First Manual Car in almost 10 years and very first BMW. What to expect?

[Viking445]

Ok so i just put my money down for my 89 Touring and I'm wondering what to expect from the clutch and transmission. Where is the engagement point, are the shifts usually easy or do i have to always have my left foot planted in the carpet to avoid grinding?

Any other tips in general for the car? Thanks!

[Kevinl]

the clutch in my E30 is very forgiving it is really hard to stall the shifting is pretty easy too.

I hadn't owned a manual car since 2005 and I had no problem driving it. I think it is like riding a bike once you learn you never forget.

Only time I stalled it was the first few weeks, a couple times I forgot to push in the clutch when coming to a stop

[be34st]

I never had problems shifting my last E30 and dont have any problems shifting my E34 either. These cars don't really require much precision to get them in gear. congrats on the new car.

As far as suggestions. Maintenance Maintenance Maintenance! Get all of your maintenance stuff dont before you start modding. Do your timing belt and water pump if you dont know when it was changed last. Then its time to start assessing the rest of the motor and its components. A good tune up and valve adjustment after the timing belt and water pump is was I would do.

Then move on to your suspension. Likely at the very least your front end suspension will be in need of a refresh. Control Arm/Thrust arms including the bushings should be replaced, along with tie rod ends. This was my order of operations with my last e30 and I made sure to refresh my suspension before installing coilovers. Take your time and do it right.

[Cephas]

Very forgiving. Expect long clutch throw and a halfway engagement point.

It's like riding a bike. I got my second e30 last year. The first was 14 years ago and its been 10 years since I sold it (and since I've driven stick). No problems at all.

[Viking445]

I never had problems shifting my last E30 and dont have any problems shifting my E34 either. These cars don't really require much precision to get them in gear. congrats on the new car.

As far as suggestions. Maintenance Maintenance Maintenance! Get all of your maintenance stuff dont before you start modding. Do your timing belt and water pump if you dont know when it was changed last. Then its time to start assessing the rest of the motor and its components. A good tune up and valve adjustment after the timing belt and water pump is was I would do.

Then move on to your suspension. Likely at the very least your front end suspension will be in need of a refresh. Control Arm/Thrust arms including the bushings should be replaced, along with tie rod ends. This was my order of operations with my last e30 and I made sure to refresh my suspension before installing coilovers. Take your time and do it right.

Wow thats a great post full of to-dos!! :up: I forgot to include (thought i had filled out my sig *face palm*) That the car is someone elses project. M52 swap (no m50 manifold grrrrr!) brake upgrade, coils and boltons! I plan to take the car back to the states with me when I transfer out in three years.

The car I got was maintained by a BMW Master Tech (same guy who did the M52 swap ) so i hope a lot of the small stuff has been covered. But i love fiddling with my cars so this should be fun.