Bmw n00b

[dc2r 0]

Hey guys.

Am all new too this bmw stuff, Im looking to buy a bmw for a daily driver, am looking at a few E30's at the moment, 318i and 320i, and was wondering what are common problems are on Bmws of this era, paticular rust areas, transmission and diff and engine etc.. any help would be much appreciated.

I tried a search but couldnt find anything of interest.

Cheers!

[Andrew 30]

OK First off

Avoid 320i - slowest e30 and bad on gas.

They rust in:

Sunroof, Boot, Floor, Firewall - roughly in that order.

Engines in Prefacelift cars (pre 88 - chrome bumpers) 318i are bulletproof. Diff in all cars bulletproof. Engine in Facelift 318 has lots of known problems.

All will have poked rubber components/shocks if never been changed.

[Andrew 30]

So on that note get a 325 (unless you are young - you won't get insured)

[Mike 1]

exactly what andrew said.

IMO go by general condition of car rather than mileage.

Probably biggest engine problem you hear about is cooling/overheating related, (cracked heads, blown headgasket etc) so make sure cooling system is all good. (6cyl esp)

[dc2r 0]

Cool cheers for the quick replies.

Im currently looking at a '89 320i which has done abit over 200,000kms, i assume when you say lgo for general condition rather than milege, that if serviced regulary and looked after, these will go well over 200,000kms without too much problems?

also going to look at a 88 318i tonight or tomorow, which has done 170,000kms 4 door saloon, and theyre both auto.

how hard is it to change a cambelt on one of these? and whats the current going rate for a pre facelift 318 and '89 320i, the 320i is in very good condition been serviced regulary and owners have all the service records etc. and has bottlecap wheels.

wouldnt mind a 325, even better in manual, but the ones ive seen are considerably more expensive than their 318 320 counterparts.

thanks.

Edited March 20, 2007 by dc2r

[Andrew 30]

325/318 are very similar in terms of fuel usage.

89 320i avoid. (Sure they'll go for 500000k if well maintained, but damn they are slow and bad on gas)

88 318i - be aware they have head problems.

Cam belt easy on both.

Pre 88 318 has timing chain - no need to change belt.

Auto is pretty horrible on gas - tranny isn't that bulletproof either.

[Andrew 30]

For a stock 320i - facelift I wouldn't punt more than 2500 for a minter

318 similar value - if not more.

325 - 3 - 4k - more for manual - more for motorsport (up to 15)

Best non M models are 318iS and M325i (and all its variants)

[dc2r 0]

Awesome thanks, re the heads on 320i is there any pre symptoms of this when buying a car?

pretty keen on a pre 88 now as it has both combination of peoppy and econoical motor and being chain driven, i dont have to worry about cambelts

[dc2r 0]

Oh and also what are the differences between the E30 318i and 318iS?

[Mike 1]

Cool cheers for the quick replies.

Im currently looking at a '89 320i which has done abit over 200,000kms, i assume when you say lgo for general condition rather than milege, that if serviced regulary and looked after, these will go well over 200,000kms without too much problems?

thanks.

easily. Rust would be my biggest concern, Everything else is pretty easy to fix or replace, and plenty of people parting them out now .

[bimmer boy 21]

I say go for a 325 aswell, after having a Auto 320i and now a auto 325i I really cant notice much difference in fuel consumption at all, and plus higher speced cars are more than usually cooler haha.

But if you really are only after a 318i or a 320i just look for rust in the mentioned areas and all that.

318 will obviously be better for insurance but depending on your age, insurance might not be an issue, all I know is almost 3 years ago when I was 17 I couldnt get insurance on my 320, but still waiting to hear back on insurance on the 325

[Andrew 30]

Oh and also what are the differences between the E30 318i and 318iS?

About 10k and:

Motor (twincam motor from e36)

Suspension

Interior stuff

318iS are all facelift, all coupe

Different front lip, all 15" basketweaves.

Head on 320 (the m20 motor) - its not THAT problematic. I think more when you get m20 heads hot they can crack is what people are referring to.

Head on facelift 318 (the m40 motor) suffers from same thing (along with many other problems to do with its cambelt)

[will 169]

I would avoid an auto if at all possible. Most autos here have had a miserable service history to the gearbox and there are dozens of people on the forum that have had to replace auto gearboxes. I have personally bought at least half a dozen E30's with blown auto boxes and got them real cheap as a result. Autos are also really slow in 318 and 320, not so bad in 325.

