2002 vs. e30

[e34john]

I wanted a 2002 but couldn't find/afford one so I settled for an E30, glad I did because it makes a good daily and I am still sorting everything out, once I have it perfectly reliable and freshened up so that I won't have to worry about major problems I will start the search for an '02 and I will have time and money to have it exactly the way I want and not be pressured to cut corners with it.

[harv]

2002 for fun and e30 for DD.

Can't find a 2002 forum? 2002faq.com is the FIRST listing after the image link in a google search result.

I have both and love em.

John



and

[mlytle64]

what harv said....sort of..get one of each.
2002 for fun
e30 for dd fun
e36 for all of the above

[apexede30]

I had an e30 or two. Got rid of it the day I found my current 2002 sitting in the back of a garage. From my experience, the 2002 is a blast, but a different kind. Seating position is upright and high, fun to throw into a corner even on stock springs, and I'll never stop searchin for that extra gear. My 2002 is a daily, and to the gent that said they're not meant to be driven, it may be true. The upkeep is much higher than on an e30..In a year of ownership I've had to deal with: Collapsed rear spring perch, a bent trailing arm that messed up my wheel bearings, alternator went berzerk (2 months later voltage regulator followed in suit) my flywheel bolts all came loose (PO's fault) my flasher relay took a dump, my carb's return spring flew off magically (making me the only non toyota with a stuck wide open throttle on the road) and my ignition coil hated moisture and cold. Then there's the rust. It's a losing battle. All that aside, its a blast to drive, if you ease off the gas, decent mpg, and a cool car to putter around in. 2002 is my vote.

edit: Paid 1100 for an 87i, 1500 for an 86e, and 2000 for my 75 '02. Id like to think I got a decent deal on the 2002. Drove it home, albeit with dead brakes, rotted tires, and a nasty misfire/hesitation issue that magically dissapeared. (Deposits?)

[stefennn]

2002 is a bit too primitive for me.

[b*saint]

2002 is really nice but up here in New England they are mostly rusted out. Same with 3.0 CSL.

[Turf1600]

When I move to the west coast I'm going to DD a 2002 again. My siennabraun 76 was my favorite DD ever.

[txtorquemade]

start with e30, if you arent spending enough money on it, go 2002.

LOL..aint that true!!! :ohsnap:

[deutschman]

i dd a '74 2002. drive it to work and to school. there are many prows on cons to my 2002. lets start with the bad.
maintaining a 2002 is a bitch! sins i have got the car i have had the engine mount on my drivers side welded back onto the sub frame (common problem), part of my fuel sender unit fell off and is now floating around in the tank (i have run out of gas while driving twice), my engine is burning oil and on down shifts or spirited acceleration i feel like i am in a bbq because of all the smoke that fills the cabin, my heater sounds like a dieing baby when turned on and even when all the heater setting are on off they still let a ton of air into the car, i have had a ton of electrical problems, rust is a bitch, picking my girl friend up in my 2002 is never fun because i feel like i am in a third world country when i drive my '02.
the good. i love my 2002. every time i look at it i see its potential and smile. it is a lot of fun to drive and feels like a go cart. i have learned more about working on cars from my 2002 then i ever did working on my late 318i. its so easy! this summer i am going to do a lot of body work and hopefully paint the car as well, which will teach me a whole other set of skills.
i think you need to have good money to own one of these cars. that or be crazy like me. i only make around $600 every two weeks because of school, and a lot of that goes into my hunk of junk. 2002's are not the right cars for pore college students like me. they are for well off older men in their 50's with extra time and money who enjoy driving them on the weekends.
i often think about trying to trade it to some one for a e30 so that i can have a car with a working ac and heater, and many other modern comforts that do not include breathing large amounts of engine fumes. i always get a sentence into my craigslist add, and then i delete it.

[Pinepig]

I daily a 2002, 75. good cars, low on creature comforts, high on fun factor. I'm 44 at this point and I actually prefer driving the 2002 to the Boxster.

