E30 Road Trip!!!

[Jmurriello]

Hey guys! I was maybe considering taking my 1990 325i from south Florida to Tallahassee Florida. I am a little nervous if it will make it or not. Iv had the car for the past 4 years, and drove it almost every day in city traffic. I got it with (estimated 120k) so now probably over 200k+ miles on the car. The car has only left me stranded once (in my drive way) due to a bad starter. Timing belt and water pump were done 2 years ago and the rear wheel bearings were done 4 years ago. Last week I had the rear main seal, flex disks and a load of other things done on my rear end due to a vibration at high RPM. It's got a couple of small oil leaks and a stearing rack leak. And on top of all that I drove it last July to Tampa->Orlando--> West Palm. With a 3:73 open diff. Over all a 500 mile round trip without a hickup. Brand new tires as of yesterday and oil change was just done. So my question is what is yalls opinion on taking these great cars on long road trips? Do you think I will make this 750+ mile road trip or should I reconsider and take the buss. Thanks Guys let me know your input.

[Cabriolet]

talk about being worried. i did a full and complete strip down and rebuild of a 325i. with less than 50 miles on it, i drove it to WA and back. then last summer same trip.
and i do 500 mile trips all the time.
if your maintenance is done, water pump timing belt, oil, spark plugs you will be fine.

but srsly if i had the time and money i would feel confident that my e30 would make it to the Arctic Circle or Washington DC without any problems.

[roguetoaster]

Remember, it's a car, not a 25 year old wind up toy, use it like a car and don't worry.

If something seems suspect fix it, if there's a funny noise, solve it, if it needs a wash, wash it, if there's deferred maintenance, make time. Then drive it.

I simply wouldn't hesitate to pack a bag and drive my '91 318i across the continent. After all, it's left me stranded all of twice in almost 90k miles, and one of those times within a mile of home. In exchange for that reliability I beat it mercilessly day in and day out, and it likes that.

[Das Delfin]

Somewhat related.. does anyone feel it's worth finding a 2.91 diff to swap in for long highway road trips vs the 4.10 that's in there now?

[Reichart12]

but srsly if i had the time and money i would feel confident that my e30 would make it to the Arctic Circle or Washington DC without any problems.

Push a little farther to Baltimore and you've got a beer waiting for you.

But really 750 miles doesn't seem like too much of a struggle especially if you've put that many miles on over your ownership. I did 1000 in a few days taking a trip up and around NY over the summer no problem.

[Wille30]

I would do 750 in a heartbeat if you have maintained your car well. I just did 3400 mile trip from Toronto--->New Orleans-->Charelston-->Ashville--->Toronto in a 88 IX and had no issues. Just pack spare belts, some hoses and toolset. Even if you have some issues, it usually just adds to the adventure!

[Stanley Rockafella]

Somewhat related.. does anyone feel it's worth finding a 2.91 diff to swap in for long highway road trips vs the 4.10 that's in there now?

auto or manual?

if auto, I'd suggest against it.

If stick, it's do-able but it'll be a real dog compared to the 4.10

[5Toes]

a tall diff is nice, but I find Im still using 4th gear with the 3.25 paired with my m42 until I exceed 70mph, then I grab 5th. the engine is much more efficient at 2800 in 4th than 2100 in 5th. Unless you are going to be cruising at 85-90 alot than 5th gear with the 2.91 is gonna be almost useless.

[RainRider]

The way I look at road trips is your car is not going to be breaking down in 1500 miles of daily driving. Then a 750 mile one way road trip is nothing.

[mjimport]

Sounds like a well sorted vehicle, just do it.

[plmichal]

I bought my first e30 in Tennessee and drove it 10 hours back home to Florida. At the time I was 17 years old, I hadn't a clue about the condition of the car but I had been saving all my pennies to buy one, and I wanted one soon. My dad said it was a POS (which it was, I just couldn't see it because I was so excited to own an e30) but I bought it anyways and made the drive home without a single hiccup.

I wouldn't be worrying the way you are about doing the long trip. Hop in and enjoy the drive. If it breaks down, fix it. Just like someone here said, it's a car. A pretty solid car at that.

[325ix]

I've been doing 1500 mile typos in mine for a while now. There are definitely more comfortable ways to do it but, I've never had any serious issues.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Kershaw]

I did DC to Key West at the end of last October. And back. ~2500 miles in my 240k mile e36. All I did was replace my oil before I started the trip.

Finding Fantasy Fest waiting for me at the end of that road trip was a bit of a surprise. To say the least. I thought it was going to be super quiet and off season.

[estoguy]

Dude, I DD my E30 up to 200 km a day. In the last 3+ years of ownership, I've driven about 60K km a year. If your maintenance is up to snuff, you got no worries.

[Sea Aych]

You seem like you've been on top of your maintenance pretty well, so go for it! I did an 10,000mile trip this summer without a hiccup, but it's always nice to have the tools you use the most on you all the time.
If you're still worried, pack some essentials after some tools: zipties, fuses, some silicone, etc.