Aidan316i wrote: GUy I know has 2, one of which is a sport, its a lovely car and expresses circular motions if required!  The 323i engine is a good pwoerful one and is alrite on the fuel

would i be right in assumibg the 328 wouldnt differ much in fuel from the 323??

i have my eye on a well-specced one in england 99 one with 63k on the clock. Do you think it will sell over here when the time comes???

Sean

Before I bought the current e36, my choices were going to be either the '93 or '94 (vanos but pre nikasil) 325i coupe or a late Sport.  I bought the 325i only because I would have wanted a post nikasil 328i (i.e. late '98 or '99).  These are relatively scarce in the UK and by the time it was landed and the dreaded VRT paid it would have cost twice the price of my car.  I may go the Sport route next time.  Curiously, VRT on a Sport is actually a little bit less than a regular coupe.  Go figure!

As regards resale, I think this one could be a sleeper over the next couple of years.  As e30 Sports get harder to come by in top condition (and get more expensive), there will be a move towards the e36.  These people will already be used to the road tax and insurance. 

There IS a market for cars like these but it is small, so condition and history is the key for a quick sale and a good price.  People will pay good money if the car is right.  My last e30 is an example, it was low owners with a full history and well above average condition.  It sold quickly and for a little more than I paid for it after 12 months and 8k miles (despite being rear ended shortly after buying it, otherwise I could have done even better).

There aren't too many 328i's about, Sport or otherwise, but in the long run a Sport will be more desirable in the same way that an e30 Sport is preferred to an SE, but its probably still a couple of years away before the difference between an e36 Sport and regular 328i coupe is significant here (the Sport being a little more expensive in the UK).

Does anyone know if the insurance co's load the Sport over a non-Sport 328i coupe (that might account for the VRT difference)?

the vrt on a 99 one is 3000, but a 98 is 2270 so in the new year the 99 will go down to around 2300 vrt. this aint bad considering and is cheaper than the non-sport model. i think ill go for the 328, because ill have it for a year or two and really do want it over the 323. i dont think the petrol/running costs will be much more than the 323 and i guess ill have to wait and see when i go to sell it. im only getting onw with a great history and it has to be mint so that will prob stand to it when selling time comes...

oh and guess whats the reason i want a 99??? nikasil

Sean

One thought in regard to nikasil.  There are plenty of nikasil cars that have had the engine done by BMW and can be very good value if the overall mileage is reasonable and condition OK.  As you said, there is a big drop in VRT between '99 and '98.  Likewise there is a biggish drop to '97 as well.

If you went that route, you'd have to have a good paper record of the engine work done for the history file.  The sort of buyers for a car like this down the road will almost certainly be aware of "the nikasil issue" even if they don't know the full detail of what is affected and what's not.

Its justa pity that the M52TU engine didn't go in to the end of line e36's.  Now, that would have been X-tra nice!

Sean

I have an e46 3233ci and sometime I have to admit I wish it had more power - go for the 328.

John

Good luck with the buying, Sean.  Have to say, your current e36 looked great the other night!

KDevitt has an e46 328 - he should be able to give you an idea of running costs.

I cant see there being a big leap in running costs between a 323 and 328 apart from tax and insurance and if you are willing to pay that then do it.

On the selling point, the market is very limited as it is on a lot of bigger engined cars in Ireland.  People struggle selling the bigger 6 cylinder versions but the 4 cylinder models go like hot cakes.  My car was at the garage a long time beore I bought it and hence why I got a fair whack knocked off, there is a mint 323 in my village that the lad couldnt shift for months even though the price was very good yet his friends 318 (lower spec same year) went within 3 days of being advertised! Very much horses for courses as a lot of people dont want to pay a grand in road tax (lets wait and see what myr Cowen announces!), but if you want it why worry about resale now?

mikerd4 wrote: My car was at the garage a long time beore I bought it and hence why I got a fair whack knocked off

Mike

If I recall correctly, your car also had an above average mileage when you bought it.  That will stop the phone ringing in this country.  In the UK, it simply gets factored in to the price and away you go.  Here people will ignore a leggy car, almost regardless of condition or price (unless the price is on the floor, but dealers aren't good about adjusting for mileage).

