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What to choose manual e or auto i coupe?

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    What to choose manual e or auto i coupe?

    I have been looking for a 325i coupe manual for awhile.
    With the market shrinking for decent e30 325i coupes these days in a 5 speed.Potential e30 buyers are faced with dilemma, 325e manual or 325i autos.
    I have a 325i manual sedan and enjoy driving it, I have not driven a 325i auto yet but have driven a few 325e manuals, it was ok. None of the cars were tight well sorted vehicles. I have been looking for a decent project car under 5 grand

    What car would u choose?

    #2
    If my options were limited, I’d opt for a late model 2 door and swap in a 5 speed.
    sigpic

    1999 528it - Daily Driver “Dad Wagon”
    1991 325is - 2.8L Budget Stroker Garage Slut
    1991 318is - Sold
    1986 325 - Sold

    Instagram - Lamoursum

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      #3
      Depends on your work space setup. If you have a good garage, maybe a lift, but at least an engine hoist, you can easily swap the engine. However, if you only have limited work space/tools the trans swap is slightly easier. Although in either case I'd want to pull the engine+transmission out as one.

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        #4
        How many hours of labor do u think a shop would charge for a tranny swap

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          #5
          I can do a full auto to manual swap in 4hrs. Expect a shop to charge you 6-8hrs minimum.
          There's not a good enough reason to pull the engine out when swapping transmissions. Therefore, I'd choose the late model and do a trans swap. Much more straight forward than an engine swap.
          Last edited by Rennsport; 03-05-2019, 12:20 PM.
          m106 1990 e30
          e36 daily
          e32 cruiser

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            #6
            if you're paying a shop for stuff you probably shouldn't own an E30 - unless you're independently wealthy, then good for you! :)

            But yeah, I'd pick the auto 325i and swap the trans to a manual.
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            Bimmerlabs

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              #7
              I'd pick whichever one is in better condition.

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                #8
                yep. Paint, body and interior condition are more important than engines and gearboxes you can swap in a weekend.

                You can rebuild a whole engine for a few thousand. Cost you twice as much or more to respray a car.

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                  #9
                  ^This.
                  I recently picked up an "undesirable" 4 door auto because the body was straight, rust free, and the interior is super nice. I can always swap later.
                  Also was looking for an e28 with the M30 in it. Ended up picking up an 88 528e because the original paint was still looking clean and interior is immaculate.

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by E30Gus View Post
                    ^This.
                    I recently picked up an "undesirable" 4 door auto because the body was straight, rust free, and the interior is super nice. I can always swap later.
                    Also was looking for an e28 with the M30 in it. Ended up picking up an 88 528e because the original paint was still looking clean and interior is immaculate.
                    I got a 4 door eta manual. It had the 4 doors and the "e" going against it, and it may have BMW's most hated engine.... but it is in pretty decent shape and is a good platform to start off. You will spend tons of time and money doing a tranny swap, ask yourself what you want more: The better performance of the "i" or a proper stick shift.
                    My rigs:
                    1984 Jeep Cj7 (my baby)
                    Lifted 2006 Subaru Baja (the daily)
                    1987 BMW 325e Off-road Build (the new hotness)

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                      #11
                      Neither.

                      Keep saving your pennies until you have enough for an e30 M3
                      If it's got tits or tires, it's gonna cost ya!

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                        #12
                        Buy the nicest one you can find for the money. You can always modify it to your liking. You cannot take away 30 years of abuse or neglect, though.
                        '72 2002 pickup | '88 M5 | '89 330is | '89 M3 | '01 Z3M | '11 328xi-t

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Stanley Rockafella View Post
                          Neither.

                          Keep saving your pennies until you have enough for an e30 M3
                          That's a lot of pennies. He's going to need a warehouse to store them in!

                          Plus, honestly E30 M3s are a bit overrated. I mean, they're cool, but it's not a car I'd actually want to drive all the time, so what's the point? A good 'driver' E30 is way more satisfying because you can drive it everywhere and not worry about it too much. And it's not like E30 M3s are fast...
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                          Bimmerlabs

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                            #14
                            Plus a few on the swap. The auto's seem to have cleaner examples with lower miles.

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                              #15
                              Simply stated get the i engine or you will regret your choice. Why do you think BMW replaced the e with the i ? I've owned both for what that's worth.

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