Definitive BMW 3 Series Thread

I need a car. I already have a Miata and a Vic.

Tell me 'bout the 3 series.

I think the late 80's will suit me best.

real world MPG? This is gonna be a DD so its important.

What do i need to know.

Thanks a bunch

The e30 was built through 1991. There was the 318i, 325e, 325i, 325ix. My ix only gets around 20mpg (according to the dashboard, I've never measured it exactly.) The is was better, since it didn't have the steep differential gears and all the extra rotating parts of the ix, the eta or the four cylinder 318i could get 25 to 30 depending on how and where you drive.

1986 325e 4 door automatic

purchased from a board member for $600, 175k on it

list to look for when purchasing one.

Timing belt, when was it done/when is it do? must be done every 60k

rust, rust, rust... look around the taillights, look at bottom of car under where the battery is, look at the subframes.

taillight gaskets can leak, not a major PITA to do, but something to look for.

look at the bushings and determine the shape of them.

finding a non-cracked dash is something notable.

you will encounter some electrical problems with it... par for the course. get a multimeter, some sandpaper, and some dielectric grease. it typically wont leave you stranded, its just finicky.

Oilpans are VULNERABLE, never try to straddle an obstruction, the first thing you will hit is the oilpan. I did mine and was able to replace it without undoing motor mounts, but did skin some knuckles.

the E at the end of the car numbers means eta, as in efficiency. larger dispacement, lower flow lower RPM. I, is the performance motor.

S, indicates that you will get sport seats and likely a LSD.

i get about 24-26mpg lately driving in hills with a lead foot, have gotten 30mpg before with mostly level highway driving.

I get about 27 with the 325is.

It is a common misconception that IS's came with a LSD standard, they didn't.

Fan clutches are problematic.

If the car has the premium sound system (square speakers on the back deck), then it has a factory amp in the trunk, which will make an aftermarket radio sound like crap, or has already been removed, usually by a butcher. I have heard that some had a central speaker ground (mine didn't).

The antenna grommet will leak, and costs $10 for a new one.

Convertibles with an electric top have weak drive bars, that tend to go through the outer fender when they snap. Convertibles were made through '93.

If your car has an electric sunroof, than it is probably frozen. Remove the small access panel near the button, and use the spare tire tool to rotate the motor. Most likely, this will get it working again.

E30's have two fuel pumps. One in the tank, and one outside the tank. The one in the tank is problematic. Without it, the car will run, but will starve when driven on a track. To replace it, just remove the rear seat (no tools needed) and there is an access panel.

IS gets you the sport package

318i- 4 cylinder, non sport 318is- 4 cylinder with sport package 325e- 2.7L low compression low rev 6 cylinder, non sport 325es- sport package 325i- 2.5L non sport 325is- sport package 325ix-2.5L 6 with 4WD

Early cars had big chrome bumpers, but in '90 or '91 they switched to smaller, plastic bumpers.

Later cars also had airbags.

Go to the junkyard and get about 5 of those plastic window switches. They work on windows and sunroofs, and they break often.

Doesn't the 318is have a DOHC engine, whereas the 318i has a SOHC, less powerful engine?

Tommy Suddard wrote: It is a common misconception that IS's came with a LSD standard, they didn't.

Hey Tommy, that's interesting...Every E30 325is that I've dealt with either had the LSD or had it replaced with an open piece after the fact. Our Spec E30 is a prime example..it had an incorrect 4.10 open instead of the 3.73 LSD

I know that 325i (no s) cars didn't have LSDs standard, nor did the 325is automatics...for four cylinder cars, the 318i (early verson and the M42 1991) and 1991 318is had the LSD as an option.

As for E36s, it's pretty much a rare-bird option from 1992-1995 except for the M cars where it's standard. After March of 1996, the LSD as an option was replaced with traction control (booo.)

Oh, there are two different flavors of 318i in the US. The first one is the early eight-valve engine that ran from 1984-1985ish. The second was the 1991 four-door E30 with the M42 16-valve engine. The 1991 318is had the same zippy little engine..in this case, the 's' meant it was a two-door.

We have a 91 318 convertible. If dad drives it, we get about 25 average, I get about 28. I have done 35 on the highway.

I think only the last couple years (1989-1991) 318i had the DOHC engine. The big bumpers were used through 1988, they went to the plastic bumpers in 1989. The plastic bumpers are a bolton retrofit on 1988 models. I forgot to mention, even though the e36 came along in 1992, the e30 convertibles were still in production through 1993.

Which ones came with the nice wheels? What were they? 15x7+30 or something. I dunno, they were cool. All the rage in the VW world.

