Affording an E30? Your thoughts and knowledge needed.

[87e30]

Nope, I have owned an eta for 11 years. They are great fun, and very quick in SCCA. Then again that is a huge part on the driver.

The b27i conversion can be done dirt cheap with a junk yard and a weekend. Then you have best of both worlds!

Oh it's a capable track car. But for me a stock eta is somewhat miserable as you just want to do more and more to it. It's a slippery entry into the e30 world of modding. I think it's unrealistic for most people to buy a cheap eta and stay satisfied with it after spending time on this site and learning to wrench.

* I started with an eta and very basic mechanical skills... I ended with an s50 swap, coilovers, e36 rack, etc etc etc so maybe it's just me lol

[F34R]

Also for all of those with dead reliable ETAs (that's great)... I don't consider an eta fun to drive or worth the work honestly. E30s really shine when modded... stock etas not so much.

Nope, I have owned an eta for 11 years. They are great fun, and very quick in SCCA. Then again that is a huge part on the driver.

The b27i conversion can be done dirt cheap with a junk yard and a weekend. Then you have best of both worlds!

[87e30]

Someone mentioned that owning an e30 is a lifestyle. I think this is a key point.

I owned my e30 and swapped it along with a ton of other work in the beginning college. It was my life at times. I got sick of that and sold it. For me, I didn't depend on it for transportation so that made it possible. It's just not a smart car for someone facing the workload that you're going to be. (and that's a good thing) There were many times I had to borrow cars or take the bus with my e30. Many times...

Honda's are honestly a lot of fun for the money... A lot of people don't realize that "basic maintenance" means VERY different things on e30s vs civics lol


Also for all of those with dead reliable ETAs (that's great)... I don't consider an eta fun to drive or worth the work honestly. E30s really shine when modded... stock etas not so much.

[F34R]

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

This^ I still have my ETA from 2007 that has had a coil, spark plugs and basic maintenance done. Bought it for 1k and have maybe sunk 700 into over the years for parts.

My parents bought it off me and it is still going strong, replaced the suspension from deals on r3v for 300 and that is it. So far 2k including the car since '07. Granted I do all the repairs for nothing. I started like everyone, with a set of tools and trial and error. At the time I had a use of a computer from the library. Access to a forum was when all else failed, now computers are easy to come by and most cell phones can surf the interwebz.

I got my first e30 in late 2002, been a blast over the long years of owning these awesome machines. Get a solid running ETA and a set of tools: basic 8mm-22mm, screw drivers, few wrenches and a breaker bar with ratchets. Harbor Freight Jack and a pair of stands. You will be in it for under 600 for well made tools. Buy the Craftsman basic for 180ish and get the bar and jack stands. Then buy whatever tools you need as you go.

Good luck

[SlamedIAm]

I'm a 25 y/o full time Architecture student so I understand the workload time/requirements you're probably dealing with in ME.

My advice would be to buy a honda/toyota for that budget and save for when you have time/money to afford a fun car on the side. I've had the luxury of having nearly everything within walking distance, friends that don't mind giving me a lift (including a few e30 guys to help wrench), and living with a girlfriend that has her own car. I bought a well sorted e30 for a price above your budget with a recently rebuilt motor and I've still had problems that would have severely hurt me if I didn't have a support system here.

Fuel pump dying, battery dying, electrical issues, vacuum leaks, cooling system, etc. These cars are 20+ years old so even a well sorted one could still have a problem or two waiting to strike. If your budget is stretched to the point that you aren't sure if you can pay for school full time you don't want to be wondering whether your car is going to pop up with an unexpected expense.

E30's are a lot of fun. I daily mine and I intend to do so for years to come but without some kind of cushion for time/money or access to another vehicle I think you're asking for trouble.

[Nick_S]

Just as an update, I'm looking at Ford Escort ZX2's. Found a '99 for $1900. Figure I will go as light a car as possible, latest year model, 5-speed, and two doors. Been reading that the ZX2 is reliable if you don't slam the trans all the time. Won't need it for too long, and when I go for my next car (E30!) I will probably have a much better budget.

NO. Don't get a ZX2, they're dreadful cars to drive. If going that route, you can get a higher mileage focus which are much better to drive and are a better chassis. Also with a ZX3 you have the utility of a hatch. The 2.0 zetec motor with a 5spd is fairly quick for what it is and will still average over 30mpg if you drive normally. Plus you can add the SVT suspension kit for like $250 and it makes it alot more nimble in the corners.

<--- Owned an SVT Focus for 7 years.

[coldweatherblue]

hey man i owned my first e30 from age 18 til 25 (from senior high school through college) and while I definitely did some work on the car it was nothing excessive. I was a waiter part time and in school full time so not much $$ either. Over the course of 6 years w/ my car I did basic maintenance (t-belt, water pump, inspection II) along with a couple other items that broke along the way (guibo, CSB, headgasket, front wheel bearings). overall not that bad..

