4-cyl car. I love the sound of the straight-six, and it's worth any extra I'll have to pay. It's obviously up to you whether this is important enough to you to make the difference.

Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:21 pm

325i all day long, you cant beat the sound + if you want mid range power.

Get a lsd ,H&R suspension and arb.

She will be great,

far better than 4pot wrongness

real bmw have 6 pots (bar e30 m3 etc)

Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:29 pm

oldroydsr4 wrote:
Get a lsd ,H&R suspension and arb.

She will be great

even with these mods, but the same set up on an IS and it will spank a 2.5 round any twisty road or track

Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:37 pm

Well it would seem there are plenty of for and against for both cars. As said fuel economy isn't a major issue, the way it goes is. I can start looking properly within the next few days and I think I will look at both, to be honest I think if a nice IS cam my way I would be silly to ignore it. I can`t help it though I think the 325 has just got the edge at the moment.

Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:47 pm

He he - here we go again :lol:

325s are more common so you will probably find it easier to find one. 318is is a fine car and the owners will defend them to the hilt, as will the 325i owners.

[/is owner mode on] They are galvanised, have M3 suspension, special engine mounting position and will apparently waste anything bar an M3 round a track [ /is owner mode off]

[Sport owner mode on] The noise is better, the weight makes sod all difference to the handling, what about the extra 30 bhp, the sound oh the sound - Kos wind yer neck in, ex is owner! [ sport owner mode off ]

My advice for what it's worth- drive both and see which you like best. As has been said I am sure a well maintained 325i will waste a shagged 318is round a track.

Do a search on the forum, this debate comes up once a month

Oh and welcome to the forum mate.

Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:52 pm

My IS is faster than a sport in road trim round a track!

Probably down to it not carrying a big lump of archaic iron around in front of the front wheels!

Thu Dec 14, 2006 4:05 pm

stuartgallafant wrote:
Dan318-is wrote:
oakey wrote:Get a2.5.
a 318is will be quite a bit slower. youll
in standard for the i.S. is almost as fast accelerating as it has shorter gearing.

oakey wrote:Get a2.5.
youll have more fun in a 325 with a good suspension setup.
Two cylinders more and a boat anchor at the front don't aid handling as far as i know; the 318is is much more nimble in corners as there is less mass over the front axle.

oakey wrote:my car is not that thirsty if i drive it "nicely".
My car is not that thirsty an i drive it like i stole it.

oakey wrote: hidden rust,
Got that one right

If you want a good 325i be preapred to spend big. If you want a good run around that handles nicely has a lot less issues is slightly newer and a lot cheaper, get a 318is
im with dan on this!!! the iS' are fun cars, and so underestimated...

Could not have been put better Dan

Thu Dec 14, 2006 4:07 pm

A quick read of Total BMW reveals the IS does 60 in 9.3 secs and a 325i sport does it in 7.9, are these figures realistic, to be fair that is quite a difference, the 325 would have to give away a fair bit of weight for a 318is to keep up, wouldn't it.

Thu Dec 14, 2006 4:39 pm

Engine in a 318is weighs about 20 kgs less...

See this thread from earlier...

http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... 5273&start
So be careful over christmas 4 pot owners, one extra mince pie at Mummy's house and your 4 banger will probably handle like a stuck pig 6 pot

Thu Dec 14, 2006 4:51 pm

Says it`s restricted, can`t open the link.

Thu Dec 14, 2006 5:01 pm

http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... 5273&start

Try that mate

Thu Dec 14, 2006 5:05 pm

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... 5273&start

?

Thu Dec 14, 2006 5:06 pm

There ain't no substitute for cubes, boy

Thu Dec 14, 2006 5:41 pm

I reckon 9.3 to 60 would be the true if you were four up on ice!

The problem with the Is is the diff ratio is all wrong so you hit the limiter when it lights em up real quick and you start to struggle above 125,I would like a longer second and third gear.

Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:42 pm

Davenotouring wrote:Jon, that one is sold now. Gone to Ireland.

Excellent, thats one less that is tempting me back. Great price, that could have been brought and turned around very quickly to the irish lot for Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£Ã‚£'s. Getting bored as you can't be reckless with 4 wheel drive

Thu Dec 14, 2006 8:13 pm

oldroydsr4 wrote:far better than 4pot wrongness

real bmw have 6 pots (bar e30 m3 etc)

you sad little man...

Splondike wrote:[Sport owner mode on] The noise is better, the weight makes sod all difference to the handling, what about the extra 30 bhp, the sound oh the sound - Kos wind yer neck in, ex is owner! [ sport owner mode off ]

cant deny the sound... but you will NEVER find a 6 pot that handles like a 4 pot... even Ant admitted to me the other day that this is true. The laws of physics proves this too, for fcuks sake...

and, the only reason the iS has 30 less bhp is so they didnt outsell the 325i's. Their target market was to compete against the hot-hatches of the era, and it did just that

this debate is pathetic. dont slate an iS for having 2 less cylinders. it produces more power/litre than your stone-age cruise-ship-scrap-metal pot!!

both cars have advantages and disadvantages. personally, I like being able to get 30 odd mpg whilst still thrashing the arse off it. i've come up against many cars with larger engines than my iS, and still left the driver with an embarrased look on their face...

drive both a few times, in varying circumstances, and chosse what you feel is right for your needs/wants

rant over...

Thu Dec 14, 2006 8:52 pm

This is the thing, you need to decide what you want it for, both have their pros and cons and to be honest there is not much difference in it.

If you buy standard, and iS will handle better and be close on performance. A stock 325i is heavier and has normal suspension, past this the mods you do will always change the handling of the car.

Get the 325, you'll enjoy the noise more, finding a good one will be easier, don't think you'll notice on the insurance - you don't sound like you're 17 so some NCB and its pretty affordable. Put some mods on and enjoy!

I have an iS, dont use it as an everyday but use it as my toy, I love to trash it on the twisties, I've made some mods and love it but you do have to trash it to get the performance, drive this car like you've escaped from the looney bin!! Its well balanced, cheap, quality car - if you can find one - and I'm not getting rid of it anytime soon, I think it can keep up with most, may be not the fastest but no slouch either but I am not sure its what you would want... just my 2p

Thu Dec 14, 2006 9:37 pm

Well I think I certainly have plenty to think about. I like the sound of both engines. I think the sensible thing to do is test drive both and see what I prefer.Sounds like this subject is quite an emotive subject, it's all good though, I just can't wait to get one, since my Triumph has been off the road i've been missing the RWD fun

Thu Dec 14, 2006 9:55 pm

powelly wrote:Well I think I certainly have plenty to think about. I like the sound of both engines. I think the sensible thing to do is test drive both and see what I prefer.Sounds like this subject is quite an emotive subject, it's all good though, I just can't wait to get one, since my Triumph has been off the road i've been missing the RWD fun

It shows the feeling for the cars I think - it's all good.

...now where's my landing net.