pre 90's BMW's

spiderdan

Hi, I'm looking to buy a Black BMW 316/ 318 pre 1990, any advice on where to look apart from the auto websites nothing much on them at all- would it be worth my while finding wreaked one and putting the money into it or is that way too much hassle for a car of that age, i.e getting parts etc.

Thanks

Ferris

I had a 1990 316. There was a facelift in 1987 I think so they're all the same from then on. Most parts are easily available. It'll be the M40 engine in the ones you're looking at and these tend to wear their camshafts. This will be manifested in ticking from the top of the engine, reluctance of the the engine to rev and, in exreme cases, a misfire.

Also all e30's can rot around the windscreen, around a sunroof, in the battery tray and engine bulkhead, rear arches and bootlid.

They're strong cars tho and really easy to work on an maintain. I also love the look of them. If I was buying a 4cyl (M3 excluded) in one I would go for a 16v 318is, they're rare but have better suspension, 140hp and no camshaft issues.

Gandalf23

I'm selling one on adverts.ie It needs a head gasket, but apart from that she's a beauty.


MODEDIT:

Hardly a pre-90 though, is it ...hence pimpage removed

mark_eire

You should check out this site,
Its an Irish e30 forum and the lads will probably know where you'll get a good one
www.e30owners.com

jozi

mark_eire wrote: »

You should check out this site,
Its an Irish e30 forum and the lads will probably know where you'll get a good one
www.e30owners.com

Was just about to say the same thing

spiderdan

cheers lads- looking at one at the mo- but its an auto, much prefer a manual, Only driving a year and don't fancy switching to an auto

bazz26

Of the two you mentioned the E30 318is is supposed to be a cracking engine for it's time.

Probably better off buying from an enthusiast who has given the car plenty of tlc as there are alot of tatty ones still around.

mondeo

I would look for a 320, 4 cylinder models would not be my fav, unless you find a 318is as advised above. Would a 318is of that year not be hard to come across in good condition? I would have imagined alot of them had being thrashed by now. An enthusiast would probably charge an arm and leg for one regardless if it was in good condition or not. I have seen them in buyandsell going for 4,500. Buy a nice 6 cylinder 320i for that...

Robbo

Keep an eye out for fake Alpina rims and a limited slip diff, the sure sign that the car's been used to burn set upon set of Nankang Ditchfinders.

Vikings

I picked up a 1990 320i from a friend last week... needs a little bit of work but great car other than that.

Wealth of information on the can also be found at www.e30zone.net

spiderdan

after doing a fair bit of research in the various e30 models, My preference is defo the 320, if anyone knows, hears of one going a PM or post would be greatly appreciated, thanks again

bazz26

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/BMW/320/NCT-till/1111187/
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/BMW/320/SE-(E30)/1100674/

mondeo

The red 320i is nice but way too expensive...No Nct etc. Buy one up north or bring one in yourself from Uk for about 950 sterling. I have seen pretty clean 320i's for this price range.

the_syco

Robbo wrote: »

Nankang Ditchfinders

LOL. Was worth the google

Flashman

What are peoples experiences of the E30 316? I'm a young driver, so can't stray too far over the 100bhp mark for insurance purposes so this seems to be the better engine for me. Though the money saved insurance-wise won't be much good if it ends up going back into mechanic bills for the car...

rebel.ranter

Had one & it hooked me on BMW. I didn't want a chrome bumper model at first but now I wish I never sold the car!

I wrote a lot of "tech" articles for http://www.bmwe30.net about 9-10 years ago, i believe that some made it onto http://www.e30zone.net/

Sign up to that website for all the info & help you'll ever need....

Can't resist posting the picture again.

Ferris

Flashman wrote: »

What are peoples experiences of the E30 316? I'm a young driver, so can't stray too far over the 100bhp mark for insurance purposes so this seems to be the better engine for me. Though the money saved insurance-wise won't be much good if it ends up going back into mechanic bills for the car...

The 1.6 engine is ok apart from the camshaft issue which is easily diagnosed. It has 100hp and will get to 60 in around 10s. It was well able to keep up with traffic and could do motorway speeds without issue. It wasn't able to drift or slide or anything like that, more like snap oversteer. They need good tyres.

This was my one, I absolutely adored this car:

spiderdan

160,000 miles too much for a e30 320?? just passed its NCT though, seems to be in great nic!! 3,000ish price range!

mondeo

spiderdan wrote: »

160,000 miles too much for a e30 320?? just passed its NCT though, seems to be in great nic!! 3,000ish price range!

What year is it? Ye that is very high mileage..

jozi

Your talking about a car that 18 years old, you got to expect high miles 160k is less than 10k a year. There are some low miles out there that popup from time to time.

bazz26

In fairness if the car is a 1989/1990 then 160,000 is not huge mileage for a 18 or 19 year old car.

Generally the BMW 2.0 litre straight six is a well tried and tested engine and generally well able for high mileage if maintained properly. Is there any service history with it? In any case have it checked by a mechanic before buying.

oh well , okay

I've had both the 320 and the 318is and I couldn't stress enough how much better the 318is is . It's faster ,stops better and is much more nimble - the only thing the 320 has the edge on is sound . I wouldn't recomend any of the other 4 pots ( 316 , 318 ) though .

High miles wouldn't put me off , the thing I'd really avoid though is rust and be sure and check underneath the car for this . There's a lot of rough ones around so take you're time and take a few test drives .

Like you've been told keep an eye on e30owners or even e30zone - seen a few nice ones for sale recently and they aint selling quick at the minute so that should suit you grand .

I think there's also a buying guide at ......

http://www.esatclear.ie/~bpurcell/318isfaultstable.html

Bearcat

lest not we forget that the 316i and the 318i engines were dogs in the e30s as they got older and sounded like the model T ford. I dont care who slates me on this one.....pure wheezy dogs, whereas the 320i 6 cylinder was a peach and the 177bhp 325i was an animal. I will always say BMW produced the best straight sixes ever but in the 4's except the M3 and possibly the reworked head of the 318is those 4 cyl's engines are pigs.

mondeo

Bearcat wrote: »

lest not we forget that the 316i and the 318i engines were dogs in the e30s as they got older and sounded like the model T ford. I dont care who slates me on this one.....pure wheezy dogs, whereas the 320i 6 cylinder was a peach and the 177bhp 325i was an animal. I will always say BMW produced the best straight sixes ever but in the 4's except the M3 and possibly the reworked head of the 318is those 4 cyl's engines are pigs.

Yes your right the 4 cylinders bar 318is were not fantastic...