I would go for a pre-f/l 318 with manual tranny and M10 motor, if you can find one, as my first choice. As the others have said, the motor is bulletproof and in manual trim, is quite economical. I would avoid the 318 M40 motor as it is not reliable and cambelt is a problem.

A manual 320 would be ok in either pre- or f/l but the motor is gutless unless revved and has a good thirst.

The best would be a manual 325.. imo.. but insurance etc to consider here.

I'm sure there are plenty of nice? folk on the forum that would be prepared to give any car you are interested in the once-over for you. I am in the far north so not much help here..

Will

[dc2r 0]

Cheers for the info. my knowledge of bmws has gone up considerably since browsing these forums the past 3 days haha.

Ok so from what i can gather, Im wanting a pre facelift 318, they seem to be the best pick of the bunch, insurance power and reliability wise. being 19, i have a good record 3 years with pioneer insurance, and paying 1k a year for premiums for my other car!

So pre 318 M10= chain driven e30 preface lift

318 M40= cambelt, face lift?

Whats the costs of replacing an auto gearbox? only reason im temped to get the 318 im currently interrested in is cos i can get it for pretty cheap. will see hhow that turns out once i take it for a test drive, and give it the once over tomorrow. manual conversion could be a possibilityi guess.

Im strictly only wanting a bmw as a daily, but after reading the tech forums, and all thge little things you can do to open these 318s up i dont think im gonna be able to keep it dead standard!

[BMW POWER 2]

Ok im kinda getting a bad feeling about my car now - 316 Auto with 150,000km FSH shouldnt be bad right?

Are you under 25? eg 16?

[nz320i 0]

i have a 320i facelift and love it, prob wouldnt sell, but would never buy another! Avoid the autos too.

325i!!

[will 169]

Whats the costs of replacing an auto gearbox? only reason im temped to get the 318 im currently interrested in is cos i can get it for pretty cheap. will see hhow that turns out once i take it for a test drive, and give it the once over tomorrow. manual conversion could be a possibilityi guess.

Manual conversions for the pre-f/l M10 motor are not too hard to come by. Pay around $400-$750 for everything.

Manual conversions for the f/l M40 motor are VERY difficult to get, mainly because of the new BMW race series, any one available is snapped up, prices are probably ridiculous now.

Will

[dc2r 0]

Damn guess i'd be better off with finding a manual one already..

One last question, what are the diffferences in fuel consumption between the 318 and 320? km per litre average

[Andrew 30]

Damn guess i'd be better off with finding a manual one already..

One last question, what are the diffferences in fuel consumption between the 318 and 320? km per litre average

My 320 would rock around 400 k to a tank of gas. My 318 (pre-FL) would rock 550ish driven lightly.

Every now and then you spot complete manual swaps for $200ish on trademe for the pre-fl 318.

Your 19 - insurance should be cheapish on a 325. Only bother with 3rd party obviously.

[ThreeOneEight 0]

Are you dc2r on NZHondas as well? If so, the Hainsworths say hi! Check out my "rides" posts, I've had two very reliable M40 318i manuals. Great cars. M40s are fine as long as well maintained... but there is the problem of knowing whther it has been or not, of course. If you want to have a look at my current 318i sometime to see what a minter should look/run like, PM me.

Will

[nath 131]

Just as others have said- pre '88 318i manual should do the job very well indeed.

- To all 2003/4 members, way back then i remember the M40's were always spoken of as 'bulletproof engines' which 'go forever'. My how things have changed in a few years?

[dc2r 0]

Are you dc2r on NZHondas as well? If so, the Hainsworths say hi! Check out my "rides" posts, I've had two very reliable M40 318i manuals. Great cars. M40s are fine as long as well maintained... but there is the problem of knowing whther it has been or not, of course. If you want to have a look at my current 318i sometime to see what a minter should look/run like, PM me.

Will

Yep sure is ,What car does ben have now, saw his celica thingy on trademe.. They seem like a nice car, need a car to drive around in whilst im doing some work to the honda, Ive seen a few tidy 318s, but none seem to be manual! how much did you pick your one up for if you dont mind?