Which old BMW should I go for next?
Discussion
Ok I've resigned myself to the fact that, brilliant as my current old BMW is ('95 E34 540i touring auto), it doesn't do everything I want - it would seem that the combination of auto gearbox, touring weight and no LSD mean that drag / track / airfield days become a spectator event only so after a lovely honeymoon period with the car covering 2.5K in speedy, relaxed comfort, back and forth to Devon over the summer, I want something edging slightly closer to the visceral thrill I had driving my old FD RX-7 (I do mean slightly closer tho as my new car would have to transport my 11 month old daughter occasionally and not hop / skip over the smallest of road imperfections). The list of requirements is non-negotiable looks like this:
Manual gearbox
4 seats
LSD (or easy / cheap to buy / fit one)
as much power as possible
not costing more than I would get for my 540i (anyone want to swap?)
sporting demeanor - so seats / wheel / styling etc. aligned to BMW sports spec without too much extra weight.
My shortlist has been narrowed down to these models (in no particular order):
E30 325i 2dr
could be a bit slow, but if a ~'87/88 came up with a high comp. engine that would be good or even an M50 328i engine conversion - I'd love one of those. Unfortunately it seems E30 prices are staying pretty high and they rust
but I do love them having had three before.
E34 535i sport
I've been offered one of these in a swap with a good spec. what do people make of the performance / driving characteristics? I would imagine the handling would be roughly comparable to my m-tech suspended 540i touring but would I miss the speed of the V8 or would the combination of manual / LSD make up for the power shortfall? Also how do people see the value of one of these relative to the 540i? and would a high mileage (~180K) put you off?
E36 328i sport coupe
from my investigations it would seem that one of these is probably the quickest of the three, especially with the 325i manifold and some airbox tweaks. I'm really starting to like the coupe styling too (but going off the 4dr). Are these hard to come by in my price range (£1 - 1.5K)? Is the build quality much worse than an E34? I don't know much about E36s so tell me!
any advice or guidance gratefully received!
Manual gearbox
4 seats
LSD (or easy / cheap to buy / fit one)
as much power as possible
not costing more than I would get for my 540i (anyone want to swap?)
sporting demeanor - so seats / wheel / styling etc. aligned to BMW sports spec without too much extra weight.
My shortlist has been narrowed down to these models (in no particular order):
E30 325i 2dr
could be a bit slow, but if a ~'87/88 came up with a high comp. engine that would be good or even an M50 328i engine conversion - I'd love one of those. Unfortunately it seems E30 prices are staying pretty high and they rust
but I do love them having had three before.E34 535i sport
I've been offered one of these in a swap with a good spec. what do people make of the performance / driving characteristics? I would imagine the handling would be roughly comparable to my m-tech suspended 540i touring but would I miss the speed of the V8 or would the combination of manual / LSD make up for the power shortfall? Also how do people see the value of one of these relative to the 540i? and would a high mileage (~180K) put you off?
E36 328i sport coupe
from my investigations it would seem that one of these is probably the quickest of the three, especially with the 325i manifold and some airbox tweaks. I'm really starting to like the coupe styling too (but going off the 4dr). Are these hard to come by in my price range (£1 - 1.5K)? Is the build quality much worse than an E34? I don't know much about E36s so tell me!
any advice or guidance gratefully received!
The E34 535i Sport is the only one that ticks all your boxes, and is likely to be available in budget.
E30 325is are just stupid money now for what they are, particularly the sports, which are the only ones that came standard with an LSD.
Only the very early E36 328i Sports came with an LSD, most have a standard diff with electronic traction control. Good 328 Sports are also starting to become expensive, although still cheaper, and better as an everyday car than an E30.
Thinking outside the box for a moment, have you considered an Omega 3.0 MV6, they come with everything you're looking for, and it'll drift beautifully on track and airfield days.
E30 325is are just stupid money now for what they are, particularly the sports, which are the only ones that came standard with an LSD.
Only the very early E36 328i Sports came with an LSD, most have a standard diff with electronic traction control. Good 328 Sports are also starting to become expensive, although still cheaper, and better as an everyday car than an E30.
Thinking outside the box for a moment, have you considered an Omega 3.0 MV6, they come with everything you're looking for, and it'll drift beautifully on track and airfield days.
