Talk some sense into me - 318is - S/C or m50?

[fastestbox]

I picked up this 318is a few months ago and I've loved every second of it, however having an FBO 335i before this, the novelty of slow car fast rather than fast car slow has slightly faded.

The car has a clean title and is pretty solid shape aside from some little paint problems so I don't know if I want to take the little m42 out of it which gives it so much of the unique 318is character that people seem to be talking about.
Also, the prices for 318is (especially on bring a trailer) seem to be holding strong with apparent increase and I wouldn't want to ruin that.

However, occasionally I regret not getting the m20, so I figure M50 swapping would more than make up for that.

Another option would be to supercharge the M42 with the GKD kit or something custom which would keep the weight distribution mainly intact, but the sound of the inline 6 is tempting.

Also, I'm in California so turbocharging as out of the question as the M50 can be bar certified and the supercharger on the M42 can be removed for inspection semi easily.

What do you guys think?

TL; DR Will I ruin the value and/or character of my 318is by swapping it for an M50? Should I keep the M42 and supercharge it instead?

[roguetoaster]

If you regret getting an M20 car, sell yours and get an M20 car. Supercharging is quite expensive on an M 42, and does not yield amazing gains. Additionally, as you say a swap potentially devalues the car, so don't do that if you're uncertain.

It takes a different sort of person to really appreciate an M 42 car when you have experienced or also possess faster cars. I still really enjoy bouncing my m42 off of the rev limiter every time I drive it after almost 10 years and over 20 other cars, many much faster than the 318i. It's enjoyable, and does not get me in a lot of trouble if I want to wind it out.

[sebe20]

What do you guys think?

TL; DR Will I ruin the value and/or character of my 318is by swapping it for an M50? Should I keep the M42 and supercharge it instead?

Post some pictures :hitler:



But i'll give you my 2 Cents: Keep the 318is Stock, get the Skin nice and shiny again and enjoy your classic. That's just my opinion. I for myself would never engineswap a 318is /w matching #, clean title and with good body condition.



If you want a faster E30, considering buying a rolling shell or something slower and throw in something quicker than a M50... Like a M62 or even LS1/LS2 with turbo.

[MR E30 325is]

Post some pictures :hitler:



But i'll give you my 2 Cents: Keep the 318is Stock, get the Skin nice and shiny again and enjoy your classic. That's just my opinion. I for myself would never engineswap a 318is /w matching #, clean title and with good body condition.



If you want a faster E30, considering buying a rolling shell or something slower and throw in something quicker than a M50... Like a M62 or even LS1/LS2 with turbo.

I have to agree. If I stumbled across a cleanish 91 318is in stock trim for a good deal I would drive it OEM style for a very long time.

[e30strokr]

I have to agree. If I stumbled across a cleanish 91 318is in stock trim for a good deal I would drive it OEM style for a very long time.

maybe someone in here will to pay the premium to take the 318 off his hands and he can get an M20?...lol




at the end of the day its your car.... my plan is to do an M50 with some M54 internals with 2.93 LSD and let it ride....

[nando]

if it's original and clean, yes it would be foolish to do a motor swap - the value of the car will only go down.

A supercharger is going to cost a lot and it still will not be very fast. Better to spend that money on new timing chain bits and maintenance.

Also check to make sure that the engine is actually running properly. Too many of these cars have a misadjusted throttle & TPS, so they aren't even reaching WOT (or trigging full load in the DME). A worn AFM and a bad O2 sensor can also make a big difference. So people think they are way slower than they really are.

[varg]

While not a fan of the M42 based on my experience with it and reading on it over the years, I am even less of an M50 swap fan. The M42 is a mediocre 16V 4 cylinder, it makes about what you'd expect a late 80s 1.8L I4 to make and it doesn't rev high enough to be a fun rev happy engine, but with an M50 you get mildly modded M20 power and more weight, it's silly. Since you mentioned "value," if resale value is your thing, you're better off supercharging the M42 and getting less than 200whp or selling the stock M42 car and getting an M20 car. If you don't give a rat's ass about originality or resale value there's always an M20 swap, but you said you can't turbo it so you're out of luck if you want power unless you go with a newer S engine.

TL; DR
If originality and resale value are your thing and an E30 is too slow, the E30 isn't the car for you.

[roguetoaster]

If originality and resale value are your thing and an E30 is too slow, the E30 isn't the car for you.

Truth.

If truly fast is your thing the E30 is the wrong platform to start with as well.

Varg, how do you feel about the M54?

[varg]

Looks like the M54B30 might be worth it since it makes 230hp and has an aluminum block, but the swap sounds like a pain in the ass EMS wise, you either need to somehow make the drive by wire OBD2 EMS work or go to an aftermarket solution. The smaller motors though, what's the point? 168hp out of the 2.2 and 189hp out of the 2.5, that would be a lot of work for 20hp, hardly worth it. I doubt it's significantly lighter than an M20 since it's DOHC with VANOS and the transmission is probably heavier than a G260.

[nando]

M54 DMEs (MS42, MS43, and MS45) have been cracked and used for swaps for a long time now.

But I still probably wouldn't bother.

[e30davie]

Alternatively just put an m20 in yours? its completely bolt in afair so you arent ruining the car at all if that is what you are worried about. M20s and gearboxes are plentiful. you could do the swap in a weekend. Get all the right bits and it would look stock. cause it is stock.

Numbers matching and all that is great, but its your car, yours to enjoy. Do whatever you want to it.

[uturn]

I drive a 318is almost everyday. Has enough pep and keeps up in traffic. You think your 335i was fast? Go ride a roller coaster and get recalibrated.

[djjerme]

The M50 swap will devalue your car.

As others have said, if you want an M20 car, get an M20 car and sell the 318is. If you are so antsy that you can't wait to find a clean 325i or 325is, then swap an M20 in it.

[nando]

Or get a 325e and swap that.

[djjerme]

True. Nobody sheds a tear when an eta or M10 gets swapped. Unless the car is a time capsule, and even then it’s a long, long pause usually followed by a “buuuuuut, you could...”




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