E82 125i owner seriously looking at E36 328i

[H.J. 1981]

Hey guys,

I have been seriously browsing around for an E36 328i coupe the last few days, i am considering selling my current E82 125i to get an E36 for a few reasons. First of all, i am not looking for a "ringtool/track weapon/drift car" of any kind. What i am looking for is something i can drive all year round, regardless of sunshine, rain, hail or snow. I have owned numerous BMWs in the past from a E36 328i (when i got my license), E90 325i, E39 525, F10 530 and currently E82 125i.

I am a big DIY, i just love going to a workshop, renting the lift and performing everything from maintenance to upgrades, repairs etc. As long as it is not bodywork or metal chassis work, i am all up for it.

I am also a huge fan of track days, i liked it so much that i applied, took and passed my amature German license national C. I never took any of my previously owned BMWs to the track before (too much shit in my life got in the way), but i did take the E82 to 6 track days this year already.

Why am i looking at an older 3 series over the E82 1 series? in a nutshell, local support. Locally in Germany a lot of teams, shops and garages have little to no experience in preparing the E82 for track days. The best that they can do, is recommend some KW V3s or CS, some OZ Ultraleggera 18x8 wheels with Cup 2 235s all round, give it -3.3 camber up front and call it a day. Smaller things such as running 17" track wheels, replacing the rear subframe bushings to M3 ones (common upgrade on this generation), N52 engine tuning (not just software, but cams, exhaust etc) just do not exist. However, the E36 (and E46/E9x series) 3 series are very popular in local RCN racing, and there is a ton of support locally for those cars. From upgraded radiators, to manifold swaps, stroker kits, bushings, wheels, brakes etc.

I will be using the search function to search for exactly the "common" upgrades (chiptuning, M3 bushing swaps, LSD etc) but for now, id like to know for you guys on the track, or that track heavily. How is the M52B28 engine generally? any cooling issues when pushed? is it "free revving"? i know that there is the common VANOS issue, but issues/problems aside, when everything is sorted, how is that engine? clutch and gearbox?

If i get an E36 328i, it would be a couple and my goals would be:

- Full maintenance: all fluids, filters, plugs, coils etc will be replaced.
- Repair/maintenance: Control arms, tie rod ends, shock mounts, rear bushings etc renewed/upgraded
- Upgrades: KW V3 or CS suspension, M3 brakes (or bigger brakes in general), a simple software tune and maybe intake manifold upgrade/swap, 17x8.5 Apex track day wheels (or Allegeritas) with 235s or 245s all round.

The goal here, is to have a car, than can be dailied in any situation, ability to drive 2 hours to the airport, pick up family members, come back home, go to the market, pick up groceries, to the gym and back home etc. One a month or so in Spring/summer, go to the track and have fun (not interested in lap times) just fun, but at the same time, a reliable car that can be redlines/pushed constantly on Hockenheim, Nürburgring, Bilzer Berg, SPA etc in summer heat (42c heat waves with nearly 50c track temps) without any issues (i was surprised to see that N52B30 in my 125i take a massive beating and never once let me down). Who knows, it MAYBE converted into a street legal track car in the future (but not now).

The E82 is a great little road runner, but there is a lot of work to be done on it to get it "track ready". Already have KW V3s installed, engine remapped to 270-ish hp, 330i front brake discs (castrol SRF react fluid), front 28mm sway bar and rear M3 subframe bushings. Still needs M3 arms, wheels, tires, alignment etc and all of this i did myself since no one here is familiar with the E82 in general.

I can pick up a clean E36 328i between €5K and 8K, i am ready to spend around €10K in terms of maintenance, repairs, upgrades and track setup (wheels, tires, brakes etc). I know it maynot be as fast as the E82 in a straight line (that N52B30 engine is a masterpiece) but that chassis is....well with the bad local support becoming harder and costs me more than i planned (just a bit).

I apologise for the long post, but i wanted to inform you guys with my plans and goals first, what i am looking for and then hear your advice. I am even open to the E46 330i as well, though a tad more expensive, i love the retro looks of the E36. Since i am in Germany, the E36 M3 never came with ASC + T (Stability control and traction) and driving in the snow.....can be dangerous in hilly Bavaria where i am located sadly.

Thank you for reading this and i hope i get some of your advice soon.

Drive safe!

[Eric93se]

I hope driving in the snow isn't stopping you from a M3? You can have snow tires for the winter and the diff should have good functioning LSD in it and that should be good enough. Well it's up to you but I would expand your search to an M3 as well, it has more chassis improvements over the 328i.

So the cooling system is super important on the E36, if you spring a leak and overheat it can warp and crack the head. It's not a simple job but dropping the oil pan to secure the oil pump nut and maybe upgrade the oil pickup tube to the Z3 version is a good idea. If you race the car hard on the track you can add oil pan baffles to prevent starvation. When your ready to buy whatever E36 you want it would be wise to do a compression check on the engine before dropping any money.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

[H.J. 1981]

I hope driving in the snow isn't stopping you from a M3? You can have snow tires for the winter and the diff should have good functioning LSD in it and that should be good enough. Well it's up to you but I would expand your search to an M3 as well, it has more chassis improvements over the 328i.

