E30 convertibles are cheap and easy to locate

[MrBurgundy]

I love my vert.. It's a manual, so that helps a lot in the "fun" department.

I think those of you who seem to be very against the vert experience haven't experienced the car they way it was intended.. I'll echo that not every car has to be a firm track setup. If you get into a vert and expect that, you're going to be disappointed. Honestly, I've had no desire to modify my vert in any way, out side of appearance. It's... almost perfect

When I was driving the vert a lot more, I would always grab the vert keys over the hardtop when I was walking out the door to go drive around the beach... I just drive that thing with the intent to cruise, versus when I go out in the hardtop, I'm wringing that thing out at every light.

Totally different experience, while still being 100% e30

That being said, an auto trans has no place in an e30 unless you're physically unable to drive stick.

a slushbox pairs perfectly with a floppy vert chassis, no need for heel toeing on the way to the ice cream shop.

Disagree with you on that...

Haven’t driven one. Never liked the profile of a vert compared to a sedan or a coupe, so I more or less ignored their existence. Also don’t like having wind blasted in my face while driving

Top down, windows up. If you're going under 70, you wont feel a thing

[82eye]

eh, I hate everything BMW after the e46.

yeah i also pretty much fall off the boat after the e46. the exception for me would be the e82. as far as i know we never got anything but the coupe and vert in canada. the e82 seems the closest modern spiritual successor to the e30. i have no idea how they are to live with though. i'd probably be talked into a z car fairly easy too, but it's not my first choice.

i can count on one hand the number of e30's i've seen in the wild here over the past year. there's not many more e82s either, there are more z cars than both, and far too many are autos here. the most common bmws here are all suvs.

[platelets]

eh, I hate everything BMW after the e46. And I disagre—a zhp vert is a great driver’s car with exceptional road handling. Ive had a number of newer BMWs and they just dont do it for me. Ive moved to want classic BMWs as summer cruisers, and a modern SUV for daily commuting

I am 100% with you. I despise modern BMWs. I don’t care about the HP they produce. Blah blah blah. The older BMWs were made for twisties. You don’t need gobs of HP to enjoy them, just a nice suspension and the skill
of knowing how to drive properly. I’ve driven the new BMWs and they lack any sort of feeling (speed is relative…)

I also have to say it isn’t easy to find an E30
convertible. Trying to replace one I had 20 years ago is not easy. They either want an absorbent amount of money for the car, or it is a step above a junker (and still $8k).

[gazellebeigem3]

the e60/e90 were some of the ugliest bms Ive ever seen.. and the new ones with the giant grills suck too.

I mean this is EXACTLY what the lorne michaels quote was about lol


But seriously, it sounds like you should make a mod list for your signature with current and past rides, maybe even your cca# (if its low enough)

[sna77]

my dream bmw vert is z8… I love that car, just cant justify $100+k for a car I’d very rarely drive

[varg]

If I were to own a BMW convertible, it would be a Z3M. But that's only BMWs, R129 SL600, especially AMG, is probably the only convertible I'd actually buy if the chance came up.

The new BMWs are way too porky as well. I’ve seen the 2 Series and it looks like a pig in size compared to the E30. That car, even for its “dimunitive” size, still needs a back up camera to parallel park in NYC

The new M2 (the roblox car one) being a small car came up in conversation recently, I rejected that premise as it weighs as much as if not more than my E34 wagon, and looked it up; 5.5" shorter than said wagon. Back up cameras are more to do with visibility though, the Supra isn't very big; one parks next to my E30 every day at work, but the visibility is abysmal.

[ZeKahr]

The new BMWs are way too porky as well. I’ve seen the 2 Series and it looks like a pig in size compared to the E30. That car, even for its “dimunitive” size, still needs a back up camera to parallel park in NYC

[sna77]

the e60/e90 were some of the ugliest bms Ive ever seen.. and the new ones with the giant grills suck too. I dont hate all new cars, just the new bmws. and again, I owned a bunch, and they bore me, and have so little road feel. They traded handling for pure speed, and great engines for turbo nonsense. Ehh, I’ll pass..

fwiw I owned 4 e46s, 2 of which were zhps. The zhps, are undoubtedly better looking, and the pinnacle of e46 design… and they were both better cars than my early 328/330… Plus, my zhp has an LSD installed which obviously opens things up a bit.

