What Car??!!!

E92

commited wrote:

With that sort of budget, there is something rather nice and rather special you can consider, and that is the e30 BMW 318iS. 136bhp (very easy and cheap to get to 150+bhp, can then keep up with a 325i no problem), fantastic handling (better than a 325i Sport) and 35-40mpg. It's the thinking mans e30. I love mine.

I don't see how a 318iS, even with 150 bhp would be able to keep up with a 325i. Even allowing for the fact that the E30 is a far lighter car than anything today, which in turn makes the weight gap between a 318iS and a 325i all the more noticable, a gap of 20 bhp is going to be noticable. The 325i has 171 bhp, a 318iS 136 bhp. I would contend that if a 318iS can be upped to 150 bhp, a 325i could get up to the 190/200 bhp mark.

The 324td E30 had 115 bhp, it is possible for it to produce 181 bhp and 356 Nm of torque,as shown here http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=tjpnfuKJ43c&mode=related&search= ,(I know that the vid shows a 524td, but its the same engine) so heaven knows what bhp you could get from tuning up the M20B25 engine in the E30 325i, and the same goes for the 318iS.

Not haing driven an E30, I can't argue about the specifics of the handling of the 318iS vs the 325i, but as the 318iS is lighter, I don't doubt what your saying about the 318iS's handling being better than a 325i.

But, no matter what, there is nothing that will change the fact that as you entioned, the 318iS will offer superior economy, on the other hand, the 325i will sound a lot nicer, and will offer superior refinement overall. For the record, if someone races a 318iS tuned up to 170 bhp, it should be faster than a standard 325i (which also has 170 bhp), particularly through corners due to its lighter weight.

unkel

E92 wrote:

What E34 was it that you had unkel? A 530i or a 540i?

530i

E92 wrote:

I haven't seen a V8 E34 in yonks.(Haven't seen a V8 5 series in yonks full stop, even in Europe :eek: )

They are very rare. A nice chap in Murphy&Gunns reckoned only about 10-20 M60 V8 E34s ever sold in the republic. Not too many were imported. There are more (probably mainly imported) E39 M62 V8s around, but they're still rare enough. I've recently added an E39 540 4.4 to my short (wish)list for my next car in case I can't afford an E65

E92 wrote:

I'd say that M60 lump guzzled petrol!

About 20MPG over the 3+ years that I owned it, which is slightly worse than for my 735, which is more than 200KG heavier

E92

unkel wrote:

530i

Sounds like a beautiful motor, unkel. As I'm sure you've noticed since I've joined boards, I'm only a slight bit biased towards BMWs:D .(why is why I drive a Volvo:eek: )

unkel wrote:

They are very rare. A nice chap in Murphy&Gunns reckoned only about 10-20 M60 V8 E34s ever sold in the republic. Not too many were imported. There are more (probably mainly imported) E39 M62 V8s around, but they're still rare enough. I've recently added an E39 540 4.4 to my short (wish)list for my next car in case I can't afford an E65

Is that all:eek: ? I know someone who had a 540i E34, mores the pity I never went for a spin in it, that person got rid of his 540i back in 00:( . I've done a lot of thinking, and the last time I remember seeing a V8 E34 was about 6 years ago. As it happens it was a 530i now that I think of it. Then the person got an E39 540i with all the bells and whistles to replace it, and now the said person has an E60 530d(218 bhp), which he got new in 04, which I'm reliably informed is faster than his old 4.4 litre 540i. I haven't seen or heard a V8 E39 since then:( . He told me that according to BMW, from 80-120 km/h in 4th gear the 530d with 218 bhp is 1.1 seconds faster than a 333 bhp 545i :eek: . I suppose thats what you call progress. And that explains why diesels perform so much better than petrols of a similar bhp rating these days.

I wonder is a V8 as big a step up from a 6 pot as a 6 pot is a big step up from a 4 pot? I know V8s make a brilliant sound, i'm sure a bit like watching youtube videos or anything else, its never the same till you've actually experienced it yourself.

unkel wrote:

About 20MPG over the 3+ years that I owned it, which is slightly worse than for my 735, which is more than 200KG heavier

All things considered, 20 mpg from a V8 petrol(albeit a 3.0 litre) is not that bad at all. I thought it would be worse, tbh. And you get better from the 735i? Suddenly the thought of 8 cylinder motoring doesn't seem as bad as it sounds(says he who's driving a 4 cylinder car , that can do up to 60mpg when driven at 60 mph:D )

gyppo

E92 wrote:

There was a time when my old man wanted to change his car, he took a Mazda 626, that put him off Mazdas completely, it was the most boring, miserable car to be in. Now bearing in mind that this was a top of the range 2.0 litre model, it was slow, noisy, uncomfortable, bland car, the engine was gruff too.

