hmm there is alot to be said about getting an e30, it all comes down to what you plan to do, it sounds like you want a car that is going to be reliable, but can take a thrashing at your local events. this is my break down of all the models.
we will start with the early 318i. These are a very bare bones car. the m10 is a great power plant as far as reliability but are very slow, but they have been proven to respond well to boost. but it sounds like your trying to stray away from anything like that. Then there is the fact that they have drum brakes, easy retrofit but yet again sounds like you wanna stay away from that. it has 45mm fronts struts when the later model cars all have the 51mm strut housing. if you were to do any kind of suspension work you would want to switch to the later. the pros are that they are very light, and can make a great track car.
now onto the 325e
These cars make a great base in my opion because they can be had for practicly nothing. the m20 in these cars are super reliable, i have had multiple ones with over 300000 thousand miles and ran very well. they all have disk brakes if i remember correctly. most of them have the 51mm stuts but some do not if they are very early, so when you go to buy them check it out. the m20 in these cars are very very slow but that may not be such a bad thing if your main goal is to teach the kid car control. then you can always do the i head swap, i motor swap or any of the motor swap options out there not counting the different formulas for bost.
325i
this is my personal favorite out of all the basic e30's minus the m3. It comes with a great powerplant the m20b25. it makes decent power and torque. the motor is quite smooth and very reliable. there are plenty of different formulas to make power from these cars. they are a bit heavier than the early 318, but the more powerful motor, more modern engine managment, 51mm strut tubes, disk brakes and then all the differnt trim levels i believe it is the better car. sounds like an is would be the way for you guys to go because it comes with the factory lsd and sport seats that will work for the occasional track day.
318is
this car is also very very cool. as far as i know they only came as a coupe, and a 5speed. some even came with factory lsd witch will be essential if your gonna autocross/track the car. they have all the same features as the i car but they have the m42 4 cylinder. the motor is very fun and likes to rev. i have personaly owned both a 325i and 318is and the performance difference is marginal from stock. the 325 is gonna be faster but the m42 has the weight advantage and has great front rear bias because of the lighter and placed farther back motor. the m42 seems to need more maintance becasue they have the issues with the profile gasket, guides, and depending on how many miles the car is that your looking at is it may need all new timing componets which can get pricy. all the m20's need is the timing belt/water pump and a tune up usually.
I hope this helps in your buying decision, i didn't list the m3 because looking at your options didn't seem like a consideration. also sorry about the spelling and grammer in this post, it has never been my strong suit!
we will start with the early 318i. These are a very bare bones car. the m10 is a great power plant as far as reliability but are very slow, but they have been proven to respond well to boost. but it sounds like your trying to stray away from anything like that. Then there is the fact that they have drum brakes, easy retrofit but yet again sounds like you wanna stay away from that. it has 45mm fronts struts when the later model cars all have the 51mm strut housing. if you were to do any kind of suspension work you would want to switch to the later. the pros are that they are very light, and can make a great track car.
now onto the 325e
These cars make a great base in my opion because they can be had for practicly nothing. the m20 in these cars are super reliable, i have had multiple ones with over 300000 thousand miles and ran very well. they all have disk brakes if i remember correctly. most of them have the 51mm stuts but some do not if they are very early, so when you go to buy them check it out. the m20 in these cars are very very slow but that may not be such a bad thing if your main goal is to teach the kid car control. then you can always do the i head swap, i motor swap or any of the motor swap options out there not counting the different formulas for bost.
325i
this is my personal favorite out of all the basic e30's minus the m3. It comes with a great powerplant the m20b25. it makes decent power and torque. the motor is quite smooth and very reliable. there are plenty of different formulas to make power from these cars. they are a bit heavier than the early 318, but the more powerful motor, more modern engine managment, 51mm strut tubes, disk brakes and then all the differnt trim levels i believe it is the better car. sounds like an is would be the way for you guys to go because it comes with the factory lsd and sport seats that will work for the occasional track day.
318is
this car is also very very cool. as far as i know they only came as a coupe, and a 5speed. some even came with factory lsd witch will be essential if your gonna autocross/track the car. they have all the same features as the i car but they have the m42 4 cylinder. the motor is very fun and likes to rev. i have personaly owned both a 325i and 318is and the performance difference is marginal from stock. the 325 is gonna be faster but the m42 has the weight advantage and has great front rear bias because of the lighter and placed farther back motor. the m42 seems to need more maintance becasue they have the issues with the profile gasket, guides, and depending on how many miles the car is that your looking at is it may need all new timing componets which can get pricy. all the m20's need is the timing belt/water pump and a tune up usually.
I hope this helps in your buying decision, i didn't list the m3 because looking at your options didn't seem like a consideration. also sorry about the spelling and grammer in this post, it has never been my strong suit!
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