help choose a bimmer

[I_like_E30]

Hello guys, I'm new to bmw world, I'm 17, don't have much money. I love E30, so I was looking at 325e/es, 318is, and 325i/is. I'm looking for speed and very good acceleration. it would be my daily/track car. I heard that 325e/es are pretty slow, but once you put the tms chip in it , that makes it have 190lb/ft torque and 143hp. that's a lot of torque :shock: 325is is probably the best from this list right? which one has the best acceleration of the line/ downshifting? what about the cost of repairs? 318is has good accel w/ lightweight flywheel? :? I apreciate your help guys ;) E30 rock 8)

[Gonzo318is]

Re: help choose a bimmer

Hello guys, I'm new to bmw world, I'm 17, don't have much money. I love E30, so I was looking at 325e/es, 318is, and 325i/is. I'm looking for speed and very good acceleration. it would be my daily/track car. I heard that 325e/es are pretty slow, but once you put the tms chip in it , that makes it have 190lb/ft torque and 143hp. that's a lot of torque :shock: 325is is probably the best from this list right? which one has the best acceleration of the line/ downshifting? what about the cost of repairs? 318is has good accel w/ lightweight flywheel? :? I apreciate your help guys ;) E30 rock 8)

First off welcome to the wonderful world of Bimmers and this forum.

Secondly, if you don't have too much $$$ then your gonna have to take what you can get and in that case I'd get the cleanest E30 I could find for the money you want to spend.

I'm not sure what part of the country you live in nor the kind of condition you want the car to be in but those two factors will definately affect which E30 you go with. Here in SoCal it's hard to find a clean/mint E30 (note I said "clean/mint" E30's are a dime a dozen here) and if you do it's gonna cost. It took months for me to find my current bimmer and I probably paid a bit too much for it but I don't care, I'm not selling it and it's mint!

[I_like_E30]

thanx for your reply :D I'm gonna be spending around $3500(max) I'm from Austin, TX.

[Gonzo318is]

No worries and for $3500 you should be able to find a nice E30. The "is" models are a little more naturally but worth it and I'd hold out till I found one in good shape.

[I_like_E30]

thanks,. here is the one I'm really interested in, what do you think? http://www.udm-motorsport.com/e30325is/main.htm

[robert325is]

i'd say try to go for an IS with plastic bumpers (89+) im in houston and you don't see too many clean E30's around here... i dunno how it is around austin though

[PanamaE30]

When I was in Austin during the summer for my 21st I barely saw any E30's. I did see a couple of really clean diving board-equipped E30's on the UT campus though. Go figure a college student keeping good care of an E30 :P

[I_like_E30]

thank you guys for your reply's, how about 325e/es? are those any good, I mean they gotta have some pretty good accel w/ 190lb of torque? what would be better? '89-'91 318is or 325e/es? thanx again guys :D

P.S. I'm trying my best at typing in english, if I'll have any mistakes, please inform me of those ;)

[SykoBMW]

'91 318is

[bkelsey86]

Dude I go to school in San Antonio and go to Austin all the time. We should meet up when you get an e30. I'm selling my 325e soon but its not like in perfect condition (body wise) but still runs great. I haven't really seen any modded e30's in Texas to be honest with you.

[Matt86es]

The 'i' will almost always be technically faster, but I love the torque of my eta and am not dissatisfied with it at all. If you find a really good condition/mileage 'es' I say go for it. You should still have some money left over to start on your suspension, chip, etc.

[clutterbucker]

The one you're looking at is cool, but I can find a few things that I would hate about it.
The seats, steering wheel, shift knob, and suspension would all get on my nerves after....maybe a day with the car.
The main thing that I would hate about that car is that it's an '87, and thus, has diving board bumpers. If I were you, I'd look for an 88 plus, because the bumpers rock.
Also, on that one, the coolant reservoir, or whatever it's called, is right next to the exhaust manifold. I can't imagine having the coolant stashed in the hottest place int he engine bay.

I'm not the final say in all this, just giving my opinion. If you like it, and it's a good price, grab it. Just make sure it's mechanically sound.

[I_like_E30]

thank you guys, I really apreciate your help. I'm gonna buy a car this spring. I was actually considering to replace the diving boards (if I'll get one w/those) to euro metal bumpers. As I said, I'm planning on going into auto-x and maybe drift.

P.S. do you know any good race driving schools around in texas (austin preferably). I wanna be a racer (professional race car driver, (no nascar or drag) something european. ;)

[peteM3power]

'91 318is

Can't agree more.

While you have already said that you are ''looking for speed and very good acceleration'', I don't think that the 318iS can really be considered that slow at all. Sure you are obviously going to get a faster 325iS if you keep both of them stock but for 17 years old and a budget to keep to, I would seriously consider the 318IS over the others.

It has the plastic bumpers no matter what, factory shadowline and from my experience in Australia (it may very well be different where you are) but a clean 318iS can be had for a lot less than a clean 325iS.

Just my thoughts and if I had to decide on one of the three, I would definately go the 318iS. That's not to say that 325iS is a bad car, I would also love one but for running costs and maintenance, the 318iS are a very good E30 to start with!

Pete

[macdadmorgan]

that car looks decent, my one concern when buying a modded car is you know it has been driven, it has gone both ways for me. just make sure to look at everything! and not be blinded by the "I want it, i want it, i want it" syndrome. i have had that problem before. i just bought a 87 325is for 3k, very clean car from florida, but have already sunk over a grand into it, that does included new suspension , and ss brake lines. but at least $500+ in maintance parts. jsut don't put your self in a position where you can't make the repairs and run it into the ground. so far the funnest car i've owned, and i have had many includding an S4, although i cant drive it in the snow, i don't think you'll have that problem :)

my 2 cents.