I'm currently a bimmer guy but have pretty much done all to my current e36 that I want to do and want something else to mess with. I considered getting an e30 to tinker with while I save get an e36 m3 or an e36 to motorswap. I've always wanted something turboed ever since I've driven a friend of mine's rex. I don't want a wrx as they're way too common imho and are too much of a teenager car, even though I am 20.

So how many of these cars were made in the US? I basiaclly want an earlier one (would like to spend around 8gs?) thats a 5 speed with cloth preferably and 1.8t quattro. Is this way too specific of a car to be looking for... I've been browsing the classifieds and there doesn't seem to be nearly as many of them floating around as sedans.

Also, how much power can you realistically get out of this engine without compromising the reliablity of it? I'm not looking for something superfast as my next e36 will be a blown s52. I'd also plan on doing suspension, wheels, and some go fast mods, so hopefully it would be up to speed with an e46 330/6speed

Any advice/experiance coming from any prior e36 owners or anyone in general?

 

www.autotrader.com

 

thanks for the bump?

im a noob on this forum, but seriously wtf...

 

lol, i would like to apologize for steventownsend's response.

yes, there are definitely less avants around than sedans..at least in most areas. the cloth interior shouldn't be hard to find, as that was standard on the 1.8Ts for the earlier models...the avant wasn't released in the US until 98 though, which is going to be your main problem. a 98+ for 8Gs or less is going to be tough. another tough one is the 5-speed..most of the avants i've found seem to always be tips. stock, the 1.8T has 150HP...there are all kinds of chips that will add anywhere from 20-50HP and 20-80ftlbs of torque. an apr or giac chip will leave you with what most people consider to be a pretty quick car. the modding potential is amazing, but a chip is definitely a safe mod that won't kill your reliability.....if you want to keep up with an e46 330 6-speed you'll probably need a big turbo setup (the most popular being the k04 from pretty much any major audi tuner)

i don't know where you're located, but if you're willing to travel, it's MUCH easier to find good audis in harsh winter areas like tahoe, colorado, and the upper east coast (especially new jersey)

 

so you basically want my car but with cloth seats. too bad.

 

imo, i would totally go with the wrx. very reliable, very powerful and fast, have soo soo much potential, and the handling is outstanding.

 

cloth seats will be hard to find because leather/pleather was a free option and most people didnt want cloth. but you can get some good power out of the 1.8t and still remain relyable. the k04 turbo upgrade will give you around 235-240 hp and will remain quite relyable....

 

you appologize for my response? i bumped and said that's the easiest way to find what you want.. i had no other info to give.

 

Thanks for everyone's reply. I've been poking around and it looks like my intended price and even the car itself is going to be pretty tough to find. I thought a cap of around 10k including some mods would be somewhat reasonable, but it looks like i'm only going to hit that range if I buy an early sedan.

And I'm not getting an a4 to be super fast!!! A wrx would be fun, but I know little about them and I am going to buy an e36 with an s52 (the 3.2l engine) and go fi. People with the dinan blower and varients of it have seen close to 400rwhp with mods to the blower/engine. So it will definately satisfy my need to go fast. I just want something different since I've been a bimmer guy all 4 years of my driving carrier and I got a pt job for the school year at an audi dealer... so I've been pondering a bit So it looks like I might remain a strictly bimmer guy for a bit longer. And I will NEVER ever get a current generation bimmer. e36 for life! and maybe an e46 m3/e39 m5 someday.

 

I actually found one in San Diego that is EXACTLY what I want. http://sandiego.craigslist.org/car/124358652.html

Price is a bit higher, but its a low mileage car. HOwever, I don't quite have the funds together that I want yet. I own my current car outright and want to keep it.. and I want to put about 3k down and finance the rest over the next couple years. I was hoping it would be around 5k... but looks like I may have to up my budget for a car I want. I'm not totally deadset on an avant, and sinec they're rare as **** in socal, I may *settle* for a sedan seeing as that would save me a few grand.

I am however set on getting a b5, I've spent the last week driving audis and vws and I need to add something new to the driveway and postpone my e36 project utnil my brother can afford to buy my e36.