Diving boards VS plastic bumpers aging differently?

[325i Vert]

At a few recent local meets I have overheard a few conversations from various attendees about a couple side by side, early vs late model E30s. It sparked my interest as to what the actual E30 community thinks about the debate. Many of the conversations ended with some sort of agreement that the diving board/euro car have aged gracefully and looks like a "classic" as where the plastic bumpered car looked more modern and less tasteful when modified.


Do you think early diving board/euro cars are aging differently from the later plastic bumpered cars?


As an BMW enthusiast that has owned quite a few E30s over the past 14 years, I would definitely say there is a difference in how people look at these cars in today's world. Even my tastes have changed in this time. For me nowadays a simple and clean early model car with few mods just does "it" for me. I guess as I see more and more of the later cars or early cars swapped over and put on airbags and stanced it just makes me feel stronger about the early unmolested stuff. Probably a stupid thread but I wanted to hear what other E30 guys think. What do you think?

[ELVA164]

I'm definitely in the "early model" camp myself. The chrome bumpers easily look the most classic of the three bumper styles. I find the big ol' diving boards kind of endearing, not to mention they serve an actual purpose in parking lot bumps for daily drivers (like mine). The plastic bumpers definitely make the car look more modern than the other two designs, and I think that's the main reason people like them. They clean up the look of the car pretty significantly.

[Das Delfin]

Any time you have chrome on a car it's gonna look older and therefore more "classic." And an early car with euro bumps is probably the most "original" design of the car. The only reason I'd want to go to plastics is finding euro bumpers can be expensive.

I feel like the lackadaisical and easy look of the euro bumpers pays homage to the car's purity: the car doesn't care about safety, it's just four wheels and a guy driving it. US bumps add the weight and responsibility of someone who thinks not only about the car, but what happens after it's crashed... not something which was a concern when the car was being designed.

[stonea]

I used to hate the look of diving boards and was all about the plastic bumpers, but I've come around to early models. With a front air damn they actually look pretty good. I'll actually even go so far to say that I wish my 325i was a early model. I also prefer the small tail lights.

[Staszek]

I like both and I think they both look great, but I prefer late models.

Here is why, I absolutely love chrome on classics, I feel it fits perfectly on a 2002 or say a 3.0cs, older MB's etc. The e30 is a bit more modern then those cars and the chrome while looking good doesnt create that same classic look like it does on some other cars.

I think they each have their place but I prefer the Mtech look vs chrome.

[lukeADE335i]

I also think both are great (especially since in Australia we got euro spec cars & didn't have to put up with diving boards like the US - the e21s and e28s suffer even more than the e30 with diving boards).

For me it'll be facelift car every time. The trick with them is to paint the black bumpers like the 318iS, so they look more like an e34.

The rear valence covering the spare wheel well looks a lot neater, and the galvanising is much, much better than the earlies, although I wish BMW had left the rear arches alone.

An early with M-tech 1 kit though... Solves the wheel well problem, and looks tough.

I'd take a genuine 333i over an M3.

[KIRIEIW]

I used to hate the look of diving boards and was all about the plastic bumpers, but I've come around to early models. With a front air damn they actually look pretty good. I'll actually even go so far to say that I wish my 325i was a early model. I also prefer the small tail lights.

A late model valance on diving boards is a must in my book! Volvo lip, not so much.

[uturn]

Euro chrome bumpers or later plastic bumpers are what I prefer. The diving boards were an afterthought as BMW scrambled to meet U.S. crash regs.

[YosemiteSam]

In my opinion it goes like this:

Euro M-Tech I > Plastic Bumpers > Normal Euro > Diving Boards > Body Color Normal Euro > Body Color Diving Boards

Not to say all cars follow this flow, there are definitely a few diving board cars that I would never change the bumpers on just because they sinply look right, just in general the diving board cars have no rear valence so the rear end just looks wierd.

[mr2peak]

I'll stick with an MTech 2 car as my favorite.

Diving boards are my least favorite. Plastics are lightest and fit a modified car, chrome looks best on stock a stock or near-stock car.

[e30crazie]

Me myself I've always been drawn to the plastic bumpers of the late models, however there is a part of me that also loves those big diving boards and as the OP said with the cow catcher attached. Its sexy as fuck. My next car will be an 88 "is" and have the lower valance with the fogs and the bumpers made of chrome.

[88BlackS-ETA]

I like the '88 diving boards because they are slightly "tucked" from factory. And when they are polished up they are even better.

[Hooffenstein HD]

Plastics are lightest.

Not only are proper "euro" early bumpers lighter than plastic/composite bumpers by roughly 3kg each, they use much lighter simple brackets instead of heavy bumper shocks.

[yesman003]

I have seen both types and think they look good if the car is done tastefully. I own an 89 cabrio with the diving boards and like them fine but I keep her mostly stock with a 3" drop in the front and 16" wheels. I have a few friends who have the euros and they look good as well. I guess I am the type of guy that likes what he has. I was taught the key to happiness is wanting what you have.

[aegul44]

I definitely agree on that. They age way differently. Early model has more classic look but U.S early model is just silly and ugly. Instead of facelifting, I would rather tuck them put late model valance for front and rear and maybe volvo lip as kiriew posted.