e30 vs ae111

[redsprinter]

hi guys,

so the sprinter is sold and looking into getting out of the carscene and getting something as a daily car , with sprited drives here and there .

being a toyota forum i know most will sway towards the ae111 .. but in saying that any feed back would be good.

spec list of the cars i have seen . both roughly around the same price .

1990 e30 318is (dohc verson) manual . RWD
290,000km on the clock .
1 owner , log books , full service history including major service recently.

clean shell , clean inteior and clean motor no leaks or rattles . showroom conditon .
currently waiting on mechanic report on compression and leak down test.


1997 ae111 blacktop 20v bz-g 6-speed - FWD
82,000km on the clock .
looks standard .
history unknown .

(have not seen the actual car in person)

have driven both . the e30 last week and a ae111 once about a year ago . e30 feel like a noraml euro car soft , but feels like there is potential in it... the ae111 i know for a fact has a stiffer ride from factory .

both car are good in there own right . body panels are far and few inbetween for both car . more imo for the ae111 , but the e30 i belive were sold in Aus so (take a deep breathe) shouldnt be hard to source parts . motor wise the 20v has got it on ks.

your thoughts ?

[marvis]

ae111

[ae86]

id personally go with the ae111 but thats my opinion

[Gunner]

hahaha, e30 has nothing on the ae111, after all there is a decade between them. I have owned a BZ-r and they are a great car, they are quick, I ran a 14.2 in mine, it handled extremely well (had the super strut option) point it and go, pretty much. Parts are easy to get, but need to come from overseas. The 6spd is weak, well the diff is, they dont like big rev dumps, but if it has the lsd it will bog off the line if you dont, and then you will have to wait until about 4,500rpm before it moves, which sucks, but the difference in car between the 5 spd and 6 spd is night and day, and i would only ever buy another if it had the 6 spd, but if you blow the box expect to pay $$$$. In the year I owned mine, I only ever needed to service it and do the clutch, then i eventually lunched the diff, it let go powering out of a corner in 2nd at 4800, where power starts coming on, it just fell apart, but i had abused it for a year prior, I mean thrashed the life out of it.

As for modding, mine had apexi springs, on standards struts, ebc pads, extractors, a custom exhaust, and a good cold air kit. made 96.4kw atw up from 82kw standard. And with out sounding like a total cock, it scared a hell of a lot of s15s through natio. I loved it, would i buy another? mmmm maybe if they were under 10k.

I drove an e30 for about 4 months, it was a 5spd 323i, so had the six in it, it was slow, soft and was ust another 20 something year old heap of shit, may of just been a shit box, but it was just a boring car.

[Vance]

youre better off getting a 6 cylinder e30. sohc but they still dominate the dohc 4's because of torque.


that said id still rather get a ae111 over an e30 for a daily

[Frak]

I have owned an AE111 coming up 3 years(it's my daily). like Gunner said, they are a very good car, I got mine with an original 62K on the clocks and a full Japanese service history(must be a first!). In the time I've had it, I've replace super strut links(very expensive) and the usual consumables, I am OCD with servicing and only use the best quality oils etc, Royal purple every 3000km for example. Like Gunner said, the car really suprises alot of people, the handling of the Superstrut models is very good, but links are fragile. I made the mistake about 18 months ago of replacing the suspension(standard the Superstrut cars sit very high), the ride is now shocking(especially on crap Adelaide roads) probably worst riding car I have owned BUT the handling is even better, at Mallala and roads such as Gorge Rd the handling is incredible for a FWD(mine has a factory helical LSD fitted) and when I've done Gorge runs, not too many cars can stay with it thru the tight corners. Unfortunately Superstrut front struts are not availabvle off the shelf in Aus so you have to get them from Japan, EVERY brand is expensive, I messed up and bought adjustable circuit shocks thinking the softest setting would be ok for our roads, the softest setting is still way to hard. The standard ride/handling compromise of the standard shocks/springs is very good....suprise suprise :)

The Superstrut models get bigger front disc rotors with twin piston calipers.

