What does it mean/say about us who drive E30s?

[estoguy]

Hey guys and gals,

Was thinking about this the other day. Sometimes driving certain cars say something about the owners, and of course I was thinking how attached I am to my E30.

What do you think driving an E30 (especially as a daily driver) says about us as drivers? How do you think other driver's perceive us? Are we hipsters or something else?

Since many of us are DIY, I certainly think it says a lot about our commitment to our ride - these cars are over 2 decades old know at the youngest, and it does take a certain amount of care and respect to keep them going.

I don't know how may random people have started conversations with me over my car. I think that because of relative rarity of seeing E30s anymore (especially here in Ontario), it certainly attracts curiosity and some amazement at seeing a 31 year old car still on the road and being used daily.

I'm interested to see what the rest of R3V thinks. :)

[UlrichFennec]

I get the feeling that a lot of people see the kidneys and the roundel and go "that guy's driving an old BMW. He must be loaded to be able to keep that thing running."

I get a lot of thumbs up and conversations from more elder folk, curious why some 21 year old would pick an old, rattly BMW over something more modern. Most of the time, they're approving and tell me it's good to see kids my age appreciating the classics and they tell me stories about their cars they used to have. It's a really nice experience. The E30 can always spark a conversation from multiple age groups in parking lots. "Wow, that's pretty clean!" "How much did you pay for that?" "That's a nice BMW!"

Brightens my day a bit. I mean, it's got faded and chipping clear coat, scratches and everything, but it's my pride and joy and I'm glad if I can keep it for a decade or longer.

On the other end of the age spectrum, I have a bunch of fartknockers who think I want to race all the time. Look, it's an almost 30 year old BMW. You're not impressing anyone. If I have the top down, I'm cruising. Leave me alone. And besides, I'm the heaviest of the E30s, I'm at 6000ft, so I've got a big power loss coupled with drivetrain loss. Until I go the forced induction route, I'll just have fun with corners. Stop trying to race me.

[Bearmw]

Others see us as anal expulsive according to Freud, with a little bit of retentive as well.

[TobyB]

damned hipsters...

t

[bmwstudent]

I'm 40, have the means to drive almost anything I want but I choose to drive the car that I have the most fun in. I think it says look at that average dude in the boring 80's turd, god what a loser. But that means they don't know E30

[E30 Wagen]

I think there's three groups that represent e30 owners. One is the "mature" group that just wants a classic, collectible car to enjoy for a long time without making any drastic modifications. The next group believes that any e30 that isn't stripped and turned into some form of track car, drift machine, other crazy project is a waste of an e30. The final group is the hipster kids that sees e30s, or any vintage premium car for that matter, mostly as a fashion statement.

[djjerme]

I think there's three groups that represent e30 owners. One is the "mature" group that just wants a classic, collectible car to enjoy for a long time without making any drastic modifications. The next group believes that any e30 that isn't stripped and turned into some form of track car, drift machine, other crazy project is a waste of an e30. The final group is the hipster kids that sees e30s, or any vintage premium car for that matter, mostly as a fashion statement.

Can't I have a different car for each instance?

Their like Popplers, once you start, you can't stop..

[ButtJuice]

I'm 26 now and I've been into e30s since I was 17, now at this age I kinda feel like it's a "kids" car at times. I've earned enough money since I bought my e30 and it's 95% where I want it, the other 5% is due to sheer laziness and lack of ample time. Anywho, with that being said I'd never pick up a date in it unless the girl knows me pretty well and sees that I had an itch to drive it.

I do get the occasssional "nice car!" comment buts it usually from some teenager lol

[Vivek]

In the Bay, I think that most people recognize e30 drivers as enthusiasts. There's enough of a car scene that even those who know nothing about cars probably know someone who does, or at least think 'he must be really into cars' seeing anything old and modified because solidly 10% of cars on the road are enthusiast owned. At school in Texas my e34 mostly got attention from homeless people who assumed I was loaded or used car dealers who thought it'd look nice on their lot.

[cheffy30]

i've driven mine hard and daily for 15 years. i'm 53. it's been recently completely restored on the exterior. engine is solid with all maintenance kept up. i keep it polished and feel pretty proud. its all oem. i get plenty of looks from other bmw drivers. if i could buy any other car?...would rather have another e30...

[nando]

I never really get anything but complements when i take mine out - never from girls though, always from guys. If I was gay, this thing would be a sex machine.

What I do really love is taking my kids to the grocery store in it. Then I see some poor sap getting his 15 kids into a beat up Chrysler minivan, I can watch his soul die a little more on the inside.. makes me feel relatively better about myself. ;)

But, you could say I'm a hipster because I liked E30s before everyone else thought they were cool. Also I usually have a beard, but it's not ironic or anything - I'm just too lazy to shave.

[Stanley Rockafella]

Driving an e30 at this age suggests you have finer tastes and appreciate the simple things in life.
It also suggests you have money that you could afford a newer BMW however you choose the design, style and function of the e30 over later versions.

Driving an e30 says "eh! I dont' care about that new fangled garbage, I do my own thing for my own reasons!"

Their like Popplers, once you start, you can't stop..

what the hell is a Poppler?

[nando]

Futurama..

[Jon325i]

For me personally, my time as an E30 owner was centered around how much I enjoyed the driving experience. I really like how they communicate to the driver whether on a twisty back road or during a day of hot laps at Thunderhill. I also became a lot more of a 'hands-on' owner when I had E30s. From my own maintenance/repairs/upgrades or helping out a friend on their E30, I got a lot of satisfaction from learning how to do the job myself instead of a paying a shop.

Jon

[noid]

The past two summer's (since I only drive it in the summer), I noticed a dramatic difference in how the general public is perceiving E30's, especially kids.

Almost daily thumbs up, noticing people pointing in excitement, etc.

To put it into perspective, age wise, The E30 is to the public now as the 1600/2002 was to me when I first got into E30's 11 years ago.