Don't know what to do. E36 325 or Integra GSR Turbo

[Righteous]

So I finally found the E36 I have been wanting. Black, 325is, M3 body, 5spd, 100,000 mi. for $5,500 and the car is located within 50 miles of my house. I just found this car today.

About a week ago I found a nice dark green Integra with a turbo system and all kinds of nice extras for $7,000.

So I am basicly deciding between a daily driver with class vs a daily that could also road race. I am thinking of getting the Bimmer since I have always wanted one and it would be good for the next several years as a daily. If I got tired of it, I could always trade it in for possibly more cash than what I paid for it or trade to a turbo Honda later on.

In terms of reliability, which car would hold up better? I mean, a Honda would but since it is turboed I think the BMW would stand the test of time more so than the Honda.

The BMW looks a lot cooler than the Integra. Integras are awesome, but a dark green one compared to a black E36 with M3 body conversion is tighter.

Then again, I won't be able to challenge the random SRT-4 in a street race at some random location and random time.

I will at least look good driving to wherever in the BMW. But then again I probley would in this stock looking non riced GSR.

The Bimmer is a bargain though, and with college and working less these days I think its price could possibly sway me over to it. 7,000 is all I have. I would be living paycheck to paycheck for a while if I bought the Teg.

I am 55% toward going for the BMW. Please sway me in one direction or the other.

[Dnz]

turbo more maintenance. Bimmer more expensive maintenance.

325 is decently quick, should be enough to keep you amused, yet too little to cause major carnage.

[sandspeed]

Here's another thought too. You can buy the Bimmer, and eventually turbo or supercharge it. And the 325is will be a nice car to do some autocrossing and driver's schools in. There are tons of parts available out there, and a lot of them are interchangeable between different models (IE: M3 struts and sways are a direct swap to any 3 series, brakes are too, etc.). There is also an ever-growing aftermarket for the E36, and plenty of vendors on here for everything from mirrors and bodykits, to full-blown race motors. While I know there is also a lot of support for the Teg, I think the BMW has a little more class, and is not stereotyped as "rice". Of course, you can make a Bimmer ricey too. Buy the BMW. The maintenance is not THAT expensive, and if you have some basic metric tools, a Bentley manual, and the 101 Projects for your 3 series book, you can do a lot of the stuff yourself.

[DannyH4]

Here's another thought too. You can buy the Bimmer, and eventually turbo or supercharge it. And the 325is will be a nice car to do some autocrossing and driver's schools in. There are tons of parts available out there, and a lot of them are interchangeable between different models (IE: M3 struts and sways are a direct swap to any 3 series, brakes are too, etc.). There is also an ever-growing aftermarket for the E36, and plenty of vendors on here for everything from mirrors and bodykits, to full-blown race motors. While I know there is also a lot of support for the Teg, I think the BMW has a little more class, and is not stereotyped as "rice". Of course, you can make a Bimmer ricey too. Buy the BMW. The maintenance is not THAT expensive, and if you have some basic metric tools, a Bentley manual, and the 101 Projects for your 3 series book, you can do a lot of the stuff yourself.

I agree. buy the BMW.

[mcross]

I used to have an Integra (non-GSR, much less a turbo), pretty fun to drive, ergonomic, great gearbox, reliable. 7k seems like a good price for a turbo GSR, make sure it's tuned and in good shape. For road racing, would the FWD and lack of LSD be an issue? Also, the Integra is lacking low-end torque - the VTEC and turbo won't kick in until higher RPM, so expect economical daily driving to feel more like a Civic. The Integra is smaller, with a rougher ride. Test drive one if you haven't. All depends on what you want. The turbo GSR could be scary fast if properly tuned. If they were the same price, I think it would be a harder decision (even though they both seem very reasonably priced), but at 2K more, for me, the BMW would be a no-brainer.

[Finn McCool]

I honestly wouldn't buy either. That E36 is gonna start costing you big bucks to repair with 100k miles on the clock. That turbo Integra is going to give you huge problems reguardless of mileage. If I had to pick between the two of them I'd take the BMW any day and I'm not just saying that because this is a BMW forum. Highly modified cars are trouble, that Integra is going to give you headache after headache.

