New Member

[8Bruce8]

Hey guys,
I am a freshman college student at RPI in Troy. I am looking to buy my first car next summer. I have my heart set on the e30 and I am looking for some advice. I have never worked on a car before, but I feel that now is the time to start and learn, I have always wanted to.
1) I am looking at the late models, '88 and beyond because of them bumpers, I know this has been asked many many times, 318 or 325. I know that the 318 is lighter and has a better weight distribution so I am leaning towards that. However, Troy, where I live, has quite a few hills, will an old 318 struggle?
2) Is the e30 the right car for a beginner, ie both a new driver and a newbie who has never worked on a car? Easy to work on? Troy has a lot of snow, will she survive?
3) Perhaps the most important one, I have a budget of $3000 maximum, can I get something decent? I have been trawling through countless classifieds pages with mixed results, I know its early if I am looking at next summer....
4) I am leaning towards a manual, just because it is more fun. Correct? If I get an auto, how hard is it to do a 5 speed swap? I know there is a good sticky on it, but I can't tell how hard it is.

Thanks!

[itskingsteelo]

Alright to answer a few of your question, yes an E30 is the perfect car for a beginner. I fell I love with mine and even though my car is a shitbox, I won't give it up. Stick shift cars are always more fun to drive, unless you're in bumper to bumper traffic in California and you have no ac and it's 96 degrees out that bitch. If you're thinking about buying an automatic but you're thinking of doing a 5 speed swap then your wasting your time, just go with a 5 speed right off the bat so it's not a headache to do a swap later. For 3k you can probably find something decent, for a little while now the market for e30s is going up in price so I would say look for one and don't be afraid to drive out of your city to get a good deal.
Sorry if none of this is helpful.
With all that being said, GO BUY AN E30.
Welcome to R3v

[RedReplicant]

An M42 is not going to struggle, they aren't underpowered for a DD. I say this having a stock 318is and a sportbike that makes more whp.