[gazellebeigem3]

eh, I hate everything BMW after the e46. And I disagre—a zhp vert is a great driver’s car with exceptional road handling. Ive had a number of newer BMWs and they just dont do it for me. Ive moved to want classic BMWs as summer cruisers, and a modern SUV for daily commuting

This reminds me of an interview I heard with Lorne Michaels where he said that he can invariably tell when a person graduated high school based on when SNL ''stopped being funny''.

A zhp is just what, a steering rack, control arms and a set of hot cams away from its counterparts? No lsd (womp womp) and a soft top-- That's a no from me, dog.

[nadodude111]

^^^ this is me to a T. Have a new SUV for daily and comfort but have the e30 convertible for fun/nostalgia.

[sna77]

eh, I hate everything BMW after the e46. And I disagre—a zhp vert is a great driver’s car with exceptional road handling. Ive had a number of newer BMWs and they just dont do it for me. Ive moved to want classic BMWs as summer cruisers, and a modern SUV for daily commuting

[gazellebeigem3]

IMHO bmw didn't make a 'drivers' vert until the e93. Everything previous suffers from terminal floppiness of the chassis and deafening cacophony from flex/top/other jalopy noises. That said, I have a 90 vert that's automagic and its great for cruising around like a geezer. I left z cars out of the discussion for obvious reasons.

[sna77]

Man 10 years ago I passed on the chance to buy an '88 auto vert with only 75k on it for only $1600. The pacific blue interior was mint and it had a new top, but the body was just starting to rust so I considered it a parts car.

I would never buy a vert as a second fun car, but if I was rich I'd like having a vert in a collection, ideally a '92 mtech II with a nice and quiet period correct m50nv to cruise around with. Hell even a 318i would suffice. All I know for sure is that for some reason I despise the look of the diving boards on verts more than coupes/sedans and would make a project of swapping to plastic pronto. Regardless, I imagine the extra noise in a vert would make it unbearable for me to drive long distances so it would only be used around town, therefore I've never understood the point of high performance convertibles besides being a conspicuous display of wealth.

I have e46 ZHP and e30 convertibles as second (and err 3rd cars). We leave them at our beach house and drive them daily in the summer... sometimes cruising around town, sometimes we go for long, windy drives through the great New England uncrowded back roads. I love driving these cars in the summer... and my daily driver SUV that I drive to work in the city barely gets touched all summer long...

BTW, I'm with you--a 92 318 manual is honestly perfect for what my summer needs were. Would have love to have found a 92/93 325, but couldnt find one in the right color combo/in the great shape...

[E30 Wagen]

Man 10 years ago I passed on the chance to buy an '88 auto vert with only 75k on it for only $1600. The pacific blue interior was mint and it had a new top, but the body was just starting to rust so I considered it a parts car.

I would never buy a vert as a second fun car, but if I was rich I'd like having a vert in a collection, ideally a '92 mtech II with a nice and quiet period correct m50nv to cruise around with. Hell even a 318i would suffice. All I know for sure is that for some reason I despise the look of the diving boards on verts more than coupes/sedans and would make a project of swapping to plastic pronto. Regardless, I imagine the extra noise in a vert would make it unbearable for me to drive long distances so it would only be used around town, therefore I've never understood the point of high performance convertibles besides being a conspicuous display of wealth.

[varg]

No I have not driven one, do we really think a manual vert will be less fun to drive than an auto eta sedan?

We don't think anything, fun is a matter of opinion. What is a fact though is that convertibles didn't get balled up in spec E30/drifting/hooning nearly as often as coupes or sedans. I also recognize that it is easier to manual and 885/b25 swap an eta than it is to turn a convertible into a coupe. A nice eta is only a couple grand worth of parts; a 325i drivetrain, springs and swaybars, away from being as fun to drive any stock 325is. It's worth noting that a manual 325ic is also somewhat rare, having been a very expensive car when new, I believe they were as expensive as or more expensive than an M3. How common and relatively cheap they are now goes to show how well they were treated in relation to coupes and sedans. They really don't feel like the same car imo, the interior may look the same when you sit in it but the convertibles are noticeably more sluggish in acceleration and noticeably flexible. I once manual swapped a convertible for someone back when my car was still M42 powered and when I test drove the convertible afterward I remember that it felt noticeably vague and flexible in the front end going around a dipping corner near my house compared to my 318is. That was my first impression, I have driven a couple of them since then and am just not impressed. I must admit I don't "get" convertibles, I have had motorcycles for open top experiences for most of my life and some sluggish old bmw just doesn't hold a candle to a motorcycle