BMW E30 vs E36 and 318 vs 325 info wanted...

[A930Rocket]

So if and when the 930 sells, I'll probably sell my F150 as well (it gets 12 mpg around town) and get a BMW. I've always like the way they looked and I'm thinking late 80's up to mid 90's 318 or 325, 2 or 4 door, manual trans. Anybody have any advice on one or the other? What to look for? Weak points? What to avoid?

I'm not looking for a track/rocket sled, just something to cruise around in and maybe get out of its own way when needed.

[Tim Hancock]

I love my old '92 E36 325i daily driver. It has 313,000 miles on it with out ever opening the engine up. It gets over 25 mpg if I drive it sensibly. I have beat the hell out of it the last couple years and it just keeps going and going and.........

One of the front Bilstein sport struts is blown right now (I put sport shocks and slightly lower springs on it when I bought it with 140k on the clock many years ago), but the cars handles predictably and has always been fun driving some occassional twisties. The AC still works and the interior is still pretty nice. It has truly been the most reliable "car" I have ever owned. I am pretty confident I will quit driving it due to it's life here in the rustbelt vs wearing the engine out. I think I will make it at least another year before the little rust spots become not worth touching up any more.

I hope my wife's E46 330i ends up being as solid and reliable.

[enzo1]

this points out problems .....

[onewhippedpuppy]

The E36 interior is crap, I've had two and have been very disappointed in the quality, or lack thereof. Lots of snaps and cheap hard plastic, the headliner will droop, the glovebox lid will sag, the leather will wear quickly, the door panels will fall apart, etc. I'm on my 2nd E36, but this will be my last. They drive nice, but the build quality is lacking compared to the German competition.

[VINMAN]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

The E36 interior is crap, I've had two and have been very disappointed in the quality, or lack thereof. Lots of snaps and cheap hard plastic, the headliner will droop, the glovebox lid will sag, the leather will wear quickly, the door panels will fall apart, etc. I'm on my 2nd E36, but this will be my last. They drive nice, but the build quality is lacking compared to the German competition.

+10000!

I had a '95. One of the most dissapointing cars I've owned. The interior and overall build quality makes a late '70s GM product look like a Rolls Royce by comparison. I went through 4 power window regulators. Interior trim pieces would just fall off. Would never buy another one.

[porsche4life]

I like the build in moms M. But they are better built. Drives like a dream....

[rattlsnak]

i would focus on the 325 e36. I do like the look of the e30 series, but the e36 just has better technology and the 318 is a 4 banger that wont get out of its own way. Its hard to find an e30 325 (that isnt a E version) and that doesnt have 300,000 miles on it either.

[A930Rocket]

Thanks guys. Some of the things I read on Bimmerforums is timing belts, head gaskets, water pumps, interiors, etc.

I'd like to find a decent one that doesn't need body work (or minimal anyway) or engine work. Some interior and suspenpension would be ok.

[yellowline]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

The E36 interior is crap, I've had two and have been very disappointed in the quality, or lack thereof. Lots of snaps and cheap hard plastic, the headliner will droop, the glovebox lid will sag, the leather will wear quickly, the door panels will fall apart, etc. I'm on my 2nd E36, but this will be my last. They drive nice, but the build quality is lacking compared to the German competition.

Originally Posted by vinman

I had a '95. One of the most dissapointing cars I've owned. The interior and overall build quality makes a late '70s GM product look like a Rolls Royce by comparison. I went through 4 power window regulators. Interior trim pieces would just fall off. Would never buy another one.

My experience through 2 yrs/30k miles has been the opposite. The vinyl cove panels on the doors shrank, that's about it. The glovebox lid sag is fixable at minimal cost. I don't think it's any worse than a 70s or 80s Porsche and their dash cracks, cheap switches, cheap leather, etc.

I would suggest spending the extra $1000 and going for a 328 if you decide to get an E36. The VANOS seems to be less troublesome, you get much more low end torque than the 325, and you get the M3 transmission.

For price-performance-reliability, there is no better BMW (car) than the E36 328/M3. A 540/6 or E34 M5 would be awesome, but are also more trouble and more $$$ when mechanical things go wrong. Much as I love the look and character of the E30, every one on the market is rotting, sold before you can pick up the phone, or overpriced for the comfort/performance you're receiving.

