Noob 101 - E30's One last question...

[BLACK DORIS 9]

Ok, so now I'm sorted on the man vs auto -thanks again.

i have one last question(s)

What's the major pro's n con's for the 318i and 320i e30's of the 80's/early 90's? - Manuals,.

So far I've been informed:

1. There's little difference in acceleration between both models?

- Not that this is a major issue. Wanting more of a daily cruiser.

2. The 320 is a thirsty model due to it's heavier 6 cylinder engine and associated gear/parts. Smoother drive.

- Economy would be a factor, as it would be town driving mainly. Smoother ride could be good, though not essential.

Guess the big question is - is the difference in fuel consumption great enough to pass on a 320 for the 318?

Would also be interested in any other serious reason to consider the 318i over the 320i

Cheers again!

Rio

[antony 0]

318's are more balanced, due to less weight up front, meaning they handle better. Apparently.

[Cale 36]

320i - 127hp - 1283kg - 0.099hp/kg

318i - 113hp - 1116kg - 0.101hp/kg

And yes, 318s are closer to 50/50 weight distrubtion than the 320s so they probably have better handling.

I'm not 100% on those figures above but the 318 seems to have more power per weight unit, I remember the 318 and 320 having similiar performance figures but the 320s torque is probably its saving grace in keeping it that bit quicker than the 318.

The M20 sounds so much better than the l4 M40 also.

[323e30 0]

get a 325i (if you dont plan to build a race series car) you will be far happier with it in the long run.

[Jamez 2147483647]

get a 316i

[greenday-rulz21 6]

get a 316i

lol! good one!

[QuickSilver 0]

320s have the performance of a 318 and the fuel consumption of a 325.

Any 325/327 I have driven is not only a better drive, has bucket loads more torque and power, and almost all of them were a lot better on gas!

[Nobimmer 694]

After the conversion, the 2.0 has NOTHING on a 2.5, My brother's facelift 1.8 went quicker than my 2.0

[SIR E30 68]

Get a 325i. Youll never look back! You may spend a bit more time looking for a good one, but it will be worth the wait.

[Apex 693]

Manual for manual I would still take the 2.0 over a 1.8, the 2.0 is 100% smoother, pulls better at higher speed and sounds a lot better.

Comes down to what you want, I believe a NZ 320i will be slightly better specked all round also.

[BLACK DORIS 9]

Thanks for everyones thoughts/suggestions.

318 sounding like a good entry level model. -Well for now anyway!

Off topic - Just started looking at the 520/523?/525's etc and yep they do look nice but can't understand how the bigger engines would be more economical for round town use? I know gas is cheap at the mo but how long will that last really? Considering the recession around the corner and talk of peak oil around the globe...

Maybe I could slap a diesil motor in a 525 and run it on veg oil...

p.s. apologies in advance if that last comment was offensive!

[isis 16]

if you're looking at e30s then i presume you'll looking at e34.

The early models have the same engine as the e30s - 520i & 525i.

No 523i in the e34 shape.

If you want an e34 - go for a post 94 model

Edited December 8, 2008 by isis

[Mike 1]

the 5 series would use more gas as they are heavier.

the 320i is just thirsty, probably due to the fact you have to drive it harder than a 325 to go anywhere. I'd go 325i if you could, good one is hard to find though. otherwise 318i is what you want.

[mops 4]

1.8 is as good as 2.0, but you need to get the modern 16 valve m42 engine, not the m10. m10 is good for abuse with a turbo.

m20b25 has some nice poke in a light chasis

m20b27 is getting really fun to drive. you can cruise in low speed zone at 1300rpm making it very fuel efficient.

m20b27 turbo... this is teh shizzle my nizzle

so i went to get some new tires today. i managed to find 205/60/14's, looking very good, thinking, oh yea, that will hold the power... 2nd gear, step on it (outside tire shop) and i see two smoking black strips in rear view mirror.... if that doesnt work then i'll have to go wider and stickier rubber, but i suspect nothing will hold 14 psi raging turbo m20 stroker...

[Cale 36]

1.8 is as good as 2.0, but you need to get the modern 16 valve m42 engine, not the m10. m10 is good for abuse with a turbo.

To get a M42, you'd have to get a 318iS, which is around $5-6k. Awesome car and engine.

The facelift 318s had the M40, single cam which is 113hp. Crappy hydraulic lifter FTL though.

The pre facelift 318s had the said M10, 89hp but bulletproof.

[mtech1e30 0]

The pre facelift 318s had the said M10, 89hp but bulletproof.

Until the head gasket blows