BMW e36 vs Volvo 240
Posted by Zach Gould
Zach Gould Ultra Moderator Location: Sioux City, IA Join Date: 03/07/2019 Posts: 3 Rally Car: none yet |
John Vanlandingham Ultra Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
Depend really on what you want to do.
Clearly Volvo is a) MUCH cheaper to find a decent starter car of the model that works b) Volvo is far easier to keep going being a much simpler design c) Volvo is easier and cheaper to mod progressively into a better car as you can afford it and get better.. The E36 M3 with the 3,0 motor is nice because in one fell swoop you have gods of engine power. what is it 240 HP and 225 ft/lbs out of the box.. But those motors have catastrophic failures too often for my taste.. I any case what a Volvo initially may lack in HP it can easily be compensated for by its significantly lighter weight, and more importantly the easy of change ring and pinion ratio...Get the right 240 back axle and a NEW 4.88 ring and pinion costs only $128...still gotta put it in but even paying some truck place to set it up you'll still be thousands ahead on that one item... Now does that file work? John Vanlandingham Sleezattle, WA, USA Vive le Prole-le-ralliat www.rallyrace.net/jvab CALL +1 206 431-9696 Remember! Pacific Standard Time is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time. |
John Vanlandingham Ultra Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
Zach Gould Ultra Moderator Location: Sioux City, IA Join Date: 03/07/2019 Posts: 3 Rally Car: none yet |
John Vanlandingham Ultra Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
Your location says simply "Western Iowa"....we came up with that idea of a real location so we could try and put people together in rough geographical areas...So....where perzactly is you? (maybe change the location in the little box? Maybe??) You know Justin Mason? He's just across the river from Kansas City which is kinda vaguely not that far from "Western Iowa" He contacted me with the exact question and after just a little talking turned out he runs or works at a BMW and Volvo shop...He's a good guy and he might be able to help you find a car for beginner kinda money..He got his by trading a horrible Fail Wheel Drive Volvo that didn't run straight across.... 
But the question remains: whaddya want to do? Good cheap yeeee haw fun? Impress unknown people with press releases about "next week we reveal our new vinyl wrap"? Kick ass? John Vanlandingham Sleezattle, WA, USA Vive le Prole-le-ralliat www.rallyrace.net/jvab CALL +1 206 431-9696 Remember! Pacific Standard Time is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time. Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/2019 09:11PM by john vanlandingham. |
Zach Gould Ultra Moderator Location: Sioux City, IA Join Date: 03/07/2019 Posts: 3 Rally Car: none yet |
John Vanlandingham Ultra Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
Mike Ball Mega Moderator Location: Simi Valley,Ca. Join Date: 07/15/2011 Age: Ancient Posts: 466 Rally Car: Nope...I wish...RWD 2 Door Jeep XJ 4.0 5-spd Dirt-o-cross car(we have no grass!)2.3 ZX3 rallyx car(sold) |
Ronald Culberbone III Professional Moderator Location: Bend Join Date: 03/20/2019 Posts: 46 |
If "better" is just the initial cost and ease of repair, the Volvo 240 could edge out the e36 depending on where you live. Where I live, a decent 240 that doesn't need every rubber part replaced and has less than 200K miles will cost about $2k-$3k for a good manual car. You can find completely roached out 240s for $500-1k, but they will need serious work to make them reliable enough for rallying. A bmw e36 or e46 in similar condition with similar miles is usually within a few hundred dollars of the 240. Will probably need all the rubber replaced as well, but is arguably a bit easier for the average Joe to do. Some of the suspension bushings on a volvo are a real bear to replace. Both cars require reinforcements so they'll hold up in rally. It's probably a wash time/effort between the two cars. The BMW might be a bit less work on the reinforements depending on how much stitch welding you have to do on the front end. Performance wise, the BMW wins every time. More hp, more torque, WAY more caster in the front, better weight distribution. Ready to race they're both in the 2900-3000lb range without doing any effort to remove any weight from the cars. When you go all out, they can both get into the 2400lb range for race weight. The BMW is a better handling car hands down. The volvo is not even in the same ball park. The volvo can get there power wise, but it'll take a while and some money, and usually a turbo. That being said, a stock or slightly warmed over b230 will be in the 120-130hp range, and will last forever at that power level as long as it has oil. Adding caster and a little bit of camber is a $200 pair of strut mounts and some 2.5" coilover springs away, and will really help the car handle. I really like Volvos, I DD a warmed over 244, I have a 244 v8 powered drift car, and I co-drive and do a lot of the prep work and performance work on this one:  OTR-yump by robert culbertson, on Flickr
Either car would be a great starter, but for growing room and overall performance... I think the edge goes to the BMW. If I didn't have 3 Volvos and a shop full of Volvo parts, I'd start with a e36 or e46 330. |
Ronald Culberbone III Professional Moderator Location: Bend Join Date: 03/20/2019 Posts: 46 |
The same thing that I just wrote Elite Moderator Location: Golden, BC Join Date: 03/12/2016 Age: Settling Down Posts: 157 Rally Car: Volvo 240 |
same as above Mega Moderator Location: In the woods Join Date: 03/12/2016 Age: Settling Down Posts: 130 |
Godlike Moderator Join Date: 03/28/2019 Posts: 3 |
John Vanlandingham Ultra Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
John Vanlandingham Ultra Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
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