Japanese e41 reliability issues!!? Long..

[steelynorm]

Not quite a e36, not quite a e46
It's the japanese e41, lexus is300!

I love my neglected e30!

However it has issues...and I am going to need a good reliable hwy cruiser here shortly..for work.

I have been debating on refurb/restoration of my e30.
Buying a partially restored e30 locally or purchasing another newer bmw under 10k dollars.

In my ocd manner of searching car forums i have come to realization that newer bmws, driver dynamics aside are not worth the headache for my current needs...

E46s look to be s major pita to deal with for people like me.

I had a lexus is300 manual, and it is the japanese e41.

The is300 reminds me of my e30 in terms of mechanical reliability and simplicity.

The Japanese always fell short of the benchmark bmw 3 series in terms of feel, handling, etc but they were not that far off..

When it comes to reliability one can safely argue that lexus reliability is better than bmws.

Values on these cars are ridiculously inflated for a clean titled manual with 150k plus miles.

I am writing this out of frustration because as enthusiasts cars have become more and more complicated and as much as I want a newer bmw(e46) to enjoy..for me the issues associated with newer ownership don't seem worth it.

I would rather be looking at forums on how to upgrade my car rather than tracking down a P0xxx code

Edit: meant to change the title,title of post is not reflective of content

[nando]

Maybe I'm crazy but I don't think an E46 is a complicated car at all. Having advanced diagnostics abilities is a good thing. And the E46 is like an '80s Casio calculator watch compared to a 2018 BMW.. The E30 may as well be a Flintstones car.

[325e '87]

By highway cruiser do you mean interstate cruiser? I know M20 engines will turn 4K rpm all day every day but if you’re mostly interstate I would think an e28 would be a fine ride. It’s pretty easy to tell that our e30’s were designed for 55mph speed limits, 65mph was okay but running 75 and up is kind of weary. We need a 6th gear.

Maybe you can get lucky and find a 535i for not too much.

[Vincent Brick]

A guy I worked for was an experience racer/instructor/mechanic, I asked him once how an IS300 compares to an E36 M3 and he responded with "it doesn't." The only IS I ever drove was too beat to make a fair comparison. Its a Toyota so it is reliable, but I would rather have nice E46 myself. From what I understand E46 330i offers performance similar to E36 M3 with more refinement. I agree that they are not very hard to work on, never owned one but worked on several in my days of mechaniching.

e30’s were designed for 55mph speed limits, 65mph was okay but running 75 and up is kind of weary.

I would assume E30s were designed with autobahn driving at least somewhat in mind.... I was doing 100ish mph for a solid 10 minutes today on a deserted desert road and I only felt the slight sketchy-ness was because of my drift-spec alignment and loads of neg camber (and rough, sun-baked pavement).

[nando]

By highway cruiser do you mean interstate cruiser? I know M20 engines will turn 4K rpm all day every day but if you’re mostly interstate I would think an e28 would be a fine ride. It’s pretty easy to tell that our e30’s were designed for 55mph speed limits, 65mph was okay but running 75 and up is kind of weary. We need a 6th gear.

Maybe you can get lucky and find a 535i for not too much.

yeah, what? 55mph speed limits were an American thing. It might surprise you, but 95% of the population doesn't live here, and didn't have such speed limits. BMW doesn't build tractor engines (for the most part), so being afraid of higher RPM is silly.

[Stanley Rockafella]

A guy I worked for was an experience racer/instructor/mechanic, I asked him once how an IS300 compares to an E36 M3 and he responded with "it doesn't."

You don't need to go as high as an e36 M3. An e36 328i would be a better comparison that can school the is300/is350.

Only reason why I got my IS350 was reliability. It has it in spades over any of BMW;s offerings. There's dual fuel injection, and NO pesky turbo's to worry about. Since Lexus still uses the exact same engine in my older car as on the newest IS/GS/RX350's, I know there's no performance gains I'm missing out on.

[325e '87]

Damn, I don’t care if you think my opinion was wrong but to accuse me of being a closed minded dumb ass is a bit much. GFY

[Stanley Rockafella]

Yeah, Go Fund Yourself!

[YosemiteSam]

Damn, I don’t care if you think my opinion was wrong but to accuse me of being a closed minded dumb ass is a bit much. GFY

Well, that escalated quickly. Also, you do realize that nando is a mod, right? :popcorn:

[Stanley Rockafella]

[nando]

Damn, I don’t care if you think my opinion was wrong but to accuse me of being a closed minded dumb ass is a bit much. GFY

Who are you talking to? I'm not sure if I'm reading the same thread, because nobody called anyone names, and the replies you got were not even slightly harsh. Get help.