Replace and E30 with an R53? bad idea?

[herbie]

Hi Guys,

I’d like to hear your opinion. I currently have a fun gutted e30 that’s sitting in the garage that I am not able to enjoy as much on the weekends. It is 1984 318i with an M20B25 swap, Getrag 260, e46 steering rack, 3.73 LSD, Spec E30 H&R combo, poly bushing in the rear sitting on light 9ul wheels. The previous owner was building it for Spec E30 and then he sold it to me. As I don’t see myself racing, I installed euro bumpers and painted it, basically made it more pleasing to look at. However, I’ve been toying with the idea of selling it and replacing it with an 05-06 r53 Mini Cooper S because it is newer, probably safer, has AC, and has backseats for me to be able to have my family with me when I am enjoying the car maybe Fridays to Saturdays. I have an F25 X3 and f30 328i for daily. My wife and I carpool (27miles one way) every day and while she likes e30’s, she doesn’t enjoy being a passenger of a gutted track car as much as I do. My 6-year-old daughter hates it too and says it is scary. My question is, would replacing a fun and mechanically sound e30 with a more usable and newer Mini be a mistake? Obviously, I am looking for your subjective opinions. For reference, below is my car.

Thanks in advance.

https://ibb.co/MCtw16h

https://ibb.co/ZfWx0Hm

https://ibb.co/qMTfrQJ

https://ibb.co/VH1JTrs

https://ibb.co/5vF7yWF

https://ibb.co/DCM89hf

https://ibb.co/T8pWMH8

[Nick_S]

You already have two solid daily drivers, I'd keep the E30. Not saying the Mini is going to be a bad car but I have feeling if the E30 is your fun car, that a mostly stock mini isn't going to come close to the enjoyment.

I used to have a supercharged SVT Focus for a long time. Was my daily for awhile, then the fun car. Once I got my E30, even though it was slower and less refined and didn't handle as well, I still found myself enjoying driving the E30 over it. So I sold it.

[Reichart12]

"Obligatory replace the family with an e30 loving family post."

[Stanley Rockafella]

No, do not replace e30 with a Mini. You'll regret it.

My wife and I carpool (27miles one way) every day and while she likes e30’s, she doesn’t enjoy being a passenger of a gutted track car as much as I do. My 6-year-old daughter hates it too and says it is scary.

Why not simply add an interior with insulation to your e30. Clearly you have skills to paint it and add Euro bumpers.
Then the whole family can enjoy the e30 :D

[herbie]

Thanks for the response, everyone.

My gut tells me too that I will regret letting this one go. It is such a fun car that I should drive it more. The previous owner already spent a ton of money and time only to decide to go with a Miata. I can re-install the door cards since i still have them and then just get rear seats, install a good car seat for my daughter and then be done.

I didn't mean to sound like my family is not supportive. They'll happily ride in it. I just don't like the idea of them in a car that has no AC, airbags, and is very tail happy.

thanks again for your input.

[herbie]

You already have two solid daily drivers, I'd keep the E30. Not saying the Mini is going to be a bad car but I have feeling if the E30 is your fun car, that a mostly stock mini isn't going to come close to the enjoyment.

I used to have a supercharged SVT Focus for a long time. Was my daily for awhile, then the fun car. Once I got my E30, even though it was slower and less refined and didn't handle as well, I still found myself enjoying driving the E30 over it. So I sold it.

Do you think your response would still be the same if the r53 is a JCW?

[roguetoaster]

Fixing the interior is a bit easier than buying another car and then fixing the issues that one has. Further, you are unlikely to recoup much of your investment in to the E30.

It's not as if a JCW would be a super cushy cruiser either, but it sounds like you have a supportive family, so they probably only care that you are enjoying yourself as long as they can tolerate the ride.

[efficient]

id keep the e30, just add interior. you have a nice e30. you painted the car yourself?

[mtech325]

A friend of mine has e30s as well as a 2004 R53 JCW. While a good car in its own right, we both agree the Mini isn't nearly as fun as any of the e30s. The other issue with the Mini is that a lot of jobs require peeling the entire front end apart, which might get old after a while. Granted the e30 is an old car, but servicing it is pretty straight forward.