[rhogg]

The E30s are considered to have better build quality than the E36. They also have less "technology" which means easier to repair.

I bought an 1991 318i as a car for my kids and a winter beater. I redid the suspension and while not powerful is a very fun car to drive. Light, expectationally well balanced, and very tossable it has a 4 banger that loves to rev. In the 91 318i this is the same engine that was used in the E36 318. Go to m42club for details.

We have a 2004 MINI Cooper S, and a E46. The 91 318i is often chosen ahead of these because it is such a fun tossable car. Not fast but lots of fun.

[A930Rocket]

I was wondering about the 323 and the 328 as well: differences, what to look for, etc.

Originally Posted by yellowline

My experience through 2 yrs/30k miles has been the opposite. The vinyl cove panels on the doors shrank, that's about it. The glovebox lid sag is fixable at minimal cost. I don't think it's any worse than a 70s or 80s Porsche and their dash cracks, cheap switches, cheap leather, etc.

I would suggest spending the extra $1000 and going for a 328 if you decide to get an E36. The VANOS seems to be less troublesome, you get much more low end torque than the 325, and you get the M3 transmission.

For price-performance-reliability, there is no better BMW than the E36 328/M3. A 540/6 or E34 M5 would be awesome, but are also more trouble and more $$$ when mechanical things go wrong. Much as I love the look and character of the E30, every one on the market is rotting, sold before you can pick up the phone, or overpriced for the comfort/performance you're receiving.

[Flieger]

My limited Bimmer experience is that newer means more plastic stuff which was designed to last only as long as the warrantee period. I do have a friend with a really nice '95 E36 M3 in Avus Blau. It sounds great and he seems to have fun at track days with it so it must be fast enough. All the old magazine reviews I read, though, point out that it was significantly heavier than the E30 M3.

I would go with the E30.

My daily driver is an '83 E21 and I love the manual steering and light feel to the chassis. The airy greenhouse has great visibility. It still feels closer to my 911 as far as great driving position (every new car I drive has me in the Italian gorilla) and sitting low (you feel sportier, not like you are rolling around seated on a kitchen stool).

I still lust after 2002s, though.

Like with Porsches, the older ones (properly cared for) just get better and better compared to the new cars. A lot of it is probably the manual steering and light weight.

[enzo1]

[QUOTE=Flieger;5746818]

I still lust after 2002s, though.

/QUOTE]thats the 1, i've been wondering about, I;d like to drive 1

[dewolf]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

The E36 interior is crap, I've had two and have been very disappointed in the quality, or lack thereof. Lots of snaps and cheap hard plastic, the headliner will droop, the glovebox lid will sag, the leather will wear quickly, the door panels will fall apart, etc. I'm on my 2nd E36, but this will be my last. They drive nice, but the build quality is lacking compared to the German competition.

Totally agree. The interior is absolutely crap. I would never have another for this reason alone. The Benz of the same era kicks the BM's azz in every respect in this department.
My E39 540i however is a completely different story.

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

They drive nice, but the build quality is lacking compared to the German competition.

My E46 reflected this too. Serious rust after 7 years on the bottom B pillar? My 8year old Audi doesn't have a speck. And the interior? Rubber coated plastic. And the rubberized paint will start to wear off . . . yrmv . . .

Ian

[Flieger]

Originally Posted by imcarthur

My E46 reflected this too. Serious rust after 7 years on the bottom B pillar? My 8year old Audi doesn't have a speck. And the interior? Rubber coated plastic. And the rubberized paint will start to wear off . . . yrmv . . .

Ian

I'm tellin' ya'- the older the BMW, the better they are built. The new ones will fall apart before the old ones do. The only caveat is proper maintainance of oil changes and valve adjustments and such. My E21 still uses a timing chain, not a belt like the E30.

[A930Rocket]

What about some of the 5 series from back then? Any better.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Personally I REALLY wish I'd bought an E30. After buying E36 #2 I remembered why I swore off of them after #1. I'll sell you a supercharged 318ti.

[dewolf]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

What about some of the 5 series from back then? Any better.

Yes. E34 530i or 540i. Very well built and good value for money.

[VINMAN]

Oh yeah, I forgot to add the head gasket at 120,000....