My car had 87000 miles when I bought it which does put people off especially with dealers reluctant to drop prices, But after speaking to my firiends in teh trade they hate taking big engined cars part ex and will give rock bottom trade ins on them as they hate having to shift them on.  That aside I have a bbtb and manifold on the 323 with a gruppe m rep, dyno'd at 191.6, a remap and exhaust should seee me touching 200.  The 323 was heavily restricted by bmw to stop it encroaching on sales of its bigger and more expensive brothers.  I love my 323, its the perfect mix of power and sensibility.  Only E36 Id look at is the M3 now.

Fey! wrote: Saw your car passing me by earlier on, Sean.  Sounds and looks VERY nice!

I kind of have my mind made up, but mike has a good point that i could get a 95 M3 for about that money. To be honest id rather a 328i sport because of running costs and the fact it will be a newer car. An e36 M3evo is simply out of the question as the VRT is stupid money on these and we dont even have the 98octane petrol in this country that is recommended for these cars. One disadvantage of the 328i over the M3 is the LSD. Would this affect the driving experience at all???? I believe traction(ASC) is on the later models of the 328i...

And Mike my current 318is has 123k miles on it and still sweet as a nut. Mileage dosent bother me as long as i have a history!

follow your heart if you want it, your head if you dont lol

Im seriously thinking of getting a E90 and saying feck it all after seeing the pics of the essen show, now whos mad lol

I have a 97 323i coupe sean.I find that it has plenty of grunt and it'll pull like a train once you're over 3k rpm.I hav'nt driven a 328i but i would imagine it's biggest advantage over the 323i would be slightly more grunt lower down in the revs.As the figures go the 323i has 170 bhp as standard,the 328i has 193.You can extract 200 plus bhp from the 323i easily and inexpensively enough:(bbtb,manifold,remap,exhaust,ca induction) .My 323i has been dyno'd at 185bhp with just the eisenmann cat-back exhaust.That's getting close to standard 328i power anyway.It's up to you at the end of the day.But if it were me id go for a non evo e36 m3 before id change my 323 for a 328 tbh.

Another note on the nikasil issue.The quality of fuel has improved a lot with regard to sulpher content since 1996(when the affected cars were produced)and it was'nt actually a design fault with the engines,it was caused by low grade fuel with high sulpher content reacting over time with material in the cylinder bores.I think that people are overreacting a bit on the nikasil thing.If a 323i or 328i is on it's original nikasil block and has 70k or more miles on it without having any symtoms of premature cyl-bore wear then it will prob.go on to do 200k or more with no nikasil issue because this problem normally appeared at lower milages(30-40k miles).And how many of thes cars are left that have less than 40k miles considering they were only produced up until 99.

My 323i is on it's original block afaik,has no nikasil issue,no excess oil use,no power loss(185bhp on dyno) and there is 91k miles on her now!.And im not planning to sell it any time soon.

I've had my 328i for 18 months now. The main running worry for people is fuel and tax. Here's my fuel log for the time I've had it:

In day to day running, a stock 323i is nearly the same car. But take  that attitude you may as well get a 318is - the returns always diminish the more horse/bigger engine you get - I think Martins points are particularly relevent here. You can bump the 323 up to 328 power as mentioned, but the same conversion will bump a 328 (rolling roaded at 200bhp+ in stock anyway) to 215+bhp. Add an exhaust and a chip to this and you're approaching 230bhp and more for some of the UK members. And buckets of torque giving it a slightly lazier drive for decent speed.

I've got a nice spec as it is a non-sport, but has full leather, and a factory-fit LSD. This transforms the car. And with the AC Schnitzer suspension it is like a M3-lite with less tax, insurance, and fuel bills. And damn near as quick around a circuit like Mondello.

