Slight theory about E30 enthusiast ownership

[M-technik-3]

All cars need work eventually.

I would say the average person who buys an e30 buys it because they're an automotive enthusesest(sp), and like to work on cars once and a while. but when i look out in my schools parking lot, i typically see 2 e30s, both of which are driven by women. i'll let that speak for its self.

Odd I see a good 50/50 mix.

[Fusion]

I had a car that needed repairs, often.
The E30 doesn't need repairs, but I like to upgrade stuff.
There's really not much that can go awfully wrong. I bet the M20 and M50 can go a couple years and thousands of miles without an oil change.

[rThor432]

When I bought my black car I drove it for 2 years without doing anything to it other than changing the cap and rotor for a 'better' set that I had around. No oil changes-- I didn't even add oil. I wanted that engine to die so badly.. Do you have a guess about what failed? Here's a hint-- the distributor rotor blew up after 2 years of driving.

So, my point is that anybody could potentially hop in an E30 and drive it until the timing belt snaps (which could be the next day or 7-10 years down the road).

[dna1943]

Most people today don't drive "old" cars. For the price of an E30 they can buy some newer domestic stuff. For most of them the newer the car means the better the car. Ha.
When I buy a car i usually spend most of the first year fixing broken or missing stuff. But I love old BMWs and this site. Maybe there is something wrong... no, I seem to have company here. Smile, we can fix it.

[CabbE30]

... Most of the "work" I've done to my car, was either because I broke something, or I modified something, or I fixed something that wasn't broken in the first place (and likely broke it on the way).

This.

Ive also noticed that most often when its younger females driving E30s, its because their father is an enthusiast who does all the dirty work for them.
In HS there was this girl who had a 5-speed delphin e30, red pin stripe, and the interior hooked up with m-tech parts. It used to be her father's car.

[Woulf]

I'll admit I bought my 325e for the same reason I loved my MKIII Supra. There's something about an inline six that just sits right with me, and nobody makes them anymore. Older cars have more personality as well.

I have to agree with what BoxDriver said above. My (currently father-in-law's) garage is my happy place. There's something cathartic about wrenching on a car for me. Testing the electronics, coming up with theories and trying them out, adjusting tiny little things trying to get it to run better. It's all very relieving for me to get out there and work on something I at least have a measure of control over. In a crazy, stressed out world, it's nice to have something to rely on. Even if it's an old half-busted car with gremlins to chase.

[funcrew]

The majority of these posts run counter to my experience. I have owned 3 E30's in the last 3 years with (supposedly) less than 100K on them. Reliable - yes, but they generally had symptoms of 20+ years of disintegration, and AFTER the timing belt/tune-up/water pump/belts/hoses/brakes that you do at purchase, had the following character marks:

A/C system non-op and won't hold charge
engine vacuum leaks
fuel odors
oil leaks
power steering leaks
failed smog tests
seats disintegrating
nasty carpet
cracked dashboard
HVAC blower non-op
gauges non-op
odometer non-op
failed clear coat
suspension bushings disintegrated
blown shocks

So yes, all this stuff is repairable/restorable with enough time & money, but my point is, these are 20 year old cars, and the last 10 were usually owned by non-BMW-enthusiast-types.

So, my vote goes to "not suitable for casual owners" who don't want to put in the work or pay someone to. I think I might fit that category after spending my weekends fiddling with old cars.

[Roysneon]

Besides what had to be fixed on my 84 from sitting for a couple years when I got it the only things that went wrong were things that I broke (ripped the metal from the plastic off of all the motor/trans mounts once) by driving it too hard. After that something happened with the fuel system to make it too rich to run and I parked it t start on it as a project.

The only thing that's gone wrong with the touring since I've had it is the subframe bushings crumbling away due to almost 20 years of salt corrosion and my subsequent attempts to slide it around too much.

[Restoman]

The way I see it is that these cars just have a large number of faults that require attention. If the car was not so damn enjoyable and good looking it would have never lasted this long. Look at the Chevrolet cavalier, essentially the same time period vehicle and offering, just American. Mechanically it was not that bad, but it sucked overall so you see where it ended up and much much sooner.