At this point in the game any 2002 you pick up will more than likely need damn near every piece of rubber on the whole car replaced, I can honestly say there isn't much on mine that hasn't been replaced at this point. I paid 500$ for a non running rust free example about 3 years ago, I'm well over 10k at this point. Poor thing is down for the moment as I lost 2nd gear in the tranny ( what do you want for a 75 dollar junk yard tranny behind an estimated 250HP ) and a simple R&R had some serious mission creep as the engine bay was the only part of the car I hadn't redone yet.

Once they are redone they are about a reliable a car as you are likely to find, very simple and very robust.

The beauty of a 2002 in California is you can do whatever you want to the 75s and earlier as far as smog is concerned ( does not apply to you lucky bastards in non smog states ). I wouldn't mind having an E30 as a daily if I could get about 400hp out of it and it still be legal. I get to help on Jeans E30 quite a bit and they aren't bad cars at all.

If you can find a nice 2002 for a reasonable price they are fine cars, a nice example of an e30 will be much easier to come by.

[Charlie]

drive an e30 until you can afford to have both. especially in florida. I have modern a/c with an s14 compressor in my 02 and its not anywhere near what a well set up e30 is like as far as cooling. Just too much glass. and I did everything I could to do it the right way
a nice 02 gets 20x the attention a nice e30 does though.

Bingo.

An '02 with light mods is fine, if you wanna go nuts, get the e30.

But yea, get one of each. Best way.

-Charlie

[Frenche]

i dd a '74 2002. drive it to work and to school. there are many prows on cons to my 2002. lets start with the bad.
maintaining a 2002 is a bitch! sins i have got the car i have had the engine mount on my drivers side welded back onto the sub frame (common problem), part of my fuel sender unit fell off and is now floating around in the tank (i have run out of gas while driving twice), my engine is burning oil and on down shifts or spirited acceleration i feel like i am in a bbq because of all the smoke that fills the cabin, my heater sounds like a dieing baby when turned on and even when all the heater setting are on off they still let a ton of air into the car, i have had a ton of electrical problems, rust is a bitch, picking my girl friend up in my 2002 is never fun because i feel like i am in a third world country when i drive my '02.
the good. i love my 2002. every time i look at it i see its potential and smile. it is a lot of fun to drive and feels like a go cart. i have learned more about working on cars from my 2002 then i ever did working on my late 318i. its so easy! this summer i am going to do a lot of body work and hopefully paint the car as well, which will teach me a whole other set of skills.
i think you need to have good money to own one of these cars. that or be crazy like me. i only make around $600 every two weeks because of school, and a lot of that goes into my hunk of junk. 2002's are not the right cars for pore college students like me. they are for well off older men in their 50's with extra time and money who enjoy driving them on the weekends.
i often think about trying to trade it to some one for a e30 so that i can have a car with a working ac and heater, and many other modern comforts that do not include breathing large amounts of engine fumes. i always get a sentence into my craigslist add, and then i delete it.

HAHA holy crap. U feel the exact same way about ur dd 2002 as I do. I second what u say. Every part.

[Eecen]

Try to find yourself a good example of each car and get some time driving both. And please try to convince some1 to let you drive their s5xe30, or comparable swap....Then decide what you want.


With that said, I vote that you find yourself an e21 323i.
Yes its not on your list, but I think you should consider it;

Faster then an e10, well...it should be, but then see #2
You can do 24v swaps just as easy, if not more so then w/ an e30.
Brake upgrades are apparently quite easy, multiple kits out there
They are also pretty uncommon, at least where I live.
Biggest plus; No douche nozzle "gods charioteers" in the legion, although there are a few retarded e21 owners, like anything else

Whatever you end up buying, make sure you inspect it for rust with a fine toothed comb.

[Rathbone]

You say your wife doesn't like either of them. You will have a lot more fun if you can find something you both like. They are all money pits so if you spend money on something she doesn't like it will drive a wedge between you. I'd suggest taking her to some 'bug jams' - there are a couple great ones here in Florida. It's easier to bring a woman in to the car scene if you start with a classic beetle. Then down the road, when she realizes she misses cruise control and effective AC (some beetles have AC), then you can switch her over to E30's.

[bmw2002tiiagave]

i've daily'd my 2002 for a year. it sucks lol. its a weekend / chill car. E30 is def more practical.