Spending $ On Your E30 - Am I an idiot for dumping thousands into my econobox?

[MrBurgundy]

Some people spend 4 hours on a Saturday at the golf course, spending stupid amounts of money on clubs, greens fees and lessons. I spend my extra cash on car parts - it makes me happy to get those package deliveries, and I love bolting the parts onto my car. 4 hours in the garage is 10x more fun than chasing a little ball around a field for as long. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

I throw my clubs in the back of my E30 :p

I spend way less driving my fleet of older vehicles than one financed car at around 50-60k.

The Ranger, E39, E30 combo has been very rewarding. All very reliable, they look great and I'm spending probably around 500 or less a month across maintenance to insurance.

[DEV0 E30]

Plenty of great answers already in this thread. You don't have to answer to anyone, are you taking care of your responsibilities and commitments as a functioning adult?

You could be worse off, you could be addicted to meth.

As an adult, you can enjoy something that doesn't make total financial sense in the modern way of looking at transportation.

MOST people will never understand being into cars in general. We are becoming a more and more rare breed.

Does owning and modifying the E30 to your liking spark joy?




Marie Kwondo gets it. If yes, continue my son. If it does not, then that is the time to decide what your next moves are. You can sell it, regret it later. Or you can decide that maybe if you are second guessing a large purchase (such as seats) are not for YOU (again you don't have to worry about anyone else) then put those on the back burner. In nearly all circumstances, you won't get what you put into a car. Plenty of other insightful and good advice in this thread, what it comes down to is if you enjoy it or not. If you come to realize joy is not derived from vehicles, that's ok too --- but you have to figure it out. Life is short, find what you enjoy and do it. Those of us who have wives and/or partners that get it - are the lucky ones, or at least understand that it brings us joy - and understand again, everyone should have something.

[Hartacus]

I’m over $20k FML

[4tDX]

When I look at the thickness of the stack of receipts I've accumulated it's frightening, but I like to just look at how much I'm actually paying per mile... I've DD my E30 for almost 10 years now and added nearly 200k miles. So, when I do the math it's actually extremely reasonable. On top of that these cars are appreciating and some of the work I've done has added additional value. And in the process I created a car I still want to keep driving, after all these years!

I missed the FD RX7 by about two years. I was actually looking to import from Japan (15 years old vs USA 25 years old rule), and at the time I started looking they were just out of my price range. If I had finished school a year or two earlier I would have been able to afford the pricetag.

Going from memory, but they were easily under 20K CAD all-in at the time for a nice car. Now you can't even get a rough one for 50K.
Unfortunately that ship has sailed for me.

At least I got my 1990 Miata before the prices went crazy. It's like a baby FD right? 😆
Wish I had picked up a cleaner example though.

And I did grab the E28 for a fair price (even though it's rough), so I should count my blessings.

It's scary to me how much almost every 'old' car is going for now. I put off buying a couple of projects and I really regret it now.

[Holland]

I missed the FD RX7 by about two years. I was actually looking to import from Japan (15 years old vs USA 25 years old rule), and at the time I started looking they were just out of my price range. If I had finished school a year or two earlier I would have been able to afford the pricetag.

Going from memory, but they were easily under 20K CAD all-in at the time for a nice car. Now you can't even get a rough one for 50K.
Unfortunately that ship has sailed for me.

At least I got my 1990 Miata before the prices went crazy. It's like a baby FD right? 😆
Wish I had picked up a cleaner example though.

And I did grab the E28 for a fair price (even though it's rough), so I should count my blessings.

Grabbed my E46 M3 when prices started going up, thinking it was a "now or never" situation. Prices since have come back down a bit, but that won't be forever. I agree, everything we like is becoming very very expensive.

[Panici]

...thinking it was a "now or never" situation.
...I agree, everything we like is becoming very very expensive.

That's how I felt when my E28 came up. Hadn't seen one locally at that pricepoint for years (even though I need to make floorpans for the car!)

Parts prices are getting wild too. I sold a spare ZF320 trans in early 2020 for like $350. Now they're going for over $1000.

Heck I gave away a running M20B25 a few years ago, now I see they are selling for $600+ all day long. At least I helped get another E30 on the road with that one. Karma paid me back when I was straight-up given some E30 parts to repair my baby after being rear ended.

I'm going to endeavor to keep as many spare/old parts as I can now. It's going to require some serious organization of my basement parts storage.

[82eye]

That's how I felt when my E28 came up. Hadn't seen one locally at that pricepoint for years (even though I need to make floorpans for the car!)

