1st gen DSM or Bimmer... Opinions!

[MusPuppis]

Ok, I'll be selling the SHO in a few months, as soon as its painted, which will happen as soon as a certain Z being brought down gets done first . I'm gonna toss like 2300$ on it and see how it goes. I dont expect more than 2k, but whutevah. Anyway, If things go somewhat as planned, after my FA stuff from school comes through and bills get paid, I *should* be sitting on about 3500$ I can afford to spend on a new car. (new to me, heh).

 

Now, 3500$ isnt much, but from what I've seen I can get into a decent 325i series from the early 90's and I can certainly find myself a nice 92 DSM (I say 92 cause I wont invest in anything but the 6/4 combo). Sadly, I missed out on an 89 325is, 5 speed, charcoal grey leather, needed some work but the guy was only asking like 750$ for it, lol. another 1k into it and it would have been pristine.

 

I'm just looking for some opinions. My intentions for the car depend purely on which car I get. If I get the DSM, I'm gonna throw money into the power side and goof off runnin it at the strip, if I get the Bimmer, most work will go into the suspension/handling section and I'll auo-x it.

 

I dunno.. The Bimmers are obviously a higher class of car, but I dont know what kind of upkeep costs I'd be looking at. I do all my own work, so its purely a parts cost issue. I know DSM parts arent bad, about average..

 

Bleh.. What do you folks think?

[Drax240z]

Bimmer 100% dude... you'll love it!

[Zmanco]

I had a '93 325 which was tons of fun once I put a Dinan stage III suspension package on it (stiffer springs, struts, bars, and lots of neg camber). With the stock suspension it's too soft. The iS package is a good compromise, but if you're serious about handling, it's not going to make you happy.

 

Also, keep in mind that BMW parts aren't cheap, although not as bad as Porsche. I've had 3 BMWs and not one of them made it past 80k miles with the original water pump.

 

Lastly, I don't know what used prices are like, but I think it was either '92 or '93 when the 2.5 liter engine picked up variable valve timing. It didn't change the max HP, but it gives lots more torque in the midrange. For autocrossing I would especially suggest you do what you need to do to get one with it. The non-variable valve engine is pretty torque deficient.

 

BTW, what is a DSM?

 

Good luck!

[Lunar240z]

DSM =diamond star motors, thats what people call mitsu eclipses, eagle talons, and plymouth lasers.

[MusPuppis]

Yeah. I should have clarified, hehe.

 

'92 DSM I would go for would be the turbo 2.0ltr 4 banger. AWD, something along the lines of 195-ish hp, 205-ish trq (Dont remember the specs off the top of my head but its similar to that). Thats on stock boost @ 7psi. Stock turbo can be pushed to 13-14psi. They run around flat 15's in dead stock trim and the motor responds pretty well to mods. Getting them into the 13's isnt hard at all really. Pretty conservative list of mods will do it.

 

My issues with them are weight (something like 3100pds or something) and reliability. They break often.

 

I'm really leaning toward a Bimmer.. the more I think about it the more I like the idea.. but then I started thinking.. Hell, 3500$ might put me behind the wheel of a 240z in reasonable enough shape to be used as a DD. Just dunno if I want to invest in an older car as my only means of transportation. My Z wont be on the road for untold decades, so I'd like to have one I can drive, lol.