e36s vs e30s

[pinoycowboy]

e46 ftw!

i just sold my e46 and i picked up an e30 (2 of them for good measure)



the e30's saying hello and goodbye to the e46. the one in the garage is the project car and the one with the taped up tail lights is my parts car. when my job situation changed and i had to reevaluate my car situation, i chose to go w/ an e30 rather than e36 because of driving feel, of how simple they are to work on, and their OG look. i really like certain e36's, but i feel like my friends with e30's have enjoyed them even more than my friends with 36's.

anyway, there are pluses and minuses to each generation, but in my head, if you're looking at e36's, you might as will look at earlier model e46's ;)

[stormspike]

Ive had both and I have to say that the E30 is great when Modified. I have a S52 in now and its a blast. Soon to come is a nice S50B32 with 6 speed. That should be great. Go with the E30 and do a swap. Best of both worlds...

[e30:)]

I :rofl: at people thinking e30s gain them more respect from the rest of the population.

Get whichever one you like more. Drive them both.

yeah. i dont think people get more respect i just think there more of a classic, its kind of hard to compare them i think, there on different levels. if you want something that is comfortable and quick then an e36 would probobly be better for you, if you want something thats semi classic and handles great then e30.

[e30:)]

yeah things like that happen to me all the time. when someone sees a nice e30 drive buy there like " wow look at that old bmw" but an e36 is just so plain jane, to me at least.

[87e30]

I :rofl: at people thinking e30s gain them more respect from the rest of the population.

Get whichever one you like more. Drive them both.

[Bishop]

...and im sure every one here has got numerous compliments on there e30 even if its shitty...

Some dude in a new-ish Audi S4 (dunno dick about Audi, so can't venture a guess as to year) came up on me quick just cruisin around town, slowed down and rolled next to me for like 1/4 mile, then rolled down his window, gave me the thumbs up, mouthed "really nice BMW," then sped away like a week ago...

[e30:)]

i have owned 3 e30s and never have i felt the desire to drive an e36. that sould say something, and im sure every one here has got numerous compliments on there e30 even if its shitty. i dont know, when i see an e36 i think cool, a bmw but when i see an e30 i get exited. some have different oppinions but i would say e30. there easy to work on and fairly cheap, also there very reliable if well maintained.

[b*saint]

My wife drives a 1998 318i sedan, autotragic, all stock. We bought it third owner, clean Carfax, 94K miles for $5K. One year, $3K, and 10k miles later, after rebuilding one front caliper, replacing the steering rack, oil filter housing gasket, control arms, tires, ICV, PCV, PCV Air/Water hose, spark plugs, coolant flush, it still ran like shit. I drive a 1991 325i coupe autotragic lowered on Racing Dynamics springs, otherwise all stock bought for $2200 in 2004 with 145k miles on it. Six years, $1k and 50k miles later, after replacing the steering rack, control arms, maybe a coolant flush, and a tire occasionally, it just clocked 199k miles today. It runs like a top, but it rattles. I'm afraid to open the hood, so as not to disturb its mojo. The 318i rolls down the highway nice at 90mph, but thankfully I just recently got rid of the shitty little "flutter" in the idle that had progressed to the point of nearly stalling when at red lights. Now I don't want to vomit so much when I drive that four-door piece of shit.

Its that fucking M44. What did you do to rid it "seeking?"

[b*saint]

havent we done this topic before?

[lennon]

If you have to ask, get an e36. Save the e30s for us.

[jeff_b]

My wife drives a 1998 318i sedan, autotragic, all stock. We bought it third owner, clean Carfax, 94K miles for $5K. One year, $3K, and 10k miles later, after rebuilding one front caliper, replacing the steering rack, oil filter housing gasket, control arms, tires, ICV, PCV, PCV Air/Water hose, spark plugs, coolant flush, it still ran like shit. I drive a 1991 325i coupe autotragic lowered on Racing Dynamics springs, otherwise all stock bought for $2200 in 2004 with 145k miles on it. Six years, $1k and 50k miles later, after replacing the steering rack, control arms, maybe a coolant flush, and a tire occasionally, it just clocked 199k miles today. It runs like a top, but it rattles. I'm afraid to open the hood, so as not to disturb its mojo. The 318i rolls down the highway nice at 90mph, but thankfully I just recently got rid of the shitty little "flutter" in the idle that had progressed to the point of nearly stalling when at red lights. Now I don't want to vomit so much when I drive that four-door piece of shit.

[matthugie]

Personally, I loved my e36 M3. As others have said, it was a great DD, fairly comfortable all told and easy to drive. You don't get the same feeling as the e30, but I wouldn't call it close to "numb". I actually liked the steering feel better in the e36. The car was a blast to drive and easy enough to handle daily duties. When pushed, I have never driven a car that was more planted or stable, and on roads I have driven well modded e30's on as well, the e36 was a lot faster and easier to drive. Now, as someone else mentioned, BMW discovered glue and plastic for the e36, and it does suck. I can say though that the only actual problem I ever had with my e36 in the 3 years I drove it were small plastic clips in various areas of the car. I spent a lot of time replacing those little things, and spent the entire time cursing at the car, but at the end of the day I still loved to drive it. The only other thing was the door cards were starting to bubble, but I could live with that for a bit. An Altima took care of the car before I got around to fixing them.

As Bimmerman said, given the choice between a stock(ish) e30 and a stock(ish) e36 m3, it would be a no brainer for me as well.

[Bimmerman325i]

I ended up selling my E30 because I never drove it. When given the chance, I always picked my M3. It was a no-brainer really. I liked the E30, I just liked the E36 more.

Had my E30 been swapped, I probably would have done the opposite.

[tehwickerman]

owned a 328IS for like.... 4 months then dumped it for my 318IS... so much more fun. and the interiors of e36s do suck fucking ass. door panels are a damn nightmare.

[Bishop]

First BMW I got to drive was like a '94 325i. Drivetrain was in good shape, but there was some minor body rust, and like people were saying, the interior wasn't exactly tip top... Few weeks later I got to test drive an e30 and loved the little thing... Didn't end up with that one (lowered, semi-modded) so I picked up a stock 4 door (sig)... Test drive of that car was making me smile and laugh out loud. The e36 was a better DD, was softer and more comfortable, but the e30 was more fun to drive.... One day... one day down the line, I'll end up with an e36 track rat maybe... (though I'd much rather build a Subaru track rat)