Thoughts on swapped E30s and traveling back in time (long)

[Sagaris]

Trailing throttle oversteer is only an issue if you are not prepared for it and cannot control it. Any and every car with a semi-trailing arm rear suspension is prone to the rear wheels changing alignment to toe-out under deceleration and braking as the compliance in the bushings allows the change in alignment. As you get to know your e30 and its limits, you will become familiar with the feel of the rear end wanting to rotate when you lift off.

I try to avoid lifting or braking abruptly when cornering hot and being conscious of curves with bumps in the road. I am not claiming to be the Stig, I certainly have a long ways to go in honing my driving skills, but I have a fair amount of practice in getting the car sideways (on purpose on wet roads) then learning what my hands and feet should be doing to keep it under control.

If you can get away from the instinctive gut reaction to lift the throttle as soon as the rear end loses grip and instead only lift just a little bit, then apply the right amount of counter steer smoothly, you will find out that it is incredibly easy to maintain and regain control. It's all part of what makes an e30 such a riot :)

[Marcumac]

This is r3v, shenanigans are required. If you can't handle it there's always bf.c.

Edit: please don't get an e30, you don't strike me as being worthy of god's chariot.

I'm not new to forum life, but I know when someone is going out of their way to be a dick. Please elaborate on why you don't find me as worthy, I would love to hear how you've come up with this based on my handful of posts.

[Ziggens96]

Lexus. 1st gen IS300.

[Cletonius]

Thanks for your valuable opinion, but I don't appreciate you being a cyber dick.

This is r3v, shenanigans are required. If you can't handle it there's always bf.c.

Edit: please don't get an e30, you don't strike me as being worthy of god's chariot.

[Brandon12V]

Honestly, since you have no hands on experience with the e30, I think you should buy a reliable, daily commuter of some sort first. After that find a stock motor e30 and build it for a swap. You'll have more appreciation for the car and will think twice about entering a corner 20-30mph faster than what you should be. Buying a modded car and asking if it is reliable, safe, and luxurious is completely relevant to the previous buyer. Especially with these cars as they are so "in tune" with the road that it will speak to you when something is wrong(if you get one, you'll understand). An e30 can easily be a daily, but when you start driving the car hard it will certainly let you know where the maintenance is needed.
Build the car yourself. It might cost more but you'll know what's been done. You'll know how safe it is. You'll have more appreciation for it.

[samiam3356]

E30 S52 DUH!

Love mine. Decent gas mileage and very reliable motor. Plenty of go and can make it fast as you want it.

[bmwstephen]

I'm with Vinni on this one. Get an m20 powered e30 first and learn your limits in it. E30s have no nanny controls to assist the driver and are all about driver instinct and skill. Drove my m20 for years and finally doing an s50 swap.

what he said. and if you have school and an engagement ring to worry about... i think driving a really nice car is the least of your worries now

[FredK]

Honestly I think an M20B25 E30 is a totally different car than an S5x swap car.

I think it depends on the individual. Some people get a 600cc bike to start and are fine. Some get a 600cc bike, and immediately try to wheelie down the highway the second week they have it and end up a grease spot.

[lolcantturn]

you're not going to kill yourself because the e30 is a car that loses control often
youre gonna kill yourself because you never experienced something like it. e30 is crazy easy to control oversteer on, but for someone who has relied on DSC and had a FWD car before, an E30 rear end that seems to be slipping away can be EXTREMELY scary the first time especially with an S5x. and forget it if you're trying to drive it in the rain and you're not used to it yet.

[Court M3]

I'm with Vinni on this one. Get an m20 powered e30 first and learn your limits in it. E30s have no nanny controls to assist the driver and are all about driver instinct and skill. Drove my m20 for years and finally doing an s50 swap.

[FredK]

Well, I'm biased, but I would get an S5x E30 WITH air conditioning if I were looking for a more raw DD. Get some rides if possible in a swap car. I guarantee you'll have a smile on your face even riding shotgun. The real treat IMO is when you take the car to the limits on the track or while autocrossing it.

If you shop carefully, there are better swap cars than others. Some have only the engine swapped and the suspension is neglected.

The E30 is not that safe when compared to modern cars.

[Marcumac]

The E90s look like crap stock, yes, but mine wasn't. There's a lot more than can go wrong with it, and it does a million different things behind the scenes that I'm not even aware of. You're right about the 330s being faster, for some reason I didn't think they were, I've always been able to keep up with my buddy's until just recently.

I can learn to tinker, I have a whole bunch of local guys more than willing to help me with any problems I might encounter, I'm just not a gearhead and have a lot to learn, so I don't want to buy a fixer-upper, but rather a car that's already been sorted out mechanically for me. Didn't realize E30s had so many options, especially heated seats, however I refuse to believe that they're anywhere near as safe as my E90. Name of the game when you're buying a 20 year old car I suppose.

But it is also the rawest of all the cars you mentioned, and will definitely kill you a lot quicker then all of those cars.

I'm starting to hear this a lot, and it makes me nervous. I want a faster car, but not something that I could easily hurt or kill myself in.

Please don't get an e30. I hate seeing nice e30s get wrecked.

The lexus is the car for you, or if you really need that roundel to fit in with your buddies, get another newer bmw like the one you have.

Thanks for your valuable opinion, but I don't appreciate you being a cyber dick. I'm not going to drive it like an asshole, I'm not some punk kid. You know nothing about me, and you completely misread that statement. I am not buying this to "fit in with my buddies", I thoroughly enjoy the events we put on, the backroad drives, our trips to Tail of the Dragon, and I want something that is capable of keeping up. I won't be happy in a car that doesn't handle at the same level or better than my ZSP E90 does.

[VinniE30]

This has been a concern of mine as well, I mean, I don't usually turn it off on this car, and the only other car I've had was a FWD boat, so I have no past experience.

I imagine I would just take my time and take it slow until I really know the car's limits and at what point it becomes unsafe.

The other concern would be safety just in daily driving situations, if I were to be in an accident, the safety systems and my side curtain airbags won't be there to save me. :-(

Please don't get an e30. I hate seeing nice e30s get wrecked.:-(

The lexus is the car for you, or if you really need that roundel to fit in with your buddies, get another newer bmw like the one you have.

Also, it should be required to own a stock e30 before a modded e30 let alone an s5x swap. You will get to know the car and appreciate the upgrades so much more, thats the fun in modding cars.

[lolcantturn]

It all comes down to what your budget is. An S50 E30 will never be as reliable as a brand new car, but 24V E30s are sure as fuck reliable. But it is also the rawest of all the cars you mentioned, and will definitely kill you a lot quicker then all of those cars. Though it will be the funnest, the cheapest, and the most neck breaking of all those cars. It won't be as luxurious as all of those other cars, but the E30 has everything you need, decently low cabin noise, good options such as ABS, heated seats, warning lights, airbags, and can be a comfy ride depending on your suspension setup. As far as safety is concerned, I can tell you the E30 is A LOT safer than you can imagine. Lots of metal between you and the outside. But it is not for the non-enthusiast, there will basically almost ALWAYS be something for you to work on, but it will ALWAYS get you from point A to point B someway or somehow.

[Cabriolet]

The other concern would be safety just in daily driving situations, if I were to be in an accident, the safety systems and my side curtain airbags won't be there to save me. :-(

e30s have more metal there to save you... not a balloon