Replacing E30...options

[e30davie]

A few people had touched on what I would get if I had to replace my E30.

R32 Nissan Skyline Gts-t

Inline 6 engine
makes the same amount of horses turbo'd as my NA E30M30
4 wheel steering (HiCAS)
Big Brake kit up front
just enough JDM to daily drive

Cons... right hand steering at the drive thrus

This would be my choice.

Get an M-spec with the bigger brakes and the skirts, put on a GTR front bar and bonnet. (the gtst bonnet always looked a bit odd in comparison...)

Here in Australia the R32 GTS-t that you'd want to buy have all but disappeared though, I think the drifters ate them all.

That RB20DET is a sweet sweet engine.

[TobyB]

Perhaps a controversial take, but I don't see E46s as being worth the trouble.

This, I think, is becoming pretty much true. They're a hassle. And they're aging out.

And:

I commute in an E46. 330 coope, 5 speed. When it's working, it's a nice car.
It's heavier and less connected than an E30, but far better than anything
new(ish). I'm very fond of it.
It's far more powerful AND corners better than an E30. By far.
Aircon works, defrost works, traction control sucks, ABS is excellent.
DSC is... annoying. But has saved my ass more than once.

The thing is, it's an ongoing project, and if you're not willing to spend real time
replacing the things that wear out, it's just frustrating. God help you if you pay someone else to work on it.
We have a fleet of 2 of them and a couple of E39's as backup, and when I get behind on maintenance for them, it sucks.
When they all decide to break at once, it REALLY sucks.
Then I have to drive a 1993 Ferd Eff Too Fiddy wid a 351, and it's miserable.

The super shitty thing about E46s right now is that all the plastic parts have been profitsourced.
So to replace anything in the cooling system, it's pretty much BMW-only if you want it to stay stuck
together. And BMW is really raking in the dough on the (still made by Modine, et. al.) baggie surcharge.
Just recently, Lemforerder packed it off to Malaysia. Rein used to be Turkish- now, China. Mahle aftermarket? China, now.
Sachs and ZF have already gone that way.
(this hoses us with E30s, as well. The Sachs parts are coming from Taiwan if you're lucky, China if you're not)

So for something to mostly drive and just 'fix it when it breaks' the E46 is too old and too undersupported by the aftermarket.
It stinks. I really like mine. I'll keep it going as long as I've got the energy for it, but I can see the day coming
when something electric will take over as the primary commuter, and it'll join the fair weather fleet...

t

[Vincenze]

S12 are pretty cheap. People say it's difficult to get parts, though.

I think the wheels will look good on an E30.

[uturn]

A few people had touched on what I would get if I had to replace my E30.

R32 Nissan Skyline Gts-t

Inline 6 engine
makes the same amount of horses turbo'd as my NA E30M30
4 wheel steering (HiCAS)
Big Brake kit up front
just enough JDM to daily drive

Cons... right hand steering at the drive thrus

[E30 Wagen]

Z3 coupe, Z4 coupe, E82.

[e30davie]

The e30 is arguably not replaceable. The charm is in the fact they are 40yrs old and the history attached. I have contemplated the same, selling the e30 and buying something more modern ended up buying a boring commuter car and kept the e30 for me.

I did have a ago of a GR86 the other day on a skid pan, that's a cool car. got some go to it with that 2.4L and looks more grown up compared to the GT86. But after having a few Subarus I'm not sure I want a subaru engine again..

[MrBurgundy]

Can <20k get you a Z06? It's just a personal thing but I wouldn't buy a non-Z06 corvette. E30 to corvette is a big leap, less practical, more expensive, I do know a guy who did just that. C5s are pretty well known to be fun and reliable cars.

I've seen them listed in the low 20s

I'm sure if you showed up w 20k, someone will eventually say yes.

The z06 is a leap above the base, but even w the base, its a lot of car for the money.

Yeah, if I were to get a c5 I would only opt for the Z06, but maybe the OP aint like that.

At his price point, a base c5 has the most "balls" for the money

Miatas are gay. Never understood the appeal, but that's just me and my 2 cents.

Honestly, now that I'm thinking... If you can get over the looks, a 986 S- if you're a canyon carver.

[varg]

The question is why are you considering selling the E30 and what do you want out of the replacement? Newer? Older? Faster? More comfortable? Safer? Fun and manual is pretty broad.

