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Thread: Need advice on a track/DD car that hauls.

  1. #1
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    Need advice on a track/DD car that hauls.

    Cousin got rear-ended in my AE86 so now I would like to upgrade to something a little bit faster. I saw two ads on Craigslist for two potential cars but idk which one to buy since the only BMW my family has owned was a 328i.

    https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/cto...788049959.html

    ^Seems decent for the price but I've never heard of a S52 with a turbo so idk about reliability. Smog is not an issue for me if you know what I mean.

    https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto...773129520.html

    ^I can't really find too many serious flaws besides the higher mileage. Guy appears to be an enthusiast (anyone know if he's on here?).

    Thanks, Tui

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    What are you looking to haul?

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    Both could be OK but you need to know what you are doing with an aftermarket turbo or supercharger. Hopefully these two cars are sorted since the owners have had them a while. Sometimes they are headaches and get parked and then sold.

    The 95 appears to have an inexpensive 328i M52 engine. Maybe he blew up the S50. Also no heat or AC.

    The 99 looks more interesting to me, although I prefer turbos to superchargers and have had both on my 99M3.

    Beware the difficulty in passing inspection with mods in CA.

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    Quote Originally Posted by pbonsalb View Post
    Beware the difficulty in passing inspection with mods in CA.
    Exactly. Neither of those cars would come close to passing smog inspection for street use. In CA it's the seller's responsibility to make the vehicle compliant and provide a valid smog certificate BEFORE sale. If you want to drive on the street I'd ask the sellers about how they pass smog (and prepare for entertaining answers). If it's going to be a track-only car that gets trailered everywhere you could just register it as non-op like I did with mine, but then you can't drive it or park it on the street.

    For a daily driver that won't be an inspection headache you're best off looking for something with stock engine. Even with stock hp these cars are a total blast on track.
    Last edited by NoLastName; 01-10-2019 at 09:00 AM.

  5. #5
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    If these are your only two options, this seems like a pretty simple choice to me.

    The 99 is newer, lower miles, better condition, better done, less iffy stuff, and is cheaper.

    -Josh: 1998 S54 E36 M3/4/6 with most of the easy stuff and most of the hard stuff. At least twice. 271k miles. 1994 E32 740il with nothing but some MPars. 93k miles.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by jim89325is View Post
    What are you looking to haul?
    lol haul = fast. Interested to see how either of these cars would pass smog in CA. That being said, a lot of turbo cars built by castro are running around that area...

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    You can buy Dinan carb stickers for supercharger kits. Could help assuming you install a cat, the car passes, and no one looks too closely.

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    Quote Originally Posted by bmw328m52 View Post
    lol haul = fast. Interested to see how either of these cars would pass smog in CA. That being said, a lot of turbo cars built by castro are running around that area...
    Oh I got the smog part covered if you know what i mean.......

  9. #9
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    I would take the white M3.

    It has an actual M3 motor, less miles, less potential issues it seems like.

    The 1995 M3 doesn't even have the original engine, it has an M52 block, and the cut in the hood for the turbo. Come on.

    Stage 2 kit is pretty damn fast too:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eRzyadnxR8


    Stage 2 kit can make around 400whp (450 crank hp) with 93 octane and probably a bit more with meth injection. That's pretty serious numbers for a daily driver that weighs 3200lbs. The supercharger will have heatsoak on short tracks, be aware of that.



    Not sure if it matters to you, but the turbo car has no AC and no heat.

    If you decided that the SC isn't your thing, you could easily sell the supercharger kit and tune, and for another 2-3k have a great working 1999 M3 turbo S52 that makes 500whp reliably, with working AC/heat and stock interior, and stock hood.
    Last edited by Hova; 01-10-2019 at 04:13 PM.
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    A wouldn't consider a 20+ year old car with an aftermarket turbo and no AC/heat to be anything near a daily driver. Fun weekend car of course, but reliable enough to depend on...no way.

  11. #11
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    RRSperry is offline Senior Moment Member BMW E36 M3 Expert
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    Welllll.. since the owner of 5he 95 can’t read the sticker that says Avusblau... I’d run, or rather haul.. but for that money, spend a bit more and buy an E46 M3...
    No matter where you go, there you are...

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by tui View Post
    I would like to upgrade to something a little bit faster.
    Thanks, Tui
    The turbo car will be much faster on the street.