PHeller wrote: Which ones came with the nice wheels? What were they? 15x7+30 or something. I dunno, they were cool. All the rage in the VW world.

The ix optional wheels were nice basketweaves made by BBS, 15x7 et41. is wheels looked the same but they were 14" with about an et30 offset (I think some euro is cars got 15" wheels but they're rare in the US.)

There was a 15x7 accessory wheel from the dealers, but afaik, the best E30 wheel is the 14x6.5 basketweave as found on the 325is and 318is.

I was getting about 28mpg average (documented over a year!) in the eta, though recently it's been down to 24mpg: somethings likely wrong with it, but I'm not sure what. The 325i (automatic) is getting about 24-26mpg on the highway these days, but my wife was getting 16mpg in cold weather, short distance commuting. Both have been very good cars, and we're quite happy with them. Both are essentially stock, and will stay that way. (though when cheap M50's come around, I do have to fight the inclination....) I'd really like to try a 5-speed 325i....the 2.5 M20 is really quite a sweet motor.

I just bought a 318Ti sport and could not be more happy! I paid 2500 for it and put about 1000 in resto and performance parts and put a hurting on the civics in sts!

Every non car person thinks it's an M3 and compliments, it's got a HUGE hatch for tools/tyres/luggage etc. and I've gotten 32mpg on the last 12 tanks of gas with a high of 37mpg on an all highway tank while on a trip!!!!

I have a later e36 car.. a 318ti. The hatchback bimmer. Same basic suspension as the e30 (but in 5 bolt hubs) with some upgrades to the front.

similar engine to the E30 318is.. the M44. a 1.9 DOHC intead of the 1.8. With very aggressive gearing and the rare (last year for it in non-m cars) factory LSD, I get about 25 in town and with a light foot on the pedal, can touch 35mpg on the highway.

The biggest thing the E36/5 (the hatchback) has over the older E30 is rust.. it is a much more resilant body. It is also a slightly more versital car with it's lighter hatchback form

Argh, I've really got to resist taking this off-topic to discuss that 318ti featured in totalbmw.

The e36 318ti look really nice with the right combination of tire and drop, but sometimes they look downright hideous.

so you do not want to see this pic?

Don't mind the missing lenses on the fogs.. the they are only decorative on my custom units and have been replaced

IMO most e30s are roo old and worn out (and too far behind on mantaince) to be a car you can just buy and start driving everyday. Not that you cant buy one and fix all of them problems, but i looked for one for a couple of months and didnt find any decent ones.

Tommy Suddard wrote: It is a common misconception that IS's came with a LSD standard, they didn't.

All E30 'is' models did come with LSD but that does not mean that it wasn't harvested by the PO.

That changed with the E36 when the DTC/ASC stuff came along - only the M3 came standard with LSD.

early 96 was when traction control became standard and the LSD went bye bye.. my ti is an early 96 with the sport package, so it still has one.

Worth every penny.. even if is starting to get weak at 120,000 miles. Been thinking of using redlines differential fluid for LSDs, anybody got any experience?

mad_machine wrote: Worth every penny.. even if is starting to get weak at 120,000 miles. Been thinking of using redlines differential fluid for LSDs, anybody got any experience?

I had installed a temp sensor on my last M3 race car - Mobil1 75w90 ran 20F cooler with no other modifications. A statistic sample of one isn't very significant but since I can get Mobil anywhere, and a few $ cheaper it was enough for me.

Nope this one. Like I said, I think most 318ti's are ugly, but this one is just low enough to hide it's odd proportions.

yea, I am not running as low.. but I am running as wide.. 235/45/17s on M3 Double Split rims.

Roads around here will not allow me to go that low..

I also finally have the full M-sport body package and a ACS rear hatch lip to go on when I get the car repainted in a couple of months

walterj wrote:

Tommy Suddard wrote: It is a common misconception that IS's came with a LSD standard, they didn't.

All E30 'is' models did come with LSD but that does not mean that it wasn't harvested by the PO. That changed with the E36 when the DTC/ASC stuff came along - only the M3 came standard with LSD.

Oh, sorry. I heard it somewhere, but I guess the information was wrong.

I have a good friend with a 318is club sport that he gutted down to 2100lbs and tossed a slightly hotter than stock S52, ZF 5speed and 3:64 gears. We will be spending a considerable amount of time trying to get it to hook up when the weather breaks. I drove it at Pocono last fall and it is so fast up on the bowl that with two of us in the car on worn street tires it was hauling down some well setup IP race cars in huge gulps but... it will take some creative balancing to make the trailing arm rear hook up out of a slow corner with no weight and all power. It just wheels out at any abrupt input right now. Should be great fun working it out though... its a drift king at the moment.