89 325i have potential?

[capitan-d]

im thinking about getting a 89 325i and was just wondering what kind of potential they have. the one i found has 140k miles, salvage title, 5 speed and they want 1500 bucks for it. are they worth putting a lot of money into...easy to get some power gains? i would have about 4k to spend on it if i did get it. give or take a grand. let me know what you think! i just love bmw's

thanks
devin

[schneider252]

great find, try and get im to come down 200 bucks and get it.. B)

cheak out r3vlimited.com and e30tech.com

both will have a lot of ppl that mod late E30's.... even turbos.

4,000 is plenty and will deffenitly get u father with an E30 than with an E36!!

[capitan-d]

E30 E36? all this stuff is new to me. i have always loved bmw's just got serrious about getting one in the last couple days. just started doing some research about an hour ago so the more info you can give me teh better...like are certain models of the 325i's better than any others? any years better than others? any playces to buy a new engine or where can i get it rebuilt if needed? air intake kits, exhaust?

thanks
devin

[schneider252]

captian man ya im new like u... im just about 1-2 months ahead of u. I leared quite a bit in a little amount of time. I will try and give u as much info as I know. first of u will need to find websites to buy stuff! here ya go...

parts:
http://www.bavauto.com/
http://www.bmw2002.com/
http://uucmotorwerks.com/
http://www.bmpd.com/assets/bmw_pages/e30.shtml
http://www.lukasbmw.com/
http://www.abrahamsmotorsport.com/

forums:
http://www.e30tech.com/index.php
http://www.r3vlimited.com
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/index.php?

tech/articles:
http://www.bmwe30.net/
http://www.bimmerjim.com/

car care (hehe ya i know, but still it might help):
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/index.html
http://www.properautocare.com/



im not sure about this but im probably close
*3-series*
E21---1975-1983
E30---1984-1991 (except convertables)
E36---1992-1998
E46---1999-current line.

*5-series*
E28
E34
E39
E60

*///M3*
E30
E36
E46

*///M5*
E28
E34
E39
E60


you can pretty much guess what year the offset E are from by looking at the years for the 3-series. They all go in order

click here to look at engine specs for all BMW's in the E30 age

I hope this helps a little

[wax]

Nice post schneider252! Like that should be pinned in the 3series section!!

[schneider252]

Originally posted by wax@Jun 6 2004, 07:59 PM
Nice post schneider252! Like that should be pinned in the 3series section!!

hehe thanks let me look around and i will fix up the the chassie year things!

[capitan-d]

awesome! thanks that really helps me . are any years of the 84-91 325i's any better than any others? how much should i spend for a decent project 325?

thanks
devin

[capitan-d]

when did they go fuel injection? do they have air bags?

[detour54]

Originally posted by capitan-d@Jun 7 2004, 01:12 AM
when did they go fuel injection? do they have air bags?

All E30s have fuel injection and '90 started with the airbags.

IMHO, an '89 325is would be a great all around E30.

[capitan-d]

awesome, thanks for the info. what should i plan on doing right away if i get one that has 150k+ miles on it. engine rebuild? tranny rebuild? do all the years have the same engines and chassis? more info the better! thanks guys!

devin

[schneider252]

captain cheak my post with the link at the very bottom. It tells you the engine type and what year they were produced. aslo u can see HP@RPM and Torque lb/ft@RPM. Make sure u only look at the ones for the US or All cause i dont think u would want a car from europe, italy, or africa lol.


the general term for all E30 engines are ETA's.

starting in 88-991 they changed it engine layout a little, they were then general called Super ETA's.

All E30's have 6 cylinders EXCEPT the M3 which as only 4. But dont be fulled cause the M3 is hella better. It had duel cams which the others dont.

EDIT: the 318i which was produced in the US only had 4 cylinders..dont even consider that car

The I/IS have lot more alot more power than the E/ES. the E simply are low RPM's (4,000) and the I/IS is like (5800). Now with chips u can bost the rmps up for both of them a little about 5,200 and 6,000. Around there.

the E/ES have alot more torqe than the I/IS but dont be fulled cause the E/ES are killed when it comes to HP (look at the chart and see)

The most common E30 of corse are the 325 e/es/i/is. Now u can find a couple other models. Im not to sure about those but just make sure cause i know there is at least one of these that is simply slow!

You can get a engine upgrade. If u have a regular ETA u can always put a Super ETA in. I have herd of ppl putting s14 (M3) egines in here car also. And then there is the M50 ( i think) Which is the regual engine used for the E36 ( 1992-1998) BMW's. But dont forget that u can always go Turbo or supercharge!

have fun.

[MrM3]

Originally posted by schneider252@Jun 7 2004, 10:16 AM
captain cheak my post with the link at the very bottom. It tells you the engine type and what year they were produced. aslo u can see HP@RPM and Torque lb/ft@RPM. Make sure u only look at the ones for the US or All cause i dont think u would want a car from europe, italy, or africa lol.


the general term for all E30 engines are ETA's.

starting in 88-991 they changed it engine layout a little, they were then general called Super ETA's.

All E30's have 6 cylinders EXCEPT the M3 which as only 4. But dont be fulled cause the M3 is hella better. It had duel cams which the others dont.

EDIT: the 318i which was produced in the US only had 4 cylinders..dont even consider that car

The I/IS have lot more alot more power than the E/ES. the E simply are low RPM's (4,000) and the I/IS is like (5800). Now with chips u can bost the rmps up for both of them a little about 5,200 and 6,000. Around there.

the E/ES have alot more torqe than the I/IS but dont be fulled cause the E/ES are killed when it comes to HP (look at the chart and see)

The most common E30 of corse are the 325 e/es/i/is. Now u can find a couple other models. Im not to sure about those but just make sure cause i know there is at least one of these that is simply slow!

You can get a engine upgrade. If u have a regular ETA u can always put a Super ETA in. I have herd of ppl putting s14 (M3) egines in here car also. And then there is the M50 ( i think) Which is the regual engine used for the E36 ( 1992-1998) BMW's. But dont forget that u can always go Turbo or supercharge!

have fun.

thanks schneider252 for posting the links and model info in your previous post, however there is quite a bit wrong with the last one.

ETA's are e30's with the special 2.7L economy engine made from 84 to 87. Super ETA's are 2.7L 'e' engine e30's made in 1988. the 'e' engines only produced about 6 more lb-ft of tq, and about 70 less hp. 318's are great cars, which were produced in 84-85 in a M10 version and from 91-92 using a M42 engine (in the US). 318's are the lightest of the e30's, and are very solid and reliable cars.

for all the e30 information you need check out www.strictlyeta.net

[schneider252]

ooo well i tried... so your sayin my 87 325e is a super eta? how can this be, i thought they were only in the 88-90 I/IS

[MrM3]

Originally posted by schneider252@Jun 7 2004, 03:32 PM
ooo well i tried... so your sayin my 87 325e is a super eta? how can this be, i thought they were only in the 88-90 I/IS

no, since it is a 87, it is most likely a regular eta. eta's became discontinued after 88, and the 88 models were nick named super eta.

[capitan-d]

whats the difference between the 325i and 325is? im going to go all motor and prally not going to do an engine swap. can i rebuild the engine and tranny with a little bit more performance than stock then just add all the bolt ons i can think of? i really dont want a car THAT fast just semi quick...put you in your seat a little...ya know be able to smoke all the gay ricers and what not. any info is appreciated.

thanks
devin