A 626 is a horrible car, the 2&3 are vastly superior to the 626.

Imo, you got a bad one. Fair enough, bland is a fair comment, but engine and comfort-wise, you're off the mark.

gyppo

Volvoboy, heres a cheap motor - might not be your cup of tea though:)

http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/38/12607438.html

commited

E92 wrote:

I don't see how a 318iS, even with 150 bhp would be able to keep up with a 325i. Even allowing for the fact that the E30 is a far lighter car than anything today, which in turn makes the weight gap between a 318iS and a 325i all the more noticable, a gap of 20 bhp is going to be noticable. The 325i has 171 bhp, a 318iS 136 bhp. I would contend that if a 318iS can be upped to 150 bhp, a 325i could get up to the 190/200 bhp mark.

All of what you said - theory. What I said - practice. Note I said 150bhp+, the cars vary with tuning, but 160bhp is very easy to achieve. It's also much cheaper to get quick power gains with the iS, getting more power from the 325i is a much more expensive proposition.

40-120mph sprint on a private test track, myself in my 318iS with about 160bhp and a friend in a 325i Sport in great nick, with less miles - totally even. He pulled away from me at 120mph like I was standing still however, but who needs to go that fast..

The 324td E30 had 115 bhp, it is possible for it to produce 181 bhp and 356 Nm of torque,as shown here http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=tjpnfuKJ43c&mode=related&search= ,(I know that the vid shows a 524td, but its the same engine) so heaven knows what bhp you could get from tuning up the M20B25 engine in the E30 325i, and the same goes for the 318iS.

Tuning a diesel engine is a hugely different prospect to tuning a petrol engine. In theory, huge power is achieveable from any engine if you throw a ton of money at it.

Not haing driven an E30, I can't argue about the specifics of the handling of the 318iS vs the 325i, but as the 318iS is lighter, I don't doubt what your saying about the 318iS's handling being better than a 325i.

I've driven a couple of e30 m3s also, and with the H&R springs, uprated shocks and m3 bushes my car has, I would say that it's as close to an m3 handling wise as you can get without the insurance premiums and huge initial cost.

Blue850

and now for something completley different

Blue850

Cossie replica

Eoin

bazz26 wrote:

or something German:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=788869
(once you get over the green leather) :eek:

Wow - that does not look like a 9 year old car; it has aged really well. The leather is awful though. Think the OP specified under 2 litre though.

Should be lots of A4s in that price range.

Volvoboy

Blue 850 nice cars just not 'me', well the carina is gone:( , and i've nothing lined up, using the da's merc until tomorrow and from tues on using my mates astra until next friday.





-VB-

Volvoboy

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=Car&carID=783588&message=You%20searched%20for%3A%20BMW%20520%2C%20Year%3A%201991%2E%20Your%20search%20returned%20one%20vehicle%2C%20which%20is%20shown%20below%2E&CFID=23400292&CFTOKEN=18322482 :eek: What do yas think? bit over priced?



-VB-

Eoin

Volvoboy wrote:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=Car&carID=783588&message=You%20searched%20for%3A%20BMW%20520%2C%20Year%3A%201991%2E%20Your%20search%20returned%20one%20vehicle%2C%20which%20is%20shown%20below%2E&CFID=23400292&CFTOKEN=18322482 :eek: What do yas think? bit over priced?



-VB-

That's a lovely looking car - have half a mind to check it out myself

unkel

That E34 looks great. Overpriced or not depends on the condition it is in. If it is in as good a nick as it looks, it is well worth it

Put differently, if you keep it in the same condition, it will not depreciate any further. I've no doubt it is going to be a classic in the near future

Eoin

unkel wrote:

That E34 looks great. Overpriced or not depends on the condition it is in. If it is in as good a nick as it looks, it is well worth it

Put differently, if you keep it in the same condition, it will not depreciate any further. I've no doubt it is going to be a classic in the near future

It's on UK plates, but from a garage - is it true that they can't sell a non-registered car? If not, the VRT is €659 and that would definitely put the car at too high a price. Still, may well be worth a look at.

