325ix or 325i......HELP! I need opinions!!!

[jtuner]

Well i'm torn.. I'm in the position that I need a new transmission.. I've found a 91 325i that has a bad motor, but the car is mint!! I could swap a motor and manual tranny in to it, and have a decent car,, but, an 'e' motor... The pro's to this is that it's newer and the body has low miles... The guy wants 400 bucks...
The other option is this 325ix that i found that has everything complete, except it needs two new struts, which i understand are a bit different than 'e' struts or 'i' struts... The guy wants 500 bucks for this, but i wouldn't have to do a motor swap, and it's an 'i' car... what do ya'll think would be the best route.. i mean i don't really know how well the ix runs, but i'd like the 4wd!! the 325i i already know is clean and would run great... HELP YA'LL!!

[KenC]

You found an iX for $500 and all it needs are new struts? Is it in crap condition?

[nando]

I would be a little scared of a $500 ix.. are you sure it just needs struts? and by that, do you mean the whole strut assembly or just the inserts? depending on mileage and condition, $500 would be a steal. it is VERY important that you have the car checked out by a mechanic first, prefferably one who knows what a 325ix is (99% of them won't). if something is wrong with the transfer case you're looking at a $3-4k repair bill, if you pay somebody else to fix it. although, if you put $3000 into it you'd still only be out $3500...

[808BMW]

Buy both and turn it into 1.

[Kruzen]

Buy both and turn it into 1.

++

[Ducati]

I was thinking the same thing, and sell the extra parts on ebay, or here.

[nando]

Buy both and turn it into 1.

that'd be great except very few of the drivetrain parts are compatible.. certainly not the struts. even the blocks are different.

[jtuner]

Yeah, it seems as if it's a very different car... The guy who's selling it is an e30 mechanic, and has been for awhile.. i talked to him yesterday and it needs an exhaust system too... :( But he said it runs like a champ,, it's in real good shape, but i'm just not sure that i wanna drop all this money in to it, and like nando said, it have a bad tranfer case... I'll keep ya'll posted,, i haven't seen this 91 'i' yet, but that'll probly be the deciding factor, since i've already seen the ix... Thanks for the input,, keep it comin!

[Matt86es]

Blocks Different?

that'd be great except very few of the drivetrain parts are compatible.. certainly not the struts. even the blocks are different.[/quote]

are they not both M20's?

[clutterbucker]

not only are they both M20's, but they're both M20B25's.....

I didn't think they had different blocks, just different suspension, brakes, and everything that transfers the power from the motor to wheels.

IX's rock no matter what. I would buy one for 500 bucks no matter what shape it was in really....just to beat around in it for the winter.

[Jand3rson]

even the blocks are different.

?

Clarification please.

[nando]

different locations for engine mounts (because the whole front frame of the car is different), different oil pump (indeed the whole oiling system is different), different location for dipstick tube, and likely other differences.

hell, even the radiator and cooling system are different. I found that out when I tried to order new hoses, they ended up only being able to get one or two of them.

there are so many things about the ix that are not the same, it's probably easier to list the things that are the same than the things that aren't. For example, the front brakes are actually the same, it's the rear that are different, but the only difference there is the rotor, the caliper and ebrake are the same..

[jtuner]

oh yeah, i forgot to mention that it doesn't come with a title... for the actual car.. I could get a title for it for about 200 bucks, and swap the vin plates... I just couldn't sell it after that, i'd be stuck with the car for life, in fear of legal actions from buyers... :?