Impreza Turbo 2000 or BMW E30 318iS ?

[BDR529]

Pretty much as the title goes, I am running an E30 318i at the moment that's a tad on the tatty side, but I am debating which car to buy next. I have wanted an Impreza since I was about 7 years old, however, since buying my E30, I have indeed caught the E30 bug, and I think if I got an Impreza I would miss the coolness of driving an E30 around.

Which one out of the 2 would you guys recommend and why? I suspect being nearly 21, I will end up for the 318iS anyway, but does anyone here own the turbo 2000 and able to comment on how fun it is to drive?

Thanks

[Baryonyx]

I think you'd be having a lot more fun in the Impreza. I used to drive my dads on the occasion, back when my insurance covered me to do so. Whether or not you can get insured on one is a different matter altogether, and likely to be the defining factor in your choice here.

[Mastodon2]

While the turbo 2000 is small fry in the world of Impreza compared to some of the models in the history of the range, the truth is it's still going to be a great car to drive, should go fairly well and will look great. I'm sure there is nothing wrong with the BMW, but if I had the choice I'd be taking the 4WD turbo car.

[g3org3y]

If you can potentially insure the Scooby, what's stopping you running a 325i? The old skool 2.5 M20 engine is a delight.

[scorcher]

Got to be the 318is. Less chavvy.

[VB]

Impreza, every day of the week.

The E30 318iS is a pretty guttless machine, it's certainly no 16v GTi. The handling is okay & the design is getting better every day, but the lack of useable torque will piss you off.

One thing I would consider would be an E36 2.8 engined E30 with a Tech-2 kit in Dolphin Grey. I've had a drive of an E30 24v 325i & it really shifted, made a nice noise too.

[h4muf]

E30 Future classic.
Scoob not a classic.

All imho.

[SteveS Cup]

E30 in Dolphin Grey with the M Tec kit and BBS's on it.... drool.

Depends what you can afford though and what you want.

If you want a cool car that will get the odd nod And you're not bothered about performance too much, get the E30.

If you want something quick and fun and couldn't care less about your image, get the Scoob.

I'm not saying the 1.8 16v is slow by any means. I had an E36 325i which was dyno'd at just under 210bhp. I had a breif spell with an Escort RS Turbo then had a 318ti Compact. The 318ti was actually quite fun and didn't feel slow. But you do have to rag them a bit.

[daveco]

h4muf said:

E30 Future classic.
Scoob not a classic.

All imho.

This. Get a 325 if you can. Around 7 seconds to 60 and a lot more torque. Probably not as chuckable, mind...

[scotty_d]

The subaru will cost quite a bit more to own Insurance is a killer / fuel will be poor looking at 25mpg tops driving very easy on runs so worse running about. tank range used to bug me for a daily driver seemed like i was never away from the pumps to stick 40-50 quid in it.

But they are pretty quick and great on our crap road surfaces for todays driving. been thinking about them again myself in place of the Cerb as i just cant use it on our ste roads full of pot holes!!!!!

[chippy17]

g3org3y said:

If you can potentially insure the Scooby, what's stopping you running a 325i? The old skool 2.5 M20 engine is a delight.

having owned a 318is, a 325i and a Turbo 2000 I can say with authority that I have no idea which one to choose!

but seriously, 318is handles well, goes well relatively cheap to run but is lacking once you have driven a 325i

325i and Impreza so different difficult to compare, Impreza easy to drive secure still quite quick. 325i more of a challenge and sounds glorious

[300bhp/ton]

BDR529 said:

Pretty much as the title goes, I am running an E30 318i at the moment that's a tad on the tatty side, but I am debating which car to buy next. I have wanted an Impreza since I was about 7 years old, however, since buying my E30, I have indeed caught the E30 bug, and I think if I got an Impreza I would miss the coolness of driving an E30 around.

Which one out of the 2 would you guys recommend and why? I suspect being nearly 21, I will end up for the 318iS anyway, but does anyone here own the turbo 2000 and able to comment on how fun it is to drive?

Thanks

I'm quite an Impreza fan and love the sound of the flat 4. But a WRX STI is the only one to have tbh. A T2000 was just a poor specced and underpowered JDM WRX.

I quite like e30's (despite hating mine ). In terms of pace the Impreza is certainly the quicker, that said I'm not sure it is hugely more fun, if more fun at all.

MPG will also be vastly different, budget 18-23mpg with the Impreza, at least that way its thirst won't come as a shock.

How about a tidy 325i Sport?

[Rouleur]

I've had a lightly tweaked Turbo 2000 in the past and loved pushing it on decent roads, but when you're pottering/commuting they're not all that great.

As other people have said a 325i is probably the way to go, and I reckon if you buy a slightly ropey one and spend some money to get it up to a high standard over a couple of years you'll get back more than it's cost you. Don't discount the Touring model as IMO they look great without costing as much as a good Sport.

[Kawasicki]

I would take a 318is over the Subaru. I had a lot of fun in 318is and found Imprezas slightly dull to drive. Straight line speed of the bmw was plenty on the road for me, there weren't many occasions where I wanted more. Cornering the bmw was very entertaining! The sporty subarus I've driven were fairly quick in a straight line but not as fun in the corners. Depends what you are looking for, cornering fun or straight line speed.

[jet_noise]

Dear BDR529,

I'd add an Accord type R to that short list.
I was in the market for a new "new" car in 1999 and and 'twas excellent.

I chose one over a Scooby as they were a little bit of a left field choice. If I could have stretched to one of the enhanced models (STi, WRX etc) the choice would have been different but for the standard version the Accord was it,

regards,
Jet

[BDR529]

Thanks for the replies everybody. For some reason, the quotes I get for a E30 325i come out ridiculously more expensive than an Impreza, I don't quite know how that one works.. shame really, the sound of the straight six..

I nearly bought a 325i Touring recently, but got priced out of it due to the insurance. Found the costs had jumped up from when I last got quotes. I later found out said Touring was the 1st RHD Touring ever made.

[EDLT]

BDR529 said:

Thanks for the replies everybody. For some reason, the quotes I get for a E30 325i come out ridiculously more expensive than an Impreza, I don't quite know how that one works.. shame really, the sound of the straight six..

I nearly bought a 325i Touring recently, but got priced out of it due to the insurance. Found the costs had jumped up from when I last got quotes. I later found out said Touring was the 1st RHD Touring ever made.

Have you got quotes for the Impreza? It probably won't be any cheaper to insure than a 325, it might even be more expensive.

[Motorrad]

h4muf said:

E30 Future classic.
Scoob not a classic.

All imho.

E30 is semi classic already

Unmodified, standard looking mint 'classic' Imprezas are going to be classics in 10 yrs time. It's happened with every other car that can trace any sort of credible rally heritage so why not with them? Finding one that hasn't been arsed up by some loser is the problem.

Given your age then I'd go for the 318is, more fun at saner speeds and a good place to learn about RWD dynamics.

[g3org3y]

BDR529 said:

Thanks for the replies everybody. For some reason, the quotes I get for a E30 325i come out ridiculously more expensive than an Impreza, I don't quite know how that one works.. shame really, the sound of the straight six..

I nearly bought a 325i Touring recently, but got priced out of it due to the insurance. Found the costs had jumped up from when I last got quotes. I later found out said Touring was the 1st RHD Touring ever made.

At 21 you qualify for classic insurance. Perfect for the E30 imo.

[2000 GTV]

Classic 2000 Turbo.

Late model.