Author Topic: Newbie....almost (Read 2929 times)

slvdc1 · « **on:** January 30, 2008, 01:31:10 PM »

Hi...I'm new.

Well...not to go too far back in time lets just say that I am an avid driving fan and have driven many sweet and sporty cars. Well after the advent of my second child I had to get rid of my last car (only 2 seats) and get something bigger...I bought an SUV. Well the suv is getting really old and I've had it for a year and am looking to get rid of it in favor of a little car down the street from me which happens to be a 325is...the owner told me its an 86. Now I am quite fond of these cars (my mom had one when I was growing up and I loved it). So basically I'm looking for some advice on what to look out for.

About the car: the little that I know is that its a E30 coupe, 2.7l L6 5spd. 140k miles, leather, sunroof, the stereo has been removed (i.e stolen) as well as the speakers. the dash is cracked...in the usual places the trunk has a spot of rust on it near the latch.

So I asked the guy if I could check it out and he said sure but the battery was dead. Luckily I had a battery booster in my suv for just these type of problems. I looked under the hood to no avail to find the battery...thats when I thought to look in the trunk (a real n00b move lol) hooked it all up and it fired right up. Idle had a slight roughness to it and hesitated a bit when throttling it (probably needs a tune up badly) I'm sure the owner doesn't care a lick about this car and I want to save it from and inevitable demise if it goes to some other uncaring owner. And lastly the price...cheap, I can probably talk him down to under a grand so I could put in more money if problems arise.

So if anyone could shed some light on the personality quirks that are costly fixes common for these cars I would greatly appreciate it!

~Shane

Spec 2 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 30, 2008, 02:59:10 PM »

Shane,

Check the passenger floor for dampness - Some develop a leak there. Other than that I personally don't know of any inherently bad traits if there is no rust visible. Control arms and struts probably need to be changed shortly if not done before. For under $1000 it leaves you room to fix unknown problems. These cars generally seem to hold up well.

But hearing about the kids, why not search for a 4door sedan instead of a coupe?

haledj · « **Reply #2 on:** January 30, 2008, 05:23:48 PM »

it seams you might be confused.

The 325is had the "i" motor that is 2.5L ~160 hp
the 325e had the 2.7 economy motor ~120 hp

I would never buy an "e" car unless I planned a swap

just look for a 318is with the m42

hoevesruperd · « **Reply #3 on:** January 30, 2008, 10:44:35 PM »

Quote from: haledj;41964

it seams you might be confused.

The 325is had the "i" motor that is 2.5L ~160 hp
the 325e had the 2.7 economy motor ~120 hp

I would never buy an "e" car unless I planned a swap

just look for a 318is with the m42

i had an e28 with the 2.7 eta engine. same as the 325e but in an heavier car. it surely isn't a sport car but its quite a fun cruiser. enough torque in the low end.

still prefer the m42 for its peppy revs. as said earlier, you might want to look around for a 1991 318i which have the M42 and 2 more doors for the kids

slvdc1 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 31, 2008, 08:47:41 AM »

ok...I was guessing on the model...the tag isn't present on the trunk but I do know that is has the L6 so that's the 2.7L right? the 2.5 was a 4 cyl? Is the 6 cyl reliable? I'm not really looking for something that wil smoke everything on the streets (however nice that is:D) and the fact that its a coup doesnt bother me that much as it wont be used for family travel unless there is some other problem with the minivan...basically I just need the option back there and the wife says its a go. I know it will need some work initially most of which I would do myself but I guess I am really wondering if it will be worth it? I guess its a tough question b/c nobody knows my situation better than me. My biggest concern is the availability of parts. I did a little snooping around and onling auto places seem to carry parts for it and reasonable prices. Also can the shifters be rebuilt? It has one of the sloppiest shifters I've felt...lol

hoevesruperd · « **Reply #5 on:** January 31, 2008, 10:01:37 AM »

parts for bimmers ARE more expensive than for other cars, but they're no rare. its not a huge difference in price either, you can always find jobbers or salvage.

the eta 2.7 engine and the 2.5 M20B25 are both 6 cylinders. i'm not quite sure about the visible difference in the engine bay but the cluster of an eta engine should have a lower redline. i believe its around 5800.

chances are it is a IS if you have a backlid spoiler, a front lip and sports wheels. IS were also only available in 2 doors.

you wont smoke much cars on the streets with an e30 unless you go F/I or modify the internals/race engines.

it is although unbeatably the most fun car i have driven. better than my parents brand new volvo and subaru

the shifters can be rebuilt, you'd probably just need a new bushing (about 30$) but sloppy shifters are making everything more fun. the 5er i had, had a shifter that needed to be pulled up to pass in 2nd and the neutral position was phase behind by 2 inches. thats REAL motorsport hahaha

slvdc1 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 01, 2008, 01:48:37 PM »

Thanks for the replies. I think the redlie was like 6500 or 7k? cause i revved it a little just while it was parked up to about 5k and it was still a ways off the redline. I thought these engines where MPFI? Either way I think for the price it'll do for the 1.6 mile trip to work for me lol! Thanks again for the replies...i'll be back when i buy it

slvdc1 · « **Reply #7 on:** February 08, 2008, 07:24:00 PM »

Bought the car! well the title says 1986 318i (those came in a coupe right?) anyway I matched the vin # up to be sure. That means it has the econo 2.7L right? Well I'm just glad I could talk him down

I will try to get some pics of it and get them up here tomorrow.

hoevesruperd · « **Reply #8 on:** February 09, 2008, 01:56:49 AM »

congratulations on your new car!!
if its really a 318i, then what you have an M10B18 (1.8L / about 100hp)
a pretty solid 8v engine. the M10 block is also used for the S14 and different racing engines. the version you have is although more restrained and will sure do the home to work trip economically
keep us posted with some pictures and details

slvdc1 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 09, 2008, 12:36:37 PM »

Well although the title said 318i it was clearly wrong. I know for sure its a 6 cyl (6 plug wires) and its a 2 door coupe with leather/vinyl? sunroof (found the crank for it in the glove box. I bought a new battery b/c the last one wouldnt hold a charge apparently. Also the rear indicator lights dont work at all so I picked up the bulbs and when I went to look in the trunk I pulled the palen off with the bulbs and it had obviously been rigged with a new socket that was spliced for the left rear blinker. But my biggest concerns right now is the constantly flashing check engine light and a intermittent hesitation (though I might find out more depending on what the computer tells me. Is there a place that I have to stick in a jumper to get the codes to read out through the check light? Pictures coming soon

slvdc1 · « **Reply #10 on:** February 09, 2008, 12:58:54 PM »

http://picasaweb.google.com/slvdc1/1986BMW/photo#5165055791124277058
http://picasaweb.google.com/slvdc1/1986BMW/photo#5165055825484015442