Edit: just checked their website, and they are in Belfast, not Louth. So it appears that the price is before VRT. 3K seems over the odds as it is, before getting stung for that.

E92

I have to say I don't really like that E34 at all. Cow skin is nice, but unless you have aircon, its a pain on hot days. I think it is too expensive for what it is, it looks like new(on the outside), and thats the problem; it looks too new for a car that's 16 years old.

I really don't like the non BMW steering wheel either, it just gives me the impression that the car has been trashed a bit. The paint is also non metallic(at least it appears to be non metallic to my eyes). BMW changed the engine around that time too to the 24V version AFAIR, so there is the possibility that this could be a 12V model(which has 129 bhp as opposed to the 24V's 150 bhp).

In the car's favour is that the interior looks immaculate, and the bodykit is nice, and it has a few gadgets like the electric seats.

By the way, that car has been on sale for ages, so bear that in mind too.

I think the best thing is to go over to the UK(and by that I don't mean crossing the border at Louth, I mean mainland Britain), there are much nicer(and cheaper) E34s than that one to be found IMHO.

As I posted earlier in this thread:

E92 wrote:

There are some super condition(admittedly high mileage) E39 520i's on Auto Trader(UK) for £2,000, add in 30% VRT and thats €3,200 max.

So the answer to the question must surley be yes.

Speaking of E34s, I know someone who imported an E34 520i(L reg, so Aug 93-Jul94, actually the E34 ths person bought is a 94 model) last year, total cost including VRT was IIRC €2,500(I think it was slightly less actually). Car has the 24V M50 lump, a few scratches, but nobody expects a 13 year old car to look like new; interior is mint, had 115k on the clock, runs like a dream, has that all important gorgeous sounding straight 6.

BeardyGit

Just one point about the S40 - Not all of the series 1 S40's came with that crappy mitsubishi engine. You'd be better advised to take the engine number and have any Volvo dealership confirm it for you.... And even if you're unlucky enough to have one, the tappets only blow out and get noisy at 100k plus... Apart from that, they'll drink a little oil - a litre or so every 6k miles. Just wanted to set the record straight there

I'd look at one if I were you VB, you'll like it, especially with leather

E92

Gil_Dub wrote:

Just one point about the S40 - Not all of the series 1 S40's came with that crappy mitsubishi engine. You'd be better advised to take the engine number and have any Volvo dealership confirm it for you.... And even if you're unlucky enough to have one, the tappets only blow out and get noisy at 100k plus... Apart from that, they'll drink a little oil - a litre or so every 6k miles. Just wanted to set the record straight there

I'd look at one if I were you VB, you'll like it, especially with leather

Fortunately most of them don't, but the way to know is to check the tax disc. If the engine cc is 1834, then it boasts the dreaded Mitsubishi engine. The Volvo engined 1.8s are 1731 cc or 1783cc(after 99).
There are 4 other ways of knowing if it boasts the said engine.

On the back the Volvo engined 1.8s simply have a 1.8 badge on the back. The Mitsubishi engined ones have 1.8 i on the back.

When you sit inside, turn the trip computer to the instantaenous mpg setting. Take it for a spin, and drive it above 35 mph. If you drive it gently enough above 35 mph, the mpg guage will display the letter E. Only the Mitsubishi engined models do that.

When you start the car, make sure you have the window down. If it sounds dieslish, then you have the Mitsubishi engined model. Listen very carefully when you drive it. There is a slight change change in sound when it goes into lean burn mode(it become less rattly, and it doesnt sound as tappety). Because the Volvo engined models don't have direct injection, this change in sound simply cant happen. The Volvo ones are quieter too.

And lastly the Mitsubishi engined models are all high spec models, because they were all sold as SE models. They all come with plenty of gadgets like cow skin, climate and cruise control, alloys and a large radio which plays both tapes and CDs.

Its possible to get a Volvo engined model in SE trim, but the standard model was by far the most popular here.

The engine code for the Mitsubishi engined model is B4184SM or B4184SJ, the Volvo ones are B4184S2.