I am thinking about buying a older BMW maybe 1990-1992 (318i or 325) mid to end of this summer, I just like the way these look and they aren't to bad on gas, I don't think. I have heard that BMW is somewhat tough to work on and has some problems with the older models but didn't know if it was true. Anyone have experience with older BMW's and have any suggestions?

I'm not going for blazing speed, just a fun car to drive (stick as well). My friend had an 87 325 and we drove the shit out of it, he had very little problems with it for 3 years. Is this typical??

Thanks tww, I thought I could get some good feedback here.

-shredd

5/4/2008 12:38:04 PM

5/4/2008 12:38:32 PM

^1985, possibly something like this...

5/4/2008 12:39:01 PM

how much do they want for that one? is that a 318? condition of the interior?

you should look at later model e30's, they have the more desireable options.

5/4/2008 12:44:15 PM

^ no no that is just a picture of what I want, it's not for sale.

5/4/2008 12:48:27 PM

well in general no 1985 is going to look like that. for one thing the 1985 will have the diving board bumpers.

5/4/2008 12:50:33 PM

E30 M3 FTW!

5/4/2008 12:50:42 PM

The body style you are looking for is e30, there is an entire thread on them in the garage. They are great cars and I use to have a 325is and a 318is, now all I have is the 318. They are relatively easy to work on. The 318 has tons of room under the hood to get around to stuff.

You should run premium and I also recommend chipping it. I just got around to chipping my 318 yesterday and it made a world of difference. Low end is stronger, throttle response more instantaneous, and should improve gas mileage.

You can or use to could find a good 318is for around $2500 and a good 325is for around $3000. The years to look for are 1989-1991 since they had color matched bumpers which make these cars look infinitely better.

5/4/2008 1:06:19 PM

^ sweet thanks for the advice...that is right under my price range too

5/4/2008 2:50:01 PM

They can actually last a really long time if you take care of them. A friend of mine has a '92 325 (which is an E36 and not an E30, but...same engine at least...) with 170k miles on it, daily driven and pretty much all original. Though, when something breaks, the parts will likely not be cheap.

5/4/2008 4:04:19 PM

E30s are dead simple, cheap to fix, and easy to fix. I wouldnt call their parts expensive at all. you can get most anything you need from carquest or any worldpac dealer. Parts aren't Ford cheap, but no more than Honda parts, etc. a timing belt kit, for example is $40 w/ tensioner.

Super reliable, too. My E30 track car has 270k on the original motor and tranny. good compression and runs strong.

Pretty decent gas mileage. mid 20s i'd say. You should run regular 87oct on a stock 325i motor.

Great cars.

5/4/2008 4:38:17 PM

i use to order all my parts off of bmaparts.com and i always found the prices to be very reasonable.

5/4/2008 4:49:40 PM

how about the clutch, do they tend to go bad at a certain mileage...?

5/4/2008 5:06:13 PM

i've never had to replace one in either of mine. Had the clutch slave cylinder go out on my 318 but that took no time to replace. Had the clutch master cylinder go out on my e36 332is and that was a pain in the ass to replace.

5/4/2008 5:30:11 PM

They are easy as hell to work on, in all aspects. I'd stay away from the AWD models, and IMO I'd stay away from the economy models (with the "e" designation in the model --- "325ie"). Other than that, they are like any other car on the road.........all the questions about specific maintenance and wear items are solely based on previous owners and the maintenance they performed. Paperwork would be what I'd look for.....

5/4/2008 11:15:52 PM

?topic=444580

[Edited on May 5, 2008 at 12:03 AM. Reason : link]

5/5/2008 12:02:45 AM

Quote :

"A friend of mine has a '92 325 (which is an E36 and not an E30, but...same engine at least...) "

Incorrect, no e36 has an e30 engine.

I have a 290k mile e36 right now for sale, has never needed engine work, still doesn't use oil and has great power. I've also had an e36 m3 with 295k miles, saw 26 track days with me, never missed a beat, didn't use any oil and had great power. Yes, they can definitely last if taken care of.

I like e30s a lot, but I think the e36 is a better car. They take less maintenance and are even easier to work on with coil on plug ignition, no timing belt, two drive belts with auto tensioners etc.
Ahmet

5/5/2008 1:04:38 AM

^Sorry about that.

(backs out of thread to avoid spreading further inaccuracies)

5/5/2008 1:43:38 AM

auto tensioners ftw, i like idiot proofed things

5/5/2008 3:10:51 AM

Agreed with Ahmet. I love how quick plugs are to do on an e30, but other than that... yeah.

Almost forgot- the water pump design on the [s|m]5[0|2] is MUCH improved over the m20. Swap is super straight forward. Just wanted to point that out, because, well... fuck e30s.

[Edited on May 5, 2008 at 6:28 AM. Reason : water pump]

5/5/2008 6:27:23 AM

I have two...An 89 325i with around 200k miles and a 91 318is that I bought a couple of months ago.

I bought the 89 a couple of years ago and got it dirt cheap because it needed a wheel bearing and lower control arm (~$500 installed.) I have put about 25k-30k on the 89 in the last couple of years and the only thing I've done to it was replace the steering rack a few weeks ago. That was a $50 part on eBay, but installation did turn into a bitch. I would have just paid a shop to do it if I could go back.

The odometer on the 91 broke at 204k. No idea how many miles it really has, but I just put over 200 on it this weekend driving it out of town. Seems pretty reliable so far. :knock on wood.: It's another one that I got dirt cheap. I do think it needs a water pump because it is leaking a little, but other than that it is solid. It's a fun car with the limited slip, 5-speed, and sport seats.

[Edited on May 5, 2008 at 11:33 AM. Reason : l]

5/5/2008 11:30:36 AM

Hmm, it's not E30 related but:

I'm going to start looking for an '02 - '03 M3, possibly a convertible. How do the newer models hold up in terms of reliability? I plan on keeping this car for the long haul. I've always heard that the engines hold up well.

5/8/2008 11:38:14 PM