Decisions Decisions

[swingard]

After finding this site early last fall, and realizing that the '94 beater Honda I've been driving the last 5 years is on its last leggs I decided it was time to realize a childhood dream and own a second generation 300 series.
In October I found an unmolested 325e. She had no rust, peeling clearcoat on top of the laupisblau (SP?) paint. Engine seemed strong, all she needed was love and some badly needed maintenance (all new hoses, plugs, etc.). Having no garage here in Baltimore and a family of mechanincs back home in Pittsburgh I decided to have a local BMW mechanic refresh the bushings, tierods, etc.
Well long story short, the fella would like to trade my car and a few hundred for a '91 318is that has been brought up to snuff already.
As much as I like the 325e, I'm in love with the looks of the 318is for reasons I dont have to explain to any of you. However, I'm not sure if I like the idea of trading the simplicity of the the inline six for the fourbanger. I don't intend on tracking either of these, just need a fun dependable car for my dd that can bring a smile to my face when I need it to.
I'd like to make as an informed decision as possible. I'm not happy with the research I've done so far. I intend to make a decision for me, but would like to hear from some of you guys who know these cars so much better than I do.

Anyone willing to weigh in with an opinion? All things being equal on the two as far as condition, mileage etc. what would you choose and why?

[87e30]

318is. So much more fun to drive, better looking stock.

[NuthinFancy]

Well one of the plus of the 318, no more worries of a timing belt snapping on you, also the four cylinder has its own fun factor I mean ur not really losing much hp going from the inline 6 to the 4 cylinder. There both real fun cars so in my honest opinion ur good with whatever choice u go with reason being there both e30's which im sure either one is still way better driving experience than a honda.

[87e30]

Well one of the plus of the 318, no more worries of a timing belt snapping on you, also the four cylinder has its own fun factor I mean ur not really losing much hp going from the inline 6 to the 4 cylinder. There both real fun cars so in my honest opinion ur good with whatever choice u go with reason being there both e30's which im sure either one is still way better driving experience than a honda.

Definitely depends on the honda.

And you're actually gaining power going from a 325e (m20b27 ~120hp) to an m42 (~140hp) however you're losing tq. The m20b27 has around 170ft-lbs I think.

[TS323]

i'd go with the 318. if your going to daily something, its good on gas and fun to drive. definitely not as much low end power but you can just abuse it around turns and it handles great. its a much rarer car too. but i say drive both and see what makes you happier to drive on a daily basis.

[george graves]

I'd recommend an early chrysler k car. They really are quite fun to drive.

[Evan12]

318is. Not a fan of the "eta" or "e" motor. Personally I need more revs than 5k

[swingard]

I grew up with a K car lol. They are very reliable.

Thanks for the input guys. I need to drive the 318, I love driving the eta. I must admit I love the look and stance of the 318, but I love the torque of the eta. I'll keep you all posted.

[KirkerBezerker]

I think what you are actually liking more about the 318is is the plastic bumpers not the engine. If I was going to buy my car all over again plastic bumpers would be the last thing I would be worried about.

[swingard]

I hear ya kirker.

Yes I am liking the everything about the looks of the 318 more than the eta from the bumpers to its umodified stance. If that was the only thing I was worried about it would not be a hard decision for me. As I said in my first post I'm not sure about the idea of giving up the the six cylinder and how simple its deisgn is as compared to a DOHC four banger with similar horsepower and alot less torque. They both handle great, but I've read the 318 handles better (Still need to go drive it for myself I know).

The eta seems to have a happy powerband from 1-5k because of the torque. I dont think the 318 will have a powerband like that, but I dont know. Things like this are what I'm debating.

Although I'm new to this scene, does not mean I'm new to the car scene, nor am I new to a cars internals, torque vs. horsepower, etc. Again as I posted earlier just wanted some opinions on the comparison of the two cars in an unmodified format from people that know from experience. When trying to make an informed decision, information is key.

Thanks to everyone for your input so far on the two. I've gotten some good input. Thank you Kirker for your input on what I'm thinking, I look forward to your objective input on how the two cars compare.

[evandael]

eta's become fun to drive, once you grow accustomed to the powerband.. they have great pull from 2-4K and honestly, who takes it to redline on a daily basis? torque torque torque, and mine sounds pretty good too..

i mean, the M42 has a great reputation as fun and tossable, plus they get great mileage, but the eta still does well (i average 25), and its dead simple to work on.


get it, slam it.. low and slow baby.

[Balleristic31]

318is

Rev happy and amazing around turns even w/ stock suspension. The m42 also isn't that complicated to work on. I w/ not really any mechanical training besides parental can do most things on it.

[HarryPotter]

I'd recommend an early chrysler k car. They really are quite fun to drive.

Def.

[NC325iC]

I'd recommend an early chrysler k car. They really are quite fun to drive.

My names Tim, and i drive an Aries!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdSsvC7qOhg

[KirkerBezerker]

Well I have a 325is coupe and my e30 buddy has a 318is sedan(saloon).

When I was in the market for my car I only wanted a 325is coupe. NO sedans NO 318is. What I should have been worried about the whole time(and this goes double for the right coast) was getting whatever e30 that had the cleanest body NO rust NO accidents. I ended up with an e30 that has quite a bit of rust, but oh well.

What I'm getting at is that ALL of these cars are fun, 2 or 4 doors, 4 or 6 pistons, it doesn't matter. Just worry about the issues that are no fun to fix. Nobody wants to spend 5 hours or $1000 welding in new floorboards when that money could go other places.

Bottom line, if you have a clean chassis e30 just stick with it.