it’s been tough lately

[deeze30]

Lately I’ve been exploring on selling my bmw 2002 or trade back into an E30... I’ve gone through 3 e30s and always loved them but a few years back I decided to try the 02 community and don’t get me wrong but I love the 02 but the community was just different... and whenever I see an E30 in the streets i miss the car a lot more than my 02. I barely drive the thing... sorry for the rant but what do you guys think? Should I go back to an e30?

[roguetoaster]

Yes, they're better cars to drive, and you can use your 02 funds to move in to a really good E30 with money to spare.

[Cptcarisma]

Spoken like a true Toaster. 🙏

[ZeKahr]

Yes, get a 6-cylinder E30. The silky smooth I6 engine is reason enough to get an E30. I had a E36 318i with a 1.9L M44 4-cylinder that screamed at 4k at 80 MPH on the interstate. The 4-banger was harsh, buzzy, and boomy. The low-end torque was so lacking that driveability sucked at low speeds and in hilly areas - and if AC was on forget it. It was fun to play pretend race car driver for a few months but then the 4-cylinder’s NVH and poor streetability started to aggravate me. I never want to own another 4-cylinder BMW ever again after my experience with that car. I figure a 2002 will have a similar character to that car given that its a 4-cylinder of similar displacement. Swapping in a 6-cylinder into an 02 would be a total PITA too due to all the custom fabrication that needs to be done.

Also the E30’s styling is much better than the 02. It’s austere and businesslike (so very German) vs that crazy flamboyant Italian styling the 02 uses.

[roguetoaster]

Yes, get a 4-cylinder E30. The silky smooth, high-revving I4 engine is reason enough to get an E30. I had a E36 323i with a 2.5L M50 6-cylinder that screamed at 2.5k at 80 MPH on the interstate, when it could even make it to that speed. The 6-banger was harsh, buzzy, and leaky. The high-end torque was so lacking that driveability sucked at moderate speeds and even in flat areas - and if AC was on, forget it, even a Prius would fly by. It was fun to play pretend race car driver for a few months but then the 6-cylinder’s NVH and wannabe M3 nature started to aggravate me. I never want to own another 6-cylinder BMW ever again after my experience with that car. I don't know anything about 2002s, so I'll make some bad generalizations about animals: cats are better than dogs, and goldfish are better than hamsters.

Also the E30’s styling is on par with an 02, but the austere and crypt like solemnity of E30 styling leaves me cold.

Fixed that for you.

[lukeADE335i]

It’s austere and businesslike (so very German) vs that crazy flamboyant Italian styling the 02 uses.

I don't know... I wish they'd taken the "crazy flamboyant Italian styling" further by releasing the 2002 GT4! I'd have one of those in the shed over everything else right now :)

[deeze30]

I appreciate the response guys, maybe I’m still too young to be driving an 02 lol but yeah I miss the old e30. Will give it a shot! Hopefully i can find someone to trade with.

[lukeADE335i]

Your 2002 looks pretty neat - once you've sold or swapped you should end up with a very nice e30.

[EasyThreezy]

Sell it to me. I'm ready to buy it. I commented on your fs thread btw. commenting here as well to get your attention haha.

[Andrew325is]

Fixed that for you.

Agreed. I only had 6-cylinder E30s and other BMWs for years and years. Then I finally decided to go with a 4-cylinder E30 and I love it. I do agree with his statement about hills though. The only time I wish it had a little more torque is on very steep hills driving low speed, but really all you have to do is downshift and it's okay. 32 mpg on the highway is a nice trade-off, not to mention being way more fun to drive around town. I do also agree about the high rpm at high speed, but c'mon 80 mph is speeding and MPG is still good. It would be interesting to see if it could gain even more MPG on the highway though. I'm considering swapping in a GS6-17BG 6-speed from an E90, Z4, etc. I think that would be great with a 3.46 rear end. It weighs just a little more than the G240 and G250. A lot lower weight than the GS6-37BZ. It looks like you basically just a need a pilot bearing adapter for it.

[TobyB]

This will probably get me banned, but...

if you're all about the driving, you need an E36. With an M52. jus' sayin'.

Now, for looks, the toaster just keeps getting better. The E36 will never quite make it... but it's getting better as we age.

heh

t

[dnguyen1963]

This will probably get me banned, but...

if you're all about the driving, you need an E36. With an M52. jus' sayin'.

Now, for looks, the toaster just keeps getting better. The E36 will never quite make it... but it's getting better as we age.

heh

t

You won't get banned if you post pics of your significant other.

[2mAn]

You won't get banned if you post pics of your significant other.

Fact.

Bonus points if shes posing on a BMW, even an E36

[dnguyen1963]

Fact.

Bonus points if shes posing on a BMW, even an E36

Ban him. No pics yet.

[moatilliatta]

Get an E30.

Its like a banana. e21 Green yellow, E30 yellow, E36 brown yellow.