ae86 vs. e30

[wolfgangstbd]

well my brother has a ae86 gts and i have a 318is

pros-the gts from factory accelerate faster from factory. they are GREAT fun. they definentally handle better in tight stuff they are always going to be about 300 lbs. less. the interior is pretty cool if your dash is uncracked. they look sick if its your kinda car. they dont need anymore work than a e30 to look good wheels/drop=sick just like a e30. they are great fun above 5000rpm

drawbacks- you need to know how to work on a car. the stock gts/sr5 rear end sucks but there are ring and pinion kits for like 350 that are stronger and a 4.778 ratio. they are really fuckin loud on the inside. rough. brakes need some work to feel good. NO torque but all the other fun you have you'll get over it. people dont take you seriously(if your a kid this doesnt matter because none will take you seriously anyway) cant pick up chicks in it.

e30 good- has good brakes stock. handles okay. most factory parts are good and strong for the power you can afford most of the time. can get chicks in it if its clean. same for corolla to make it look good. smooth ride when stock. has torque as long if its not a m10

bad- no cool japanese culture. most body kits look gay unless its mtech. only one widebody other than flares which dont fit the car imo. not as light as corolla

conclusion- i had to choose between the two. either way id miss something about either of them. they are awesome and fun. so the thing you really hace to think about is do like euro or jdm more

[nano408]

Test drive both an eta and an i before you make a decision. Etas do kick ass in autox because you don't have to rev the piss out of them (in fact, you can't :p). But if you also want straight line speed they are pretty lackluster.

See if you can find a 325i to test drive too, then make a decision. You really only have the context of what you've driven.

i thought about that right after i posted it. there arent any i's for sale in the area. how much is a m20b25 swap?

[Wh33lhop]

ahhhh im so confused. i think ill test drive it before i make any decisions?

Test drive both an eta and an i before you make a decision. Etas do kick ass in autox because you don't have to rev the piss out of them (in fact, you can't :p). But if you also want straight line speed they are pretty lackluster.

See if you can find a 325i to test drive too, then make a decision. You really only have the context of what you've driven.

[nano408]

eta's dont suck..you just gotta know how to drive them. i've had just as much fun in eta's as i did my m52 car.

wanna have fun with your car? suspension. simple as that.

ahhhh im so confused. i think ill test drive it before i make any decisions?

[Jesse30]

really? i got all these dudes telling me to wait for an i because etas suck. the owner is actually going to replace the alternator and the alternator band. yeah i was expecting to spend atleast 5k more on it

eta's dont suck..you just gotta know how to drive them. i've had just as much fun in eta's as i did my m52 car.

wanna have fun with your car? suspension. simple as that.

[nano408]

Do it (meaning wait). I jumped the gun and bought a car I knew was maintained rather poorly because I needed transportation and I got semi-lucky as it hasn't thrown any shit my way, but now I'm emotionally attached to a car that a woman owned for 4 years and I can't stop pouring money into the damn thing because I love it. Just wait for the right car--doesn't have to be perfect, but if you want acceleration don't get an eta.

ahhhhh damn. my mind was set on getting the car cause i thought it was a steal. ill do it then since you know more about them than i do

[nano408]

well, what are the mods you were planning on doing to it?

i like gts' personally, but 325e's are a good deal of fun too. so much torque :)

get the 325e. replace the timing belt, replace the water pump, refresh your suspension with h&r races and bilstein sports.. along with your control arms, tie rods and control arm bushings (m3 offsets are a great upgrade).

go through your brakes. new pads, fresh fluid, ss lines and you'll have a great car.

learn to drive it with the power it has stock.

mind you, the list for the 86 will be similar. dont cheap out

really? i got all these dudes telling me to wait for an i because etas suck. the owner is actually going to replace the alternator and the alternator band. yeah i was expecting to spend atleast 5k more on it

[Wh33lhop]

well, what are the mods you were planning on doing to it?

i like gts' personally, but 325e's are a good deal of fun too. so much torque :)

get the 325e. replace the timing belt, replace the water pump, refresh your suspension with h&r races and bilstein sports.. along with your control arms, tie rods and control arm bushings (m3 offsets are a great upgrade).

go through your brakes. new pads, fresh fluid, ss lines and you'll have a great car.

learn to drive it with the power it has stock.

mind you, the list for the 86 will be similar. dont cheap out

If he gets an early model then IE3 < race :p

[Wh33lhop]

Do it (meaning wait). I jumped the gun and bought a car I knew was maintained rather poorly because I needed transportation and I got semi-lucky as it hasn't thrown any shit my way, but now I'm emotionally attached to a car that a woman owned for 4 years and I can't stop pouring money into the damn thing because I love it. Just wait for the right car--doesn't have to be perfect, but if you want acceleration don't get an eta.

[Jesse30]

well, what are the mods you were planning on doing to it?

i like gts' personally, but 325e's are a good deal of fun too. so much torque :)

get the 325e. replace the timing belt, replace the water pump, refresh your suspension with h&r races and bilstein sports.. along with your control arms, tie rods and control arm bushings (m3 offsets are a great upgrade).

go through your brakes. new pads, fresh fluid, ss lines and you'll have a great car.

learn to drive it with the power it has stock.

mind you, the list for the 86 will be similar. dont cheap out

[nano408]

Eh

It may be a decent deal, but my guess is that car's in horrible condition. Hold out for a little while and get a stock 325i. It's got enough torque to at least be entertaining, and with a chip and injectors it'll push you back in your seat when the needle passes 4k, which is really where the fun ends with an eta (325e).

dammit. i guess im gonna have to wait

[nano408]

It's not that simple, but the basic idea is

Hachi generally handles better
325i is faster in a straight line hands down
E30 has more sophisticated suspension design (although they're both very old designs at this point, independent rear will be more compliant than a live axle)
If you ask me, the bimmer is the more balanced car, a hachi is sort of like a miata coupe (no power but fun anyway), except less gay which is clearly why they cost more.

hahaha. damn

[Wh33lhop]

he said he put the wheels on with some sort of adaptors

Eh

It may be a decent deal, but my guess is that car's in horrible condition. Hold out for a little while and get a stock 325i. It's got enough torque to at least be entertaining, and with a chip and injectors it'll push you back in your seat when the needle passes 4k, which is really where the fun ends with an eta (325e).

[nano408]

well then give some more information..

ae86 gts? sr5?

325e/s?,325i/s?,318i(84-85),318is(1991)

they're handle differently, brake differently and accelerate differently.

-Jesse

gts and 325e

[nano408]

Not quite that easy

Since it's an 85, if you want any reasonable compression you'll either need different pistons or a pretty rare "731" head off a 323i, otherwise you're stuck with an atrocious CR

I think you should wait around for the right car

And I'm not sure how he put E46 wheels on it unless he did a 5 lug conversion, in which case you might want to get it after all

he said he put the wheels on with some sort of adaptors