Who has driven an E30 and an E36?

[series88]

I own both a 4cyl and 6cyl e30 and a 6cyl e36. I would have to say that they are all different animals. They are all fun cars but bring different kinds of smiles. E36s feel newer and more reposive to everything while e30s are brute and raw.

[Vtec?lol]

choices
A. e36 wont start
B. e30 will start but die on the way
C. get a honda/toyota and save the 20k in repair bills
spend that 20k on your wife, have her be less mad at you, happy marriage and die happy
if you choose A or B, plan on being poor but happy while driving

Do you know how much MAP sensors and halfshafts are for a honda? Decent engines go for triple of what you'd pay for an m20 replacement.

It all totally depends on the condition of the car.


An e30 with a new suspension and wider tires is gobs of more fun than any other BMW period. Even with an M42. It all depends on what you're after. e36m3 wth 235's is agile as shit as well.

[Cabriolet]

Do you know how much MAP sensors and halfshafts are for a honda? Decent engines go for triple of what you'd pay for an m20 replacement.

i'm just mad. bc in 4 years i've spent over 52k on e30s, while my Toyota driving sister spent 5k. and my honda driving friend spent 7k over 10 years this includes the cost of purchasing

[Vtec?lol]

E30M3's will do that to you. If I can find a civic hatch that my great dane will fit in, I'd snatch it up.

[GThomas]

For autocross, you'll get much more bang for your buck buy picking up a 4-8k e36 m3.

[Swanny]

E30M3's will do that to you. If I can find a civic hatch that my great dane will fit in, I'd snatch it up.

Pics of said dane

[Ultimo_Posto]

E30M3's will do that to you. If I can find a civic hatch that my great dane will fit in, I'd snatch it up.

Looked at Honda Civic until I realized that almost all Hondas are front wheel drive

[Ultimo_Posto]

For autocross, you'll get much more bang for your buck buy picking up a 4-8k e36 m3.

In what sense? Lap times, durability or how it handles on the limit?

[matthugie]

The only e36 worth getting is the e36 M3. The rest are pretty worthless. So, I vote for an e36 and bf.c will probably be better for you.

[phreshkid]

I have no e30s and one e36 m3. For a daily driver, get an e36. It has ac that most likely works, an engine that most e30 guys want, and feels more stable when doing hoodrat things with your friends.

Leave all the good e30s for us. And if you do get an e30, don't put 16x10 diamond racing steroids on it or I'll have you banned.

[Ultimo_Posto]

Well I drove my dad's E46 328i auto and it was boring and didn't even feel fast. I think the best option might be to get an old E30 and drop a newer engine in it, or else buy one someone else has fixed up. I need something "tossable" as was mentioned - not for kicks but to learn how to balance a car on the limit. Anyone know how much a refurbished M50 would cost and how much a garage will charge to swap it in?

[Farbin Kaiber]

A rebuilt engine plus parts needed and labor will easily be over $7,000.

Dude. Buy a non m10, non eta car, and get it up to stock, repair and replace any worn parts. Then go do some HDPE's or AutoX's and see where you need to focus attention.

[matthugie]

A rebuilt engine plus parts needed and labor will easily be over $7,000.

Dude. Buy a non m10, non eta car, and get it up to stock, repair and replace any worn parts. Then go do some HDPE's or AutoX's and see where you need to focus attention.

This. The limits of the e36 are higher, but the e30 is much more forgiving. Learning on a relatively stock e30 will do you better.

[wazzu70]

I've driven my dads e36 m3 at autox and the track on the street and my 318is in te same conditions and compared to the e30 the m3 seems to have very vague steering feel (comparable suspension setups on both cars), a more twitchy back end (might be because of the extra power), and horrible seats. The vadars don't hold you for crap during spirite driving.

Totally different driving style required

I found vaders to be the most disappointing seats ever. They look cool, and thats where it ends.

In general, the E36 is good for parts to upgrade an E30. There is a reason an e36 in decent condition is around the same cost of an e30 thats around 10 years older.

[Ultimo_Posto]

This. The limits of the e36 are higher, but the e30 is much more forgiving. Learning on a relatively stock e30 will do you better.

That kind of settles me on the E30. A forgiving car is what I need. Since I'm not in competition it hardly matters where the absolute limit is.

A rebuilt engine plus parts needed and labor will easily be over $7,000. Dude...Buy a non m10, non eta car, and get it up to stock, repair and replace any worn parts. Then go do some HDPE's or AutoX's and see where you need to focus attention.

I saw an old thread where used & tested engines were only $1,000-$2,000, so I was thinking it might be simpler to buy a "roller" and drop in a used but good engine than fix an original car one parts failure at a time.

I'll try to stick with a stock E30 based on these recommendations, although there are so many convertibles and ETAs on the market it might take a while to find a manual hard top 325i with all the bits in place.