I'd have thought the wet roundabout/200sx/first time driving/1 bar in second gear/looking out of passenger window moment would be a make or break kind of moment for you
I'd go for the 325 every time tbh. Drive to the correct end and the right amount of cylinders I wouldn't worry about the lack of aircon, I wouldn't have thought its particularly reliable in a 17 year old mk2 anyway?
If it was a standard E30 325 for a standard Mk2 16v, I'd have the Bimmer everytime, but considering your Mk2 is 170+bhp, very clean and has factory A/C, I'd have the Mk2 ! Only E30 I would consider selling it for tho is the E30 M3.
Funny you should say that but it's totally reliable and works fantastically well. With the Golf's A/C on the mpg is hardly affected, power is slightly down but no so much that it bothers you and you can cruise along in comfort or sit in traffic jams on hot days watching everyone else sweat at a nice controlled temp, it's an excellent feature for an old car to have! Now I've had A/C I'd be loathed to have a daily car without as I get terrible hayfever and summer motoring can be quite uncomfortable without, I'm an A/C convert to be honest!
That's exactly the issue ViCk - standard car vs standard car I agree, no contest, the BMW wins but my Mk2 is far from standard and the chances of getting another 16v in a good colour, good condition and RHD with A/C is very limited. Decisions, decisions! Agreed on the E30 M3, it's in another league altogether but probably not as handy as a daily car as the 325iS really...
very well said Dex. I came very close to buying an E30 sport last year but decided to stick with the golf and put a bigger engine in it. I wasnted a RWD car but then had a few runs in an s14 with 1bar of boost and it made the BM feel very slow and dated and there's more potential for tuning a turbo'd 4 pot than a N/A 6 pot. I will own a nice 14a at some stage, just not ready to give up the golf yet. Try and blag a run in a Sylvia first Stu before you make your decision.
You have a hard choice, either way you will be happy and sad. What about getting rid of your girlfriends lupo and letting her drive the golf?
Good point, but I'm not that bothered about the outright speed of the thing to be honest, you can always upgrade for more power if you have the time and money, it's more the looks and heritage I'm interested in, as with my interest in old VW's. The E30 is a classic in my eyes, as per the early Golfs and that's why I like them. For the same money as the Beemer or Golf I could buy some crazy fast car I'm sure, my brother in law has a Subaru Legacy GT twin turbo which is a lot newer, way quicker, and probably worth about half the value of my Golf but I still don't want one as they aren't my cup of tea As for upping the power in the Beemer, I believe the 3.5L engine from other models fits in... and then you can turbo it like that bloke in PPC mag...
Yeah, I have thought of that but it'd be a shame to have her use it every day for work and stuff... that said, at least I'd still have it. On the other hand, she quite likes having a car that I don't take to bits and mess with very often... Best thing would be to stick with what I've got, no money to spend, no parking space worries, everyone's happy... but I crave that 6 cylinder warble and no, I'm not sticking a VR6 in my Mk2 before anyone suggests it!
personally i`d take the beemer, a mate had one not long ago, it was a beast. pulled like a train to 145 on any day of the week. amazing grip in the wet and lovely to drive. plus you can always drop an m3 lump in.....
My 14 was running 1 Bar (and around 260ish bhp with the other mods) Chris said he fancied giving it a try, about 100 yds down the road was a very greasy roundabout. Chris was *a little* caught out by how quickly the torque comes in when you come on boost in second (off boost it doesn't do a lot, so it's easy to find yourself burying the throttle off boost) I think the first thing he said when he got in was "I don't think i've ever had a car THAT sideways and got it back" I love 4wd turbo cars, and i've enjoyed RWD NA cars, but RWD and Boost, in the wet, takes a great deal of respect for the power delivery to be able to cope with it.
Gary - what's your experience of E30's compared to Mk2's? Any thoughts on them? I must say I really like the E30, and this one in particular is in good condition, goes well and looks the part, but I'm doubting whether it's a replacement for my good old Mk2 as a daily allrounder, more of a weekend toy (though I already have one of those, the Mk1...) I'm definitely thinking of getting it though, it's just a case of working out where to put it and how to pay for it... it's not come up for sale at a great time for me as I have my wedding to fund this year... how inconvenient, things are never straightforward! That said, perhaps I can justify it as a 30th birthday present for myself later this year... Any more people with E30 experience care to comment?
No place for rear wheel drive cars nowadays as road cars And if you have grown up with Golfs then yes you will come close to killing yourself in the wet. The suspension on anything below the M3 was simply inadequate. Is anyone here old enough to remember Mike Batt? He wrote a song about E30s - understeer, oversteer Wombling free, the Wombles of Wimbledon Common are we....
Thats a fantastic looking 325 sport Very desirable in its day & still is! Can understand not wanting to part with your mk2 aswell but if you could i'd sell your mk1 and get the bimmer Totally different driving experiences the 2 & each has its own merits. Great steering,sublime handling and a very responsive engine (although not a screamer) with a looovvverly sound track I understand you would want to keep it standard but when you sort the suspension out on these you would not believe how well these handle I borrowed a track prepared for the ring last year and it was a blast (even without an LSD) like i said not the same as a std car but it was such a rewarding experience it left me with a much higher opinion of the E30 in general especially the chassis Good luck with your decision,its gonna be a hard one
Tommy - when you say 'sort the suspension out' - what do you mean? Fit lower/stuffer suspension perhaps, anything else? The car as standard certainly rides a lot softer and rolls more on corners than my Golf, but on the other hand it's more comfortable and you don't have to do 2mph over speed bumps... From a bit of reading on BMW sites I think the 'Sport' 325i may have different suspension to the normal models anyway? Not entirely sure though to be honest, plus this one may have had bits changed over the years, need to check the history out. Thanks for the replies so far, any more always welcome.
Tommy - when you say 'sort the suspension out' - what do you mean? Fit lower/stuffer suspension perhaps, anything else? The car as standard certainly rides a lot softer and rolls more on corners than my Golf, but on the other hand it's more comfortable and you don't have to do 2mph over speed bumps... The track E30 i used has Koni coilovers,poly bushes & possibly u/r ARB's on (hardly any roll at all) and the ride is not harsh. I remember the 1st time being a passenger in it there and going into the 1st right hander at quite a rate of knots, i sharply looked at my mate driving thinking, "THIS IS A 325 REMEMBER"!!!!!! of course it sailed round no bother (nothing like a STD car) Its not a chuckable car like the golf & the back end will come out when provoked but it responds to smooth input with wonderful feedback,going from very very slight understeer to very gentle oversteer both slowly & gradualy with you always knowing where you are with no nasty suprises Not really for the ham fisted & it would be even better with an LSD ( inside wheel just spins) Its a joy
