what exactly is there to do, performance-wise, to a 1983 528e. i'm not looking for a racecar, i'm just.... it felt so goddamn slow on the way home from my first job today.... blah. i'll check this later, because i've got to be at my other job in like 45 minutes. oh well, back to the interstate?

but i love the 528e. amazing gas mileage, and a good ride. but i need a new tranny (how much / where can i find a new or slightly used 5-speed tranny for this?), and some days it'll be actually faster than hell for a 121 hp sedan, and some days it'll be slow as balls.

i'm not sure.... should i keep it? i'll post pics tomorrow, most likely. if i've got the time? it's a really REALLY good looking car, i just wish it ran as good as i keep it looking. performance-wise, though - what are my options?

-Andrew-

If I'm not mistaken, you can do almost all the mods that you could do to an e30 325e, as you have the same engine. Things like swapping an -is head in, stuff like that. Should bring you up to 170hp or so, then you can go hog wild as you will have a 2.7L M20 and do a turbo kit, if you wanted. E30.net has a bunch of FAQs about making the 325e faster.

The trannie you have, the Getrag 265, is regarded as the most sturdy trannie BMW ever used. The only weak points are the synchros. Metric Mechanic has a bunch of great info about it on their website. I just picked up a trannie for my E9 from an 81 528e donor, which included everything that was attached to the trannie aside from the driveshaft and engine, for 500$. Considering usual BMW transmission costs, that is very reasonable.