So the cooling system is super important on the E36, if you spring a leak and overheat it can warp and crack the head. It's not a simple job but dropping the oil pan to secure the oil pump nut and maybe upgrade the oil pickup tube to the Z3 version is a good idea. If you race the car hard on the track you can add oil pan baffles to prevent starvation. When your ready to buy whatever E36 you want it would be wise to do a compression check on the engine before dropping any money.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

Thank you, the E36 M3 is something my heart says yes, but i know in my head would not work for me as a dual purpose car. If i was looking for a more...focused track car, yes it would be considered but it is not what i am looking for.

Never knew the E36 had some oil starvation issues on track, that is new to me. Yes a compression test is going to be a must have regardless of which car.

[ed323i]

One thing to consider is safety. In the nineties, starting with the E39 and E46, BMW (like most car companies in the world) started to use advanced computer modeling and this resulted in chassis's that are way safer than the E34/E36 (and older) generation (for the time, early nineties, especially the E34 was one of the safest cars, but it's nothing compared to later generations). Beyond the E39/E46 things have improved with better side airbags, electronics and stuff, but the great jump in safety was at the end of the nineties.. So, that might be something to consider, especially if you want to race it..

Advantage of the E36 over the E46 (and more so over the later generations 1-/3- series) is less complexity (electronics, engine, etc), lower weight, more direct feeling behind the wheel.
You're in Europe, so the M52B28 is all aluminium.. So if you overheat it, you might also destroy the complete engine (head bolts won't fasten anymore), instead of only the head (in the US the block is iron, and only the head is aluminium).

Perhaps best to rent an E36 328i and an E46 330i to see how you like them. If possible a track-prepared one.
You already wrote this: Beating the chipped N52B30 power (especially in the relatively light 1-series) will be virtually impossible (with los of money it is possible though). So, that there is less expertise on tuning the N52 isn't a real disadvantage, because a lot of the expertise for the E36/M52 is on increasing HP with mods, which will never reach the N52B30 base level. So, perhaps you can do some more research on the E82 chassis tuning (on the internet, not local), and just ignore the engine tuning, and then you might finally end up with a better and safer track and daily car.

Good luck!

Update: Just had a look.. Basically, a chipped N52B30 (125i version) has almost identical power and torque output as the European M3 S50B30 engine.. The chipped E82 125i does 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds more or less, faster than the European E36 M3 3.0 . The 125i weighs just a few kilograms more than the E36 328i . Unless you do some serious and expensive mods on the E36, the chipped 125i will always win, unless the track is really curvy and the chassis upgrades of the 328i are far superior. So, I'm afraid you'll end up with a slower car if you go for a 328i.

[H.J. 1981]

One thing to consider is safety. In the nineties, starting with the E39 and E46, BMW (like most car companies in the world) started to use advanced computer modeling and this resulted in chassis's that are way safer than the E34/E36 (and older) generation (for the time, early nineties, especially the E34 was one of the safest cars, but it's nothing compared to later generations). Beyond the E39/E46 things have improved with better side airbags, electronics and stuff, but the great jump in safety was at the end of the nineties.. So, that might be something to consider, especially if you want to race it..

Advantage of the E36 over the E46 (and more so over the later generations 1-/3- series) is less complexity (electronics, engine, etc), lower weight, more direct feeling behind the wheel.
You're in Europe, so the M52B28 is all aluminium.. So if you overheat it, you might also destroy the complete engine (head bolts won't fasten anymore), instead of only the head (in the US the block is iron, and only the head is aluminium).

Perhaps best to rent an E36 328i and an E46 330i to see how you like them. If possible a track-prepared one.
You already wrote this: Beating the chipped N52B30 power (especially in the relatively light 1-series) will be virtually impossible (with los of money it is possible though). So, that there is less expertise on tuning the N52 isn't a real disadvantage, because a lot of the expertise for the E36/M52 is on increasing HP with mods, which will never reach the N52B30 base level. So, perhaps you can do some more research on the E82 chassis tuning (on the internet, not local), and just ignore the engine tuning, and then you might finally end up with a better and safer track and daily car.

Good luck!

Update: Just had a look.. Basically, a chipped N52B30 (125i version) has almost identical power and torque output as the European M3 S50B30 engine.. The chipped E82 125i does 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds more or less, faster than the European E36 M3 3.0 . The 125i weighs just a few kilograms more than the E36 328i . Unless you do some serious and expensive mods on the E36, the chipped 125i will always win, unless the track is really curvy and the chassis upgrades of the 328i are far superior. So, I'm afraid you'll end up with a slower car if you go for a 328i.

Valid points, when i weighed my 125i at the KW alignment dealership it came in at 1,422 kgs with 5/6 tank of fuel, full stock interior, nothing removed etc but with much lighter 17x7.5 wheels and 225/45/17 winter tires all round. So in a sense it is a modern take on the EU E36 S50B30 M3 (mine runs at around 270-ish hp atm need to dyno it since i changed the tune).

But power aside, i am more of a cornering speed person. The E82 chassis is nice and nimble, one can throw it at corners all day, i guess the cost of the mods for the E82 vs buying an E36 and modding it is my issue. I think i will stay with the E82, since it is newer (less things to fail), comfortable and just enough e-nannies for day to day and track.

BTW i am getting my mods and parts from outside Germany, since locally they are not really into this chassis. The E36 (and all 3 series in general) is more popular since the 3 series is BMWs "bread and butter" car.

Thank you for your feedback, i appreciate it.