Parts prices are getting wild too. I sold a spare ZF320 trans in early 2020 for like $350. Now they're going for over $1000.

Heck I gave away a running M20B25 a few years ago, now I see they are selling for $600+ all day long. At least I helped get another E30 on the road with that one. Karma paid me back when I was straight-up given some E30 parts to repair my baby after being rear ended.

I'm going to endeavor to keep as many spare/old parts as I can now. It's going to require some serious organization of my basement parts storage.

i'm past the point of being able to source anything local. even used parts were difficult ten years ago. now it's not even possible, i source literally everything online.

[Northern]

I never question spending on the E30, but I rarely make big purchases for it - typically just a buttload of smaller ones.

With my other cars (my Outback and Mini) I have a hard time justifying modding them.
I'd keep my Outback much longer if it was basically a manual, flat six, legacy wagon. But to swap an STi 6-speed, supporting mods, Euro/JDM legacy bumpers/skirts/roof rails would cost so much that I would never do it.
For my Mini, I want to drop like $6k in Engine/Exhaust/Driveline mods but I've already thrown about that much at it to get wheels/tires/suspension and PO issues sorted, and that money could just go toward other things.

I think the difference is that I know I will never sell the E30.

[82eye]

I think the difference is that I know I will never sell the E30.

i can't sell my e30 because my dad has worked on it with me. he won't be around a pile longer, and it's gonna be the last car we worked on together.

[hozzziii]

i can't sell my e30 because my dad has worked on it with me. he won't be around a pile longer, and it's gonna be the last car we worked on together.

Same with my dad. I was actually raised in my E30, watching my dad work on it and playing around it.
Now I know that I absolutely will not sell. No regrets.

[Swoozley Macklin]

I think it's dumb in the sense that I've spent probably spent 10X what I got my shell for in just parts. But the car makes me happy so I couldn't care. That's sorta how I've always looked at it. Yeah I could've gotten something nicer for the money I've put into the car.... But I put it together, it makes ME smile.

[Digitalwave]

I don't regret the money I spent on my cars in my teens and 20s, but I do wish that I had heeded my parent's advise and started saving and investing earlier.

[benfidar]

I have not added up what I have spent, but it must be around $20k for my Touring. On the other hand, with prices going up, I know that I would get it back if forced to sell by life occurrences. I think the same is true for your 325is. Even all in, I am at 50% less than a AE86, which will depreciate while ours are appreciating. Though you should never speculate on cars, I think they are like houses, don't spend more than the neighborhood price will allow you to recoup. Rising prices have encouraged me to consider a respray, which will cost quite a bit.

[Jaabo]

Hello all,


I guess what Im asking is, do you guys ever question yourself, or feel dumb buying thousand dollar parts for a car that you could have picked up for a few grand like 5 years ago? Id just like to hear some opinions on the matter, because theres a lot of triggers I want to pull, but I think I need someone to tell me if im being an absolute idiot, or better yet, Id love to find out that all of you guys have been in the same boat at one point or another, and agree and resonate with what im saying. Someone talk me off the ledge, or push me off if thats what you feel. Sorry for the nerd post, just spit balling whats in my head.


Final thought: How would I explain to a reasonable, non car guy I spent $3200 on Recaro Bucket Seats for a 40 year old, $10,000 car? Just seems kind of dumb. But man do I want to dump some money into her. Maybe I should have saved for an M3. Seems like ill be there soon if I keep pulling this BS LOL

Cheers guys

Don't ever feel bad about spending your hard-earned cash on things you like. There are folks out there dumping thousands into video games and random stuff on the internet.(yes, I've spent way too much on my E30 and I gotta cope somehow, but it's a drop in the ocean compared to how much I've spent on various guns and ammo over the years...I think one of my M4 rifles totalled like $3k back in 2017).

[varg]

AE86, which will depreciate while ours are appreciating.

I highly doubt this based on rarity alone. I don't see AE86s depreciating on their own, they may depreciate in an recession/depression but so will just about everything else not billionaire collector tier. Not only were E30s produced in larger numbers, but the AE86 attrition due to beater car status, track use and drifting was probably comparable if not worse. At our south florida cars and coffee shows, which are huge and filled with rare and expensive cars, E30s are always present, but it isn't even rare to not see AE86s. As much as some people would like to think their desirability is all owed to initial D, they were an eminently modifiable, light weight and rugged RWD car, and just about anything over 30 years old with that description is highly desirable now.