Fitting a Drum Set

[kevmac858]

Hi all,
I'm very new to r3v but have been looking around at e30s for a pretty long time and am in the market for one. The only issue is, I am also an avid drummer who has constant gigs which require me to move my drum set to and from my house. I was wondering if you guys would think that my drums would fit in an e30. My only real issue is the bass drum (24inx18in). I feel like it would be able to fit in the passenger seat but really have no idea. It has a diameter of 24 inches and depth of 18 inches as mentioned earlier. I think that if placed properly it would fit sitting upwards on the seat but really have no idea if a drum that size would clear through the door gap. If anyone on here happens to be a drummer or has a few minutes to measure that out for me it would be GREATLY appreciated. Please let me know any thoughts or concerns you guys have with this. thanks

[Xat1cZ]

dude.. sounds like you are the perfect candidate for this =



travel in style and luxury in a bad ass, well built E30 !!!!1one!!11!
FS on ebay!!!










on a more serious note tho' .. NO don't get that. but THIS!!!

[OniKyan]

I have fit a bass/kick drum on my passenger seat. Not sure if it is the same dimensions as yours though. This was in a two door, it might be harder in a four door because of the smaller doors.

[325ix]

I say buy a cheap van for hauling your drums. Then use the rest to buy an e30.

[markseven]

I'm pretty sure a 5-piece will in E30 (for years I used a AE86 to haul around my drum set, and those have approx the same trunk and interior volume). For safety reasons I would try and put the kick in the rear seat - in the event of a really bad side impact or collision, the kick is going to crush you and/or make it hard to extract you from the car.

[e30Nicko]

lol i'd assume it would be hard ot fit a drumset in a regular e30..

if only it was easy to get a touring in the us :D

[kevmac858]

lol i'd assume it would be hard ot fit a drumset in a regular e30..

if only it was easy to get a touring in the us :D

i know i would buy a touring in a second if they were easy to find. the problem is that I am a college student and am only working with ~$5k of budget so i can't just buy two cars haha as easy as that would be. Thanks for the info regarding 4 doors being smaller because I would have assumed it would have been easier with 4! What are the bigger models of the e30 to look out for? es? ix? e? I'm really not totally sure so as much info as possible would be great guys. Thanks again for all the help! :)

[AE_m20]

I fit my gretsch catalina club in my e30. I remember pulling up to the knitting factory in brooklyn and everyone staring as I pull out this baby 18" kick out of the back seat lol
pic of kit for reference(typically had more cymbals for gigs)

[kevmac858]

hahah thats awesome! i love catilina clubs! do you think there is enough room to fit a 24" bass? that would be awesome!

[e34john]

you can take the passenger seat out, I had to do that for a few months while I was cycling. What part of town you in? I can probably come by with my car and you can see if your gear will fit.

otherwise e34 touring?

[leothedrummer]

How did we strike out, us who were unfortunate enough to become both drummers and car enthusiasts? Quite possibly two of the most expensive hobbies one could take up and they don't work well together at all!

Ultimately, I believe the best solution to this problem is a second car. I have a Mitsubishi Lancer station wagon that serves as a daily drive and drum hauler, keeping the E28 free of load lugging duties and away from the traffic of the daily grind. I'm inclined to believe that an E30 would be a bit too small to easily accommodate your average sized kit. There is more to it than just size; the rear of the car doesn't allow for the greatest access into the boot/trunk area (I mean the way that the trunk lid only sits on the top, rather than extending down to the rear of the car). An E30 touring is quite similar in this regard, as the tail lights obstruct the loading area quite a bit, making it a fair bit harder to manager a bigger item, like a hardware case or bass drum.

If you can manage two cars, I really do think that's the better option, but if this isn't possible, then I would actually like to second the suggestion for an E34 touring. That would be well worth a look!

Anyway man, all the best with it!

[TobyB]

Remove the rear seat. That'll give you way more room than you'd expect.
Although I'd then carpet it to protect the wiring...

You could always get a roof rack for the kick.

t

[BrooklynMW]

I'm not a drummer, but at one time I fit a 24" kick in the back seat before along with the floor tom. Everything else went in the trunk. (Hardware case, snare, racktom, etc). You can definitely do it, but if you give any kind of shits about your leather, definitely get a moving blanket, if not, two to protect it from any damage from the drums.

On a regular basis, I can fit my 2 piece guitar amp (with a 2x12" cab), 2 guitars, & FX pedals all in my trunk. e30's have fantasically boxy trunks and are larger than the average compact car.

[e30austin]

Always wondered the same thing. Going to be moving in a few months and never tried to fit my kit in the E30. 20x22" bass, 12" mounted tom, 14"/16" floor tom. Probably would be fine...

[adjmcloon]

Find yourself an e39 touring, works for me (very well!)

Got an e30 on the way for the fun factor. ;)