If you're pretty content with your car, adding an interior & HVAC back into it seems like the logical solution, especially since it already has a bunch of suspension goodies. Otherwise you could sell it and find a nice e30 that hasn't had the interior gutted, but you may wind up having to deal with other issues as opposed to the car you already know.

[lukeADE335i]

I can re-install the door cards since i still have them and then just get rear seats, install a good car seat for my daughter and then be done.

I didn't mean to sound like my family is not supportive. They'll happily ride in it. I just don't like the idea of them in a car that has no AC, airbags, and is very tail happy.

I used my e30 as my daily drive for 10 years, and my two kids have happily driven around in it the whole time. The back seat is actually excellent once they get bigger as it's small and they are safe without boosters earlier than in more modern cars that seem to have enormous and deep rear seats.

[herbie]

Fixing the interior is a bit easier than buying another car and then fixing the issues that one has. Further, you are unlikely to recoup much of your investment in to the E30.

It's not as if a JCW would be a super cushy cruiser either, but it sounds like you have a supportive family, so they probably only care that you are enjoying yourself as long as they can tolerate the ride.

Thanks for the response. My E30 right now has zero issues, the PO made sure of that. no rust, no leaks, new fuel tank, new battery, SS brake lines, new clutch and timing belt kit during the swap, new brakes and tires etc. the only mechanical work I had to do was change fluids, plugs, and valve adjustment. My wife said to keep the car and just enjoy it for what it is.

so yeah, you are right. I don't think I can recoup what was spent on it in the last year.

[herbie]

id keep the e30, just add interior. you have a nice e30. you painted the car yourself?

When I removed the sunroof cartridge to do a sunroof delete (PITA), I removed everything inside including the dashboard. I then painted the entire interior myself with rustoleum grey. and then I wrapped the cracked dashboard with vinyl before reinstalling. I mean, the corbeau seats are new so I wanted everything to look decent inside.

here's the dashboard wrap thread.

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho...d.php?t=425960

The exterior was done by professionals at a shop though with the original Baltic Blue.

[herbie]

If you're pretty content with your car, adding an interior & HVAC back into it seems like the logical solution, especially since it already has a bunch of suspension goodies. Otherwise you could sell it and find a nice e30 that hasn't had the interior gutted, but you may wind up having to deal with other issues as opposed to the car you already know.

Yes, I am very happy with how the car performs. I just feel bad when I know i am the only one enjoying it. Then again, my wife reminded me that the car is for me to enjoy, not them.

Since it is gutted, it is very light. The euro bumpers are lighter than DBs and it has a sunroof delete and crank windows. My mechanic said it drives faster and handles better than an m52 swapped e30 with full interior.

Thanks for the response. I'll just keep enjoying the car, I'd much rather drive an e30 than anything anyway. I just need to do more early Sunday drives to give the car what it deserves.

[herbie]

I used my e30 as my daily drive for 10 years, and my two kids have happily driven around in it the whole time. The back seat is actually excellent once they get bigger as it's small and they are safe without boosters earlier than in more modern cars that seem to have enormous and deep rear seats.

Thanks for the response. That's good to know. I only have one daughter and she's turning 7. I had a fully stock e28 535i that she loved. Hopefully, with rear seats and door cards, she'll love this one too.

[SOneThreeCoupe]

Strategic sound deadening is very beneficial and not super heavy. Some CLD tiles (don't need much, only ~25% coverage) to kill the panel vibration, some closed-cell foam to isolate and some mass-loaded vinyl for the problem areas and you'll have a much more livable car with only 20-30lbs more weight (plus the foam and mass-loaded vinyl can be installed with velcro so you can remove it for track days or autocross). If you don't have a headliner, you can also stick as thick of melamine foam as possible up there to absorb reflections. It will also keep the car cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

As the driver, noise isn't really that big a deal. It's fatiguing and can cause headaches if it's resonant, but you're usually so involved that it's far down your list. As a passenger, noise kinda sucks plus the driver usually doesn't sit in the passenger seat or in the back so you don't hear what they hear. The back seat could have funky acoustics and you'd not know about it.