RE: Shed of the Week: BMW 323i Coupe

[deeen]

Hoping I haven't lost money on my soft-top... Actually didn't like it much to start with, but now I've accepted it's not a sports car, it's kind of grown on me!

[vsonix]

WJNB said:

Not Barried,not in your face, doesn't shout "look at me & my BMW I'm a rich flash git", won't attract the envious & keying brigade, no worries if it picks up the odd car park ding, nice enough to drive as an appliance, so cheap that MPG is largely irrelevant (after all nobody is going to buy it as a mile-muncher).

Although 32-35mpg motorway cruising is easily obtainable with these when they're working as they should,

[DaveE36]

vsonix said:

DaveE36 said:

After running a boring diesel auto E60 for a year, I sold it to my mate and I was looking for an older manual 3. I was likely going down the E46 coupe route, however a clean E36 328 Touring manual came up just at the right time.

The prices have certainly went up but the one I managed to get has very little rust and is undersealed. It goes well with the replacement ecu (raised rev limiter, apparently over 200bhp, and touches 100 in 3rd) but I like the torque of the engine so I'm hesitant to put an M50 inlet manifold on it - the crank and block were replaced under warranty which is a bonus. It handles very well on coilovers with a polybushed front end.

It's not perfect but it puts a smile on my face every time I drive it! Miles are low and it's just a weekend car really so I'll be happy if the values do go up The E36 is certainly the drivers car in comparison to the E46 and it doesn't feel like a car from over 20 years ago.

That looks lovely other than the Jag wheels
Really, your worries about torque loss are unfounded. A manual 328i will come alive with M50 mani and remap. All of a sudden the gear ratios will feel *perfect* for the engine's power delivery.
Unfortunately I don't have my manual coupe with M50 anymore or I'd have offered to let you try it out to see the night-and-day difference. My Z3 2.8s both have M509 manifold conversions but the gear ratios are quite different on the Z3 so it isn't really a fair comparison.

Cheers mate!

I was a bit unsure about the Jag wheels initially but they suit the car well in the flesh plus stick to the road like glue. Plus, there's a very slim chance I'll see another with the same wheels as they're mega rare never mind being on a BMW I was thinking style 32's but there's too many of them about on E36's. I have a spare set of wheels for winter though so the Jag wheels will be getting stored away before long, and the opportunity to get rid for something else not so common may come up too.

It feels quick enough off the line as it is compared to more modern turbo cars. The need for more power will come soon enough I'm sure though, as it's only been driven a few times due to me working away. Some of the manifolds go for silly money but they'll likely drop in price in the lead up to Christmas. It's a shame that the drifters keep wrecking them but it'll push the values up as seems to happen with all BMW's - the price bottoms out eventually when they get rare enough and everyone gets nostalgic.

[Auson]

DaveE36 said:

Cheers mate!

I was a bit unsure about the Jag wheels initially but they suit the car well in the flesh plus stick to the road like glue. Plus, there's a very slim chance I'll see another with the same wheels as they're mega rare never mind being on a BMW I was thinking style 32's but there's too many of them about on E36's. I have a spare set of wheels for winter though so the Jag wheels will be getting stored away before long, and the opportunity to get rid for something else not so common may come up too.

It feels quick enough off the line as it is compared to more modern turbo cars. The need for more power will come soon enough I'm sure though, as it's only been driven a few times due to me working away. Some of the manifolds go for silly money but they'll likely drop in price in the lead up to Christmas. It's a shame that the drifters keep wrecking them but it'll push the values up as seems to happen with all BMW's - the price bottoms out eventually when they get rare enough and everyone gets nostalgic.

I seriously like the Jag wheels I think they really suit the lines of the car. I would love them on my 323 touring but I wanted the lightest wheel I could find (7.5kgs) so thats what I went for. I've gone for a 6 branch tubular manifold and 200 CPI cats with the standard intake manifold as I like torque. It really goes like stink so that could be an avenue worth exploring ?

