----- Original Message -----
From: "Jay Mitchell" <jemitchell@compuserve.com>
> Eric Salem wrote:
>
>
> >1986 BMW 325 es.
> >
> >Anybody know anything about them?
>
> Yes. They had the BMW "eta" engine, which was the result of BMW's
> belief that fuel economy would be an overriding concern for their
> customers (To BMW's credit, they got over that delusion pretty
> quickly). These engines redline at 4500 rpm and are not readily
> convertible to a real BMW motor.
>
> >And what to look for while evaluating
> >the car.
>
> I'd suggest you look for a way out of there. Quick.
> ;<)
Yes, they used the eta engine, and yes they have a low redline, but they are
from the same engine family as the i engines. This swap is fairly common,
using the eta bottom end with a 325i/is head, ecu, and tach. What you end
up with is a 2.7L i engine versus a 2.5L i engine in the 325i/is cars. You
have MORE torque, and also a nice redline with some power.
My wife has an 88 with the eta. It is a nice car, the engine is fairly
peppy, but it is not a dragster. Her's is an automatic, though. I have
seen an 8.9 sec 0-60 with a GTech, and she gets 24mpg around town. I
actually like the eta engine better than the i engine with an automatic, it
kind of reminds me of the way old Detroit iron would accelerate, tach needle
moves slowly, but the speedometer moves fairly quickly. It's power is
better than adequate to get the car up to speed.
If you really like the car, try to haggle a little bit, just below $3k,
maybe $2.8k. Parts are expen$ive, but it is easy to work on (changed an
in-tank fuel pump in less than 10 minutes!).
They are a better car than most give credit.
Ron N. - Dalton, GA
90 SHO
88 325
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