BMW e36 328i or 325tds for MPG and Reliability?

[Petrolhead_Rich]

Hi all,

Thinking of buying an E36 BMW 3 series, looking to spend between 1000 and 1500

I'm going to be doing alot of miles so have to consider MPG's and reliability

so here's the question, for a spirited driver, what would be best 328i or a 325tds?

I've heard 325tds need more regular servicing and can cost more to fix, plus I prefer petrols as they are smoother and I find them easier to troubleshoot/repair.

But then is the 328 going to be mega thirsty??

Can anyone tell me what i would expect from a 328i cruising at around 95MPH (yes i know its illegal!) vs a 325TDs at the same speed, as generally that's what I drive at and I know my current diesel (04 S40 2.0D drinks like there's no tomorrow at that speed, giving me around 30MPG!!!)

also any horror stories for either model

may also consider a 325i but from what i hear there's nothing in it???

Thanks All

[S3_Graham]

my 328 at 80 returns roughly 34 mpg.

[neil_bolton]

S3_Graham said:

my 328 at 80 returns roughly 34 mpg.

You sure chum? That's really rather high. Try that figure at around 65 to 70.

At 100mph for 100 miles, I saw 22mpg.

At 55mph I saw 37mpg.

[S3_Graham]

neil_bolton said:

S3_Graham said:

my 328 at 80 returns roughly 34 mpg.

You sure chum? That's really rather high. Try that figure at around 65 to 70.

At 100mph for 100 miles, I saw 22mpg.

At 55mph I saw 37mpg.

my speedo is quite out.. its probably more like 75 tbh but im averaging 34 and other other driving i do is small town runs so will be much worse than the long runs up the M4! im rather impressed tbh. ay better than the alfa. Would you larger intake mean more air thus more fuel??

[B19GRR]

My old TDS (manual touring with chip) used to return mid-fourties in day to day use if I remember and it was pretty reliable considering it had been to the moon and back. Had a few things go wrong, leak from fuel feed caused starting issues (pointlessly changed glow plugs), oil cooler unions had corroded so was leaking. Overall though pretty reliable. It's a more basic engine that the current diesels so probably a bit more robust.

Likewise my 528 (Auto single vanos) has been very decent, best tankful I got was 34mpg last year in the summer for my regular (140mile) commute. That dropped to 29ish in winter. Only engine problem I've had was the thermostat sticking open in the winter (brrrrr).

I'd say for spirited driving you'd be wanting the 328 but depends on the distances you do really. I always though the old TeDiouS was quite fun and the rev needle did occasionally get near the 5k mark but it was a bit dead below 2k.

You need old SniffPetrol/Diesel to show up!

Cheers,
Rob

[JimexPL]

E36 speedos tend to be quite inaccurate. Both of mine over read by about 8mph at an indicated 85.

Very few cars are going to give sensible mpg at nearly 100mph as the gearing won't be suited. A 7.0 Z06 will give you about 25mpg at a steady 100, which is excellent for the size/performance of the engine, but then it is only doing 2,000rpm...

If you dropped your speed to 75 in the S40 it would return 40-45mpg.

Our 323 and 328 both do about 34mpg at 75, but drop if used on the continent at around 95 to 26ish mpg.

Can't comment on the tds as I've only driven them over short periods, but I doubt it would give much more than 30mpg at 95.

If you are bothered about consumption you need to slow down!

[Devil2575]

Buy a 328. The 325 tds was good in it's day but that was 15 years ago. They not anything like as economical as modern diesels and now that they're getting older there's plenty of stuff to go wrong.

Just be aware of potential Nikasil issues with a 328.

I owned a 328 and it was possible to get bewteen 30 and 40mpg on a run but not if you have a heavy right foot. On a motorway at 70mpg you should easily see 35mpg.

Edited by Devil2575 on Tuesday 8th June 14:43

[sparkythecat]

I had an auto 328 touring for over 5 years.
It averaged around 27mpg, On a good long motorway run at a steady 80 it would do 32mpg
Other than routine servicing, it had some rear suspension bushes replaced and the gearbox ECU replaced.

Edited by sparkythecat on Tuesday 8th June 22:05

[nottyash]

I had a e36 328i coupe 1998 model, It averaged 38mpg at 80-85 on long motorway runs, no where near that around town, but a great cruising machine. Fantastic MPG for a large engine.

[sniff diesel]

B19GRR said:

You need old SniffPetrol/Diesel to show up!

Didn't think 29 was that old!

I've had a 325tds touring manual for a couple of years, chipped to 170bhp it provided plenty of pulling power and averaged about 36mpg (I do tend to drive quite hard) best mpg was 48mpg on the motorway with a heavy load on the roofbars, worst was about 25mpg when towing a +2tonne trailer. Once managed to average an indicated 120mph for 55-60 miles and got nearly 30mpg. Don't even bother considering a 325td (non intercooled) as my GF had one of these for a couple of years, being an auto it was dog slow and never got over 33mpg even at a steady 75mph on the motorway.

I've got a couple of 328i's at the moment, as standard they have a fair bit more turn of speed, probably equal refinement to the tds when cruising on the motorway as the standard gearing is very long. My other 328i is modified a bit with lower gearing and a M50 manifold so economy is compromised in favour of better acceleration.

I'd say the tds will give 25-30% better economy in like for like driving, but finding one that hasn't done mega mileage will be harder than finding a nice 328i as the diesel's tend to be used as workhorses. running cost wise I find no difference in parts and servicing costs for petrol or diesels.

Realistically you'll have to test drive both and see what suits your style the best, if you're near Shrewsbury give us a shout and I'll let you have a go in a 328i.

[Petrolhead_Rich]

Thanks for all your replies, but in the end I bought an Audi A4 2.8 30v V6 with the flappy paddle gearbox, and fyi im getting 29-33mpg from it average.

I would have gone for the beemer, but flappy paddles kinda sold the audi to me!!!

Thanks again!

[bodhi]

Seems a bit to me like going out for a steak and ending up at McDonalds, but hey, each to their own.

For reference I bought a 328i around 3 months ago, and have average 30.1 over a range of driving. It also goes like stink and has one of the finest engines in the world (mine has the steel liners). I would have another in half a heartbeat.

[An Oasis]

S3_Graham said:

my 328 at 80 returns roughly 34 mpg.

Did Cheshire to London and back the other night in my wifes 328, digi readout says 34.4 & had the cruise control set to 80 cleptons for most of the journey.