Straight up-- choose between 325is and 318is

[Jon325i]

I've had a few opportunities to drive M42 powered E30s and for the most part, its a pretty decent mill. As already mentioned, torque is an afterthought here so if you long for that kind of thing, stay clear of this car if you like spirited driving.....such as the good response out of the corners like you mentioned. That issue aside, the 318i/is would make a good daily driver/commuter car. Do be mindful of the profile gasket thingy.....I know someone who dealt with that. Not pretty.

Jon

[m42technic]

The only thing that the 318iS owners think is so superior over other E30's is the handling because its lighter.

Not necessarly. I much prefer working on M42's. No timing belt to change, no valves to adjust, no cap/rotor. The M20 is just a dinosaur.

[Digitalwave]

I've owned my car almost 5 years and I've only had to replace above mentioned parts once each. The longest one (timing belt) took 3 hours. Doesn't seem like a reason to buy the M42 over an M20 to me.

[m42technic]

You adjusted you valves once in 5 years?

In any case, to each his own. Lets leave it at that.

[Digitalwave]

I've done the valves twice in 5 years, took about 30 minutes each time.

The guy wanted our opinions on which car is better, therefore he was looking for debate.

[m42technic]

I dont think theres really a debate to be had. Based on what he stated he wanted out of the car in the original post, do you not believe that a 318is would better suit his needs?

[Digitalwave]

No. A 325i will "pull harder out of the turns" than a 318 will. The gas mileage difference is marginal. Straight line the 325i isn't fast either but I see know reason why a 318 is a superior car.

[JRowe]

I own both, and I would take the 325is hands down. I just miss the power too much.

[m42technic]

No. A 325i will "pull harder out of the turns" than a 318 will. The gas mileage difference is marginal. Straight line the 325i isn't fast either but I see know reason why a 318 is a superior car.

You misquoted his original text.

To some people, 20% better gas mileage isnt marginal.

[AdironRider]

Ive owned both and personally I like my 318is more, albeit it is in near mint condition, the 325is not so much. That being said, there is a noticable difference in gas milage. Sure if you baby the m20 ythe differences will be marginal, but I can redline my m42 all day long and still end up averaging at least 30 mpg a tank. When you just cruise on the highway, its more like 35. Also, there is a noticable difference in weight, a difference that you can feel on the road. As others have mentioned, the car is very tossable and is very well balanced. It feels great in the corners and if you keep the revs up, will bring many smiles to your face. Also, its nice having all the creature comforts such as AC, etc and still be lighter than m20's that eliminate all that stuff to get down in weight. As others have mentioned there is no torque. None. You also need to r3v the crap out of it to get anywhere remotely quickly, but in the turns its awesome. I do miss cruise control, full OBC, power sunroof and stuff. Also the engine is really buzzy, not the beautiful sound of a tuned m20. Not buzzy in a bad way, but nowhere near as satisfying as the m20. The m20 will leave an m42 in its just if modded equally, but a modded 318is will hang with a stock m20. The 318is just feels better to drive to me, but I always find myself wishing for just a bit more power. My eventual solution ... supercharger.

[nando]

Fifedog, I don't know if you're comparing your low mileage 318is to your old ix.. but if you are, stop right there. While it ran okay and nothing mechanically was all that wrong with it, it was completely gutless--my auto would have run that thing over from a dead stop, no contest. My buddy followed me in his SHO when I moved it a few weeks ago, he said the only way he could tell that I was accelerating was by the blue puffs of smoke coming out the back (I was driving the hell out of it too). I also floored it up a hill that I drive through on a regular basis, and absolutely nothing happened- lol.

[AdironRider]

No Ive owned a 325is in the past as well. And, I never saw blue smoke coming out of the car either, and it pulled reasonably well I thought. It did have alot of miles though, so its to be expected. The 325is I had in the past was in better shape than the ix was, with only around 160k if I remember right.

[DaveInLA]

Hopefully I'll be able to find the time to testdrive a 318is locally for comparison.
As far as fuel economy, I average 18-19 right now in mostly city driving. Annoying as hell. I used to get 1-2 mpg better, but the Yoko ES100 tires have hurt my fuel economy (but given me better grip).

[Jarvis]

M42 vs. M20 mileage differences are more noticeable in "city" driving. For highway driving, it is possible for a 325i with stock gearing and no weight removal to get up to 30-31mpg.

If I were you I'd go with the 318. It's not like M20 cars are that fast anyways, might as well go for the better fuel economy.

[asshole]

FTW! Buy an M10 318i.