M5Dave said:
Thinking outside the box for a moment, have you considered an Omega 3.0 MV6, they come with everything you're looking for, and it'll drift beautifully on track and airfield days.
Dave - cheers for your response - you're probably right about the 535i but I'll keep looking out for a bargain in terms of the other two options.I have tried to love other marques but there's some that feels so right to me about the BMW driving position / dash / steering wheel / design that keeps me coming back.
I am also keen to find out more about the E36 in terms of the driving feel and handling compared to the other two older models.
Did you by any chance post this on bimmerforums.co.uk?
In any case - a 328 Sport (I think that has an LSD as standard) is probably your best bet.
They are very quick.
Also, many of the 328's seem to have above standard bhp (which is 192) without any mods.
And you can get a shade over 200 with the bigger manifold.
And being a relatively small car, they are far more 'chuckable' than a 5.
ETA: How about an E34 530 V8 for £1200?
Not that quick, but a lot of fun with that lovely sounding V8? (and not the 328 I recommended either lol).
In any case - a 328 Sport (I think that has an LSD as standard) is probably your best bet.
They are very quick.
Also, many of the 328's seem to have above standard bhp (which is 192) without any mods.
And you can get a shade over 200 with the bigger manifold.
And being a relatively small car, they are far more 'chuckable' than a 5.
ETA: How about an E34 530 V8 for £1200?
Not that quick, but a lot of fun with that lovely sounding V8? (and not the 328 I recommended either lol).
Edited by TonyRPH on Monday 16th August 19:10
TonyRPH said:
Did you by any chance post this on bimmerforums.co.uk?
In any case - a 328 Sport (I think that has an LSD as standard) is probably your best bet.
They are very quick.
Also, many of the 328's seem to have above standard bhp (which is 192) without any mods.
And you can get a shade over 200 with the bigger manifold.
And being a relatively small car, they are far more 'chuckable' than a 5.
ETA: How about an E34 530 V8 for £1200?
Not that quick, but a lot of fun with that lovely sounding V8? (and not the 328 I recommended either lol).
I certainly did post the same thing on bimmerforums - I thought I'd get a spread of opinions - they to are pulling me in the direction of a 328i which I feel I'm going along with.In any case - a 328 Sport (I think that has an LSD as standard) is probably your best bet.
They are very quick.
Also, many of the 328's seem to have above standard bhp (which is 192) without any mods.
And you can get a shade over 200 with the bigger manifold.
And being a relatively small car, they are far more 'chuckable' than a 5.
ETA: How about an E34 530 V8 for £1200?
Not that quick, but a lot of fun with that lovely sounding V8? (and not the 328 I recommended either lol).
Edited by TonyRPH on Monday 16th August 19:10
being 'chuckable' is quite important so I think that's why I'm feeling more E36 than E34 at the moment.
efa.
Edited by declasm on Tuesday 17th August 12:10
anonymous said:
[redacted]
This definitely seems to be the way I'm going now. I'm looking at a non-sport 328i coupe this weekend but the seller is willing to through in a set of Apex springs / shocks and also he might be up for a deal on the 540i so it could be win-win sooner than I expected!Can you give me any more details on a weight saving plan for the E36? I will want it to stay reasonably civilised.
I've done it - I've gone and bought another car (much to my wife's annoyance).
After chasing a number of E30s and not getting anywhere, I came back round to E36s and found one in the PH classifieds.
It's a '96 P reg E36 328i Sport with BMW 'individual' trim (aqua blue / green paint and champagne leather) It also was spec'd with a LSD. It has been slightly 'modified' in a former life with a strut brace, back box and lowering springs but it came with a tonne of history and it drives, turns and stops nicely.
It will be out at Silverstone on Sunday and we'll see where we go from there!
After chasing a number of E30s and not getting anywhere, I came back round to E36s and found one in the PH classifieds.
It's a '96 P reg E36 328i Sport with BMW 'individual' trim (aqua blue / green paint and champagne leather) It also was spec'd with a LSD. It has been slightly 'modified' in a former life with a strut brace, back box and lowering springs but it came with a tonne of history and it drives, turns and stops nicely.
It will be out at Silverstone on Sunday and we'll see where we go from there!
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