New member looking for as much info as possible

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MWC

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Hello,

I am a long time BMW enthusiast currently looking to get into an E9. I currently own an E36 M3, an E39 M5, and an E34 525i. I do all of the work on these cars and am very familiar with these generations of BMWs, but my knowledge of the older generations-- think E30/E28 and earlier-- is limited.

Over the last few days I have been doing my best to search this forum but information is surprisingly limited when it comes to the general history of the E9 and all of the differences by year etc. Is there a place where all of this information is documented in great detail? I want to know everything I can about these cars. What are the differences between all of the M3o iterations? What are the different fuel injection systems that were offered and how do they differ? What changed in the interior over the years? What is the best year to look for and why? These are the kinds of questions I'd like to be able to answer.

I hope to eventually find an E9 for myself and contribute something to this forum. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

Matt
 
MWC said:
What is the best year to look for and why?
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Well, THAT's a loaded question. It all depends, of course, where your automotive expertise lies and how much time you have to spend on it. And your budget.

If I were looking again, my minimum spec would include:
  • Euro bumpers (personal preference)
  • 5 Speed (game changer if you plan to drive long distances)
Start with a rust inspection. Rust may filter out a lot of cars regardless of year. After that, year (to me) does not matter, condition rules. From a value perspective, the 3.0's seem to have a higher valuation then the 2800's but many of the 2800's have been brought up to the 3.0 spec (rear discs, vented discs, etc) so functionally they are the same except for the badge on the back. I want to say the 2800's are a tad lighter? I might be making that up.

It all depends upon your plan. If you are a dyed in the wool purist, then that might limit your search of available cars a bit. There are more options available if you are open to those cars with mods. Knowing your budget will also help.

Someone posted a link to one on the Cape which could be interesting but someone mentioned snow tires. This is why you start with the rust inspection first.
 
There really arent that many differences between the years other than the bumper year of '74 and on (same as other foreign marques). As Todd mentioned you've got the 2800cs with rear drums and solid front rotors, then the 3.0 with vented fronts and rear disks, either twin Zenith (or replaced at some point with similar Webers) carbs (USA cars) or Djet fuel injection for Euro cars. USA cars had leather and ac, euros mostly cloth and some leather and usually no ac. 74 had horizontal pleated seats and big bumpers. A few other minor differences but thats about it. You'll see a number of cars with triple webers replacing the zeniths or later engines from a 5, 6, or 7 series from the 80's. If you really want to get up to speed you can start from the first thread and read them all, thats what i did when i joined, but it took a while!
 
There are plenty of keywords in these posts here to start with so thank you! It's funny you mentioned reading all of the threads, Stevehose. So far I've been going backwards about 8 pages in the general discussion forum. Starting from the beginning is a good suggestion too.

I am primarily interested in doing a ground up restoration on my own, so I will be looking for a decent starting point. Finding a project with minimal rust is the most important consideration but it's also helpful to weigh the other differences as well.
 
MWC said:
There are plenty of keywords in these posts here to start with so thank you! It's funny you mentioned reading all of the threads, Stevehose. So far I've been going backwards about 8 pages in the general discussion forum. Starting from the beginning is a good suggestion too.

I am primarily interested in doing a ground up restoration on my own, so I will be looking for a decent starting point. Finding a project with minimal rust is the most important consideration but it's also helpful to weigh the other differences as well.
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I look forward to seeing your ground up restoration. And this forum is an incredible resource that will help with every aspect. I've recently started a full restoration as well, and learn something knew from this amazing bunch every day. It is amazing, and a whole heap of fun! :D Welcome.
 
My priority would be:

1. Lightweight CSL
2. Batmobile
3. City Pack CSL
4. Any CSI
5. 1972 3.0 CS
6. 1968 2800 CS
 
I started with the Technical Info tab above, which includes a FAQ answering some of your questions, plus hours of reading on common problems, technical resources, key old-forum discussions, and historical information. The initiated reference things I didn't (and still do not) catch immediately, and that helped. Members are super helpful and answer a ton of questions, but they've also answered some questions many times. For specific issues, I try to search and read a number of threads. Some answers, available parts, opinions, etc. change over time or are refined. Sometimes there's just too many threads or you might miss it or need a quick answer, and members are patient, but the culture seems to favor those who try to contribute where they can--that's not much for me, but I might have just seen a part someone is looking for or made a mistake someone else might learn from. Good luck with the search.
 
This is probably the best 30 bucks you can spend if you want to know more about the BMW Grand Coupes:

2.jpg
 
Best year to buy? Actually, instead, find the CLEANEST, driest E9 to buy and forget about best year.