[8IKERDAVE]

I've had 3 E36's over the years; 325i Saloon, 328i Saloon and a 328i Coupe. All of which were absolutely stonking cars. All covered a combined 60K miles and the only issue I had with any of them was a burst water hose. Quick enough to enjoy but by todays standards a decent diesel will keep with even a 328i. I test drove a 323i and found it a little underpowered which will typically mean they weren't the choice for an 'enthusiastic driver'. This will make a good buy for anyone looking for something a bit retro and different.

[s m]

vsonix said:

WJNB said:

Not Barried,not in your face, doesn't shout "look at me & my BMW I'm a rich flash git", won't attract the envious & keying brigade, no worries if it picks up the odd car park ding, nice enough to drive as an appliance, so cheap that MPG is largely irrelevant (after all nobody is going to buy it as a mile-muncher).

Although 32-35mpg motorway cruising is easily obtainable with these when they're working as they should,

Agreed - i bought an E36 328i SE with 100k in 2006 and put another 100k on it over 7 years ( including about 4 European jaunts ). All the good bits ( Z3 racks, LSDs etc ) were very cheap and everywhere back in 2006 so I did most of the upgrades chatted about on here. X-brace, Avus pack suspension refresh, adjustable ARBs, LSD, Z3 rack. Really transformed it from the slightly soggy car I bought.
Left the engine standard, apart from making sure sensors/cooling system all in order, and even with 3.07 rear end it would do a genuine 37/38 cruising at 80 on the continent ( brim to brim check rather than the slightly optimistic OBC which I did later recalibrate as per the instructions ) - 4 up, climate on. Great car for the cash but it went for a grand when I got hold of a newer E46.

[deltashad]

J4CKO said:

This is a half decent car, of that there is no doubt but at the moment its in the not quite a classic phase where it looks retro, rather than just old as it does now, needs another five years.

Yep. Good shed but the timing is not right for classicness. When it does come this would be a great buy. Understated well spec'd and clean.

[s m]

One thing that amuses me slightly is that no-one seems bothered about the NCAP rating for this E36 shed but whenever a 106/Saxo is featured in SOTW there's loads of hand wringers re the crash safety. These got a similarly bad rating in their class

Never bothered me as an ex-owner but shows how far a German badge goes on here!

[carinaman]

Yeah, but look at those lovely slim A pillars.

[DaveE36]

Auson said:

I seriously like the Jag wheels I think they really suit the lines of the car. I would love them on my 323 touring but I wanted the lightest wheel I could find (7.5kgs) so thats what I went for. I've gone for a 6 branch tubular manifold and 200 CPI cats with the standard intake manifold as I like torque. It really goes like stink so that could be an avenue worth exploring ?

I've seen one other full set which badly need refurbed and the seller wants nearly £500 with cracked tyres. There's two other single wheels for sale at £120 that are fecked too so I may as well let them appreciate. The tyres have a bit of stretch on them which I'm not really a fan of but they hold well at high speed and are wearing evenly. Why did you want light wheels in particular?

I have an aftermarket filter with a heat shield, from what I can tell the exhaust manifold is standard, and has straight shotgun pipes and "race dampers" so it's loud but not too loud. It burbles, and loves to pop and bang (especially in 3rd) after it had new spark plugs - I did get a backfire once pre-service and I thought the exhaust had fell off when I heard it but all is good. I may choose to make it a bit quieter in the future though! The sellers of the ecu claim 206bhp for a standard tune but up to 240bhp so I'm assuming it's standard.

As the miles are fairly low and it's in good condition I'm not all that fussed about extra power but it would be nice. It'd be good to track it once or twice though. The brakes hold up very well in spirited driving and take ages to fade.

[Zammy]

paradigital said:

The Article said:

the smiling operative will first of all inform you that there is no equivalent. The only coupé in today's 3 Series range is the M4 Coupé

So what's making the F32 420i, 430i, 440i invisble?

