So long e30 M3s...

[keefy6]

Personally, I cringe, SMH and quickly move to the next car, page, video or whatever I'm doing at the time if an E30 M3 doesn't have an S14 in it.
(An S38 gets a pass, just looks sexy)

Everyone is entitled to do what they please with what they own, as much as I am entitled to my opinion.

[lambo]

The butthurt is strong in this thread

[cwatt]

opposite of a shame to me.
if you buy a car love it, drive it, maintain it.

I'm in Canada where there are equal parts salt as there is asphalt on the roadways. You're in California where your winters look like our summers.

[cwatt]

I'm in Canada where there are equal parts salt as there is asphalt on the roadways. You're in California where your winters look like our summers.

I understand people wanting to get more power out of a car by swapping motors, but why do that to a car where part of what makes the car special in the first place is THE MOTOR?!?!?!!?! M20 powered cars aren't special, technically M42 powered cars aren't that 'special' either, but S14 powered cars are. You want to swap in a LSx? Go spend less money on a non-M and have more money to spend on the rest of the upgrades to keep up with the V8. The brakes on the M3 aren't up to snuff for that amount of power and speed, so you'll need to upgrade them. The suspension will be wrong, so that will need to be upgraded to something adjustable. For the wider wheels/tires needed to accommodate the grip needed for this set-up, just get the wider fiberglass or CF fenders that are out on the market, since they'll be evven wider than the factory M ones and easier to deal with adding (assuming you'll need the extra width BEYOND that of the M3's). Again, I can understand someone wanting to accomplish what they have envisioned as their 'dream car', but financially it makes more sense to use a non-M for the base of a swap (LSx, S38 or S5x), as well as making a run-of-the-mill non-M car that much more special by having done something like that to it. Doing that swap to a M3 just makes it less special.

This is gospel. Hallelujah. Seriously, I couldn't have put it better myself.

[reelizmpro]

I didnt say MORE desirable than a bone stock car,.. A bone stock car will always be worth more. But there is a buyer for everything. in 20 years guys will still have boners for(enter your choice of motor here)powered e30m3s .

It doesn't have to be bone stock. Let's remember these cars were modified from the factory. Having a car full of Evo parts, VAC/Turner 2.5L kit, etc will increase value so being bone stock never was an issue...it's having the "right" mods and having a car that's "all there." I think people have boners for the E30 M3 body no matter the engine but I would argue that in 20 years those guys with boners for engine swaps would have moved on to the next latest and greatest chassis/engine. I've seen this time and time and time again. The inherent "problem" with engine swaps besides completely changing the characteristic of the car is that there is no limit and as technology evolves, one would always look for more power and better engines, then the next owner is forced to do the same and so on. I've seen this with the first M50 swap, S50/S52, Euro S50B32, S54, S60/LSx,....??? If one needs to chase power like that, it may never end. It's a slippery slope. Remember Uwe's story?

This. Why does what someone else like factor into how you want to do things? Lots of people here are butthurt fags over stretched tires and lowered cars, but what do I give a fuck? I might goof on someone's car if it's real dumb (GL-E30) but why should anyone care what I say about their car?

Wheels can be changed in minutes and most of us have several sets. You can change them like shoes, you can't just change your heart that easily though. It's apples and oranges. It's just an opinion or friendly advice if you will. If you choose not to follow it, that's fine...it's your car. I think we can agree, we don't care much about what engine is swapped into a regular E30, in fact it makes sense going 24v. But 318/325's aren't known for their engine like the M3 is.

[ravenlord89]

No point in really caring what someone does to an E30 M3 when they own it. Unless it happens to be crashing, poorly maintaining, or driving on wonderously salted Canadian/ North eastren USA roads.

I like the S14, and if I find my dream M3 it would probably remain in it. But an S54 powered M3 would be a ton of fun. Then just to annoy BMW people take the S14 and modify a Ford Fiesta to be RWD and drop it under the hood.

[Farbin Kaiber]

M3 owners are like liberals, you can mod your car as long as your mods fit within the framework we have deemed acceptable.

I say do whatever the hell you want, all you are doing is actively seeking your happiness while making the purists cars worth more money, the only purists that should be crying are the ones that don't own an e30 m3 or three yet.

If an e30 m3 Europameister or Cecotto was swapped, I might cry like the purists, but the others, there were more than 16,000 e30m3's produced, we are not talking about a Maserati Ghibli II of which there were less than 2200 produced worldwide.

[blunttech]

I think people have boners for the E30 M3 body no matter the engine but I would argue that in 20 years those guys with boners for engine swaps would have moved on to the next latest and greatest chassis/engine.

Car aside, I just hope i can still get a boner in 20 years

[reelizmpro]

M3 owners are like liberals, you can mod your car as long as your mods fit within the framework we have deemed acceptable.

I say do whatever the hell you want, all you are doing is actively seeking your happiness while making the purists cars worth more money, the only purists that should be crying are the ones that don't own an e30 m3 or three yet.

If an e30 m3 Europameister or Cecotto was swapped, I might cry like the purists, but the others, there were more than 16,000 e30m3's produced, we are not talking about a Maserati Ghibli II of which there were less than 2200 produced worldwide.

Sorry, that's how it is when it comes to special models. Don't like it? don't buy one. If you buy one and mod how you like it...keep it! but most people don't. 17k worldwide is a small number and 25 years of bad weather and race car owners have taken it's toll. Have you been following what M3's go for in Europe? We got 5k here in the US but how many are left? of those, how many are in excellent shape? and of those...how many have not been bastardized? and of those, how many aren't rusted away? Look at the bigger picture.

[ST1G]

M3 owners are like liberals, you can mod your car as long as your mods fit within the framework we have deemed acceptable.

This.

[uberpanzer]

M3 owners are like liberals, you can mod your car as long as your mods fit within the framework we have deemed acceptable.

It isn't that you HAVE to stay in a certain framework of 'acceptable' modifications, it is that one you have swapped out the motor, brakes, dash cluster, suspension, wheels, wing, front valence, and seats, you have an e30 chassis with a rear roof extension and metal fender flares (assuming you haven't already replaced those after smacking something with the side of the car from being too sideways). At which point, is it REALLY still an e30 M3? You've replaced almost all the parts that made it a M3. So why bother tarting up a rare, more expensive version of the car when you can do the same thing to a less expensive, easier to find version? If you want to still, fine. But as is it isn't really an e30 M3 anymore once you've done all that to the car. You can still do it, it is your car in the end, but we'll all be laughing at you when you try to resell the car (which you will) and you can't get what YOU think the value of it is.

And for anyone that thinks that doing ANY mods to an e30 M3, including cage parts, lowers the value of the vehicle, tell that to Mariano's face. I dare you. I want to be there to see his reaction. I'm sure we'll be talking about that over beers for YEEAAARS to come.

[Fusion]

Well, a US E30 M3 isn't really an M3 because it doesn't have the proper tranny ;)

[AWDBOB]

They just hit the big 25 years old mark. I'm surprised there hasn't been more talk of importing.

[e30m3s54turbo]

:popcorn:

[kingston]

If I had an E30 M3 (and I don't, and I'm openly jealous of those who do) I would mod the brakes. And the suspension. And possibly the steering. Because those things would make the car even better, and that is all I care about. I want things to function as well as possible. So I'd be looking at the same types of mods the E30 M3 racers used. Because those sure as hell were not bone stock, and they damn sure are still 'real' M3s!