E30 Road Trip!!!

[cheffy30]

I've DD my 90 325i for 17 years!
just drove it to pasadena and back...
2666 round trip. not a single issue.

drive the da car!

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[westin]

I would say make sure your temp and fuel gauges are working properly. I overheated on a daily drive while my temp gauge wasn't working. Turned out my thermostat was stuck closed.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

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[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.

[mjimport]

Sounds like a well sorted vehicle, just do it.

[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.

[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.

[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

[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!

[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.

[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?

[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.