Where/how to find a nice 325iS

#1

I currently am debating the sale of my 94 M edition Miata in favor of a 88-91 325iS or i if it had a LSD.

My plans will be to quickly upgrade the suspension springs/shocks, add a rollbar (4pt.) and use it for instructing, etc. It would be a daily driver, so I am trying to find a nice car to start with.

I would like for the paint to shine up nicely, good interior, clean/straight body, and possibly some upgrades (chip, exhaust, etc.). I mainly want a faster track car. Now that I am instructor, I feel like a roadblock out there with M3s, Mustangs, Vettes, etc. I know that E30 won’t have me passing those guys, but I feel that it will be faster than the Miata.

How much faster is a nice E30 up to SpecE30 specs going to run than a Miata with coilovers, 15x7s w/ azenis, and everything else stock. Keep in mind that my 94 Miata probably doesn’t make 125 hp @ the wheels as do the Spec Miatas…

The Miata guys are trying to talk me out of moving to an E30, but I have always loved the E30 and my wife and I are in the process of getting a dog…and the Miata has no back seat…

Is there a good FAQ on the E30 chassis, suspension, etc. on the internet? How/where do I find a nice car? How much will I have to pay for a nice car w/ less than 150k miles?

Dave

#2

Here are some of the better places to search for a car:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=168

http://www.roadfly.com/bmw/classifieds/cars/listads.php?cat=203

http://www.bmwcca.org/classifieds

www.craigslist.com

Here is a decent DIY archive site for e30:

http://www.bimmerdiy.com/e30

#3

great list ken but add:

www.r3vlimited.com

and

www.E30tech.com

As far as how much faster a Spec E30 would be than your street miata. That’s tough to say. I know that the majority of the Spec miata’s that i’ve seen on track quickly ended up in my rear view mirror. But this doesn’t mean that these drivers were fast or that they were the $30,000 spec miata that you see winning championships. This has been talked about in many other threads already so i’m not going to go into much more detail. I would absolutely recommend getting an E30 they make great street and track cars. I’ve driven much faster track cars and the E30 is still the most fun to drive on track. They are very predictable and balanced. Good Luck.

MIKE

#4

Mike, Sorry to be lazy, but where has the Miata/E30 debate been hashed out? Could you provide me a link or a little more info on where to find it? Thanks, I really appreciate it.

I stopped by Motorsport Connections here in Winston-Salem and I feel better about making the jump, but I am still on the fence. Aren’t the Herringtons still in Winston-Salem? Do they still have E30s? I would love to get a little more up front and personal with these cars. Thanks

Dave

#5

dpspeed wrote:

[quote]Mike, Sorry to be lazy, but where has the Miata/E30 debate been hashed out? Could you provide me a link or a little more info on where to find it? Thanks, I really appreciate it.

I stopped by Motorsport Connections here in Winston-Salem and I feel better about making the jump, but I am still on the fence. Aren’t the Herringtons still in Winston-Salem? Do they still have E30s? I would love to get a little more up front and personal with these cars. Thanks

Dave[/quote]

To tell you the truth I can’t remember where the whole miata vs. spec e30 debate took place. You can try the search function on the forum. Obviously the debate will be somewhat biased since this is a BMW racing series haha. The herrington’s do still race. David race’s spec E30 and daniel races formula mazda’s and he’s wicked fast from what I hear. I do hope you pick a BMW you will love it.

P.S. Maybe someone else will jump in with their opinion on the miata vs. the e30.

#6

IIRC SpecE30 is 3-4 seconds/lap faster at LRP than a SpecMiata. That’s a landslide at LRP.

#7

mrussell wrote:

That is not realistic was the miata driver blind? Here are the top 10 from NASA Championship race at Mid Ohio for Spec Miata and the top 5 for Spec E30.

1 31 Gregory Stasiowski 19 38:08.287 1:45.799 14 81.664 -
2 29 Dennis Joynt 19 38:23.288 15.001 1:46.233 16 81.331 -
3 05 Brian Domont 19 38:23.585 15.298 1:46.230 11 81.333 -
4 50 Howard Mellman 19 38:27.440 19.153 1:46.794 11 80.903 -
5 71 Eric Budwit 19 38:28.022 19.735 1:46.887 19 80.833 -
6 36 Ed Estes 19 38:49.006 40.719 1:47.689 16 80.231 -
7 1 James Thill 19 38:49.203 40.916 1:47.737 8 80.195 -
8 16 James York 19 38:49.731 41.444 1:47.561 14 80.327 -
9 157 Dan Fargo 19 38:55.962 47.675 1:47.244 17 80.564 -
10 88 Dennis Mathias 19 38:59.627 51.340 1:47.947 8 80.039 -