In terms of resale, one of the earlier comments (by Dergside I think?) is spot on. Tis a sleeper at the mo, but a clean well-specced one will be a natural progression from E30 325i sports as they become more expensive and rarer. 

Bloody hell never met a guy whos logged his fuel for that long!  You must do a lot of motorway miles cos around dublin Id be lucky to get those returns in a  323.

Its purely a wallet decision, if you can face up to paying the extra in tax and insurance for owning it.  My own personal opinion is if Im going to pay that I may aswell stump the extra and buy a earlier M3 thatsd been well looked after.

Have to say the 328 was the best car I've owned and I'd choose it any day of the week over the 323. Took a while to shift but thats the same with any performance car in this country.

Contemplating an M3 Evo at the moment but thats just because i've already been there with the 328

I must have a lamp off the GT6 b4 it goes.. (I know I keep sayin that & have done nowt about it )

Nice one on gaffs and summer toys. Where did you (ye) buy?

Oh I bought it in the UK a shadow of the car it is now. I've put between 7 and 8 grand plus a lotta time, sweat, skin, blood and tears into it. Was a good experience all round though.

In case anyone was interested there's a 328i coupe for sale on http://www.cruiseirl.com - www.cruiseirl.com its 96 with 114K on the clock boston green but doesn't have a limmo leather or colour coded skirts/bumpers. However it is for sale for only 4200 and I'd imagine you knock at least 500 bucks off that as the guy seems desperate to sell. Was very tempted myself would make a cheap project I'd say

seanf wrote:  One disadvantage of the 328i over the M3 is the LSD. Would this affect the driving experience at all???? I believe traction(ASC) is on the later models of the 328i...

I asked Brendan Purcell when he put his limmo into the 318is what difference it made to the car, and he told me it was the single biggest performance upgrade you could have. I was sceptical, until I got one. They transform the car for standing starts; when going around a circuit they are indispensible, and they are generally great fun for roundabouts etc. ASC is such a poor substitute. Beyond gaining traction in a field and dubious safety benefits (such as Mondello when a few had the rear break under power, or spin the inside rear, despite it being on), ACS adds nowt to the performance of a car in my opinion.

denishogan wrote: What are the visual differences between a regular 328i and a sport?

The Sport has 17" bbs-x-spoke alloys (2 piece), a bodykit and sports seats (extendable under leg supoport at front) and m-tech steering wheel.  I'm not sure if it also had a different diff ratio compared to the regular one?

Denis

Nice one....!

Towards the end of the e36 ('98 and '99) there was an option pack on the conv that I think was called the m-pack.  That would have included 16" alloys (5 double spoke) and sports seats.  If its a '98 or '99 it could be one of those.  There was a similar pack available towards the end of the e36 here in Ireland too but it had different alloys - still 16's)

Sport (m-tech) suspension was std on all e36 coupe's in the UK (not sure about here), I'm not sure about the conv's, but I would think it had it too.  If not, then it would have been available as an option for a couple of hundred quid.  It involved a stiffer shock and matched springs.

What year is it and does it have Sports seats (or what spec does it have)?

Denis

Those alloys were fitted to late e36 318iS saloons and to e46's.  I'm not sure, but I don't think they were typically fitted to 328i's so they may have been replaced somewhere along the line, but they are definitely BMW. 

From the photo and the description then I'd say its not an m-pack.  As I said, I'm not sure whether the sport suspension was std or not (the sport suspension and m-tech are one and the same).

It doesn't sound like the spec is weird.  The leather and pdc would have been options, the leccy hood was std afaik. 

Looks like a nice car.  I hope your mother enjoys it.  I'll keep an eye out!

Will ye spray the hardtop or leave it as it is?

cool. I like Silver and blue hood, but I think I'd paint the hardtop silver alright.

Tis a  minter machine either way - well wear! I'm sure you might get to borrow it some day next April to 'go to the shop' and find yourself up @ Mondello