Some good suggestions here I guess, but I can't co-sign 350Zs. I get that they have good enthusiast fundamentals in that they have decent power and chassis, but they have some of the ugliest interiors ever made and that's enough to turn me away forever. I'm a big fan of classic Zs and some other old Nissan offerings, but I would not personally want a modern Nissan based on the low quality parts and engineering new modern nissan is known for. I also don't see a whole lot of benefit in going from E30 to E46 unless you're getting an M3. E46 is faster and a better chassis but it's uglier, more expensive to repair and maintain, less reliable. E46s are old enough that them being newer doesn't mean they'll be any less trouble than an E30. If you're just looking for a fun car I'd argue an E30 is probably more fun and less trouble even if it is slow. Miatas are cool if you have access to good driving roads and like convertibles, I can't imagine how boring I'd find a Miata here in south FL, but merely cruising in a slow car with the top down is not what I'd call fun and for some it is.

c5

next question

Can <20k get you a Z06? It's just a personal thing but I wouldn't buy a non-Z06 corvette. E30 to corvette is a big leap, less practical, more expensive, I do know a guy who did just that. C5s are pretty well known to be fun and reliable cars.

[roguetoaster]

e46s are good cars.

Manual 330i, cant go wrong. They're cheap, easy to work on and if you go thru the known shitter parts, it IS reliable.

Got an M54 car and put 20k on the clock and hasnt skipped a beat.

Yes, I have an 01 330i MT in my garage, so I have at least one example. Easy to work on in many cases, not great at the front of the engine bay where the problems happen. Also, the rear CV driveshaft blows, as does trans access.

[MrBurgundy]

Still can't disagree with you, I just think of them differently than most.

e46s are good cars.

Manual 330i, cant go wrong. They're cheap, easy to work on and if you go thru the known shitter parts, it IS reliable.

Got an M54 car and put 20k on the clock and hasnt skipped a beat.

[rmdashrf]

Perhaps a controversial take, but I don't see E46s as being worth the trouble. If they didn't tear themselves apart, eat PS pumps, have so many plastic connectors that degrade, and were nicely rustproofed, maybe. They're great in the sub 5k market, throw a couple thousand at them while you have it and sell it at a likely loss a few years later.

Still can't disagree with you, I just think of them differently than most.

[MrBurgundy]

c5

next question

[roguetoaster]

While I don't disagree, with such a budget you could pick one up for $5k to $10k and have a ton of money left over to replace everything.

I did/am doing this for my sons. In their E46's I have replaced every rubber bit, every cooling hose and pipe, suspension, brakes, etc. so far so good. ::fingers crossed::

Perhaps a controversial take, but I don't see E46s as being worth the trouble. If they didn't tear themselves apart, eat PS pumps, have so many plastic connectors that degrade, and were nicely rustproofed, maybe. They're great in the sub 5k market, throw a couple thousand at them while you have it and sell it at a likely loss a few years later.

[rmdashrf]

E46s are too old to be reliable, and have a bunch of fragile parts, but are a good E30 replacement. Some Mustangs are fun and not too porky, but the real answer is probably Corvette.

While I don't disagree, with such a budget you could pick one up for $5k to $10k and have a ton of money left over to replace everything.

I did/am doing this for my sons. In their E46's I have replaced every rubber bit, every cooling hose and pipe, suspension, brakes, etc. so far so good. ::fingers crossed::

[Northern]

I have a thing against verts, so I'm not saying miata.

I'd default to BRZ/FRS/86 if it was something to make into a project and throw a lot of mods at, or if not, E90/E91/E82 or even the more recent gen 2-er, whatever the chassis code is.
Just logic that the BRZ et al. is going to be cheaper to mod and have a bigger aftermarket, whereas anything BMW is going to have more power and be nicer to exist in on a daily basis.

I recognize the Nissan 350/370Z but the usual oil burning/straight piped elephant exhaust spec is a big turnoff, and Nissan itself hasn't been in a good place in a long time.
Hyundai/kia stuff still has massive reliability issues.


Outside of RWD stuff:
Mini.
R56 Cooper S and JCW. Hear me out: They're cheap and fun, comfortable enough, 6 speed, turbo.
Drive very much like an e30, probably due to the weight, and despite the FWD nature. Has a lot of the "small car fast" energy going on.
Yeah, they're cheap because they're built like shit, but parts are cheap.
Yeah, the engines have a bad reputation, but the later N18 cars have fewer problems and the facelift did a lot of good for the interior.
Mine has been reliable in the sense that I've been able to drive it despite any issues it has.

F56 are heavier, but way more comfortable, better built, and make more power. Price is also higher but still in that range.