Need opinions from bmw fans

[popi-dude]

Hey there e30 fans. I'm looking for an e30. I'm from Quebec province in Canada.
Here, the e30 are kinda rare, because some people drive them during winter...:mad:

I have spotted 2 e30 for sale near of my place. one of them is a 1988 325is
and the second is a 1991 318is ( with m42 engine )

the 325is has 170 000 miles on it wich is pretty high imo.5 spd manual, The body is in great shape and the interior aswell. The mechanic maintenance as been done as it should be. The asked price is 5500 $ (cdn)

The 318is has 90 000 miles on it ( freaking low ). Also 5 spd manual. Body is mint also. Mechanic seems in good shape as the rest of the car. The asked price is 6000$ (cdn) The guy who own the car is an old guy who bought the car brand new in 1991...

I can't make my mind on wich one should i buy... I wanna have a daily car ( that i'm going to store in winter). I love performance, i heard that the e30s were great cars to drive. My only doubt is about the m42 is it powerfull enough ?  ( 135 hp ?? ) Also are those engine reliable ? anything i should know about those cars ? Does both cars have an LSD

Thank you for your time and precious help

[JP 91iS]

The 325is has the maintenance records and the parts are cheaper and information is more abundant.  The 318is may need some costly maintenance repairs (timing chain et al) which is 4 times more expensive than the 325is timing belt procedure.

As far as driving experience, what the 318is lacks in power it makes up for in lower weight and better handling.  If you are unsure if it will be powerful enough, then it won't be.

It's a tough call to make, the 318is has lower miles, 1 owner and mint body.  But the 325is has maintenance records, decent condition and higher miles.  If it were me I would go for the 318is, but I am biased.

If you are not afraid of DIY mechanical repair, go for the 318is.  Also read up in the reference section to find all the common faults and information on buying.  Good luck! Whichever way you decide to go, you will not be disappointed!

[popi-dude]

thanks for the nice answer !
i'm drivind a 240sx with an sr20det in it right now.  To me it is enough power.

do you guys think the price is quite fair for both cars

also the timing chain asen't been done on the 318is yet
will it need to be done soon ?

and how much can it cost for this chain job to be done ?

[beemer1]

I replaced my timing chain at 185,000 but I wouldn't wait that long.  IMO you have some time before you should have to change it.  

I think I paid somewhere around $400 for parts only.  Changed it out myself so I don't know the going rate at a shop.

[popi-dude]

I replaced my timing chain at 185,000 but I wouldn't wait that long.  IMO you have some time before you should have to change it.  

I think I paid somewhere around $400 for parts only.  Changed it out myself so I don't know the going rate at a shop.

185 000 kms ? or miles ? kms i hope :eek:

[beemer1]

Miles.

[popi-dude]

how many miles can a timing chain last on those m42

[beemer1]

Mine lasted 185,000 miles, had to replace chain, sprockets, timing chain tensioner, all 4 timing chain guides and all necessary gaskets.  

What ended up happening was the left timing chain guide shattered and then the car sounded like a diesel engine.  The chain and sprockets actually didn't look too bad but changed it since I had it apart.

Also replaced the upper and lower intake gaskets, deleted the TB heater plate, and the list goes on...

[DesktopDave]

My engine has 265,000 miles and it's still going strong, but the PO replaced the timing chain.

Between the two of them, the 325is is a better match for your 240...more low-end torque than the 318.  The 318 is lighter & better balanced.  But nothing will have that turbo grunt a red-top makes (unless you're a fabricator...).

The BMWs have a much more solid, heavier feel, but they're a bit less reliable.  Little things break but they're usually easy to fix.  My S14 kouki had a few nits that I just couldn't set straight.  The BMW, especially with the leather sport interior is much more comfortable, IMHO.  And the 325is has a gloriously engine...so much better than that old KA24DE tractor engine in my 240sx.

[popi-dude]

well i guess there is no problem buying the 318is with the 90 000 miles on it.
I just called the guy and he told me he had about 2000$ of maintenance bills that was done in the 2 past years.

thank you guys for all your helpfull answers. Sorry for my crappy english by the way :p. I think imma buy the 328Is over the 325is.

Imma sell my 240sx for about 7000 $ and get the 318IS
imma show you the link to the sale page.
http://autos.lespac.com/search/detail.php?PHPSESSID=050b09ed93cbcdc7fc802a8bc8850984&infst=RK_9215033%3B&cp=26®ion=&num_reg_ori=8&gr=12&majalerte=&a=9215033&o=%2Fsearch%2Findex.php&r=1651&liste_ville=&listcmp=&parindex=0&page=1&total=3&nbrpages=1&visite_recherche=&categorie_titre=[V%C3%A9hicules+-+Autos]&idcookie=346ab2a46926e42672f2fa14e58d6df5&zc=26&zg=12&priorite=&orderby=distance&mots=318+is&distancemax=0&agemax=0&liste_region=&catgr=c26-12&R11_de=0&R11_a=&R11=&prix_de=0&prix_a=0&annee_de=1991&annee_a=1991&no_region_de=0&no_region_a=&no_region=&R19_de=0&R19_a=&R19=0&R12=0&R13_de=0&R13_a=0&R16=0&R14=0&R15_de=0&R15_a=0&R18=0&R07_de=0&R07_a=0&R06=0&R17=0&type=0&etat=0&prio=

sorry for the annoying huge link :p

Is the m42 responding well to mods ?

[beemer1]

By the way, both cars are tons of fun!  I own a 91 318i and my bro owns a 90 325i.  The 318i has Bilstein HD and stock springs, rides not too stiff and gets better gas mileage for a commuter car while the 325i has Bilsein sports with h&r springs and it was slightly bumpy but handles very well.  

In a straight line race, from start up to 3rd gear both cars are very close, but once I shift to fourth gear his car begins to take a sh!t on me.  But this was before I chipped it and did all this work to get it running right.


They're both fun in a different way.

[roundel318]

I have 275,000 miles on my car and have never replaced the timing chain, it was purchased with 90,000 miles on it.

[popi-dude]

way to go !!

i guess i'll allow more cash to the suspension/subframe/body/interior than on the mechanic of this car !

I'm going to see the 318is in person this week-end, i'll take some pictures.
Thank you guys for helping me out !

BTW, if someone wanna have a clean 240sx 1992 with a rebuilt sr20det in it PM me

[superj]

mine has over 200k miles also and the previous owner never said anything about changing the timing chain.  my 89 325i had over 300k miles on it and ran like it just came from the bmw factory.  i had that car for 5 years and won my class at the local autocross for the 2 years i ran with it.  i love the m20b25 in the 325i.  the m42 is a very nice engine though but doesn't pull like that baby 6 does in any gear but its short a few cylinders so what do you expect.  but,  the gas mileage difference is totally worth it to me.

(the 318 won't do over 120 either where as my 325i would do 150mph like nothing.  i removed the governor though so it wouldn't bog at 123.  i don't know if this 318 has a governor at that speed as i cannot get it up that fast.

[B318M42W]

don't worry about the timing chain job for now. still have over 150 000 km before you can start to think about it... and usualy when they start to get bad, the engine sounds like a diesel.
from what part of quebec are you?