More e30s for grown ups?

[Das Delfin]

Just wondering if you guys were eager to work on cars at a young age like this too?

I was into cars since I was very young, being a fan of anything from the the 1965 Ford Mustang to the 1969 Dodge Charger (no chevys) but my dad had a Dodge minivan and no car bug at all (despite having owned a '65 Mustang with the 289 as his first car) so I didn't get into wrenching on them until my 3rd and 4th cars, a 1989 Toyota 4x4 Pickup and 1993 Saab 9000, around age 21. I've always been good with my hands as well as my money, so working on my car myself seemed like the triforce coming together for the defeat of King Ganon. Sometimes my dad would help, throwing out random facts he knew but I didn't, about bleeding brakes or holding a plastic housing while I squeezed in a heater core or whatever the case may be, usually ending in me asking too many questions than he knew how to deal with.

I was on the hunt for an e30 because cheap rwd convertible but ended up with an e36 because I happened to find one in absolutely mint condition for a complete bargain, but after totaling that car (not my proudest moment), I had to think: is this the universe giving me the second chance at an e30? I'd read all the forums about the e30 being the last true BMW before they sold out, and it being the purest driving experience etc blah blah, and it was really working on my Toyota pickup, getting pissed that the thing would have the audacity to break and afterward installing a new timing belt, that gave me the confidence to buy another old car, and know that whatever went wrong, I could fix it.

So it worked out: I can comfortably own an old car because I know I can fix whatever goes wrong. Now I just get pissed when people my age worry about buying an old car "because it will break" smh!

[totheredline]

I got t boned in my 318is by a 2013 RAM 1500.... And lived. E30s aren't as safe as a modern car, but mine saved my life. I think theyre safe enough

[Navarone]

And lived.

You really haven't lived until you've been t-boned by a Dodge Ram.

[RetroAde]

No chance of an E30 here at 16, unless you're a joyrider and it's stolen. 17 to drive, and our rip off insurance means you're stuck with 1.0 or 1.2l engines unless you want to pay £5k+ for your insurance. My son's 18 and pays £2k for a 1.2l Vauxhall Corsa we paid £250 for.

My boy wants my E30 though. It would make an awesome 21st birthday present. I let him have a sneaky drive in it, scared him witless but he loved it! First time he drove an auto, 99% learn in manuals here.

Same here with kids not driving, part being glued to iPads, part costs, especially as it's hard for them to find work these days. My old man was motor trade, I first drove when I could reach the pedals.