Hi there guys, i'm a newb... I am a big VW nut and am making my way to BMW's... The e21's strike me as a very cool ride... What kind of aftermarket supply is there for these, would they be a viable daily, and what kinda power are people getting outa the stock power plant? If you could direct me to a good source that compares options/models and so on... I know i'll be purchasing a bimmer soon and I refuse to buy past the e30's... Any info would be greatly appreciated...

Check out the FAQ thread at the top.

The 77-79 320's have the 2.0L @ 109hp
The 80-83 320's have the 1.8L @ 101hp

both had a smidge over 100ft-lbs

Welcome to the forums.

Alright, I appreciate it man... And thanks... Who is makin aftermarket parts for these things?

lots of links in the top faq

Welcome to the forums! I've owned some nice sports cars, and a few American muscle cars, and I can tell you that I wouldn't trade my E21 320i for any other car. I'll always own other cars too, but my 320i is the funnest car I've ever driven. It's not super fast, but the fun factor is off the scale. There are always ways to make them faster, if that's what a person really wants to do. Speed isn't my main concern with the E21...I just love the way it handles. You just have to drive one to understand. It doesn't really sound like you needed to be convinced though. Hope you find one that gives you a thrill the way mine does for me. :alrightbmw

I'm a new BMW guy too. I was heavy into the VW scene before, and am now getting into my bimmer pretty good.

Welcome to the forums! I've owned some nice sports cars, and a few American muscle cars, and I can tell you that I wouldn't trade my E21 320i for any other car. I'll always own other cars too, but my 320i is the funnest car I've ever driven. It's not super fast, but the fun factor is off the scale. There are always ways to make them faster, if that's what a person really wants to do. Speed isn't my main concern with the E21...I just love the way it handles. You just have to drive one to understand. It doesn't really sound like you needed to be convinced though. Hope you find one that gives you a thrill the way mine does for me. :alrightbmw


DIT-DO....corners-corners-corners-corners-corners-corners-corners...:alright GET THE DRIFT!!

There is not nearly the aftermarket that you are used to in the VW scene.

If smog legality is not a problem in your area you can make these cars perform quite well. If smog legality IS a problem you can't really make much more power- 125hp maybe...

Search the forum and visit a couple other forums for more info.

ken

Good choice, welcome to the forums. I always get "Dude, is that an E21!?" whenever i take it to autocrosses (all the others have rusted away up here). My car isnt in the greatest of shape but people still like it. You can really make these an awesome handling car if you put a little money into the suspension...and if you are into drifting, these cars are pretty sick.

seems like everyone makes their way from vw to bmw eventually... if you like mk1s and mk2s you'll love e21s and e30s.

Wow, i'm liking what i'm seein here, thanks for all the responses... kdanielson (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/member.php?u=36326), you got some nice projects there...

Is there more aftermarket for e30's? Would that be a better car to start with? And do I really want to steer clear of the 325e's?

e30's are for hosers:)

The aftermarket for e30s is much larger but who wants one of those??

ken

having owned mk1s, mk2s, an e21, and an e30, i'd say the e21 is where it's at. there are a lot of parallels in progression from mk1 to mk2 compared to e21 to e30. the second-gen cars are a little stiffer and faster stock, but the first-gen cars have more character. they're more basic, a little less watered down. and since they're considerably lighter, a little extra power goes a long way. even though my e30 was a lot faster, i miss the e21 more.

the e21 is my first car, and i love the car and bein able to work on it.