I love my E30 ETA = am I the only one?

[E30 Wagen]

I loved my etas, daily drove for them for almost 10 years, did autox and even a HPDE weekend in one and had lots of fun. I'd never really driven a faster car until I got my e36 328i, but even then, with a chip and 325i exhaust my e was still a fun, competent car to zip around in that got decent mpg. When I got my 325i it obviously felt faster being able to rev it out but honestly I was expecting more and was a bit underwhelmed. I always wonder if the eta I had (with the chip and exhaust) was particularly healthy and strong, and if the 325i I had was down on power.

Knowing what I know now, if I could go back 20 years to collect e30s I'd still like to get another 325es. The unique 'es' valence has a special place in my heart, but I'd get the shorter '88 bumper shocks, and I'd complete the look with Zender side skirts and rear apron for that supreme mid-80's NA spec look haha. I think it'd also be fun to build a euro eta - early high compression pistons with a 731 head swap, euro bumpers with a zender/kamei/pfeba/bbs/mtech1/etc kit.

[packratbimmer]

My favorite E30 was a Euro 1984 318iA that i swapped to an eta and 5-speed. The car was very light and a blast to drive. Gotta' love all that torque!

[lukeADE335i]

I loved my etas, daily drove for them for almost 10 years, did autox and even a HPDE weekend in one and had lots of fun. I'd never really driven a faster car until I got my e36 328i, but even then, with a chip and 325i exhaust my e was still a fun, competent car to zip around in that got decent mpg. When I got my 325i it obviously felt faster being able to rev it out but honestly I was expecting more and was a bit underwhelmed.

Not surprising given the eta has more torque than the 325i - for a street car if you’re staying under 4k rpm, there wouldn’t be much in it & if it were an auto then the differences would be even less if both had the same diff ratio. For a street car, torque at low revs makes for a better drive in most situations.

[Panici]

I can appreciate an ETA. I did own an '86 (which ended up being too far gone to save) and remember it was quite torquey around town. It would light up old tires without trying. Just like a first gen Miata (stock with less then 100whp), the light chassis makes it a driving experience even if it runs out of breath at speed.

As far as diving boards, I've always loved the look. Have them on my 325is and never plan to get rid of them. Best place to sit and eat your lunch!

[dnguyen1963]

Each E30 is unique in its own right. If I had the money, I would buy every single model of E30 and keep them completely stock.

[moatilliatta]

I used to rock an ETA, but, I'd still do too.

[nando]

my buddy Issac still has the same Eta be bought years ago (and people made fun of him at the time for how much he paid). it's been his DD this whole time. I can't remember what his username is here - when I talked to him last, he was starting to think about getting something else as a DD, but the Eta has served him well for a long time.

What is it with you forum jokers, (roguetoaster, Vincenze) this guy is simply just saying he likes his eta. I also have an eta and I didn't buy this particular car to win races. Been in the industry a long time and this is exactly why I am not a fan of forums. Lots of great information and mostly really good people but these jabs are what turns me off. Usually keyboard racers talk like this....you do you

Are you maybe over reacting a little bit? Those were pretty innocent posts responding to a request for opinions on the Eta. They didn't even disagree with the OP, and I'm not sure what "jabs" you're talking about. And those guys are hardly keyboard racers.

[varg]

Anyone bugged by the lack of eta love just doesn't understand where they are. Most car enthusiasts, even die hard stock-only guys, will take extra performance where they can get it. There are niche enthusiasts who really dig the ultra-slow like VW guys and british sports car guys, but it's inescapable that most of us would rather have 30hp and knock a second off of the 0-60 and 1/4mi than 10lbft and more area under the curve below 3,500rpm. It's the same reason hardly anyone lusts over M10 powered E30s.

Each E30 is unique in its own right. If I had the money, I would buy every single model of E30 and keep them completely stock.

