What was the E30's Rival...?

[Massive Lee]

Well, there was no 1992 M3, so they could charge whatever they wanted for a vert!

Actually, there were tons of unsold e30 M3s in dealer showrooms for a few years. Which is why BMW NA didn't offer the e36 M3 in its original form when it was available in 1994 in Canada. Instead, there was a cheaper e36 M3 with a stroked M50 motor.

[eur04lif3]

....and i would have that over an e30 any day :)

[NuthinFancy]

Hot!!!

[freeride53]

505 turbo... my buddy has one. 1985 I believe. 200,000 miles, still ticking strong. Fun car with the LSD and 5 speed.

The guy also has a citroen 2CV6, 505 wagon, Alfa MKII Alfetta, and a bitchin Saab 95 wagon (the originate with a V4)

I'd love pics of his car(s). 505's are great cars.

The BMW e30 was the Ultimate Yuppie_Mobile in the 1980s. No competition.

+1. Even though I did not exist then, my relatives, the P.O's of my car, left 'when in rome', depeche mode, and other tapes in various locations around my car

[Massive Lee]

+1. Even though I did not exist then, my relatives, the P.O's of my car, left 'when in rome', depeche mode, and other tapes in various locations around my car

Look for a stash of cocaine too... It was quite popular and "period correct" with the e30 chassis.

[ejnight]

"The redline is an exhilarating 6200 RPM"

Had one. Fast car until a guy ran a red.:(

[5Toes]

I'd love pics of his car(s). 505's are great cars.


+1. Even though I did not exist then, my relatives, the P.O's of my car, left 'when in rome', depeche mode, and other tapes in various locations around my car

I can snap a few. Haha weird question to ask him though. "Hey Chris, can I take pictures of your euro goodies?"

[george graves]

You guys are forgetting that BMW was major upscale yuppy cars back in the day. Way more than it is today.

It was the p-cars, MB and BMW - that's it. Audi's were an odd duck. Not only that but whole unintended acceleration thing back then.

Secretaries drove drove VW's. Hondas/dautsun/toyota were once a pile of shit, but had just turned a corner and were now better than American cars. And American cars were a total POS - the K car at that point had been around forever.

Oh and sabb 900, volvos, and alike. They sold them to all the hippies getting liberal arts degrees that didn't really care about what they drove as long as they were different.

There was no such thing as an SUV outside of a Jeep and the occasional old scout or something.

Most people keep their car for 10 years back then. There were repair stations EVERYWHERE. Gas stations didn't have stores - they had 2 lifts, and they were busy night and day.

[freeride53]

Tell him its from another Peugeot owner haha
peugeot owners are very off point

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=195536

[5Toes]

^ cant see thread homeboy

[Emre]

The Mercedez 190? Nah... It can't be...

That's a very strange thing to say :loco:

The W201 range was the natural rival to the E30. The Benz 190 model line-up matches the E30 line-up pretty closely:

E30 316 vs. 190E 1.8 (stripped-out 8V tax specials; both available in carb or FI versions)
E30 318 vs. 190E 2.3 (8V four-banger budget models)
E30 325e vs. 190D (high-efficiency models)
E30 325i vs. 190E 2.6 (12V sports sedans)
E30 M3 vs. 190E 2.3-16 (Group-A 2.3L 16V touring cars)
E30 M3 Evo vs. 190E 2.5-16 Evo (2.5L evolution touring cars)

Hard to think of a model line-up that gets any closer.

[2slowe30]

Actually, there were tons of unsold e30 M3s in dealer showrooms for a few years. Which is why BMW NA didn't offer the e36 M3 in its original form when it was available in 1994 in Canada. Instead, there was a cheaper e36 M3 with a stroked M50 motor.

If this is true. now it all makes sense to me.

[harv]

I like the Alfa Milano as my choice as a competitor. In 87 a Milano Gold 2.5 was 13K.

900 Turbo...

Volvo 240 and then the 740 Turbo GLT.

I had looked at a few Milano's before I bought my e30.

John

[Aptyp]

You guys are forgetting that BMW was major upscale yuppy cars back in the day. Way more than it is today.

It was the p-cars, MB and BMW - that's it. Audi's were an odd duck. Not only that but whole unintended acceleration thing back then.

Secretaries drove drove VW's. Hondas/dautsun/toyota were once a pile of shit, but had just turned a corner and were now better than American cars. And American cars were a total POS - the K car at that point had been around forever.

Oh and sabb 900, volvos, and alike. They sold them to all the hippies getting liberal arts degrees that didn't really care about what they drove as long as they were different.

There was no such thing as an SUV outside of a Jeep and the occasional old scout or something.

Most people keep their car for 10 years back then. There were repair stations EVERYWHERE. Gas stations didn't have stores - they had 2 lifts, and they were busy night and day.

You can tell George was wiping nostalgia tears as he wrote this.

[JasonC]

thanks! i would put their price in close relation to a c4 corvette... later years at least.
early years are too far off in prices to compare but an early e30 would probably compete similarly to a 350 camaro or a 302 mustang. (personally being a domestic person i would take an e30 over nearly any 80's car though)

If i had the money and was back in the 1980's looking at new cars. Eventhough i am a domestic car guy. I'd say i'd buy a domestic car over an e30. To me, there's just not that much there thats worth the money in an e30 brand new. I'd be looking at Monte Carlo SS's or over at Dodge looking at the FWD Shelby products. But thats just me.