Affording an E30? Your thoughts and knowledge needed.

[word is bond]

Do you have some other way to get to school, in a pinch? If there's a mass transit option, a car you can borrow at the last minute, or you live close enough to bike it, then I say go for it. I generally feel better about buying things I actually want. Just plan on an E30 not working when you decide if it's something you want.
School has to be your priority, so if there's no way you can get to school when something goes wrong, it doesn't seem like a great idea.

[Solarian]

As someone that will soon be graduating with a Masters in ME, built and raced a 240SX throughout undergrad, etc... Do it. The world doesn't need more clueless engineers. Working on a car will go a long way toward helping things make sense.
I TA for a living because my stipend isn't very large and grants are hard to come by, so I get to interact with a lot of young engineering students. There are a few that know their shit, and deserve to be in the program, but the majority I truly wish I could flunk out. Impressive mathematical talent is rare, as these types tend to steer toward more abstract fields, but common sense is rarest of all. That's a sad thought considering that it is what's most important in Engineering. Common sense will also go a lot further in helping you understand things and it's pretty easy to acquire by turning a wrench a couple of times. With that being said, do NOT, under any circumstance slack off in your Differential Equations and Linear Algebra courses.. Your basic Calc prereqs for it are important too, but if you walk out of Diff EQs without a near perfect grasp of it, you're doing yourself an immense disservice.

Honestly, my summary of a good Engineer is someone that knows how to do mechanic work and has a very firm graps of Differential Equations and Linear Algebra. You pretty much don't even need anything else. If you have common sense plus those two math skills, you can crack open any book on any engineering topic, and it'll just make sense. If you don't, it'll be gibberish.

[2mAn]

buy an eta. change the timing belt and focus on school

[Vtec?lol]

Paying for your own insurance will kill you.

I was in your same situation my first two years in college although younger and made a little more money (which will further support my point).

I bought an e30 thinking it woul be good on gas and fun. It was fun. Got me plenty of chicks. Then life happened and it needed a new engine. Bought one and kept pushing. Then life happened again and the auto died. So I bought a 5spd. Kept going. Then life happened again and I had to rebuild the suspension and buy new tires. Decent 14" tires aren't cheap. With an e30 it's a MUST you get good tread or else the nimbleness will turn into a nightmare. Later the radiator went out, water pump, fuel pump, oil cooler, etc.... All within a year and a half.

In the end I sold my e30 and bought a 93 5.0 f150. Best choice I've ever made car wise. Bought the truck with 90k miles in 2009. It now has 201,000 miles and has only had the starter, oil, and spark pugs changed. Gas isn't too bad. Insurance was $50 a month for full coverage.

My girlfriend at the time had a 98 corolla and it's never had its oil changed. Still runs.

I said all that to say that the e30 is now in it's enthusiast prime. Prices are rising and so is the rarity. They are cheap to fix but require an extensive run through that easily cost $$$. I can guarantee that whatever you buy under $3k will need another $2k to be reliable. I'd get a civic in a heart beat or a corolla. Also consider a jeep or truck. All cars that wer designed to withstand neglect and DD.

[evandael]

[devil's advocate]

Don't write off a Civic or Accord. The mid-90's examples are actually very nicely made cars and can be fun to drive with a 5-speed. However, they often command their weight in gold, especially if it's a model worth giving a damn.. one without the requisite rice-mods, Honda rust, or severe faults. Like any older car, they DO have maintenance needs. And the Honda modding scene is HUGE.. undoubtedly you will want to tweak your car.. and Honda's can actually be very very competent performance drivers. So you can't escape that money pit, no matter where you go!

[/devil's advocate]


Jump on craigslist and see what $2000 will buy you. Like other members suggested, save the $1000 for a set of jackstands, a jack, a set of tools, and a workshop manual for whatever car you end up getting (Bentley for the E30). The rest can go to dire maintenance needs and then save it for any problems that pop up. With the internet and your supposed mechanical know-how, all cars can be easy to fix..

[Heir2Air]

there are some fantastic responses here and a lot of good advice. welcome to our forum.

I would have to agree. You guys are fantastic, thank you for your responses. The feedback from Nick's E30 and kevvve were particularly impactful, with you two empathetic to my situation. All arguments are well received and simply getting a Honda(Acura)/Toyota for these years does seem to be the smarter move, albeit less fun. Again, thank you all for your time and please continue to weigh in if you feel so inclined.

And thank you for the warm welcome, flyboyx.

[MT325is]

I say get an e30 it's an amazing car! So much fun! Always puts a smile on my face! With that being said.... There will be a lot of $$$ spent on maintaining/modding it. It's 20 yrs old.
Also DIY it bro, it's good to get experience and no need to spend extra money.
The Bentley manual as mentioned earlier is a very good book. Pretty much everything in there.. Then there is this forum.

Overall I think you will enjoy this car more then any jap car you can get. But be prepared for all your money pouring into it... Because soon enough it will be an addiction. And everytime you have money you can always get something better:)
Good luck!

[flyboyx]

wow. you did a really nice job of writing up your situation and as a result, there are some fantastic responses here and a lot of good advice. welcome to our forum.

[nrubenstein]

If you can't/won't DIY, you can't afford an E30. That's just how it is. Particularly if you need to depend on it as a daily driver. And really nice, well sorted E30s are pretty rare in the $3k range these days.

[Mr_Tripp]

Ahahahah - cool - but funny - girls think of it as "vintage" don't they?!?!? Like you're driving a VCR or something....

I daily an E34, as you know it has pretty much the same lines and design as the E30 just a bit bigger, besides the people who know what it is majority are blown away when i tell them that its 20+ years old.


To stay on topic- I'd say get a simple commuters car like a honda or toyota and wait till you have the time and money to afford an E30 and all that comes with it because believe it one not owning a older bimmer is somewhat of a life style and diy-ing and time are definitely two things you need to enjoy this life style. Sacrificing school isn't worth it in the end. Just my

[george graves]

I'm in highschool and just bought an E30.

Personally, probably not the best idea, but is it fun? Yes. Do chicks dig it? Yes. Do I like it? Yes. Have I spent a good amount of time under the hood? Yes.

If you can wrench your own shit, it's not too bad of a car.

Ahahahah - cool - but funny - girls think of it as "vintage" don't they?!?!? Like you're driving a VCR or something....

[MNE30]

I'm in highschool and just bought an E30.

Personally, probably not the best idea, but is it fun? Yes. Do chicks dig it? Yes. Do I like it? Yes. Have I spent a good amount of time under the hood? Yes.

If you can wrench your own shit, it's not too bad of a car.

[K1CKBAC]

I'd focus on school. Enjoy your time in college. Better to set a foundation for life than to worry about cars. When you are set, affording an E30 will be a breeze. Seen so many people in college worry too much about cars an not enough about a career.

[87e30]

I've typed out several responses and just don't know what to tell ya.

The one thing I can say is you can't own an e30 (on any kind of budget) and not work on it yourself. You also can't own an e30 and expect things not to go wrong.

[E30 Wagen]

Sorry but I can't recommend an e30 to somebody in your situation. It will be smarter to find a solid, economical car for <$2000 that will only require basic maintenance. There are lots to choose from, but unfortunately not many are RWD.