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    Turbo car will also be a blast on the track ... I’ve only done one track day in mine, next one coming up in a month... reliability TBD.
    991 | 964 | G55 | D90 | LX570 |

    Past: SC'd e34 540/6, CSL'd E46 M3, E36 M3/4/5, E36 M3 turbo, E36 M3, 335D, Porsche 951, 80 Series LC, Kleeman E55 Wagon, LX470, 970 Panamera TT, E92 M3

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    Quote Originally Posted by S14 View Post
    The turbo car will be much faster on the street.
    That I know, but how reliable is a M52 turbo vs the S52 S/C

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    Done well, it’s just as reliable or more reliable. Not done well either is a headache. I am into power and torque, and an M52 turbo will make more horsepower and torque than an S52 centrifugal supercharger. Again, assuming properly sorted examplesz. Many examples are not well sorted, but I would have to see these to know. I see more red flags with the 95 turbo car than with the 99 supercharged car, but there may be explanations,

  16. #16
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    Plenty of FI guys have daily'd their turbo cars including myself. They are just as reliable IF done correctly. Head to head, turbo car is much faster. However, OP is going into a project that was done by someone else. There will be issues that need to be addressed. Hopefully all minor...

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by pbonsalb View Post
    Done well, it’s just as reliable or more reliable. Not done well either is a headache. I am into power and torque, and an M52 turbo will make more horsepower and torque than an S52 centrifugal supercharger. Again, assuming properly sorted examplesz. Many examples are not well sorted, but I would have to see these to know. I see more red flags with the 95 turbo car than with the 99 supercharged car, but there may be explanations,
    +1, to all of that in regards to which car would be more or less reliable than the other.

    I like OP's thinking, needs a car faster than his AE86 and jumps right into boosted E36s

  18. #18
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    I need a faster car than my turbo E36M3. It does only 134 mph in the quarter, though that was before the fully ported +1mm valve head, Schrick cams and EFR9180 turbo. Should be several mph faster now.

  19. #19
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    I'm not sure why this is even talked about.. Turbos are going to be far more reliable than a supercharger. There are far less moving parts, less friction, less heat soak, etc. You don't see new car manufacturers supercharge cars anymore, they turbo or twin turbo cars. They are far more reliable and dependable HP levels.

    There are lots of turbo E36's and E46's that do drift events, Texas Mile, drag racing, etc. Very few supercharged ones.
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  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hova View Post
    I'm not sure why this is even talked about.. Turbos are going to be far more reliable than a supercharger. There are far less moving parts, less friction, less heat soak, etc. You don't see new car manufacturers supercharge cars anymore, they turbo or twin turbo cars. They are far more reliable and dependable HP levels.

    There are lots of turbo E36's and E46's that do drift events, Texas Mile, drag racing, etc. Very few supercharged ones.
    lol this is turning into a FI thread quick...

  21. #21
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    RRSperry is offline Senior Moment Member BMW E36 M3 Expert
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hova View Post
    I'm not sure why this is even talked about.. Turbos are going to be far more reliable than a supercharger. There are far less moving parts, less friction, less heat soak, etc. You don't see new car manufacturers supercharge cars anymore, they turbo or twin turbo cars. They are far more reliable and dependable HP levels.

    There are lots of turbo E36's and E46's that do drift events, Texas Mile, drag racing, etc. Very few supercharged ones.
    eh, Chevy, and Ford might disagree.. Z06, Ford GT... just saying..
    No matter where you go, there you are...

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by RRSperry View Post
    eh, Chevy, and Ford might disagree.. Z06, Ford GT... just saying..
    Perhaps, but the only reason they aren't going turbo yet is because of the plumbing difficulty on a V-8. A turbo LS motor can crack 1000whp without breaking a sweat.
    "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
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  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hova View Post
    Perhaps, but the only reason they aren't going turbo yet is because of the plumbing difficulty on a V-8. A turbo LS motor can crack 1000whp without breaking a sweat.
    I suspect it has more to do with a glide path to 1000. They're keeping some powder dry to keep up with the Jonses the easy way rather than blowing everyone out of the water all at once. Though I'm not sure how anyone else would compete with that short of electrification. That motor is just so detuned / understressed. There remains a LOT of room for easy gains for GM PT engineers for a long time to come...

    -Josh: 1998 S54 E36 M3/4/6 with most of the easy stuff and most of the hard stuff. At least twice. 271k miles. 1994 E32 740il with nothing but some MPars. 93k miles.

  24. #24
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    And it’s still a 2 valve pushrod?

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by pbonsalb View Post
    And it’s still a 2 valve pushrod?
    Nothing wrong with 2 valve or pushrods. They obviously can make more power with alternative solutions, but they can still rev to 9k (safely 6-7k) and make 1000+hp on 2v and pushrods.
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