Owning an E30. Is it worth it?...

[nando]

I don't get the expensive parts comments - when all of my friends with modern domestics tell me what they pay for parts my jaw hits the floor. One guy was out $2500 on brakes, you could buy new everything 5x for that much. Everything seems to be cheaper to me..

[mulletman]

The answer: Maybe.


I love my car. I also hate my car. If your goal is to go fast, don't buy one. If your goal is a silly little fun car that looks pretty nice and will make you fall in love while simultaneously making you want to sell it, then buy one.

[00Cherokee]

Like a lot of these guys have said; they can be finicky, annoying, and will piss you off at points. That being said I wouldn't trade it for anything. You also have a lot of searching to do before you make your final decision because it's just like any other 20+ year old car. Find one with NO RUST, none, don't do it, you'll hate your life and yes they do exist. Second, make sure you get the proper motor and trans combo. the 325 has a bit more power than the 318, but the 318 has a timing chain, while the 325 has a timing belt which will require somewhat regular changing. But if you get one that hasn't been beat to hell, and owned by someone who loves them as much as we do, your fine. My 91 318is has about 480,000 miles and the only thing under the hood I've replaced was the radiator because I got a sweet deal on a new M3 radiator.

[Conki]

Is it worth it? I had my E30 for 2 years. It was lowered on H&R sport springs, had a limited slip differential, to me it looked better than anything else on the road, had the best time driving it every day.
This is what it cost me:
- Regular oil changes (uh-oh, $20 every few months)
- Timing belt & water pump replacement for piece of mind
- I replaced the throw out bearing at one point ($40 part & 6 hrs of work)

And I bought the car for $1500.

I might've gotten lucky, but I believe that these cars, if taken care of properly, will last much longer than anything else on the road of similar age.
Parts aren't really more expensive than other brands' parts, and they are so easy to work on, you'll never have to take one to a shop.

Now if you want to do a full resto and/or a track car build, it will cost you, but not because of the platform -- anything else built up is a money pit.

In my opinion you can't find another platform for current E30 prices that offers the same versatility, performance, and overall aura. Altho a big part of this is subjective appreciation of the brand and the model.

[Verdurous]

E30 beats Mustangs and Camaros of the same age in value, hands down. Unlike modern BMW's the parts are reasonable and they run FOREVER if you take care of them. You also have a track PROVEN platform that you can do just about anything with. I used to be into Camaro's until I test drove my e30 in the rain, and seeing how it cornered I bought it on the spot and never turned back to Chevy's Mexican made trash buckets again.

Also for resale value, rust free clean ones are becoming harder to find and the price has been creeping up. I already know I can sell mine at anytime for more than what I bought it for 55K ago. The only other car I own that has done that is my 1974 VW Sunbug Wolfsberg. If you can manage to get your hands on the M3 version, look at the resale! They are getting ridiculous money on Ebay.

[LagunaVert]

I've had my fair share of headaches with my e30, but everytime I start it up, I still get a smile on my face. IMO thats worth it.

[bruner]

Is this a joke? Are they worth it? No, thats why we all have one...

[JasonC]

E30 beats Mustangs and Camaros of the same age in value, hands down..

Have you priced 3rd gen Camaros lately (don't know about Fox bodies , never really looked into buying one)? There's a reason the e30 is mostly in the hands of cheap penniless kids who beat the cars up (check out the r3v Facebook page for examples lol)



But my opinion on this matter it's up to you if you want one or not. I've had 3 e30's so far. I do love the cars, but I also love my domestics. My domestics always put a smile on my face, more so then the e30 ever has. Also I'll echo others about not getting your money back out of your e30 if you was to sell it.

[slampig]

You will never get back the money you put into it.

So no, not worth it.

You can say that about any car. They are all bad investments. My E30 is a blast to drive and pretty cheap/easy to maintain.

[Mr. Tasty]

I don't get the expensive parts comments - when all of my friends with modern domestics tell me what they pay for parts my jaw hits the floor. One guy was out $2500 on brakes, you could buy new everything 5x for that much. Everything seems to be cheaper to me..

this, I am so confused on where people are buying parts from

[lowsodium]

this, I am so confused on where people are buying parts from

Seriously, motor mounts are $5. Tell me another car that has $5 motor mounts. My brothers Mazda was $120 each.

[Vivek]

You will never get back the money you put into it.

So no, not worth it.

That's true with nearly every car though

[Cabriolet]

Is this a joke? Are they worth it? No, thats why we all have one...

no, this is why we have more than one. one to DD, one to track, one to show, one for the money, one for the go.

my e30 habit has consumed ~60k in 10 years. IE about the same as a new car payment+maintenance. when you drive a nice e30 then get into 90% of modern cars, you will realize what build quality means.

my problem is that when the car is finally reliable i sell it for another project. but the owner's after all my cars have had to do next to no maintenance for a long time after.

[Dakotademon7]

For me. It's worth it. I know a lot of people who think I'm crazy for getting an old ass car. I didn't fall into this car. I wanted this car. I really like the body style and how it feels driving it. I have a low milage 2008 Malibu LTZ with every option they made for it but it's the old E30 I jump into if I go out by myself. I only take the LTZ out if the wife goes. She doesn't like how I drive in the BMW. Lol.

[rex]

I overpaid for mine and I still think it was worth it every time I take a turn


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