Spec E30
1 1 Chris Cobetto 19 39:25.603 1:47.368 4 80.471 -
2 241 Robert Patton 18 37:48.250 1 Lap 1:48.312 16 79.770 -
3 58 Carter Hunt 18 37:48.480 0.230 1:47.733 14 80.198 -
4 30 Michael Davidson 18 38:10.707 22.457 1:49.178 3 79.137 -
5 22 Alonzo Taylor 18 38:35.804 47.554 1:51.236 2 77.673 -
6 121 Stephen Kapuschansky 18 38:50.543 1:02.293 1:50.427 17 78.242 -

So it looks like they are very close and I doubt our Spec E30’s are prepared as to as high a level as some of these Spec Miatas. Basically they are very similiar. I just prefer to drive a BMW which isn’t a bird’s car B)

#8

Elephant4 wrote:
I just prefer to drive a BMW which isn’t a bird’s car B)[/quote]:slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

#9

Elephant4 wrote:That is not realistic was the miata driver blind? [/quote]

By jove that must’ve been it! :woohoo:

#10

I recently sold my Spec Miata which was being used for HPDE and open track days. They are fun cars to drive and do well in the turns but are total dogs on the straights. I plan on racing next year and right now I’m considering SpecE30, CMC, or HC. I just hope that SpecE30 doesn’t go the way of Spec Miata with pro-built motors, etc.

I only have one data point with regard to Spec Miata vs. Spec E30. During an HPDE session at Buttonwillow, I was driving a 94 SM with a strong motor and Steve Dais’s girlfriend (with Steve in the pax seat) was driving the Spec E30. So two race-prepped cars driven by two very amateur drivers.

My SM could take the corners faster than the SpecE30 but the SpecE30 would always catch up to me and eventually passed me on a straight. Again, this was with two very amateur drivers, so take that into consideration. Plus the SpecE30 had extra ballast (Steve).

Another nice thing about E30s is that they have a bit more interior room than Miatas. So perhaps they are a bit safer in a collision.

#11

I’ve been able to get away from Spec Miatas but had some trouble getting away from one at last year’s NASA Mid Atlantic enduro. I was driving Carlton’s car so I wasn’t driving at the absolute limit…and Charles Espenlaub was in the Miata.

Late last year at the Grand Am Cup race at VIR, Charles and I had a good laugh about it. "So that’s why I had so much trouble getting away. You were driving."

Carter

#12

I think anyone would have trouble getting away from Charles…even if he was driving on 3 wheels…

I guess what I love about my Miata is its cheap, fun, and a great track car. I love getting the car ready the week before an event and not working on the car at the track (other than tire pressures, etc.). It is just too busy being an instructor and having to worry about bleeding brakes or something like that.

When I bought the Miata, all I had to do to make it track worthy was Falken Azenis and Carbotech Panther Plus pads. Is the E30 that easy or do I have to have brake ducting, or something else.

I will start with flushing fluids, brake pads, bilsteins, h&r race, and 15x7 wheels w/at least azenis. Is there anything else that is a must do before it is track worthy?

Since it will be a street car, I really want to make sure it doesn’t leave me stranded…

Dave

#13

I’d add control arms to the list.

Other than that you are set.

Lots more room than those little miatas too!!!

I never had to do any track side maintenance on my car and I am fairly certain Mike D hasn’t had any problems with it either.

#14

dpspeed wrote:

Agreed. My Miata was a pretty worry-free car for me. Check the oil and tire pressures and you are good to go. Although there seems to be a rash of hub failures effecting the older Miatas so I’d keep an eye on the hubs, too.

#15

uh60fixer wrote:

[quote]dpspeed wrote:

Agreed. My Miata was a pretty worry-free car for me. Check the oil and tire pressures and you are good to go. Although there seems to be a rash of hub failures effecting the older Miatas so I’d keep an eye on the hubs, too.[/quote]

Well that’s one thing that goes on an E30 during the season. For some reason it seemed like three of us had to change left front wheel bearings at VIR north. I blame it on the bump at the beginning of turn 7.

#16

dpspeed wrote:

[quote]

I will start with flushing fluids, brake pads, bilsteins, h&r race, and 15x7 wheels w/at least azenis. Is there anything else that is a must do before it is track worthy?

Dave[/quote]

Make sure you look very closely at the Spec E30 Rules before you buy/install anything. The springs caught my eye. I think our springs are not the off-the-shelf H&R race springs…but I could be wrong.

I’m just trying to help you avoid future problems.

Carter

#17

what do you mean, you could be wrong? You’re Carter! :stuck_out_tongue:
I don’ t know of any other H&R Race (vs. Sport) springs for e30’s.
cheers,
bruce

Carter wrote:

[quote]dpspeed wrote:

[quote]

I will start with flushing fluids, brake pads, bilsteins, h&r race, and 15x7 wheels w/at least azenis. Is there anything else that is a must do before it is track worthy?

Dave[/quote]

Make sure you look very closely at the Spec E30 Rules before you buy/install anything. The springs caught my eye. I think our springs are not the off-the-shelf H&R race springs…but I could be wrong.

I’m just trying to help you avoid future problems.

Carter[/quote]