1985 325E

[e30fan]

Hey guys im new here so youll have to help me out here..i am thinking about buying a real nice 1985 325e from a local shop .i know this guy and he is legit.but his aftermarket parts and labor prices are crazy.now i pretty much know what i want to do with the motor but i still have a few questions.first off is this really worth buying.i mean motor wise.or should i keep looking for an i e30..?.i know that the torque is just as much as the newer e30 325 i, but is lacking the high horsepower.now im not looking for a drag car or anything like that, just more like a autocross car and a weekend moutain curve car,so what could i do to really boost this cars horsepower up ..i know about intake and exhaust,a good header,and a turner motorsports ecu chip.also a korman cam and some timming advancement would help,but what about a lightweight flywheel..again thanks alot..Jay

[bmwannabe]

wow, lotta questions. Ive owned both, and you are better off looking for an "i" model. the eta was great on gas, but so is the i. theres too many things to compare, but you can find yourself a clean i for a reasonable price. keep huntin'. good luck.

[e30fan]

oppsss im sorry guys i reposted again..newbie..

:oops:

[DaN]

It depends on How much he's asking for it.
Personally I like my eta, but I have a bunch of mods.
Obviously the "i" is more desireable, but the eta is still a good car. You can have fun carving mountain roads, and it has lots of low end torque for autocross.

[e30fan]

i can get it for $1000 ,165,000 on tha clock,silver and black..thanks again guys..Jay

[e30fan]

hey guys i have a few more questions..are headers on the ETA motors really important..?..im really looking into a 272/282 schrick cam,and a good exhaust,turnermotorsports ecu chip,bmpd intake,mabey rasing the compression up to say 10:0.1.i have also heard of swaping the 325i intake manifold to my ETA..is that true.?.i know im asking a lot of questions here but i really want to get the ball rolling on this asap..thanks again..Jay

[mikeedler]

If you have that much money to invest, then go for the i model. if you plan on going as far as to change pistons, pick up a cheat eta crank while your at it and build the "stroker" motor. All the mods you mentioned will help the eta motor, but in the end you would have been happier to mod out the i motor, it will be cheaper in the long run. If the car looks and runs nice, pick it up, you can always try to look for a "i" motor later. but watch what mods you do, cause some stuff like the "chip tuning" wont work on a i motor later.good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[Deutschmarque]

From my experience....

FWIW

I have had both. I drove the i car on a daily basis, and my eta is pretty much a dedicated track car. One thing that you should do first as far as modding the car, is get a 3.25lsd from an e28 535i, cheap and plentiful, and makes a big difference in acceleration.

Next, go to a driving school. PCA, BMWCCA, NASA, SCCA.... It doesn't matter, just get that nut holding the wheel up to snuff. Additionally, learning to drive the car without a bunch of modifications will help you determine what to change, and more importantly, why to change it. There are a bunch of cars out there that have thousands of dollars of mods, but without the ability to actually drive the thing, they are useless, well mostly... They do look pretty cool. ;)

That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it. The eta car is not going to win any drag races, but they can be a blast when they are set up correctly.

-Nick

[e30fan]

thanks alot guys i was autocrossing a honda crx,and a totalled it so i have about 3 grand to build me something new..i figure i can windel this guy down to $800 or so and spend the rest on tha car.now i already have a recaro seat and a momo steering wheel,but im gonna have to get the rest.i dont think i said that this is not going to be a daily driver so..all track mods are welcome..thanks again guys..Jay

[Ryan Stewart]

1985 325es suck. They have little potential unless you plan on spending copious amounts of money.

[e30fan]

can you really say they suck..?..i mean anything with 168ftlbs of torque is gonna be good in an autocross right.?..anymore suggestions..?..thanks Jay