e30 v e36

[stx133]

which one...

Looking for a 'sports' car, have the 540 as a cruiser. looking to modify possibly turbo. what are peoples thoughts/ feelings

[winfred]

i am partial to e30 325i's it's small light cheep and fun and the interior doesn't fall apart, i also like the m20 better then the m50 motor for general longetivity and not pissing oil all over itself

[shanek]

I vote E30 too. I think they are better looking plus they are cheaper which means you can spend more on mods. I loved my 86 325e. It was super fun to drive, so an 89-91 325IS would be even better, plus they don't have those ugly ass bumpers.

[Traian]

I think an E30 318is would be perfect for your project, but then again, I too am a little partial to them in general. Or maybe an E36 320, those little sixes must be pretty smooth, dunno anything about how they would respond to turbocharging though.

[stx133]

ok, so an E30 325 sounds like a good start, late 80s early 90s, 5 speed manual is a must, what else was optioned. were LSD's available / standard. how strong is the trasmission (not talking 300KW).

[winfred]

s's almost always have a lsd 87 and up I automatics have 4.10 and 5 speeds have 3.73 diffs, E cars are usually 2.93 and you can use diffs from e28 and some e24/23s for some different ratios like 3.25 and 3.46, i don't think i've seen a practical limit to the 5 speeds capacity (with in reason) as for the auto not sure id bother building a killer motor and putting a slush box behind it, sorta self defeating

[Kalevera]

I have an iX 4 door 5 speed. It's a fun car, but I personally prefer the 535. It's also not as fast as an iS, but it serves its purpose. It's definitely much more of a "driver" car -- more noise, feedback, and less comfort. I've never driven and liked an E30 with an automatic, so I'd personally only own a 5 speed.

The 325 will have a Getrag 260/5. A very good trans, as Winfred said, but sometimes susceptible to needing a rebuild.

best, whit

[pyro]

e30>e36 (worst bmw that bmw ever made)

[stx133]

Whit, i have the 540 as a 'tourer' am looking for somthing 'chuckable'.
Pyro, one line does not help, a little more info or a useful suggestion would be great.
Winfred, thanks. is there a list somewhere on all the specs and what the rest of the suffix letters mean?
Will keep you all informed asi progress form idea to concept to living machine...

[winfred]

this may help http://www.e30tech.com/


Winfred, thanks. is there a list somewhere on all the specs and what the rest of the suffix letters mean?
Will keep you all informed asi progress form idea to concept to living machine...

[pyro]

ok the e30 was a solid car and the e36 is a plastic car. i drove one at work the other day and couln't stand it... the quality jsut wans't there

[stx133]

'quality' in a 25 year old car, now that's an objective discussion...

[pyro]

no the quality in the e36 is horible.

[winfred]

if ya gotta have a e36 it takes a while to find one that hasn't had the interior beaten to death, they just don't blow my skirt up that's why i passed on the not too bad but a little scruffy 95 m3 we had at the shop i could of gotten for what we had in it a little over $4k

[stx133]

an e36 318 is still over 10k here in the fine brown land of oz..
the e30 is mechanical injection, how tunable are they, how much problems..