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

[lukeADE335i]

Just about anything over 30 years old with that description is highly desirable now.

Yes - it’s hard to find anything cheap that fits that description now. My wife’s first car was a Datsun B110 coupe, you couldn’t get much more econobox than that in the early 70s, but with it’s coke bottle styling and only 730kg to punt around they were still fun to drive even with only 69hp! I really wish we still had it now. It rusted to the point that we either had to restore it or sell it, and we went the latter even though I had the panels to do the rust repairs. Sold it for triple what we bought it for, but it would be worth about 20x what we bought it for now.

[82eye]

Yes - it’s hard to find anything cheap that fits that description now. My wife’s first car was a Datsun B110 coupe, you couldn’t get much more econobox than that in the early 70s, but with it’s coke bottle styling and only 730kg to punt around they were still fun to drive even with only 69hp! I really wish we still had it now. It rusted to the point that we either had to restore it or sell it, and we went the latter even though I had the panels to do the rust repairs. Sold it for triple what we bought it for, but it would be worth about 20x what we bought it for now.

i was actually looking at datsun 510's when i bought the e30. i got the e30 as the datsuns were already well into appreciating far beyond what a savable car was worth, and the examples were in very poor shape for the money. the e30 was a similar platform, and cheaper to both find and work on by the time i was looking.

[lukeADE335i]

Funny enough - that was how I got into BMWs too! I was also looking for a 510 but they had already got too expensive, so I bought an e21 instead and then never looked back.

[82eye]

Funny enough - that was how I got into BMWs too! I was also looking for a 510 but they had already got too expensive, so I bought an e21 instead and then never looked back.

lol me too ! i bought an e21 then sold it a few yrs later as it was clear the e30 was more what i was looking for. i sold the e21 about a yr after i bought the e30.

[gazellebeigem3]

bottomless money pit. no accounting, no regrets!

[hopeful]

Hello all,

I could ramble on and on and fill up this thread with all the thoughts bouncing around in my head as I shop for E30 parts, but I will try to keep it somewhat short and sweet because im very aware of how annoying I am. This past summer of 22' I acquired what I consider to be my dream (Attainable) E30. It is a 1988 BMW 325iS, late model bumpers, cardinal full interior (Carpets, door cards, seats) and it really is just such a great example of a sport E30.

As time goes on, and I purchase all of the ideal mods and parts I had in mind for this car, I always question if what im doing is extremely dumb and unreasonable...Yes, the secret is out. Being a car guy and modifying it to your liking is not a cheap endeavor, I understand that and im really okay with spending my money on that, as im a younger single guy without too many expenses at the moment. Heres where I struggle with sometimes. For example, I sourced a pair of Euroweaves from the UK (really good condition and freshly refurbished) and wrapped them in a brand new set of Continental ECS. This changed the car dramatically and is a huge improvement, but sometimes I look back and wonder why I spent $1500 on wheels and tires for a $10k car. Then I purchased a stromung catback, another $700. Now, im looking to purchase headers, and it looks like to get a new set from a reputable brand, im looking at spending $1-1,500. Again, I dont neccesarily mind spending the money, but there comes a point where I question if what im doing is even reasonable. Im about to be like 30-40% of the purchase of the car in mods, and I really havent made it any louder, faster, or better handling besides the tires.

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




My Alpine 88 iS

I love your post. Brings out the humanity behind the paint and rust. I'll keep my reply short and kind of relevant to my experience as plenty of other members have given excellent insight already.

I've had AE86's and an e30 all the way back in highschool (graduated 2004). Circumstances and responsibilities have kept me away from having anything but a reliable daily driver for the last 10+ years. I've finally been able to get a place with a garage and a wife who'll let me use it, the first thing I did after some much needed renovations was buy an E30 I came across that was in really good shape/ great deal.

Living in Toronto, space isn't cheap. But money without use is useless. Point is, spend wisely, be thrifty, but enjoy it at its due time.

I now get to enjoy modding my e30 with the excuse of it being the family car, when its reliable .

One thing your post is missing is... where you are in life? In highschool I couldn't afford to DO ANYTHING to my cars. I was just hoarding the cars in my parents garage lol. Now I just make sure I'm keeping on track of savings and budget in the car. I wouldn't be spending anything near the amounts of money your talking about if for example you don't own where the cars parked. Its just about priorities really.

[benfidar]

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.

Sorry, I misspoke, I mean the modern Toyota/Subaru and not the vintage iteration.

[lukeADE335i]

lol me too ! i bought an e21 then sold it a few yrs later as it was clear the e30 was more what i was looking for. i sold the e21 about a yr after i bought the e30.

I worked my way through two e21s - first I had a 320i. M10 manual that was fun to drive, but a beater that I picked up cheap and it eventually died. Then I had a really nice 323i that I rebuilt the engine on and converted to EFI. Loved that car until it unfortunately was written off in an accident. I tried to find another e21 but there were none left in good shape, so I bought my blue e30 & M30 swapped it, and now I have two e30s and the e92! It’s a disease

[ZeKahr]

I worked my way through two e21s - first I had a 320i. M10 manual that was fun to drive, but a beater that I picked up cheap and it eventually died. Then I had a really nice 323i that I rebuilt the engine on and converted to EFI. Loved that car until it unfortunately was written off in an accident. I tried to find another e21 but there were none left in good shape, so I bought my blue e30 & M30 swapped it, and now I have two e30s and the e92! It’s a disease

I wish I could find an auto E21 that didn’t have a rust problem somewhere on it. Even a nice blue auto E21 I saw on BAT had rust on it.

An E21 have been an interesting change of pace from the E30, but I’ll just keep my auto ix and baby it.

[lukeADE335i]

Rust is a real issue with them. They love to rust out around the windscreen, and through the B-pillars.

[88Sedan]

This thread has allowed me to take a needed breath. Like others mentioned, I just bought my 1st e30 realizing the prices will escape my means if I kept waiting. Everything I have been reading lately investment wise says that assets which appreciate are a smart thing to buy right now. Historically, classic cars deemed 'cool' have been good investments.

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if a car in similar shape to mine sells for $5k more than my purchase price in 5 years. Your cars too if they are maintained. And I have a feeling the market will dry up, as the more we work on them the less likely we are to sell them IMO. And as far as the upkeep costs, if we enjoy maintaining or improving our cars then it's $ well spent.