The fuel economy is incredible, driving it daily(and revving the crap out of it) I usually get in the low 7ltr/100km, the worst I've had is about 8.0ltr/100km, on the open road I can easy get it into the high 5's!!!

be aware that the Superstrut models are a 'package', especially the pre face lift model, for example;
If you buy a 95/96 5 speed model with Superstrut you get;
Superstrut suspension
larger rotors/twin piston calipers
Helical LSD
quicker steering
ABS
stiffer sus
larger sway bars
if you get the equivalent year BUT NOT superstrut, you get smaller rotors/single piston caliper, no LSD, no ABS etc

One thing I have noticed since changing the sus, is I can fire the ABS off at the drop of a hat due to the dampening rates of the shocks, it also lifts a rear wheel without even trying which will also fire off the ABS, on rough roads it's a shocker, but on smooth roads sweet as.

I always use genuine parts on my car and getting them through Toyota is piss easy, at xmas time I did cambelt/tensioner/idler, water pump, fuel filter/superstrut links etc, all was available from Toyota and WERE in stock at various dealers, so it took about 3 days to get the parts!!!!

The car has been incredily reliable and I really like driving it, it feels nice to drive, good seating etc

The only mod I have done to my engine was to fit some I.Mec short rams inside the factory airbox which netted me an extra 6kw at the wheels on our Mainline dyno at work.

as much as I like the E30, I think I'd rather have the AE111.......unless it was an E30 M3 ;)

[Rice86]

ae111...we'll talk at home about this if you want lol

[Frak]

P.S. If you buy a Superstrut model, make sure you check the links before you buy for movement and creaking sounds, if there is any creaking from the front end during the road test YOU will be up for links, when you inspect it, jack up the front and check the links for movement at the large joints.

[70XIN]

unless you're talking about an M3, AE111 for life

[Robo86]

id have an AE111 :D

[ke_70]

e30 over ae111 you do all realise its fwd????? therefore=fail

[Frak]

e30 over ae111 you do all realise its fwd????? therefore=fail

lol, what an ignorant attitude

p.s. I also own an AE86

[redsprinter]

the e30 is unknown water to me .. but there something about it that i like .

[trueno85]

I'd go an e30 just because its my favorite but would never buy the 1.8. M20 2.5 straight 6 would do me fine!

[Todd]

well, my friends e30 318is (dohc, same as your interested in) suffered alot of problems, mainly to do with cooling system issues. eventually the motor seized and when we went to go and get a new one we quickly found out from the euro wrecker that it was a common problem with those engines. we ended up forgetting the engine,and it is now a shell sitting in her backyard.
and the 290,000 doesnt sound too great to take on daily duties.

get the ae111 if you have to choose between the two. its really a no brainer.

[trueno85]

Also isn't there going to be quite a large price difference? wouldn't this come into your decision?

[PeakingDuck]

both roughly around the same price .

Definately AE111 for daily duties.

[redsprinter]

both car are around the same mark.

todd . whats sort of cooling issues?

[Todd]

hot spots caused by blockages (3 seperate times), dead waterpumps x2 (one genuine, one aftermarket), and a few blocked cores. dont know whether they were all related or not, but they happened with quite a while of fine driving in between.

2 BHG also.

also went through 2 fuel pumps (again one genuine, one aftermarket) although this may have been due to a filthy tank.

[shift_rook]

i love the ae111, chuck some nice looking kicks on her and she'd be the perfect daily, it's amazing the handling you can get out of a fwd car now, unless you intend to dori, ae111 for sure

[sun_moon]

ae111.

im not even going to bother explaining myself.

[doots]

havent read the rest of the forum ill just say flat out.

1. ks hands down ae111
2. parts, hands down ae111
3. unique? hands down ae111
4. driveline, rwd ftw e30
5. wank factor hands down e30 yo

what is more important?

[sun_moon]

havent read the rest of the forum ill just say flat out.