And the 428i with a 2 litre 242hp engine? Or has that been dropped?

[cerb4.5lee]

Zammy said:

And the 428i with a 2 litre 242hp engine? Or has that been dropped?

The 430i(still 2L) has replaced the 428i and its been given a bit more power.

[DaveE36]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

It drives very well with a good suspension setup thank you very much. I've driven numerous E36's over the years and this is the best one yet.

[J.R.Slider]

SidewaysSi said:

I think Newman do cams which are very similar to the M3's for a few hundred quid.

Thanks, that sounds even better and should leave some change left over for an M50 and a remap.

[Buff Mchugelarge]

My first grown up car was an E36 323i Coupe.
I paid £300 for it and it was a wreck tbh, I cleaned it up and spent many, many hundreds on it when it broke down. Which it did quite a lot..
I still loved it though, it's a car I still miss, they where actually remarkably good on fuel and felt a lot quicker than the figures suggest.

[Auson]

DaveE36 said:

I've seen one other full set which badly need refurbed and the seller wants nearly £500 with cracked tyres. There's two other single wheels for sale at £120 that are fecked too so I may as well let them appreciate. The tyres have a bit of stretch on them which I'm not really a fan of but they hold well at high speed and are wearing evenly. Why did you want light wheels in particular?

I have an aftermarket filter with a heat shield, from what I can tell the exhaust manifold is standard, and has straight shotgun pipes and "race dampers" so it's loud but not too loud. It burbles, and loves to pop and bang (especially in 3rd) after it had new spark plugs - I did get a backfire once pre-service and I thought the exhaust had fell off when I heard it but all is good. I may choose to make it a bit quieter in the future though! The sellers of the ecu claim 206bhp for a standard tune but up to 240bhp so I'm assuming it's standard.

As the miles are fairly low and it's in good condition I'm not all that fussed about extra power but it would be nice. It'd be good to track it once or twice though. The brakes hold up very well in spirited driving and take ages to fade.

I wanted the lightest wheel for performance reasons, stop, go and reduction in unsprung weight. I think the manifold has changed it above 4krpm it just seems to come alive after that. To the other poster stating that you will have ruined the handling, the weight of those jag wheels is from memory exactly the same at the BMW wheels my e46 came with from the factory. So BMW were obviously happy with that amount of weight runflat wheel and tyre anyone now that's heavy ?

[SidewaysSi]

J.R.Slider said:

SidewaysSi said:

I think Newman do cams which are very similar to the M3's for a few hundred quid.

Thanks, that sounds even better and should leave some change left over for an M50 and a remap.

No problem. Have a chat to them - they were quite helpful.

[HotPepperpots]

RoverP6B said:

Well said, I kind of wish I'd had an E36 myself... 325i Touring in dark green, please...

Well, I have a 328i SE mtec Touring in dark green ( fern green )
Full sport spec from factory including AC Schnitzer wheels .
All the breathing mods M50 and big bore tb, simota, remap. Many uprated suspension parts including x brace, top mounts front and back etc..
Loved the car for many years now needs some cosmetic tlc. Surface rust that hasn’t moved hardly at all.

Interested?

[RoverP6B]

HotPepperpots said:

Well, I have a 328i SE mtec Touring in dark green ( fern green )
Full sport spec from factory including AC Schnitzer wheels .
All the breathing mods M50 and big bore tb, simota, remap. Many uprated suspension parts including x brace, top mounts front and back etc..
Loved the car for many years now needs some cosmetic tlc. Surface rust that hasn’t moved hardly at all.

Interested?

Alas, I already have three E39 moneypits and no off-street parking... my neighbours, wife and bank manager would kill me if I bought another car.

[croyde]

My saloon bought in 1998. Never broken down. Had 20,000 on the clock when I bought it at 7 months old. Only added 105,000 since.

Shame that Khan's ULEZ plans may force me to get rid of it. Rather move out of London and keep it if it comes to that.