2800s...nothing wrong with them. Just down 10hp and rear drum brakes.

US 1974s...IMHO, will require a bumper conversion, but everything else...nothing wrong with them. Min. $5k for the conversion (parts and labor).

Been lucky on my 2800cs, not so lucky on the CSi I bought, as far as buying cars on the internet w/o a PPI.

But seriously, will NEVER buy another one w/o flying out and seeing it in person. These E9s require so much body work in rust repair, that it is imperative to see one in-person before buying so you know what you're getting into and not rely on the seller's fluff remarks.
 
teahead said:
Best year to buy? Actually, instead, find the CLEANEST, driest E9 to buy and forget about best year.

2800s...nothing wrong with them. Just down 10hp and rear drum brakes.
Click to expand...

Bite your tongue! My euro 2800CS has more HP and higher compression than a US 3.0Cs :D The disk brakes well, those will have to come later.
 
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As far as year to year changes, some minor ones between the 2800s and 3.0s:

- gauge fonts (2800s off white, 3.0s white)
- front bucket seats (early 2800s have recliner lever down low, some have no headrests; 3.0s up high)
- disk brakes in rear (as aforementioned)
- 10hp lower in 2800s (except Euro I guess as aforementioned).
- windshield squirters moved to the hood on 3.0s (not sure what year).


As far as 1974s.....


https://e9coupe.com/forum/threads/i...has-at-least-25-30-changes-from-a-1973.10750/
 
i totally agree with the advice about cleanest + most dry e9 you can find. the best advice that you can get.

in regard to the 2800cs vs the 3.0cs. the 2800 has higher compression and winds up faster in a similar way as the 3.0CSi. to me its only drawback is the rear drums and solid fronts. vented fronts are easy ... vented rears takes a lot more work and money
 
I will without a doubt be searching for the cleanest starting point I can find. I just didn't know if there were some things that made certain years more desirable than others. For example 89 was best year for E30s. They had the plastic bumpers, elipsoids, and were the last years with the pop out windows, but they didn't get the ugly airbag equipment that came out in 1990. That kind of thing I think is interesting to know even if in this case it may not be relevant.

Right now I am only just beginning to look around but I have a budget of around 20k. I'm not very concerned about the drivetrain and am not necessarily expecting to find a car that runs. From what I've seen so far that doesn't seem too unreasonable but I haven't looked long enough to know for sure.
 
Surprisingly, the variations by year on e9 really isn't important. They are very similar, even indistinguishable except for 74 due to bumpers and seat pleats. Unlike almost every other make, any year is good, and you don't hear people say much comparing years. R.U.S.T. is the year to avoid.

Scott
 
Hi Matt -- Welcome. I have a modified e39 540i 6 speed, and a 5 speed e34 525i, so I can tell you are a man with good taste.

I spent three years looking for my coupe, and am four years into it now. During the course of my search, I identified gatherings where e9 owners were likely to be, and went to a bunch of them in order to meet and talk to folks and look at their cars. In addition to learning a lot, these cars often sell by word of mouth and you might get a lead on one.

I also spent a lot of time here following the work people were doing during my search. I recommend DeQuincey's threads highly; he is detailed in the work he does and posts lots and lots of pictures. (I have a hard enough time getting my work done without taking the time to photograph my efforts.) Alas, some of his older threads have been destroyed by some internet picture hosting site (Photobucket?) when they changed their business model.

I also recommend following the cars for sale section. The peanut gallery here will often comment on numerous little details of the cars on offer, and you can learn a lot from their banter.
 
I also happen to think the 2800cs is under-appreciated
(1) Do you really need rear disc brakes? Even if you race, are you overheating in back before up front? I'm guessing that if your answer is yes then your brake bias knob is set wrong.
(2) LSD: I think 2800's came frequently (all??) with LSD's.
(3) Interior design: I like the older style E9 interiors with multi-piece carpets, symbols for HVAC controls, the screwy steering stalks, the old wood bux-sized steering wheel, lack of seat belt buzzer, etc. Also, the 2.8 liter engines always seemed a little more rev-happy than the later 3.0's (from 1974 and onward) because they had higher compression than the smogged motors. But if you're unhappy with the 2.8, you won't be happy with the 3.0 anyway and will likely go with a 3.5 or 3.7 upgrade.

On E3's, I'd say the 2800 sedan was totally equiped as a luxury sedan, and then BMW did some cost cutting on later Bavaria's and 3.0S. I wonder if they did the same thing on E9 coupes?
So, I personally see no reason to rank later E9's above the early 2800CS.
 
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