This is pretty true, I wouldn't say unique but fairly different, sure. There are wildly varying drivetrains, from the tiny wheezy M10s to the Alpina M30s which made M3 power but way more torque. A whole fleet of every model is a daunting prospect. I would love to have a fleet of different E30s, but I'd pass on the bauer, convertible, eta, ix, and M3. I'd rather have a B6 3.5 and a 320is than any flavor of M3, and a 324td than a 325e, 318i or 316. The ix doesn't have any appeal to me since the drivetrains are super weak and I don't live in a place where AWD would ever be any benefit. If I was going cross country and might encounter AWD friendly ground I'd much rather have an E34 525ix wagon.

[lukeADE335i]

I was thinking the thread was pretty polite about the eta too, and everyone loves a neat car these days providing the owner is enthusiastic about it (roll back 10 years and no one was polite about them at all, along with bronzit e30s!).

Markets outside the USA really despised the 325e as they had the 323i and then the 325i available at the same time. Either had better performance with little penalty in fuel economy. Even the M10 has its charms. When I lived in the UK we had a 316 carby model - very much a momentum car, but still a hoot to drive.

It’s a B6 or 333i for me as the dream e30 - hence I’m building up my 333i tribute at the moment.

[808ETA]

I love my ETA. When I bought it I was new to the game and wasn't fully aware of the difference between the e and i. With the higher torque and chip it's a blast to drive without getting in trouble. I did notice a big difference when I bought an i and put a Sssquid chip in it but I ended up selling that car. I've done several Autocross events and had times not far off from my more experienced friend who bought my i. I have Euro bumpers, Euro smoked headlights and Euroweaves but I liked the diving boards too. I also have an 85 M10 automatic that will keep the diving boards.

[2mAn]

The ETA and even an auto are not bad ( taken separately, not together!) ... they all serve their own purpose. At the end of the day if you’re happy with it, screw what all the waffleswaffleswaffleswaffleswaffles think. I’m likely to seek a 84/85 model ETA if I get back into an e30...

[atmh]

The ETA and even an auto are not bad ( taken separately, not together!) ... they all serve their own purpose. At the end of the day if you’re happy with it, screw what all the waffleswaffleswaffleswaffleswaffles think. I’m likely to seek a 84/85 model ETA if I get back into an e30...

Just out of curiosity, why specifically the 84/85 MY etas?

My project car is an 84 eta, originally, and while it's heavily, heavily modified, I'm trying to keep some of the 84 spirit by keeping the small valance (but swapping on euro bumpers). Just wondering what it is specifically about those years that pique your interest?

[moatilliatta]

I was thinking the thread was pretty polite about the eta too, and everyone loves a neat car these days providing the owner is enthusiastic about it (roll back 10 years and no one was polite about them at all, along with bronzit e30s!)

When I first showed up here I had an bronzit 86 325e. The board almost had me despising the car… Actually that’s why I bought my recent one, to relive the bronzit life.. but the seller didn’t know his colors..

https://youtu.be/4TsqlT0rfJI

[2mAn]

Just out of curiosity, why specifically the 84/85 MY etas?

My project car is an 84 eta, originally, and while it's heavily, heavily modified, I'm trying to keep some of the 84 spirit by keeping the small valance (but swapping on euro bumpers). Just wondering what it is specifically about those years that pique your interest?

The 84/85 were the first batch of E30s so they werent subjected to an additional 2-300# of god-knows-what that the 86/87 early models carried. I love early models. Give me one with less weight and already delivered with a M20 and Im a happy man. Id probably start with the chip & 3.25 LSD combo but I think ultimately it would need a hot M20B28 from ForcedFirebird ... thats always been my penultimate E30. For reference my 84 that had a 2.7i swapped in weighed 2400# dead with a full interior. Later it was down to 2350 with the Aluminum M52B28 which put down 225whp. That was a great combo

[packratbimmer]

I'm pretty sure the compression was likely higher on early models compared to 86-87 eta cars.