How good is your e30 as a DD?

[nando]

I've put nearly 100,000 miles on mine.. it's never stranded me, always been pretty trusty, I'd drive it anywhere. There have been minor glitches but nothing show stopping.

definitely do some preventative maintenance. That's part of why I don't usually have problems, I tend to replace things a little too soon rather than too late. I hate it when things break, especially if it was preventable by maintenance or a known replacement schedule (like timing belts and waterpumps).

I don't know about replacing relays and crank sensors, but I do keep spare relays in the fuse box. BMW was even thoughtful enough to leave space for them. :)

[kway]

Are there any common issues/ failures that'll leave me stranded? Stuff I should just go ahead & replace to avoid headaches?

Aside from the normal maintenance items I'd say: fuel pump, fuel pump relay, main relay, fusible link, crank sensor (maybe keep a spare ECU in the car to really cover your ass).

I've been DDing e30s pretty much steadily since 2000 (minus a 2 year stint of switching off between an e23). Bought this latest one 3 years ago at 250k, got it up to date on maintenance right off the bat. Almost 58,000 miles later and it's NEVER left me stranded. Couple roadside fixes here and there, but nothing crazy. Best car I've ever owned.

Current commute is 75 miles round trip to Boston and back. We had some pretty nasty storms last winter and with Hakkas on the car I never missed a day of work.

[chadthestampede]

I drove mine daily for 3 years, ~35,000 miles, through 3 Buffalo winters, and it performed like a champ. Never had snow tires or A/C, and I had a blast all the time.

I even DD'd it for about a month and a half after I got the m30 in, and it was still awesome, though a gas hog.

It only left me stranded 3 times, twice was the water pump failing (failed once and the replacement failed days later) and the other time was when somehow the battery ground came lose and I couldn't figure out what the hell was wrong.

Iono

Please stop saying this.

[Tbolt]

i loved driving mine daily even with race springs. unfortunately I have been running into problems left and right the past month and im pretty sure my hg is blown. doin a 24v swap soon so hopefully its back to DD status =D

[BenM]

I don't daily one currently, but have in the past and would do so if my suspension wasn't so harsh. That and New England roads aren't so great.

Replacing all of those things sounds like a great idea IMO, just keep the leftover relays, fuel pump, etc. around as spares.

[Streichholzschächtelchen]

Iono what you guys are talking about e30s are weak.

Lol mine seems pretty solid just wish I had AC sometimes, and I really should get onto fixing some annoying noises, otherwise it's a great automobile.

[quikveedb2]

Thanks for the helpful responses guys! Are there any common issues/ failures that'll leave me stranded? Stuff I should just go ahead & replace to avoid headaches?

[bataangpinoy]

been my daily for a month and a half now. mines low, rides stiff, the poly bushings creak and i have to angle up on speed bumps. i love it.

[ThaiRacer]

I drive my everyday, drove it for 5 hours straight no problems at all. Only problem I'm having is sometimes the RPM kicks on just a little to late. Its probably a lose connection but other then that A+++

[RickSloan]

mines swapped, no clutch fan, low and stiff, with no power steering or AC and its the best daily i could ask for. I dont just daily the car, i enjoy driving it everytime i sit down.

and the girl friend loves it, she just wishes she could see over the dash...

[pporcaro]

great

[structured]

my back hurts...but maybe that's the FDR talking.

[James Crivellone]

Hah, mine is a terrible daily driver, the suspension is too stiff, no power steering, the engine is awful in traffic, its loud, not comfortable for long drives at all.

Its a weekend toy :)

[Holland]

Comfort seats are pretty bad. I DD my M10 everyday in a hilly area so I'm always in it and prolonging the rev's. 85k on it so it won't crap out anytime soon but it does the job just fine.

[Naplm00]

Every Day up and down the NJ turnpike 90 mi roundtrip, avg speed 75 MPH, 25 MPG


cant beat it



put about 22k on it in this fashion so far