Opinion Needed

[GoIrish22]

Hello Everyone,

Im in need of some opinions..

I currently have a Honda Fit as a daily driver. I have been raised around BMW's and have always wanted one.. I have an opportunity to sell my car and get a bimmer. Im looking to spend less than 5k..

The only thing is i'm torn in-between an e30 or an e46. I know this is an e30 forum but I figured some experienced BMW owners could chime in and give me their opinion.

Im looking for a clean daily driver that wont require too much $$ to maintain.

Thank you for your time! And your

[5ickride]

You will get an overwhelmingly biased opinion posted on a forum mostly dedicated to one chassis, and one spectacular chassis only which is the greatest chassis of all, the E30. Sorry, what was your question again? :)

[GoIrish22]

hahaha! Thats what I figured..

[GoIrish22]

Okay, so after reading horror stories about the e46 and all its problems I am set with an e30.. Now the question is, is it worth selling my reliable honda for a BMW? I'd hate to jump in and have to sell it cause I cant afford it.

[ST1G]

Honda sucks balls for fun factor.

Your e30 will be reliable if you take care of it.

[Andy.B]

I started my descent into an e30 obsession with a 200k plus mile car that had not moved in 6 years. 1k in parts to cover the necessary maintenance and tune up, and the car was running well enough for dd status. With maintenance, an e30 is a great dd! Mine had never left me stranded, and although I have put much more than that initial 1k into it in the years since, 99% of that had been for mods and upgrades, not necessary repairs. E30s can be cheap to own, if you are able to keep the obsession from infecting your wallet.

[Vtec?lol]

Don't do it.

You're clearly budget friendly, E30's are not.

selling a newer car, a honda fit at that for a 20 year old BMW isn't logical for someone that doesn't have the funds to dispose at it.

[ELVA164]

Well, you 100% have to be prepared for things to go wrong. Some may be large, some may be small, but you'll have upkeep to...keep up with. What you can do to minimize the potential issues is shop carefully. Look for a car with extensive service records, a car enthusiast owner, and a clean carfax/autocheck report. Little to no rust, no major running issues, few or no water leaks. The best thing about the E30 is that things may need to be fixed, but I've never worked on a car that's as easy to fix as the E30 is.

[mkcman17]

i have both an e46 and several e30s...if you're accustomed to newer cars, the e46 will better suit you. Plus, they're dirt cheap right now and e30s are not.

[Eddie Lives On]

You have to be prepared for something to break with any car, even more so a 22+ year old, which is the newest e30 you are likely to find. If it happens, and it always does, you'll either have to wrench it yourself, or get the job done in a shop. The former will probably force you to get around in something else, while the latter can get expensive really quick.

I think your Honda would make a better daily if you are not prepared to take the bus to work, get dirty with tools or learn new skills. As far as reliability goes, if the car you would end up buying is in order and you keep up with maintenance, it shouldn't be any less reliable than your Fit, nor any more expensive to fix.

One thing is for sure, the E30 is a really fun daily driver compared to that Honda. When it's not on jack stands that is...

[tino225]

ok hondas r cheaper to maintain,easy to trick,dont catch people attention,not safe at all...
bmw is another story...
get ready for speeding tickets,parts r not cheap...
now if u get a e30(manual please) get ready for more speeding tickets,parts r cheap,it tough,reliable, ull get compliment anywhere u go from car enthusiast even from japanese fans.

[mkcman17]

i think i understand

[Eddie Lives On]

ok hondas r cheaper to maintain,easy to trick,dont catch people attention,not safe at all...
bmw is another story...
get ready for speeding tickets,parts r not cheap...
now if u get a e30(manual please) get ready for more speeding tickets,parts r cheap,it tough,reliable, ull get compliment anywhere u go from car enthusiast even from japanese fans.

Friends with Trina?

[GoIrish22]

Thanks guys

[Nick_S]

ok hondas r cheaper to maintain,easy to trick,dont catch people attention,not safe at all...
bmw is another story...
get ready for speeding tickets,parts r not cheap...
now if u get a e30(manual please) get ready for more speeding tickets,parts r cheap,it tough,reliable, ull get compliment anywhere u go from car enthusiast even from japanese fans.

Have an E30 for 3 years almost. Never once a speeding ticket. I did almost dead once so they are safe. Some parts r cheap, some r not. I get lots of compliments, usually from middle aged white men. Girls don't care unless it's a late model BMW. Never had an japanese fans compliment although one time a nice Chinese man said my car was clean so close enough. Also don't try to drift, could pope a tyre. swag.

But seriously, for your budget if you're dead set on a BMW. Try to find an early E46 that has had it's cooling system upgraded and decent maintenance records. They're great cars and maintaining them really is no much more than any other car. A few special parts might be more. My old SVT Focus cost more to fix than my E30.