if you can find a e30 320is then you are on for a M fooking WIN

e30s are pretty expensive for what they are imo to get one that isnt ropey you need to spend a fair bit

my mates e36 328i, thats 7secs to 60 and 192bhp 155mph - cost him £1100 on 104k and it has been mint

Theres a few bargins out there

I got mine - 1985 323i, 68k 1 owner, black 2 door in top condition (just a couple small surface scratches and a spot of laquer peel) with full service history for £126 :-D yay! for ebizzle

And the guy delivered it, from london - woop!

E30's are awsome cars and great for skidding! I've got an E36 325i myself with a few mods done. In comparison the E30 definately feels more of a drivers car, it seems to have a less refined more raw feel to it which I like! in saying that though it's not like the E36 loses it's sporting feel. even with power steering you get a great feedback through the steering wheel.

As said, E30's have been creeping up in prices again for the past couple of years now but the E36's can still be had for rock bottom prices. I wouldn't rule one out for a track toy still Suspensions cheaper to sort out for the E36 too as you can get ebay budget coilovers which are perfect for a cheap budget drift/track toy, mine have been fine with all the drifting abuse i've given them anyway lol!

Edited 9 December, 200916 yr by griffo20022

E36s are just win. I don't see how anyone can have a bad word to say about any of them. They might not look as good as some other cars, but they do nothing badly. They are also far faster than their power to weight would suggest. A 318is has the same power to weight as a Saxo VTR but it's really no competition.

A 328i has the same power to weight as a boggo Mk5 Golf GTI, but will still keep up with the NEW S3s...

IMO (biased maybe lol) but I completely agree with you TobyK! I absolutely LOVE mine! It's on 170K miles, gets driven daily (before I took it off the road that is.) both normally and hard and gets drifted and in the 2 years I have owned it other than when I very first bought it and had the common broken plastic water pump which got replaced for a metal one. The thing has NEVER let me down once! It's never mis-fired, never failed to start, you name it. By far the best car i've owned :)

Can't wait to get her back on the road! Will have a few things sorted/changed by then too so will see how it feels afterwards. Never fails to put a smile on my face the grunt of a decatted 6pot at 7000RPM

Edited 9 December, 200916 yr by griffo20022

not bad cars, look for rust on battery tray (rear on 325i) and front jack points, fans are prone to failure causing over heating issues.

as for drifting i wouldn't bother, a good mate of mine is a d1 drifter, he can drift pretty much anything but while his 200sx was off the road he got an E30 325i, slammed it on gas shocks and springs, stripped the interior, fitted a cage and welded up the diff - no matter how much death he gave it he just couldn't get on with it. a few other drift boys say they aren't the best either.

Olly

I think at the end of the day it's probably worth having a go in one aswell as a 200sx or something both of a similar tune and see which you prefer as it comes down to personal preference. I got on very well with my Volvo 340 whereas other people can't stand them. Look at the likes of Mike Gaynor, Rich Newton etc driving E30's and you can see there potential then excellent budget drift cars with parts easily available for them relatively cheap

Agreed with Griffo, the e30 325 makes a great budget drifter there's plenty of people using them, and using them well

This used to be at DWYB's all the time, two sound lads, was pretty much completely boggo standard other than chopped springs, welded diff and stripped. I don't think I ever saw it being pushed off the track once and the thing skidded like a trooper!

If you want a budget drifter though also consider the likes of Ford Sierras too, there pretty good, do quite well with the 2liter "twinky" parts can be found absolutely everywhere for em, especially if you decide to run a "pinto" engine, less power than the BM's mind

Few other pics nicked off the DWYB site...

My mates Sierra Sapphire, 'tis very fun

Edited 9 December, 200916 yr by griffo20022

Agreed with Griffo, the e30 325 makes a great budget drifter there's plenty of people using them, and using them well

Are you Welshmart off trampdrift dude? Had the E36 coupe?

E30 BEEMERS ARE ONE OF THE BEST SERIES OF BM's

ITS ALL ABOUT THE E30 325I (NOT THE E30 M3)

I HATE THE E36 SHAPE, THE E30 LOOKS TONNES MORE BETTER

E36 shape is by far the best shape and the most timeless looking, the E30 looks shite standard but with a few nice body mods look WRX scoobys and audi S3 are not a problem for my 28 and the noise at 6k is far nicer than any VR6 and thats hard to beat!

Arran

/\ this guy speaks the truth

so good coz people who own scoobs think they are ultimate rocketships lol

yer their mint mate iv just done the head gasket on an old blokes over the road from me and it wa so easy he's puttin it up for sale and i am seriously thinkin of buyin it to drop an m series engine in lol

e30's rule

Agreed with Griffo, the e30 325 makes a great budget drifter there's plenty of people using them, and using them well

Are you Welshmart off trampdrift dude? Had the E36 coupe?

Yes mate thats me, Mike's mate..

E36 shape is by far the best shape and the most timeless looking

Arran

I HATE e36's, only because my tech teacher from school had one, and all you ever heard from his shite mouth was my BMW this and my BMW that - "if you dont listen and learn and then get poor grades, you wont be able to get a high paid job, and get a BMW like mine - arrrggghhh

I had to put him down in his place, with these chosen words - "sir, you your 'BMW' 316 isnt even good, its just a mediocre rep/company car, you can go on as much as you want when you buy an M3"

That earned me detention at lunch

Agreed with Griffo, the e30 325 makes a great budget drifter there's plenty of people using them, and using them well

Are you Welshmart off trampdrift dude? Had the E36 coupe?

Yes mate thats me, Mike's mate..

Arrr hey dude!

When it comes to best looking BM's, for me personally it's gotta be either the E28 5series or the E32 7Series! Came close to swapping my E36 for an E32 735i

hmm iv decided i defo want to get one now!

just going to bide my time till a minter comes along then il snap it up!

it may have to wait till i finish my g40 turbo build tho!

i smell e36 haters

asif this isnt a great car

on the other hand e30s are great

example

The E30 is my favorite BMW model of all time.

The E36 doesnt look too bad but for the silly sculpturing low down,considerably heavier though.

Easy to do,considering I've not seen one for ages,but dont overlook the Compact. Same old rear suspension as the E30,tail-happy RWD handling,must have been better than a Golf..

E36 is the best shape and overall 3 series IMHO, i went for one because of it looks, performance, pedigree and outright car for the money. The E30 is lesser in every deparment but they are retro hence why people like them (as do i). The E46 yes i more comfortable compared to the E36 (mine is still a big sofa, so much better than the polo) and more modern, but those things come at a price, more weight means less performance, they are ten to a penny (not many 'looked after' E36 anymore so its great to own one), higher buying cost on the worth having models.

Cant tell me that that isnt the best shape:

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z40/DJ-...09/DSC06012.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/kjc...pg?t=1260712109

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/kjc...pg?t=1260712130

E36's have AIDs.

e30s are pretty expensive for what they are imo to get one that isnt ropey you need to spend a fair bit

my mates e36 328i, thats 7secs to 60 and 192bhp 155mph - cost him £1100 on 104k and it has been mint

Theres a few bargins out there

I got mine - 1985 323i, 68k 1 owner, black 2 door in top condition (just a couple small surface scratches and a spot of laquer peel) with full service history for £126 :-D yay! for ebizzle

And the guy delivered it, from london - woop!

thats a bloody bargain!!

That the E36 is like a sofa in comparison is exactly why i dislike it. Dash is too big,car is too big.