1. ks hands down ae111
2. parts, hands down ae111
3. unique? hands down ae111
4. driveline, rwd ftw e30
5. wank factor hands down e30 yo

what is more important?

i think people seem to underestimate how good FF cars are

[R&D Mechanical]

Depends what you are using the car for, but for hills i would go fwd much better then rwd. Just because its front wheel drive doesn't mean its shit and cant drive lollllllllllllllll

[doots]

i think people seem to underestimate how good FF cars are

i cant understand why they ever invented ff cars. if they use the same technology in an rwd it will handle better.
this is purely my opinion flame me if you feel the need id love to hear why im wrong. i dont know much about ae111's tbh and no fucking idea what super strut is so feel free to explain to me. and i must express my sheer detest for beemers. unless its over 100g its just poser shit.
my mate wont even come on a cruise with me in her 318i cos she reckons its falling to bits. and she freaking sold her porsche the sod

edit: i dont doubt it will handle better than some rwds i just hate cv joints and ff boxes.

[Frak]

i dont know much about ae111's tbh and no fucking idea what super strut is

I'm glad to see the educated posting replies to threads asking for advice on AE86DC

[Todd]

I'm glad to see the educated posting replies to threads asking for advice on AE86DC

i lol'd just as much as you did haha.

GET THE AE111/ENDTHREAD.

[slide86]

i cant understand why they ever invented ff cars. if they use the same technology in an rwd it will handle better.
this is purely my opinion flame me if you feel the need id love to hear why im wrong. i dont know much about ae111's tbh and no fucking idea what super strut is so feel free to explain to me. and i must express my sheer detest for beemers. unless its over 100g its just poser shit.
my mate wont even come on a cruise with me in her 318i cos she reckons its falling to bits. and she freaking sold her porsche the sod

edit: i dont doubt it will handle better than some rwds i just hate cv joints and ff boxes.

please never post again

you are making the internet less intelligent

[KurtHS]

Explain to him why he's wrong then, he asked to be educated on it so why not, don't just smack talk the bloke.


It's a daily, you want reliability (it's a freakin' 90's Toyota! Vs an 80's BMW), ease of servicing and parts availability, economy and all around suitability. Go for the AE111, clearly hands down winner.

[Frak]

you are making the internet less intelligent

lol!!!!

[Todd]

It's a daily, you want reliability (it's a freakin' 90's Toyota! Vs an 80's BMW), ease of servicing and parts availability, economy and all around suitability. Go for the AE111, clearly hands down winner.

not necessarily, 318is' were still available new in the early 90s :P

[evil86]

POINT PROVEN JOHN,... all the boys back me up on this

[AJPS]

And with out sounding like a total cock, it scared a hell of a lot of s15s through natio.

Correct me if im wrong, but werent you blasting some dudes on here the other day about going fast on the street?

[Gunner]

yeah, but I have grown up a lot in the past 2 years. To correct you though dave, it was more so their "i'm an invincible street drifter" attitude i have a problem with, personally though, i dont give a fuck what people do, just dont do it near me.

[AJPS]

Cool as.

[munki]

ae111 is a great car for the money, Would be on my short list if i was getting another daily.

[ke_70]

tread fail

[Todd]

tread fail

*Thread Fail.

you fail at failing the thread.

[R&D Mechanical]

Lol its a good thread? whats so fail about it?

[rhys2229]

i had a e30 1.8 manual, it was pretty reliable apart from the common problems with e30 series ie cooling issues and noisy lifters, i replaced the raditor and got a brake server thingy-majig replaced. i had the single cam 86kw engine (there was also a 1.8 twincam 100kw engine) and it was pretty quick and still fuel efficient but didnt sound to good high in the rev range, the gearbox had fairly short ratios but felt abit weak at times. apart from that the paint polishs up really well and they seriously dont rust, the boots very roomy the seat were comfy, irs rear end, heeeeeeaps of steering lock, i could turn around in one go in a one way lane haha.

[Gunner]

Though I loved my 111, a jz, or even 3s e30, would be cool.

