I'm about to drive my wife's E30 off a cliff...

[mikeedler]

i cant believe you E30 guys are decomending jap cars! there are alot of good cars out there, but jap crap??? buy a E46 wagon for here, my wife fell in love with "mine"(hers)now!

[Dave]

i cant believe you E30 guys are decomending jap cars! there are alot of good cars out there, but jap crap??? buy a E46 wagon for here, my wife fell in love with "mine"(hers)now!

Sorry, dude, but Toyota and Honda make a much more relaiable and solid vehicle than BMW these days. When it comes to putting your wife and kids into a car, you want them in something that is NOT so finicky.

When I bought my lexus, I looked at e46s and there were so many stupid (mostly electrical) problems with them, I decided to stay away.

[Axxe]

Toyota > BMW for reliablility.

[Digitalwave]

Josh, sorry to hear about that but those seem like normal issues to me. If you had a garage it wouldn't be that big of a deal. I have a rear view mirror from my parts car sitting already packaged up in my garage if you want it.

[rwh11385]

Dave is right. (and don't mind Mike, he's just a narrowminded retard.)

Josh, welcome to the world of unmaintained BMWs. They are a real bitch. Better to do it right the first time, early, than have shit pile up. I would know, I bought the eta with issues, and only added more in driving it. It feels like a death trap on the highway.

On the other hand. . . . keep them up right, they feel great. And aren't that expensive. . . preventative maintence is key.

[RobertK]

I think this would be the perfect grocery getter for you.. has your name written all over it.




I mean how cool is this.. you can turn it into a fucking tent!

[BimmerToad]

i came to the realization that excluding the m3, the '91 318is is the bestest e30, evar.

w3rd

once you start tackling some of your e30 issues, you should be able to end up with a reliable car, assuming the jobs were done properly. I have to admit it does suck when lots of shit goes wrong at once, esp. little almost meaning less stuff. The big stuff will leave you stranded until you fix it, but the little stuff can really add up

take tons of pics if you decide to give the ol' e30 the heave ho of a cliff ;) I smell a PNW E30 Cliff meet :D

[nefarious7907]

So an E30 touring would be out of the question? Always check to see if the thermostat housing is bled after you open the system up. Check out the new dodge magnums they have a broad price range and few engine options.

[Jand3rson]

So an E30 touring would be out of the question? Always check to see if the thermostat housing is bled after you open the system up. Check out the new dodge magnums they have a broad price range and few engine options.

Yeah, if I wanted a car that looked like a polished up cinder block. Not to mention the freaking thing is huge. It's nothing more than a lowered Suburban.

I think I'll stick to something that gets good mpg, and fits into parking spaces and tight areas.

[kowalski]

I think this would be the perfect grocery getter for you.. has your name written all over it.




I mean how cool is this.. you can turn it into a fucking tent!

ROFL

those things are ugly as hell. i saw one the other day... aztecs should be destroyed. anyways good luck with your search, you could always get a mazda 3, or somthing like that, iknow a couple people who drive them and they seem like pretty good cars. sporty too.

[nefarious7907]

Then go for Focus or Civic or Sentra, a lot of the caveliers and cobalts have mechanical problems and neons just look goofy

[mikeedler]

calling me a retard, when none of you that are speaking to me that way can afford anything other than an E30 for 3000 dollars probably. I have had 1 problem with my E46 since it was new- a window came off the track- and the car is fully loaded with all the "electrical nightmares". and my E30 winter ride is more than reliable for everyday driving--being an 1986 model. I live in germany, and there are no speed limits here- none of the germans seem to have too many problems with reliability of thier new BMWs. honestly, the most seen broken down cars are old cars with american license plates. because us americans are so well known to not maintain their vehicles. people who buy jap cars, are the reason the world is falling apart in my eyes. just think, all the generic knock off crap comes from that side of the world, why would their cars be any different. you just dont see 1980s jap cars on the road here, cause they dont last that long with the conditions here. plus, when it comes to maint. on a jap car, be prepared to pay. I say buy american when in america, buy german when in germany. and never buy jap stuff.

I am not narrow minded one bit. I drive a chevy truck every day in the summer here in germany. I have just learned to appreciate nicely built cars, and cant stand anything about jap crap-- how it looks or how it drives.

[Dave]

calling me a retard, when none of you that are speaking to me that way can afford anything other than an E30 for 3000 dollars probably. I have had 1 problem with my E46 since it was new- a window came off the track- and the car is fully loaded with all the "electrical nightmares". and my E30 winter ride is more than reliable for everyday driving--being an 1986 model. I live in germany, and there are no speed limits here- none of the germans seem to have too many problems with reliability of thier new BMWs. honestly, the most seen broken down cars are old cars with american license plates. because us americans are so well known to not maintain their vehicles. people who buy jap cars, are the reason the world is falling apart in my eyes. just think, all the generic knock off crap comes from that side of the world, why would their cars be any different. you just dont see 1980s jap cars on the road here, cause they dont last that long with the conditions here. plus, when it comes to maint. on a jap car, be prepared to pay. I say buy american when in america, buy german when in germany. and never buy jap stuff.

I am not narrow minded one bit. I drive a chevy truck every day in the summer here in germany. I have just learned to appreciate nicely built cars, and cant stand anything about jap crap-- how it looks or how it drives.

I am glad your e46 is working out for you. One of the people I talked to at length before I bought my lexus was a lifetime BMW guy - a guy who religiously maintains his cars.

He told me that under no circumstances should I buy an e46. He had two - the first went back as a lemon because BMW NA could not solve a consistent mystery shutting down problem. The second, had problems with the windows, sunroof, SRS light (a problem that the lead tech at the local dealer told me is only solved by buying a reset tool and resetting the thing when it goes off), faulty xenons, oil leak and dash cluster failure.

I drove some e46s - both new and CPO - and without exception, something failed to work properly was broken on EVERY SINGLE ONE!!!!!

I have had my Lexus for about two years now. The only problems I have had were a fogged up headlight assembly - fixed under warranty - and a defective Bridgestone Tire - also replaced for free. My wife's Sienna has over 80k and has required nothing but regular maintenance. I replaced the alternator because the bearing was starting to whine a little, but it was still working properly. i just didn;t like the sound it made.

I stand by the fact that a Toyota or Honda is going to be more reliable than a BMW. It will break less often and if it does, the parts are usually cheaper as well.

And I can afford something more than an old shitbox e30. That is why I have a Lexus. And that is why I have always paid cash for my cars, including the Lexus.

Back OT, Josh is a young guy looking for a people mover/grocery getter for his wife and soon to be child. I still recommend a 2000-2001 Sienna - gets 25-30 MPG, has a decently powered 3.0 v6, and is solid. If it is well maintained, it can run a VERY long time. If he can find a good pre-owned XLE with Full service history, he could get it for probably 10 grand or less easily. And BTW, even with just all-seasons, they kick ass in the snow.

[rwh11385]

yes, japan companies are crap....like toyota. no one should buy them. their maintence is a bitch. and they are so shitty, they don't hold their value.

hahaha. you're a complete dumbshit.

and a friend was a service advisor at a BMW dealer last summer. . . trust me, E46s and whoa E36s a lot too come in with redic amount of shit and problems.

[kowalski]

yes, japan companies are crap....like toyota. no one should buy them. their maintence is a bitch. and they are so shitty, they don't hold their value.

hahaha. you're a complete dumbshit.

and a friend was a service advisor at a BMW dealer last summer. . . trust me, E46s and whoa E36s a lot too come in with redic amount of shit and problems.

that made no sence. perhaps you forgot to quote it?

the problem with the bmw's here, is that they are made here.