[OneTimeCRX]

Turbo Integras get my respect, but keeping in mind that you're shopping for a used car and that $7k is all you have, I'd go for the BMW instead. Remember that since you're buying used, there's a good possibility that you're going to have to do some kind of repairs and maintenance in the short term. Having some extra $$$ is a good idea.

[ehlpitel]

Test drive both and see what you like better.

The Acura might be more maint. b/c of the turbo, and the BMW should be fine provided the owner did up to date maint. on the car.

I would get the BMW for simple reasons of liking RWD more than FWD.

[96 328ic]

if you dont get the bimmer, tell me where it is, my friend is looking for exactly that and im in indiana.

[Alpine 318is]

Honestly tho, how much racing in a straight line are you going to do. Because of that i would go witht the BMW cause the only thing the integra has is so straight line speed

[sirtiger]

hmmm... I would pick the GSR. I remember how fun that car is. If you are tight with $$, get what is more realistic accrd to your budget. Cars are toys and shouldn't be wallet busters

[Thats M Life]

that gsr wont be that quick unless if you turn the boost up...at 8psi its about as fast as a 99+ mustang GT meaning low to mid 14 sec car. IMO thats not a good reason to pick it over the bmw as most srt4's will walk on it unless if you can afford to turn the boost up and maintain it which means regular tunes and can you afford to have that car in the shop for a few days? With the money you save on the bmw you can put it in the bank and save another 2k and put FI on the bmw and be going fast in style

[chr328is]

It depends what youre going for.

If you want speed, get the Integra.

If you want handling, get the Integra or the bimmer.

If you want super expensive insurance quotes for a 10 yr old car, get the bimmer.

If you want an unwarranted (and unappropriate) title of "ricer", get the Integra.

If you want a false sense of superiority on the road, get the bimmer.

So, its pretty even. Both cars having 3 votes

and P.S. A turbo kit, even a Supercharger kit, for a e36 325 will cost MORE than that entire integra. Check out Activeautowerks .com or Dinan- 2 of the most reputable BMW FI tuners. But you could always peice together a "home depot" turbo kit

[Righteous]

Would a turbo Honda be that expensive to maintain? I figured it wouldn't simply because Honda is known for reliability. If the turbo setup was done professionally I wouldn't think it would be bad.

Also, just found out that the company who is selling the E36 sell damaged and rebuilt cars only. So I think I won't be buying from there.

[atl530i]

I honestly would keep looking.

There are better buys out there. The only thing that I do not like about Honda/Acura as well as some other Japanese automakers are timing belts and FWD. It is a total pain in the ass to change a timing belt on a FWD Honda because I did mone on my Civic about 3.5 years ago and it took about 6 hours because I had to take apart the drivers side of the car minus the body work.

Get what you think will serve you well. I drove a Nissan for 2.5 years before getting a BMW after college.

[iCeDmAn]

get the bmw so you can enjoy your car. your car will be stolen within 6 months if you get the integera

[atl530i]

Haha...

That's right, Honda has like 3 cars on the top 10 most stolen list.

[Iotran]

Go for the Bimmer, not only its a better car IMHO, but with a turbo engine there's a lot of maintenance you need to perform, besides know for a fact a turbo integra is car that has been driven hard, now the question is what kind of maintenance did the previous owner give to this car's engine? :confused

[MackinE46]

I'd get the GSR turbo. Sure its gonna need work, but the bimmer will too. But integra parts are a lot cheaper, and its really easy to work on Hondas. The Acura is going to be faster and lighter and more fun to drive. I almost bought a GSR, but i love RWD, and when i drove my car i knew i had to have it. Basically drive both and then make a decision

[mikese36]

get the bmw so you can enjoy your car. your car will be stolen within 6 months if you get the integera

That is something to consider.

[Finn McCool]

That is something to consider.

Yeah, all kidding aside those things are very highly sought after by thieves. More so than the BMW, your typical BMW buyer doesn't want to by a shadey Bimmer.

[mikese36]

Yeah, all kidding aside those things are very highly sought after by thieves.

Yea!Honda accords also.

[BigTed00]

buy the 325is and save the $1500 for that inevitable maintence that it will require in the first 12 months

[z3gsr]

I have a gsr its a great all around car. The car gets great gas mileage and the car has great handling. How many miles are on the teg? If i was you i would add reliablity into your decisions. You don't want to purchase a use car and put more money into the car then its worth. Tegs cost alot to maintain but BMW will tear a hole in your pockets.