[squish_m8]

My opinion is:
-AE111 is good daily material - reliable, easy parts etc
-BMW is poser material - you pay for the badge

[doots]

lol at my getting shit kicked.

i know about bmw's and how ridiculously expensive they are. i dont know much about ae111's but im hardly telling him to buy 1 i was just presenting the facts he laid out.

and uncle frak frak we all want to be like you so why dont you teach me something?

or are you too wise for the weak?

[Frak]

i dont know much about ae111's tbh and no fucking idea what super strut is so feel free to explain to me.

How about ATLEAST you do a google search before offering up a comment if you have "no fucking idea", or do you just want to be spoon fed all your info? If you do some research AND then are not sure of how Superstrut works, well let me know and I'll fill you in.

Also I'm not too wise for the weak......just tired of them! Y-geners!!

[doots]

word up to y gen!

i know a little bit about ae111's just no idea about super strut. i shall do the research and contact you personally if i have any questions.

i tell you what though my ex's brother has a 318is and that thing is a boaty POS

[Mr Awsome]

ae111 its had 1/5th the life of the E30 your interested in.

[Frak]

i shall do the research and contact you personally if i have any questions.



no problemo :)

[redsprinter]

so anyways. im getting the e30 . comp test came out good. 180 180 185 150 . might be called a poser . but which car make isnt these days.

love the look . yeah sus feels a bit boaty but can be fixed with a set of bc coilovers. parts/wheels/ panels are no more expensive then a jdm import eg r34 / chaser / supra etc .. an engine convo is no more harder the a 4age convo on a adm sprinter . only difference is instead of parts coming from yahoo japan .. ill be buying them from ebay.com .. same takumi tax different smell.

[Todd]

the 150 didnt worry you? :)

[redsprinter]

why ? should i? i was expecting lower figure from a motor with that many ks. car has not be driven in 6 month.

[Gunner]

it'd worry me.

[redsprinter]

google told me this : Low compression in one cylinder usually indicates a bad exhaust valve. Low compression in two adjacent cylinders typically means you have a bad head gasket. Low compression in all cylinders would tell you the rings and cylinders are worn and the engine needs to be overhauled.

[Gunner]

as a rule of thumb yes, but there are too many variables.

If it drives fine, and doesn't blow smoke, I wouldn't worry about it. But hey if it breaks, its just an excuse to replace it with something better, like a 1j

[redsprinter]

:P

1j would be nice but im still on my green p . im thinking beams .:yeah:

nah this car is gonna be stock until i pay off some loans and get my life together .

[LittleRedSpirit]

The E30 will potentially be worth more than you pay when you sell it. Id only get a 318i 2 door or a 325e with the 2.7 motor.

The 2 door E30 chassis is a classic and is very reliable. Ive driven them and they are good fun, like a corolla but more high speed stable and safer.

Its hard to find a good one due to age. Look hard.

Here in Brisbane Simon Harrocks buys every E30 2 door he can get for race car builds. Even still there are plenty around. Ive been in a race prepared one with a 6 cylinder stroker and it was a monster.

The ae111 will be more economical, comfier, have working ac and some jdm cred I guess to impress the haters.

The E30 is a classic. So the choice to me is, classic or modern. Ive never owned a fwd car and Im not about to start now.

If you want inspiration...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkQBD3eYADA

One of my favourite Youtube rally vids of all time, see the sketchiness under brakes (0.17) and love the E30. :DD haha.

[Sam-Q]

150 on cylinder 4 says engine on last legs to me

[StuC]

i love the E30s - look sweet,great platform and chassis, good on paper but the particular one you're looking at seems like its not the smartest option. 290,000kms on it and with those comp figures. With my experience of Euro motors and the stories of heard from fellow mechs on beamers - i i give you 1 month before shes dead.
The corolla i would have thought to be a no-brainer on this one.

But, if you want all the details for 2j into E30 PM me. I have access to a full write-up for wiring, mounts etc etc