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

[roguetoaster]

Limited ETA experience, only two short time experiences.

However, as a former M42 acolyte you may be suffering from some type of Stockholm syndrome with your E. While they are both fine engines, they no where near push the limits of fun in an E30, despite being 9/10 capable cars 90% of the time. That said, you do you. Don't let diving boards or low RPM get you down since the E30 you actually drive and enjoy is the very best E30 on the planet, no exceptions.

[reelizmpro]

As an old owner I've been through it all from 85 325e auto to 2.7i 5 speed conversion w/ 3.46 gears. Chipped ETA is a must but it doesn't have the HP and RPM's. Short gearing helps but you run out of RPM's quicker. The 325i was superior in every way except for displacement and all of the aftermarket goodies were based on the 325i engine. Back in the day, 325i parts were expensive...but now they are cheap upgrades for an ETA. I also like Motronic 1.1 much better than M1.0 and the separate Idle control unit that tend to go bad.

[cirrusblue]

I've noticed that most of the threads I see are about cars with swapped engines or modified engines. No ETA posts, even though BMW made more 325e than 325i (pretty sure I read that).
In my case, I have basically a 1 owner car that's been in the family for 35 years. I've restored it, added a body kit, refreshed everything I could find, cleaned it up and I kept the engine - 245K on it, never opened.

My ETA at 3,250 with a 3.25 rear diff pulls pretty hard up to 112 (haven't gone faster - to be honest) - and I live in a pretty crowded city so I don't go much faster. I haven't ever maxed it out.
I drive in 4th gear up to 72mph and I think it sounds sweet with a Ansa exhaust, which gets little love too!

Are there any people out there who aren't worried about rocking diving boards, or having fun with their refreshed & chipped ETA?
Someone who didn't feel the need to go euro bumpers or try to make an early model look like a late model?

Honestly if my car was much faster, I'm not sure I could use it. I get the fun of driving it at the limit almost every time out.
Anyone else in the ETA fan club?
I admit, with the stock 2.93 open rear it's very tall and seems to encourage upshifting too early, but with a lower ratio and if keep the RPM over 3,000 and keep it in the power band - it's narrow but pretty usable.

Here's the thing - I know my individual engine pretty well and it's been very dependable.
For 35 years it's been 100% reliable and still pulls. I'm amazed and love the thing. It's like my best dog, or my favorite horse. I just does the job for me.