e30 vs e46

[brutus87]

Why not both?
ZHP for daily
E30 s50 for fun
Solved.

[bmwstephen]

I daily drive my e46 because if some asshole rear ends me in it I won't care 1% as much as if they'd totaled my e30...

Honestly though, this is apples to oranges. I prefer the looks and 'rawness' of my e30 but there is no denying that for 99% of the population the e46 (330 coupe) is the better car. More refined, more mechanical grip, less buzzy and torquier engine, and the list goes on and on.

But for a track/auto X car and a car to live out my '80s DTM dreams... e30 all the way. I guess I need to upgrade to an s14 car then to properly live out the dreams...

word... me too. but i've tracked my e46 325i (87 octane) vs my e30 (running on 87 octane) before and they're pretty much dead even if not the e30 being faster despite the hp boost on the e46.

[Earendil]

I've owned an E30 (325i) for 5 years, which now has 260,00+ miles on it. I needed a more reliable car, so I bought an E46 (328i) 5 months ago. I don't think either car can replace the other. If you love one, you aren't likely to be happy trading them. However they compliment each other very well imho.

I use the e46 to work when It's raining, it feels safer, more stable and quieter. I drive the e46 in stressful situations when I don't really want to be driving. Times when I have other things to worry about. But during the weekends, I use the e30, it is simply more fun... In short, I drive the e30 whenever I actually want to drive.

This.

I spend almost every other weekend driving 5 hours across the state and land in down town Seattle to see my gf. This trip could be scary at time, was long, hurt my back, and at freeway speeds made it hard to hear the music in my E30 without hitting a dB that would cause hearing loss.

Now that I have the E46, the ride is smooth, quieter, and *feels* safer. The heavier car handles the rain better, the lack of *any* vibration at speed is reassuring. The airbags and everything else makes me feel as if I might actually survive a freeway crash, and having antilock brakes again is sort of nice. I intentionally don't have antilock brakes in my E30, but I'm still aware that they do a better job stopping in an emergency than I can.

Basically, on long poor weather drives in traffic, I get to the other end feeling less mentally and physically fatigued than I did when I drove the E30.

But if I want to go for a weekend spin? Hands down E30.

Why not both?
ZHP for daily
E30 s50 for fun
Solved.

This all the way (no s50 required). When I want to *drive* I use the E30. I can hear the engine, I can feel the road through the steering wheel and my seat. It is responsive and feels like a machine.

The E46 by comparison feels like a warm hug. It's protective. You can't hear the engine in the 328i unless you are above 4K, and can't hear it at all if you have music on.

If the cars were an outdoor sport, the E30 would be like dirt biking, and the E46 would be like skiing...on powder.

with heated seats, great a/c, great classic/modern looks, great stereo, good gas mileage, faster, smoother, and still easy to work on with comparable aftermarket support, I'll take an E46 ZHP please.

Funny, you mentioned little that the E46 actually excels in. Heated seats? On both models some had them, some didn't. AC is neither terrible nor best in class in either car. The E46 does look more modern, i.e. it blends in with the crowd. The 328i is barely faster in a straight line than a 325i. The 330 is better but certainly no speed monster. Very much smoother, if by that you also mean quieter. The Aftermarket support is good for the E46, but still caters more towards people with money to burn, than to shade tree tinkerers.

Personally, I think the E46 and E30 are two different cars, that compliment each other very very well. I don't think an E30 owner looking for a daily driver will be disappointed with an E46. Less stressful to drive, can be thrown around a corner, and fast enough to not drive you crazy when you're trying to merge onto a freeway. But it isn't significantly faster than an E30, doesn't handle significantly better, and in few categories but safety does it blow the E30 out of the water. It is, after all, still a family sedan from the same company that built the E30 ;)

But the E46 is certainly more tame in the fun sense. It isn't as loud, doesn't have the feedback, and if you want to go Drive a Machine, the E46 will never fill your desire. The E30 fits the weekend bill for me perfectly.

Looking into the future, my E46 will stay bone stock, while the E30 is being transformed into a track worthy car that is still street legal. I'm going to amplify those characteristics that make the E30 great, and let the E46 fill the areas in my vehicle world that it is good at. It's nice to own both.

[VinniE30]

I've owned an E30 (325i) for 5 years, which now has 260,00+ miles on it. I needed a more reliable car, so I bought an E46 (328i) 5 months ago.

Reliable in what way? The only reason you could call an e30 unreliable would be because the car is much older and things need to be replaced(as opposed to a part having being poorly engineered and it failing prematurely). That is the owner's fault that he hasn't done proper maintenance for a car of this age.

I think of reliability in the sense of how durable the components of the car were. (How long will the components last and is their design flawed)

Lets look at some different components...
I believe the cooling system in an e30 lasts longer than e46.
I believe the suspension related bushing in an e30 last longer than e46.
Same for many other components that will eventually fail.

The e30 does not have major structural weakpoints in the e30 such as the e46 subframe failure.
Since the e30 doesn't have VANOS that is one less thing to fail on you. Oh and they do fail on the e46.
Since the e30 doesn't have traction control and stability control that is one less thing to fail on you. Oh and they do fail on the e46.
Same for other simple mechanical components that were made into more complex electrically controlled components such as drive by wire vs. it being electronically controlled.

Oh, and when something does break on an e30 it's much easier to replace yourself vs. an e46.

The e30 has passed the test of time. The e46 isin't even half as old as the e30 and it is already showing lots of problems.

[nando]

I also don't get having a "nice" or "fun" car that sits in the garage all the time. It's not a lawn ornament - drive the dang thing! :p

[clydesdale]

I agree with much of what has been said. I especially agree with the simplicity of the e30 and ease to repair it. But, the e46 330i zhp is a really cool car and blows the doors off of my e30 when it comes to speed. I strongly disagree with the idea that the 330 is only slightly faster, it is way faster. It also brakes amazingly. Now, that may change with a motor swap and a bbk.

[Dtmnuka]

E30 IS WAY SLOW COMPARED TO E46 ANYTHING! driving an e30 is much more fun though because of the raw driving experince!

[xwill112x]

fuck e46's... that was when the qaulity of parts took a dive to save costs on mass produced parts. me personally? im an e30/e36 guy..til the day i die. ;)

e30:



e36:

[Dtmnuka]

WORD^^ minus the e36 :p YUCK hahah

[xwill112x]

WORD^^ minus the e36 :p YUCK hahah

haha dont be a hater, i love e36's..perfect dailys. roomy, heated seats, docile, and the womenz like it better than a buzzy poly bushing equiped e30

edit: only reason you liked the e30 is bc my ex was sitting on it? hahaa

[nando]

E30 IS WAY SLOW COMPARED TO E46 ANYTHING! driving an e30 is much more fun though because of the raw driving experince!

Stock for stock its a bit faster, but 0-60 in ~6.1 seconds is quick, not "fast". Plus how many aspire to stock e30 performance?

The other e46's are much slower - a 323i isnt fast by any stretch of the imagination. A stock e30 325is could give it trouble.

[xwill112x]

The other e46's are much slower - a 323i isnt fast by any stretch of the imagination. A stock e30 318is could give it trouble.

fixed

[clydesdale]

I can't get into e36s, I just think they are cheap and ugly looking. I am more into the e30 and e46.