What does it mean/say about us who drive E30s?

[QUKBMER]

I am going to be turning 49 this year and i have owned my E30 now going on 17 years. I think it's cool how people driving by or walking by and give me a thumbs up :up:. My wife still doesn't understand why lol. But... I don't get the same reaction from people,like when i'm driving my 450 hp 1972 El Camino. It's a different breed.But none the less i will take it. :D I really don't care what they think of me personally from a status point of view. I'm a easy person to get along with. Just don't judge me because of what kinda car i drive.

[dnguyen1963]

My daughter is graduating in May. Her friends want to buy E30s because I drive one. I told them not to because they don't even know how to change the oil in their beat-up Camrys. In my area, there is one other E30 and a 528. The driver in the 528 waves at me everyday as we pass each other to work. I don't get much reaction here, but when I was in Madison people complimented my car daily.

[Justplainjose]

I've been daily driving e30's since I got my license at 18, I am 24 now and have done almost everything from maintenance related tasks as well as tasteful modifications and a few upgrades to minor restoration including the interior (seats, carpet, dash stuff) and a full vinyl wrap. Everything has been diy and countless trips to junk yards, auto parts and hardware stores and I am always learning and working on new things. I'd like to think the majority of other motorists appreciate my car almost as much as I do and can respect the fact that a lot of work and love goes into it daily to keep it in the shape that it is in considering I drive it hard, almost recklessly, but then again who doesn't? Almost all e3owners I know and have met, agree to some extent, while others boast, of how talented and aggressively they drive their e30's. Also the main reason most people get an e30 nowadays, because you can drive the piss out of them, can easily push the car to its limits or yours and can repair it fairly easily when parts do wear out and break. Honestly, most people probably just think I am a douche bag or a wannabe drifter/ boyracer or both LOL but that's ok because I learned a long time ago not to care about what other people say or think. Most times I get the usual thumbs up, lots of compliments, people in other cars constantly staring\ rubbernecking, also a lot of people share their memories and experiences with the e30. Owning an e30 is more of a lifestyle to me than a fashion statement to other people. I had a great time reading all of the posts on this thread, lots of good folks out here!

[jpod999]

To put it into perspective, age wise, The E30 is to the public now as the 1600/2002 was to me when I first got into E30's 11 years ago.

That's an interesting insight, I never would have thought of it like that. I've had my E30 for almost 13 years now; here in the Bay Area there were tons of E30s running around back then- now I see them much more seldomly.

[noid]

The past two summer's (since I only drive it in the summer), I noticed a dramatic difference in how the general public is perceiving E30's, especially kids.

Almost daily thumbs up, noticing people pointing in excitement, etc.

To put it into perspective, age wise, The E30 is to the public now as the 1600/2002 was to me when I first got into E30's 11 years ago.

[Jon325i]

For me personally, my time as an E30 owner was centered around how much I enjoyed the driving experience. I really like how they communicate to the driver whether on a twisty back road or during a day of hot laps at Thunderhill. I also became a lot more of a 'hands-on' owner when I had E30s. From my own maintenance/repairs/upgrades or helping out a friend on their E30, I got a lot of satisfaction from learning how to do the job myself instead of a paying a shop.

Jon

[nando]

Futurama..

[Stanley Rockafella]

Driving an e30 at this age suggests you have finer tastes and appreciate the simple things in life.
It also suggests you have money that you could afford a newer BMW however you choose the design, style and function of the e30 over later versions.

Driving an e30 says "eh! I dont' care about that new fangled garbage, I do my own thing for my own reasons!"

Their like Popplers, once you start, you can't stop..

what the hell is a Poppler?

[nando]

I never really get anything but complements when i take mine out - never from girls though, always from guys. If I was gay, this thing would be a sex machine.

What I do really love is taking my kids to the grocery store in it. Then I see some poor sap getting his 15 kids into a beat up Chrysler minivan, I can watch his soul die a little more on the inside.. makes me feel relatively better about myself. ;)

But, you could say I'm a hipster because I liked E30s before everyone else thought they were cool. Also I usually have a beard, but it's not ironic or anything - I'm just too lazy to shave.

[cheffy30]

i've driven mine hard and daily for 15 years. i'm 53. it's been recently completely restored on the exterior. engine is solid with all maintenance kept up. i keep it polished and feel pretty proud. its all oem. i get plenty of looks from other bmw drivers. if i could buy any other car?...would rather have another e30...

[Vivek]

In the Bay, I think that most people recognize e30 drivers as enthusiasts. There's enough of a car scene that even those who know nothing about cars probably know someone who does, or at least think 'he must be really into cars' seeing anything old and modified because solidly 10% of cars on the road are enthusiast owned. At school in Texas my e34 mostly got attention from homeless people who assumed I was loaded or used car dealers who thought it'd look nice on their lot.

[ButtJuice]

I'm 26 now and I've been into e30s since I was 17, now at this age I kinda feel like it's a "kids" car at times. I've earned enough money since I bought my e30 and it's 95% where I want it, the other 5% is due to sheer laziness and lack of ample time. Anywho, with that being said I'd never pick up a date in it unless the girl knows me pretty well and sees that I had an itch to drive it.

I do get the occasssional "nice car!" comment buts it usually from some teenager lol

[djjerme]

I think there's three groups that represent e30 owners. One is the "mature" group that just wants a classic, collectible car to enjoy for a long time without making any drastic modifications. The next group believes that any e30 that isn't stripped and turned into some form of track car, drift machine, other crazy project is a waste of an e30. The final group is the hipster kids that sees e30s, or any vintage premium car for that matter, mostly as a fashion statement.

Can't I have a different car for each instance?

Their like Popplers, once you start, you can't stop..

[E30 Wagen]

I think there's three groups that represent e30 owners. One is the "mature" group that just wants a classic, collectible car to enjoy for a long time without making any drastic modifications. The next group believes that any e30 that isn't stripped and turned into some form of track car, drift machine, other crazy project is a waste of an e30. The final group is the hipster kids that sees e30s, or any vintage premium car for that matter, mostly as a fashion statement.

[bmwstudent]

I'm 40, have the means to drive almost anything I want but I choose to drive the car that I have the most fun in. I think it says look at that average dude in the boring 80's turd, god what a loser. But that means they don't know E30