When to move on

[e30 brick]

E46 is going to have a lot more poke, BUT less feel- the E36 really did get a lot of things right. In very nice shape, that's a fair deal around here.

There was just some chatter on the e46 boards about a true DCT conversion with a standalone controller-
THAT would be a FANTASTIC way to not have a clutch but still have transmission control.
The E46 SMG is... well, it only has one clutch, and if the controller fails...

https://www.seemslegitgarage.com/dct-systems

https://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1270295

t
would hook it up to a pedal, but my disabilities are more mental.

This is interesting...so you can pretty much buy a dct tranny and slap it on any car? Am i missing something??

[reelizmpro]

What you say is true! I feel the sight/sales on here have slowed down. I dont know if it is lack of interest or if the young guys are using facebook???

I have seriously considered an e46 m3 for the reasons you mentioned. Maybe i will keep my options open...especially if it will be doing primarily track duty.

Part of me thinks ill really regret giving up on the e30. Not to mention i have a few rare and sought after parts ive been hoarding for the right candidate.

Let me ask you guys this. How much at a shop would cost to throw an LS swap or s52 swap on an e30? Granted this will be an estimate...

Facebook marketplace is booming. One can make an ad and post it in multiple groups with 1 click. Can't do that on forums. Also, people can ask questions and get answers right away with instant notifications on their mobile. Not everyone has time to sit down at a computer anymore. Then there's the matter of uploading pics, hosting them, creating links, etc.

LS swap is like $15-20K, S52 swap is $5-7k. There are a lot of variables though.

[Aleman]

Facebook marketplace is booming. One can make an ad and post it in multiple groups with 1 click. Can't do that on forums. Also, people can ask questions and get answers right away with instant notifications on their mobile. Not everyone has time to sit down at a computer anymore. Then there's the matter of uploading pics, hosting them, creating links, etc.

LS swap is like $15-20K, S52 swap is $5-7k. There are a lot of variables though.

Unfortunately, most people on FB are scammers and douche bags. Much prefer to do business with r3v people, and sometimes eBay, for used parts. I've had good luck with craigslist for the very best deals though.
If I were looking to get out of the E30 racket, I'd be laser focused on finding a clean E46 M3. Gorgeous car, wicked fast, going up in value. I wouldn't want one for my daily, though, due to the maintenance & repair costs with doing so.

[packratbimmer]

Facebook would sell us to the glue factory if they could bang a buck - forums rule!

[TobyB]

This is interesting...so you can pretty much buy a dct tranny and slap it on any car? Am i missing something??

As I read it, any car that uses an M20 based engine for the bellhousing pattern. IF the E46 guy's right, and it'll fit his M54

BUT: I don't think anyone's seen product yet. Personally, if I was headed down this road, I'd get the
'Seems Legit' product in hand before I bought the transmission. One of the new 'features'
of the Kickstarted Millenial Generation is that they put out a great website, but delivering
hard goods is... well, harder.

t
waiting on a couple of things that 'will ship next week'

[Motheye99]

BMW DCT 7 speed is silly cheap these days on ebay, they never break it seems. only downside is the weight. And only 1 aftermarket ECU controls it from what ive seen its the MaxxECU one

[moatilliatta]

A nice E30 is a luxury. I had to take a break from them for a bit but now I'm back. This one I'm not selling.

The next e30 will be more expensive and parts will be harder to come by.

[Andrew325is]

I like the E36, but the build quality of an E30 is a lot better. I would choose a 318ti if I was going with an E36 since it's more E30-like. The E46 is a nice improvement over the E36, but it has some issues like electrical glitches since there's a control module for everything, even the headlights. No more simple relays. Still, an E46 ZHP or E46 M3 SMG might fit the bill for you.

[roguetoaster]

My two current registered cars are a 91 318i and a 95 318ti, both of which have similar mods. Aesthetics aside, the compact is a better car, as in a driving appliance. It has slightly higher limits, it offers more utility, gets better mileage,, is simply easier to live with on a day to day, while still being fun to drive and offers very similar levels of mechanical simplicity.

Not to mention that I'll happily take the E36 out in the dirt, will drive it with salt on the roads, have zero parking paranoia, and am not too bothered if it accumulates a few weeks of exterior grime.