325i vs 325e

[ST1G]

A chipped eta is actually quite fun to drive and not much slower than an i car. Definitely determine whether to buy or not on condition of the car, not the motor (as long as it isn't an M10 318i lol)

Troof. A chipped eta is amazing. Add a 3.25 LDS and you're cooking with bacon grease.

[Jon325i]

Although a 325i would be ideal, I agree with others here that you should buy the E30 in the best overall cosmetic condition (with a manual gearbox of course). Engines can be swapped out or built up with relative ease for a reasonable cost. Refreshing a car cosmetically is more involved and more expensive (especially paint).


Jon

[tig welder]

I bought a 325e too & plan on doing the chip. It already was pretty clean & was on Vogtland springs & Beilsteins ... It's a fun little car to drive & throw into turns. More suspension & tires/wheels & then done. It ain't no BBC drag car but it's miles of smiles when I'm behind the wheel rowing through the gears ...

Get the best body that you can & go from there ... nothing wrong with an "e" car!

[slammin.e28]

LOL @ worrying about 130k on an M20.

These aren't your father's American sleds from the 60s. The odometers have 6 digits instead of 5 for a reason.

[Jackhdmn]

Get a SETA.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[superboosted]

I have a SETA and An iS car. The SETA is ungodly slow. but gets good mileage,worlds away form my iS.

[Liquidity]

it's more involved than a head swap, and just swapping on a B25 head without changing anything else isn't going to do shit. Yes, 200cc of displacement is something to scoff at - all it will do if you're lucky is make some more bottom end torque and hopefully make the same peak HP, but often it's just weak all across the board.

We get it, you read a couple old threads on 2.7i swaps. Now stop.

I never said all that was involved was a head swap and if you're taking off the head, guess what else all comes off? All the other stuff that needs to be replaced.

But if all this forum is about is stock versus stock then I guess I grossly overestimated all of you.

[ak-]

I never said all that was involved was a head swap and if you're taking off the head, guess what else all comes off? All the other stuff that needs to be replaced.

But if all this forum is about is stock versus stock then I guess I grossly overestimated all of you.

do u even scoff?

[Cabriolet]

Troof. A chipped eta is amazing. Add a 3.25 LDS and you're cooking with bacon grease.

so much truth here. although mpg gets hosed. my last eta smoked my dad's 325i.
JimC chip
I exhaust
3.25lsd

[ELVA164]

As a newb with no real significant expereince working on cars...

This is probably why the head swap option isn't on the table for OP. I think he's looking to start with just simple freshening work with whichever car he chooses. Also, the head swap job can very easily turn into a dark spiral of "while I'm in here, I might as well...." which can mean a lot of time with no E30.

[e30austin]

it's more involved than a head swap, and just swapping on a B25 head without changing anything else isn't going to do shit. Yes, 200cc of displacement is something to scoff at - all it will do if you're lucky is make some more bottom end torque and hopefully make the same peak HP, but often it's just weak all across the board.

We get it, you read a couple old threads on 2.7i swaps. Now stop.

I loled, but so much truth here.

I would much rather take a chipped eta than a 2.7i or most B25s. The eta motors really are underrated, IMHO. You can wake them up a lot with fairly simple, cheap modifications.

Obviously everyone wants a late model, but if I had to choose between a meh late model and a pretty nice eta, the eta would win, no doubt.

[Coupelx]

McGyver said it best but heres my thoughts.

My daily is an 86 E. Didnt have much of a choice or selection as i traded another car for it.

Ive never driven an I but the E is fun to drive around town and not terrible on the highway but like has been said its not a screamer. I plan on something with a bit more power eventually but at 250k miles and counting the 2.7 is still going strong albeit a bit leaky. gotta get on that oil pan gasket when the weather cools off.

As far as reliability its all in how well the car has been taken care of. I dont think twice about logging a 1300mile weekend road trip in mine. I take note of what looks like it needs to be worked on during oil changes, noticed tonight its time for CV boots. Its actually amazes me how well the OEM rubber has held up over the years.

[e30saam]

I really enjoy my eta. But like the others have already said. Find the cleanest e30 that you can find/afford, Don't worry too much about the engine.

[truckinn]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I am now on the lookout for a clean 325i/e. Hopefully my next post will be pics of my new E30!


One more question though: What would be the recommended tool set/ equipment needed to be able to do beginner work on one of these cars?

[Coupelx]

A GOOD set of allen head sockets. damn allen bolts where you least expect them.