BMW E36 323's - what are they like?

[SlowStig]

As the title says(sort of) I am looking for a new car to mooch round in and spotted quite a few 323's for sale so ran a quote and surprisingly cheap so I am curious about them and what they are like to live with as a daily, real world MPG and if its on over 130k miles is it worth ignoring?

My budget is sub 1k so I was looking for a cheap barge to have but dont fancy eye-watering insurance or mpg!

[SlowStig]

anyone able to help?

[anonymous-user]

My dad has one

It's an alright car I suppose. All the ingredients are these to make a great car, but I personally could not have one - Not sure what it is about them but they are ever so dull. Not that quick either.

He gets around 20MPG around town in his. It hasn't broken down in the year he has had it.

If I was forced to buy a non M E36 I'd stretch my budget to a 328i - Same running costs, more power .

Anymore questions just ask.

[EDLT]

The 325 gets very similar MPG, but is more powerful (insurance is higher though). If you are looking at cheap ones then be aware that some are starting to rust around all the normal places; arches/sills/doors/bootlid etc, and mechanically they are falling in to the hands of people who would rather buy a new sub then a service.

All standard shed-buying stuff tbh.

[nottyash]

Our 328 gave 38MPG on our weekly long runs down south, amazing considering the engine size. Power delivery was very smooth. That car made me buy an M3!!

[rottie102]

ALL 6 cylinder E36s use similar amount of fuel. 328 is always the best bet, although the power is the same as in 325 the torque curve makes it much nicer drive. And just to stop you before you ask about the nikasil issue - no, with the mileage over 50k you have nothing to worry about.

PM me if you're interested in a very cheap 325 Sport.

Edited by rottie102 on Friday 20th August 23:49

[Dunk76]

Had a 323i Coupe as a company car - far faster than you'd think 170bhp has any right to be. Well built. Can't remember fuel consumption, just the noise

[g3org3y]

Nice revvy engine but if you can afford the 328, I'd be going for that.

Auto or manual?

[SlowStig]

Well I can deal with about 30mpg combined as I dont do masses of town or m'way driving, mostly backroads to uni. Any other cars can you guys reccommend other than the usual MX5 as I cant find one within budget with MOT and need a sizeable boot for bodies and paintball gear when I goto games.

I dont know how to do PM's on here(for an IT uni student, its impressive) but your 325 is tempting dependant on price and location!

[edo]

My wife and I bought one as a stop gap - kept for 12 months, cost nothing in maintenance and sold for a profit. Lovely car.

[LC23]

Had one for around 4 years. Ran it from 35k on the clock to 115k on the clock and it never missed a beat. The only maintenance required was servicing and consumables.

[Dubmaster77]

Utterly brilliant cars the e36.
My compact has done over 30k this year with just tyres and a thermostat.
the 323i can be pepped up with a 325i inlet manifold as the early engines were restricted at the factory as they have a capacity of 2.5 litres.
BMW,s get under your skin!

[bazking69]

Buy on condition not mileage.

[Liquid Knight]

The E36 is the ultimate Practical Performance Car in my opinion but the 323 is the runt of the litter. The 316/318 are econimical daily drives, the 320 is a nice middle of the road mile muncher economical and yet perky (but in reality slower than the 318 due to the torque difference between the 1.8 divided by four pots compared to 2.0 six pot engine), the 323 doesn't have the performance of the bigger 325 or 328 engines and doesn't have the economy of the 320/318 engines but costs the same to insure as the 325. I would personally go for the 325 over the 328 because the 325 is a lot easier to work on and live with.

So the 323 is slower than the 325, less economical than the 320 and cost the more to insure. The best thing about the 323 is the flat spot in the 320s torque curve is ironed out a bit. Having said that the 320 isn't a performance car and neither is the 323 compared to the 325 or 328. My advice would be to get the best one you can get and enjoy it.