[Sa///M3]

I hate fwd.
Enough to make me buy the BMW.

[sirtiger]

If you want an unwarranted (and unappropriate) title of "ricer", get the Integra.


blame the owners, not the driver. :rolleyes


oh yeah, forgot that gsr are high theft..

[E36cruisin]

I honestly would keep looking.

There are better buys out there. The only thing that I do not like about Honda/Acura as well as some other Japanese automakers are timing belts and FWD. It is a total pain in the ass to change a timing belt on a FWD Honda because I did mone on my Civic about 3.5 years ago and it took about 6 hours because I had to take apart the drivers side of the car minus the body work.

Get what you think will serve you well. I drove a Nissan for 2.5 years before getting a BMW after college.


You were doing something extremely wrong!

[RaceOptics]

go for the bimmer

[Juicy Double]

Buy the integra turbo. Speed is addicting. Very addicting. If it runs well, you won't miss the rwd or bmw badging.

[LinearX]

The GSR sounds interesting, but to me, there's just a dark cloud over them - people I know directly and indirectly crashing/dying in them, getting stolen, vandalized, etc.

[organic///M]

I would get the e36 and call it a day.

[Citizen328ci]

I hate fwd.
Enough to make me buy the BMW.

+1

dude nohing is going to be more fun to take on windy roads than teh bimmmer, and girls prefer bmws...

[sandspeed]

OK, seriously, BMWs are not that expensive to maintain. Yeah, if the previous owner didn't take care of the car, they can be expensive to FIX. I think a lot of people buy into the stereotype of so-called expensive cars being moneypits. You have to keep in mind that there were over 2 million E36s sold worldwide, with several hundred thousand sold in the US. There are PLENTY of parts out there. You just need to know where to look. And with a great forum, like this one, it's ridiculously easy to find whatever you need. If a vendor doesn't have it, there's probably somebody here that is selling it to clean out their garage. The big thing to check when buying a Bimmer is that the previous owner(s) took care of the car and had the scheduled maintenance/inspections done. That said, the one you were looking at is an obvious pass. But you can find quite a few nice ones out there on Autotrader, this forum, or even EBay, though I highly recommend purchasing in person. And for the record, I'm gonna bet that maintenance on an Integra with an aftermarket turbo kit is probably gonna be more expensive and come more often than on a well-maintained NA 325. Good luck with the search.

[Righteous]

I would honestly go with either one. I would pick the one that is a better deal and then be happy. They are both maintainence intensive. Both get good gas mileage. Both have their plusses and minuses, I think they come out about equal.

[sandspeed]

Here:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=208553806&dealer_id=58357370&car_year=1993&mod_bookmark_id=null&search_type=used&num_records=&make=BMW&distance=300&model=325IS&address=46201&certified=&advanced=&max_price=&bkms=1158638191106&min_price=&end_year=1996&start_year=1984&lang=en&cardist=235

Nice start:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=208686656&dealer_id=58365760&car_year=1994&mod_bookmark_id=null&search_type=used&num_records=&make=BMW&distance=300&model=325IS&address=46201&certified=&advanced=&max_price=&bkms=1158638191106&min_price=&end_year=1996&start_year=1984&lang=en&cardist=71

Maybe a 5 series?
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=208551248&dealer_id=615993&car_year=1997&mod_bookmark_id=null&search_type=both&num_records=25&make=BMW&distance=200&model=&address=46239&certified=&advanced=&max_price=7000&bkms=1158638916818&min_price=1&end_year=2000&start_year=1981&lang=en&cardist=200

Meh:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=208831934&dealer_id=58379787&car_year=1994&bkms=1158639289711&num_records=25&model=&make2=&lang=en&mod_bookmark_id=null&start_year=1981&engine=&certified=&fuel=&search_type=both&distance=200&make=BMW&color=&min_price=1&drive=&max_mileage=&sort_type=yearDESC&address=46239&advanced=y&end_year=2000&transmission=Manual&doors=&max_price=7000&cardist=98

[98///M3]

id pick a gsr turbo anyday over a 325