The most important thing buying these cars is making sure you had a good PO. The car should have maintenance records and a decent amount of recent work done. As long as the car checks out (ie, straight body, good engine, no glaring issues) expecting an E30 to be decently reliable isn't out of the question. Of course you need to be willing to do some work yourself, hey as a ME student that should be a cake, right?

[Heir2Air]

Just as an update, I'm looking at Ford Escort ZX2's. Found a '99 for $1900. Figure I will go as light a car as possible, latest year model, 5-speed, and two doors. Been reading that the ZX2 is reliable if you don't slam the trans all the time. Won't need it for too long, and when I go for my next car (E30!) I will probably have a much better budget.

[e30Villain]

My e30 is my daily commuter and I am a college student myself. This semester has been pretty laid back unlike my last few semesters.At times owning an e30 can be frustrating and you will have to invest quite a bit of money shortly after purchase, to insure reliability. (Spark plugs, air filter, Distributor cap + rotor, Timing belt ( if it wasnt already done), etc. ) Once you get the ball rolling, it will be a fun and reliable daily driver.

[Heir2Air]

Thank you all for your advice and thoughts. I will indeed be looking for a co-op/Internship, however I took a schooling hiatus and changed my major from CompSci to Mech E, so I have no Mech E classes under my belt. At the moment, Best Buy will have to do.

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.

I was looking at different activities to get into as a Mech E pupil and this did come up; however, I do not know how much time I would actually have to do it. This summer is almost garunteed no time with the 8-4 job and then the 5-9 job, plus my Calc I class which I refuse to have less than mastery of the knowledge by course end, I do not see where I would have time to work on a car. When school starts in the fall, assuming I am actually in school then, it may be easier. But, the car is needed this summer.

I would be able to get to class via bus if the car was down, but I would not be able to get to my jobs. Seems I may need to suck it up, go for an American made car (low repair costs, low insurance?) and get these 2/2.5 years done. Honestly, when I get a coop/internship, I may be able to upgrade my vehicle then. Again, all of the input has been substantially helpful. If you have any more thoughts, feel free to weigh in.

[saturnv7890]

I'm in your shoes as far as a low income college student goes.

Everyone pretty much gave a mix of opinions all across the board, and they're all valid. My quick opinion from experience: Do it if you're willing to learn and work, don't if you're not willing to learn.

Heres what you can expect:
-$0 in bank account at all times
-Hours of time spent reading info about these cars
-Hours of headaches when you have a problem
-Long weekends rushing to get the car driveable for monday
-Hours of fruitless troubleshooting

It's not just the money in parts you have to replace, but the headaches that come with figuring out which parts you need to drain your bank account on.


So it's not a complete list, but a very short version of my e30 ownership. I love the things, and I've become a much more competent mechanic, but mainly because I'm willing to sit and read these forums every day learning, and actually getting off my butt to find a problem.

Owning a car like this is a lot of work, and if you're already considering taking it to a mechanic it might not be the smartest idea. You're talking a lot of labor hours.




But I'm not saying it isnt possible, I'm 20 years old now and own a turbo e30 that I will be daily driving. It's really about your willingness to learn and do.





_

[Nick_S]

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.

This is true. I picked up a decent mechanically but rough looking 318is for $2k. About $1k in maintenance later it was a solid daily. Still replacing and upgrading as I go and the car has been dead reliable. Parts are fairly cheap and they are easy to work on however if you're not going to do the work yourself expect to pay an arm and a leg for someone to do it for you. If you can find yourself one in good mechanical condition go for it as the M42 is reliable, efficient and fun.

[RondoAcapriccio]

Focus on School.. forget about jobs...be broke for one or two years..

I had to work 1 semester and my grades sucked.. was not worth the trade off when I could get an internship during the summer and make 3x what some retail job would pay.

Good grades got me the job I always wanted. Get involved in Engineering Programs.

[MNE30]

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

Yeah I'm a senior in high school and all of my sisters friends think it's really classic or vintage and that it is really unique. Which it is unique, I've only seen one other E30 in Minnesota.

[mitchlevy7]

If your set on an e30, find the cleanest one you can, and forget about modding it.fight the mod bug. Buy it and do maitnence. Give it love and it will love you back. Maitnence really isnt that expensive on these cars. Otherwise, get the most reliable cheapest car you can find.

As a fellow mech e student, I would emphasize what others have said.... focus on school. If you need to take out a loan, do it. I would also reccomend looking for a coop or internship if you dont already have one. Many of these opportunities may pay more then best buy does, and it will pay off in the long run because internships lead to bigger and better internships and jobs. Then land a sweet job with your degree and build the sickest e30 you can.





Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2