View Full Version : Anyone know anything about old Beemers?
Thinking of buying meself an old Beemer, possibly a 316 84-86ish as a runaround. Anyone know anything about them, things to look for when checking them out? Oh, and would one that old run on unleaded or would it use the dreaded LRP? Cheers.
i had an A reg 316 and that ran ok on UL...... had a fair bit of grunt too for what it was - suprisingly! not saying it was quick tho.
A nice enough drive, but a touch boring - good for a runaround tho...... apart from mine was an auto and got no more than 28-30 to the gallon driving like a fairy!:eek:
Would it have to have been converted to run on UL though or would it take UL anyway?
UL is just what i stuffed in it!! :D but i did over 45k in it (in 1 yr 2 months! :eek: ) and never had any problems - may have been an exceptional case but i think that goes as far as to say it was alright with it :)
Bean Bandit
18-12-2002, 21:52
personaly I wouldn't go below 323 rather 325iX as the are a bit quicker. check the electric and wireing if possible as the tend to have prob with that;)
BM E30 or later unleaded with out any problems, not sure on earlier cars.
An now to post a thread simular to this as i was going to do any way.
C.
Wow someone that knows about the IX. Not many people know about the 4wd beemer, and most people dont believe it either. Won many bets over these cars :)
Also a 316 the age your looking for is a 1.8 carbed engine.
YODI
The E30 325IX is too rare to bother finding realy.
It is based on the same running gear as the 525IX which is a bit more common.
It does have some serious grip it winter conditions.
For a run about i would go for the 318is
C.
Can't be arsed spending more than about £700 though, and I doubt I'd find a 318is for that. Love to be corrected though :D Just seen an ad for a 318i that's only about a dozen miles away from me going for 595, so I'll check it out today (if it hasn't gone already).
Used to have a 87 325i sport, I think all E30's run UL, generally good cars mine had done 100K when I bought it had 160K on it when I got rid of it all it cost me was a wheel bearing and a water pump, and general servicing.
Check the rear sub frame bushes they tend to go on older cars and are a pain to change yourself and will cost about £150 for a garage to do.
They don't tend to rot too much in serious places but they do seem to get scabby bits here and there and look tatty.
One good thing bits are dirt cheap from Eurocar Parts.
Oooh, a mate of mine had an E30 '88 E plate 325i Sport, had 130k on the clock, he thrashed around in it for 9 months, and it still passed its MOT with nothing more than a blocked washer jet :eek: :D
That was a beautiful car. Loved the bodykit, LSD, and the sound that straight six made :D :D
Still, not as nice as the '97 R plate M3 Evo he's got now :rolleyes:
Get a 320i or above - they're all straight sixes :D
Originally posted by Martin
[B
One good thing bits are dirt cheap from Eurocar Parts. [/B]
or German & Swedish - very very cheap
AlanHill
19-12-2002, 09:44
My Brother-in-Law has an 89 (F) Plate 525i in great condition.
He bought it quite cheap and has spend around £200 for discs, shock inserts, pads, shoes, brake pipes, tax etc.
He was thinking of selling it once he gets the tappets sorted in the new year.
Jezz_S13
19-12-2002, 11:30
Don't buy a 316, get a 318i, same engine only injected instead of carb.
Easy to fix, parts VERY cheap, strong and reliable.
My old B reg 318i had no probs with fuel, ally head so has hard seats.
So the 316 is a 1.8?? why the hell did they call it a 316 then????? :confused:
Dave
Can't go wrong with an old 3 Series, milage isn't a problem, engines are easy to work on, and they are RWD, Rear Bushes need checking as they seem to go frequentley, as does the Differential, Crap exhausts seem to be abundent on them as well, only real rust spots I noticed on mine was near the rear lights which seemed to leak on them. the 6 pot ones (320 and above) have a head thats prone to warping and can have temp problems, 4 pots (316, 318) don't suffer from this. if its the old Shape (G or Below) they are somewhat viscious on oversteer :), if you try and drift it you'll prob. find yourself facing the direction you were coming from
Originally posted by Dave_S
So the 316 is a 1.8?? why the hell did they call it a 316 then????? :confused:
Dave
the 316 beemer prior to the E30 (1978ish?) was actually a 1600cc... when they had their facelift on the Y/A plate the 316's went to an 1800 - dont know why!
Jezz_S13
19-12-2002, 18:22
Oh and to add a little more confusion the 316i that came out around f/g reg is a 1600 injected with hte same power as the older M10 318i (105bhp), but this is the time that the 318i got the M40/M42 engine which was 115bhp.
Later 318i's also came with disc brakes on rear.
Aaaah I seee, the mist clears :)
Dave
to add my tuppence worth.....
if possible go for a facelift car as these seem to resist the rot much better (larger rear lights with black centre section, diff front lights and plasticy bumpers not chrome) think they're about e/f reg onwards?
I have just, after much friggin about, got rid of my old 320i on d-plate by which point the chase the rust competition had lost it's charm.....:mad:
would agree with rear bushes (cost me about £90 fitted), but other than that reliableand handling pretty good, fault computer was annoying as any less than a 90% full washer bottle upset it. watch out for mayo in coolant and oil on the 320/323 as they are prone to cracking cyl heads best bet for your money would be a 318ise as these have more toys, 318is is 16v, has similar trim to 325 sport but are rarer and cost more - good if you can tho
can't stress the rot point enough though with favorite areas being
- rear arches
- leading edge of front floors (check for wet carpets)
- sills
- inner wings behind h/lamps and under battery
- rear inner arches at rear joint to boot floor (chk behind the trims)
apologies to anyone who doesent view them this way only after owning three and working on numerous others these seem to be the things to watch for....:)
good luck and if u need any advice pm me
aka-coley
20-12-2002, 00:38
316, possibly the worst car of all time???!! take the badge off and it turns into a 325 cheapest mod in town!
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