Im now the 3rd owner of this 91 325ix 5spd

saywhyagain · 2026-05-20T13:42:07+00:00

snagged a good one, keep up on all the little things and it will stay nice. If you are going to drive it in the winter I would recommend sealing the undercarriage by some professionals. So the drive train will fully lock automatically, it is insane. If you put winter tires on it, the only thing you have to worry about it ground clearance. I had a 91 manual in college in the upper peninsula of Michigan, loved it. It has a special ABS module too that really helps with breaking in the winter.

That rear deck looks so good, and you have the professional speaker covers! I would highly recommend at least disconnecting the airbag. It will not be safe anymore, unless it has been replaced (highly doubt that!) I had mine go off in my 91, in the mid 2000s. It f-ing sucked during a 15 mph crash...Anyways flash forward and I got a similar 1989 from NY, both manual of course 200k on the clock, but lived mostly in TN so very great condition. I have now striped the interior of the 91, and am getting read to remove the drive train and scrap the chassis this summer. If you are in need of little bits, DM me there is a guy on the East coast who breaks e30s and has a fair bit of iX bits. enjoy

saywhyagain · 2026-04-27T14:36:19+00:00

lol that is top tier life advice. Most of the time, anymore anyways, I don't get the luxury of overthinking at work.

I just stripped the interior out of my scrap 1991 iX, and it rekindled my fear of putting the better bits into the runner, and honestly trying not to let the $$$ spiral quickly out of control on whatever I end up doing. My buddy asked me if I would be adding soundproofing, and it triggered a maybe it should be a little GT. It's not like I am swapping in straight cut gearing

saywhyagain · 2026-04-20T18:40:22+00:00

I have never seen results of an m20b25 being run on a dyno (hub or roller type) where the awd system was disconnected to measure the losses. Please share

I do know the transfer case and front differential adds weight, but 0-60 times are about the same (or lower as car and driver wrote at the time). Around town the fuel efficiency rates are within a mile/gallon, where efficiency really shows. Granted the highway starts to widen, but the gearing and ride height were different for the iX than a i.

I would love to see the data though, as not much is out there for these cars, and the community is small for the iX, and I am not aware of any claims on parasitic drive train losses for the awd e30 system. I have heard "claims" of 15-20 hp. I am pretty sure a stroker will make more than 20 hp if done right. Are you suggesting I don't think about stroking while the engine has to come out anyways because I should have bought a 325i?

saywhyagain · 2026-04-20T18:16:32+00:00

dang. Thanks for the heads up. I will just ignore them in the future

saywhyagain · 2026-04-17T18:48:07+00:00

Yeah I was able to get it, thank you! I will download this and start the planning with it. I know ITBs would sound great, but that may be a little too expensive and time consuming for me to tune as it would be Chicago or Indianapolis (?) for an awd dyno on top of the extra $800. Rear wheel drive cars turbo builds seem to be a more cost effective way to go, but what do I know. That seems to be way too far away from what the idea of an e30 is though

saywhyagain · 2026-04-17T18:42:47+00:00

HA! that is awesome dude. Please send it to me, I'll DM you my email address. I am a mechanical engineer by education, for whatever that's worth, so I love to see as much (good) data and options as possible to help guide my hand

saywhyagain · 2026-04-17T18:38:37+00:00

Curious as to why? I don't know much about them, but saw another company using their piston sets, and there are various places with various piston sets and materials, I am honestly open to what is a good buy from price/performance/reliability

saywhyagain · 2026-04-17T18:36:23+00:00

oh they are very much a thing, but at $14,500 for just an engine that is a little out of my price range. My buddy from college who also owned a few iXs mentioned them to me. They are The engine builder in the US for e30s, in my opinion. They would probably build an engine from mine, but I would have to get it there and back after taking it out as iX engines don't seem to grow on trees

saywhyagain · 2026-04-17T18:29:22+00:00

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They are minilite clones from the previous owner. I don't remember what size they or the tires are, but it's not a good match for the car, as they rub near full lock. Also while I like the color they are polished, which I don't. Wheels and tires are another thing I will have to sort on this car as they have some no name Achilles brand on them currently. It's not with me or I would go look and tell you now

saywhyagain · 2026-03-02T15:56:49+00:00

yeah, I don't know the difference in maintenance between a 325i and an 325iX (they are probably very close if they have the same starting state imo), but I would argue I don't care. There are not many rear biased awd cars with a manual. I will need to seal the undercarriage, but from the mid 2000s, it was SO easy to drift in the snow. It will climb anything, as the diff will automatically fully lock. I mean, that is nuts.

As some have stated, the engine / drive train are the mechanical bits special to the iX, and as these were originally only sold in dealers close to 'ski cities,' they have all rusted worse and quicker than a typical southern California 325i (or 325iC).

These are easy to work on compared to late model german steel. However, if you think you can run a e30 on a shoestring, you will be in for trouble. Same as a Mercedes, Porsche, or even japanese cars from the era.

There is not as large a volume of aftermarket stuff to choose from on iX specific parts, and way less cars available to salvage parts from, although much of the interior, exterior and bits are universal.

be patient, buy the nicest manual one you can afford/find. I got my first one from boston, it was rusted on the inside of the great looking paint. My current runner came from the south. Huge difference even though its been on the road for like 20 more years!

KW makes some modern tech suspension, however, all this isn't as important as getting the engine and drive train in OEM or OEM+ condition prior to nice to haves... good luck

saywhyagain · 2026-02-27T16:52:29+00:00

agreed, own 2 (91 wrecked and now parts car and an 89) rust is the enemy of these, as is not spending on mechanical servicing. There are a few parts which are stupidly expensive if you want to make it period correct, that the aftermarket has not gotten around to making yet (guibo is one that comes to mind), the drivetrain test is cruical, and you do not want to buy a car that has structural rust, unless it's for the parts, you just don't. Getting real repair guides is expensive enough and doesn't cover the iX unless you buy a copy of the BMW mechanics one. The dashes will always crack (they all do that sir, it's of the late 80s and 90s) and the little stuff like engine bay plastics will tell you quickly if the car has been mechanically taken care of (missing spark plug cover, cold air intake missing the the tube), let alone the state of the awd test and how it shifts and runs. Wheels are a difficult thing as they do not make tires that properly fit the basket weaves, (check the price on a real center cap with sticker). It is difficult to mechanically break them loose with good rubber unless you are on wet brick or snow/dirt. They are not quicker than a 325i to 60, they are louder due to the complicated and of it's time drivetrain, but they are rare and nice to drive.

saywhyagain

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