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

[quickervicar]

Strange. I love my E30 because it's a hoot to drive, dead reliable, and super-easy to work on (granted, I have a lift). Source your parts right and the prices are reasonable (at least compared to my girlfriend's Corolla). Source your E30 right & you won't need many parts.

[Ether-D]

It's worth it. Every time I see my car, I'm reminded of how much I love it. I just sat and stared at it for 10 minutes while it was raining a couple days ago. E30s are beautiful. They are rock solid reliable, if you maintain them and listen to the sounds of future maintenance.

[Cephas]

While parts may be a bit more expensive, I'm constantly impressed with the simplicity of working on an e30. Things are easy to get to, layouts well thought out and the car is well engineered. If you find a well sorted one it will need hardly any work. Good luck.

[einhander]

Hey r3v,

So the basic question that I want to ask is, is owning an E30 really worth it?

I've been looking for an E30 on and off for about a year already and over that time I've spoken to a lot of people who've put me down about the idea of owning an E30. I've heard it all, from people telling me that they're money buckets, that something always goes wrong, they aren't worth it, blah blah blah etc.

But don't worry I haven't let them get to me, maybe because I'm stubborn but who knows :p. I still want to own one and I'm getting really close to that day.

But before that happens, I wanted to hear the opinions and facts from actual owners and not just those people who hear me say "I want a 20 year old BMW" and laugh.

So if you could be as unbiased and honest as possible, please answer my question and also share how your experience of owning an E30 is/was. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :D

-David

No. Not worth it. Everyone here sold theirs.

[TurboJake]

I can make it simple to understand.

My car is old. It is rusting out from salty winters. It looks like crap and has more sharpie signatures and drawings on it than anything else. It has over half a million miles on the original engine and body. It's hit 3 deer and a lifted truck. The interior has broken seats, and ripped upholstery (Even after fixing both twice over). It's constantly having small things here and there break because of its age. It has more worth in the rare and aftermarket parts that are in it, than as a whole car.

And I smile every single damn time I drive it, because it's still fun as hell. Even driving for months on end around the country.

Each one I've driven has a different personality. Some high strung, some lazy, some darty, some feel loose, and some feel stupid (Which can go both good or bad). Some feel clapped out even when everything is new, and some that have broken stuff feel nice and tight. As for engines, some are buzzy, some are smooth. I personally hate the buzzy M42, and love the smooth as silk M20. But even they, none feel the same compared to another. The entire family is really an interesting bunch.

Simple enough I think.

AS for is it worth it? Hard to say. Prices have EXPLODED and I don't feel they're worth anywhere near what people ask for them (Seriously. I don't think most cars for sale are worth half what they ask for). But that worth is quite subjective so I keep my mouth shut most of the time.

I'll make it even more simple. Go drive one and try to have FUN with it. That's what they're all about. Only then will you know your answer on whether or not it's a car for you.

[Bimmer_man]

okay here is a serious answer.

My first car was an E30. I love the hell out of it when im driving it looking at it and when im done working on it. Doing work to these cars can make you want to burn them to the ground. E30s have attitude. They are defiantly not your simple honda or anything like that. Everything i know about cars i learned from my E30. I recently had to sell my first e30 that was also my first car. I loved that car so much i literally cried ( shut up men can shead a tear ). If you get one understand it will be a love hate relationship. But these cars NEVER stop making you smile.

My brother hates BMWs. He is a master mechanic. He hates how much it can cost to fix these cars.

Keep this in mind. If you have ever looked into building an american V8 like a 302. It will cost twice as much to do the same exact thing to an M20 BMW motor cause it has a BMW logo.

[keefy6]

^:)

'worth' is relative

[Hooffenstein HD]

I think you've come to the wrong forum. Nobody here likes E30's.

[davidayeee]

Hey r3v,

So the basic question that I want to ask is, is owning an E30 really worth it, how has your experience owning one been?

I've been looking for an E30 on and off for about a year already and over that time I've spoken to a lot of people who've put me down about the idea of owning an E30. I've heard it all, from people telling me that they're money pits, that something always goes wrong, they aren't worth it, blah blah blah etc.

But don't worry I haven't let them get to me, maybe because I'm stubborn but who knows :p. I still want to own one and I'm getting really close to that day.

But before that happens, I wanted to hear the opinions and facts from actual owners and not just those people who hear me say "I want a 20 year old BMW" and laugh.

So if you could be as unbiased and honest as possible, please answer my question and also share how your experience of owning an E30 is/was. No offense to anyone an their E30 lol. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :D

-David