[bazking69]

Liquid Knight said:

The E36 is the ultimate Practical Performance Car in my opinion but the 323 is the runt of the litter. The 316/318 are econimical daily drives, the 320 is a nice middle of the road mile muncher economical and yet perky (but in reality slower than the 318 due to the torque difference between the 1.8 divided by four pots compared to 2.0 six pot engine), the 323 doesn't have the performance of the bigger 325 or 328 engines and doesn't have the economy of the 320/318 engines but costs the same to insure as the 325. I would personally go for the 325 over the 328 because the 325 is a lot easier to work on and live with.

So the 323 is slower than the 325, less economical than the 320 and cost the more to insure. The best thing about the 323 is the flat spot in the 320s torque curve is ironed out a bit. Having said that the 320 isn't a performance car and neither is the 323 compared to the 325 or 328. My advice would be to get the best one you can get and enjoy it.

Or just swap the 2.0 manifold for a 2.5 manifold?

[rottie102]

Liquid Knight said:

The E36 is the ultimate Practical Performance Car in my opinion but the 323 is the runt of the litter. The 316/318 are econimical daily drives, the 320 is a nice middle of the road mile muncher economical and yet perky (but in reality slower than the 318 due to the torque difference between the 1.8 divided by four pots compared to 2.0 six pot engine), the 323 doesn't have the performance of the bigger 325 or 328 engines and doesn't have the economy of the 320/318 engines but costs the same to insure as the 325. I would personally go for the 325 over the 328 because the 325 is a lot easier to work on and live with.

So the 323 is slower than the 325, less economical than the 320 and cost the more to insure. The best thing about the 323 is the flat spot in the 320s torque curve is ironed out a bit. Having said that the 320 isn't a performance car and neither is the 323 compared to the 325 or 328. My advice would be to get the best one you can get and enjoy it.

What kind of ECONOMY are we talking about re the 320?? It's by far the worst of the E36 engines. Slow and gutless but uses as much or even more fuel than the 328 due to the fact that you have to rev its nuts off to make any progress.

It's either 318is for economy ,328 for driving fun and economy or 325 for trackdays, turbocharging etc because M50B25 is virtually bulletproof and can stand much more abuse than the M52B28.

[Elskeggso]

I get exactly 25mpg from a 328, but I rarely drive on the motorway.

[alan36]

I average around 28mpg which is mainly 3-4 mile blatts every day. My 323 coupe has done 180000 miles but it had a new engine at 80000 miles. Everything works perfectly. The only thing wrong is the drivers leather seat is quite worn as you can imagine. It doesnt use any oil or water and is perfectly cabable as far as I'm concerned. And there is no rust on it. I think its a great car for the money.

Alan

[reggie82]

rottie102 said:

ALL 6 cylinder E36s use similar amount of fuel. 328 is always the best bet, although the power is the same as in 325 the torque curve makes it much nicer drive. And just to stop you before you ask about the nikasil issue - no, with the mileage over 50k you have nothing to worry about.

PM me if you're interested in a very cheap 325 Sport.

Nikasil can get you anytime. The only people that claim otherwise are nikasil owners trying to convince themselves they have nothing to worry about / trying to sell their cars. It's up to you whether you want to take the risk, but with plenty of steel-lined cars out there, why bother?

And there's no such thing as an e36 325 Sport.

I agree 328 is the best best though, similar mpg to the 323 but more power. 325's are ok if you can find a good one, but bear in mind they will be older than 323's so not as many nice ones about.

I have a 328i sport on 198k miles and it runs like a dream so don't worry about high mileage. Condition is what's important, if the engine has been looked after it will go on for ever.

Nothing major on these cars to look out for (nikasil lined blocks would be the main thing i'd avoid). Rust on rear arches is quite common and bushes/ball joints tend to wear.

They are nice cars though. Comfy on the motorway, easy to drive around town, and fun on the B roads.

[Elskeggso]

reggie82 said:

Nothing major on these cars to look out for (nikasil lined blocks would be the main thing i'd avoid).

Mine had the liners upgraded under warranty a while back, I think the majority of nikasil-lined engines have been upgraded as it was quite a big issue at the time.