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E21 as a Drift Car

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R60BBA
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E21 as a Drift Car

Post by R60BBA » Tue Mar 06, 2018 3:29 pm

Probably not the right forum but I am thinking of buying an old E21 (manual) as a drift car.

Has anyone had one of these before?

Are they reliable for drift use?

Do I need the 323i or is the 316 good enough?

Your comments are welcome!
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Current: 2002 E46 M3
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Current: 2005 997 Carrera S
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PinkPineapple44
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E21 as a Drift Car

Post by PinkPineapple44 » Tue Mar 06, 2018 4:21 pm

R60BBA wrote: Tue Mar 06, 2018 3:29 pm Probably not the right forum but I am thinking of buying an old E21 (manual) as a drift car.

Has anyone had one of these before?

Are they reliable for drift use?

Do I need the 323i or is the 316 good enough?

Your comments are welcome!
Why not go for an E36 323? Cheaper to fix when you bin and loads of parts for modifications with a better chassis plus has more than enough power to get you sideways. The M10 in the 316i will be pretty sluggish in comparison too.

I had a modified 328 for about 5 years and it was the best drift car I've owned in terms of value to performance by far.

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R60BBA
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E21 as a Drift Car

Post by R60BBA » Tue Mar 06, 2018 5:05 pm

PinkPineapple44 wrote: Tue Mar 06, 2018 4:21 pm
R60BBA wrote: Tue Mar 06, 2018 3:29 pm Probably not the right forum but I am thinking of buying an old E21 (manual) as a drift car.

Has anyone had one of these before?

Are they reliable for drift use?

Do I need the 323i or is the 316 good enough?

Your comments are welcome!
Why not go for an E36 323? Cheaper to fix when you bin and loads of parts for modifications with a better chassis plus has more than enough power to get you sideways. The M10 in the 316i will be pretty sluggish in comparison too.

I had a modified 328 for about 5 years and it was the best drift car I've owned in terms of value to performance by far.
I’m a big fan of the E36 328i but so are many others hence why a lot of drifters use them!

You don’t see many E21s on the roads anymore and at just 1,100kg, the 150bhp from the 323i should be enough to have fun sliding sideways.

My main concerns are reliability and part availability.
Current: 2002 E46 M3
Current: 2004 R53 Cooper S
Current: 2005 997 Carrera S
Gone: 1998 E31 840Ci Sport
Gone: 2007 Z4 E86 3.0Si Sport
Gone: 2001 Z3 E36/7 2.2i San Remo Individual
Gone: 2015 F21 116d M Sport
Gone: 2012 A3 Sportback 1.2TFSI

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E21 as a Drift Car

Post by slick » Tue Mar 06, 2018 6:21 pm

I had a 323i back in the day.....was a quick car , quicker than the figures suggest.....( it felt it )
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E21 as a Drift Car

Post by beanie » Tue Mar 06, 2018 6:30 pm

As nice as the E21 is, for a car that's going to get thrashed, crashed and worked on a lot, I think it is likely to cause more headaches than necessary when it comes to parts. I can't remember the last time I saw one so I wouldn't fancy your chances finding a new wing in the breakers, for example.

What about using an E46 instead. Not as charming as the older cars (yet) but there are parts everywhere and the non M cars are worth relatively little. Spares should be in cheap and plentiful supply for the foreseeable future and they are new enough that theres probably some decent cars out there that don't need a total overhaul to be roadworthy. Strip it, fit a decent seat and a diff and away you go.
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E21 as a Drift Car

Post by Mr Tidy » Tue Mar 06, 2018 8:34 pm

As has been said you might find getting parts for an E21 tricky - and given how rare they seem to be now I'd rather see them preserved (but that's a personal feeling).

An E36 or E46 must be a cheaper option, but I can't see any model of 316i being up to drifting - gotta be a 6-pot surely? I'm sure one of our members uses an E46 325Ci. :)
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E21 as a Drift Car

Post by arl10 » Tue Mar 06, 2018 9:20 pm

I have had 5 of the e21s mainly 320 6 cylinder ones they were great , the back end would come unstuck if you even looked at a corner , I had a bag of sand in the back of mine it was that loose .
The early cars had 4 cylinder engines that took a bit of winding up , 316 was out of puff very early , the best of the bunch was 320 or 323 6 cylinder cars although they do tend to rust everywhere so chances of finding a good one are very slim , they also command top money so buying and prepping to drift standard maybe expensive .
E36 maybe safer bet ( I know we're an e36 M3 is Estoril blue but it has stood in a damp garage for quite some time it had 120,000 miles on but was quite clean )
E46 would be best choice or a Mazda mx5 .

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E21 as a Drift Car

Post by R60BBA » Tue Mar 06, 2018 10:01 pm

Mr Tidy wrote: Tue Mar 06, 2018 8:34 pm As has been said you might find getting parts for an E21 tricky - and given how rare they seem to be now I'd rather see them preserved (but that's a personal feeling).

An E36 or E46 must be a cheaper option, but I can't see any model of 316i being up to drifting - gotta be a 6-pot surely? I'm sure one of our members uses an E46 325Ci. :)
Just to clarify if I do get an E21, I wouldn’t modify it and make it look like a Japanese ricer.

I would keep the exterior stock, but uprate the suspension and diff.
Current: 2002 E46 M3
Current: 2004 R53 Cooper S
Current: 2005 997 Carrera S
Gone: 1998 E31 840Ci Sport
Gone: 2007 Z4 E86 3.0Si Sport
Gone: 2001 Z3 E36/7 2.2i San Remo Individual
Gone: 2015 F21 116d M Sport
Gone: 2012 A3 Sportback 1.2TFSI

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R60BBA
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E21 as a Drift Car

Post by R60BBA » Tue Mar 06, 2018 10:03 pm

Thanks all for your views.

Still awaiting for someone who has drifted their E21 to comment however :wink:
Current: 2002 E46 M3
Current: 2004 R53 Cooper S
Current: 2005 997 Carrera S
Gone: 1998 E31 840Ci Sport
Gone: 2007 Z4 E86 3.0Si Sport
Gone: 2001 Z3 E36/7 2.2i San Remo Individual
Gone: 2015 F21 116d M Sport
Gone: 2012 A3 Sportback 1.2TFSI

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E21 as a Drift Car

Post by Mr Tidy » Tue Mar 06, 2018 10:07 pm

R60BBA wrote: Tue Mar 06, 2018 10:01 pm Just to clarify if I do get an E21, I wouldn’t modify it and make it look like a Japanese ricer.

I would keep the exterior stock, but uprate the suspension and diff.
Phew - that's good to hear. :thumbsup:

Giving any E21 some TLC has to be a worthy cause! :)
Coupes because stunning!
Current - Silver Grey MC, Imola Red heated Nappa & carbon trim. Aeros, H & R Coil-overs, 224s, OE Strut brace, Nav, cup-holders, DSP Hi-Fi, pdc, cruise, MFSW, no CDV! E90 330i daily
Gone - Montego Blue
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E21 as a Drift Car

Post by piotrZ4 » Tue Mar 13, 2018 9:20 am

Don't bother unless you gonna fit more powerful engine ,m52tub28 for example, also welded diff is a must if you want drift it for real .

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