Anyone ever own an Older BMW/Volvo/Mercedes?

[RedBaron]

I'm planning on getting a winter beater and I've been looking at E28s, E30s, Volvo 240/740, and Mercedes 190Es. Does anyone have experience with these models? Anything to look out for? Any other model suggestions? Looking for something in the 1-2k range that works and preferable a stick. I don't mind doing work/preventative maintenance on the car but the reason I am looking at these models is they are fairly bulletproof and cheap.

[Don Plumley]

My son had an E30 that he bought for his first car. What a pleasure to work on. Lots of online resources, parts are cheap (especially on Pelican!), run like champs.

[Embraer]

my e30 is my DD....paid $400 for it. did the timing belt (just for peace of mind) and have been driving it for over a year. easy to work on, and a ton of fun to drive. the 325e's get better mileage than the 325i's (derated engine...) but still tons of fun. mine is a 325e 2 door, 5 speed.

[Danny_Ocean]

BMW will be the easiest/cheapest to maintain from the list you provided. It will most likely outlast all, too.

[Jagshund]

E30. Plentiful and cheap. You can usually pick them up for under $1000 running.

[McLovin]

Of the cars you mention, E30 is the only one that meets the criteria. Stick shift alone eliminates the others. And on cars this old, stick is the way to go. Auto trans become troublesome on those car at that price range.

[Scuba Steve]

Too true on old autos. Repairing the one in my wife's Volvo 960 was as much as the purchase price of the car. Other than that and a water pump it really hasn't needed much.

[RANDY P]

I vote the 190E followed by the E30.


The 190 is overbuilt, big time. E 28 is kind of needy.

rjp

[aap1966]

My daily driver.
The e24s use e28 (5 series) chassis and mechanicals, so most parts are easy to come by. Individual panels can be an issue and front wings are notorious rust traps. Budget some bucks for suspension and electrics. Converting an auto to a stick is feasible. (No I haven't, but know a few guys who have) .
It's let me down twice in 4 years. Failure to start (ignition switch can fail, I got mine fixed, seen some with "engine start" switches installed), and lose oil hose from gearbox.

Tough, beautiful cars with a motorsport heritage.
Have a wander around bigcoupe.com :: Index

[daepp]

You can't beat an ML for winter driving.

[McLovin]

I've had E30, E24 and E28. The E24 6 series and E28 5 series, are, as you say, almost identical mechanically, and can be fairly stout cars.

But, for his price range and what he wants, he'd be far better off with an E30. While the E24/28 aren't hugely complex, the E30 is even simpler. Name the system (braking, suspension, electronics, etc.) and the E30 is always going to have the more straightforward system.

The E30 is also a much lighter car, and easier on components, esp. suspension.

For a $2K beater, a stick shift E30 is a good choice.

[Rick Lee]

I got 230k miles on the first clutch in my E30. Super reliable, affordable and fun car.

[RANDY P]

What about an E36? Chances you'll find one better sorted for similar money and frankly it's a better driving car.

The M20 engine is a gutless turd. Sorry it's kind of a lot of work for no return. Even has a timing belt.

rjp

[Tim Hancock]

My E36 stick has 309,000 on it presently. I would not hesitate to drive it cross country.

[enjefriy]

Had e30 & currently e28. E30 Damn easy to maintain. The workshop manual was more for reference, however not a must hav to me, as the engineering behind was so natural to meMuch more reliable than most cars I know, easier maintenance compared to my 911sc and way more forgiving.

[onewhippedpuppy]

E28, E30, and 190E, can't go wrong with any of them. I know several big-time car guys who state that the E30 is the best car they've ever owned. Personally I'm a sucker for the 190e 2.3-16v, they're like a cheap 4 door E30 M3.

[1990C4S]

Surprised no one here has suggested a Volvo. 240 and 740 would be fine. As would a cheap 850.

[tcar]

I'll mention a Volvo.

240? Shoot, I drove a 145 (wagon) over a 1/4 million miles) 4 speed manual. Only retired it when it was rear-ended. Hard. My wife was fine.

There are also manual tranny 240's (140 with a face-lift).

They are TANKS.

[RedBaron]

Thank you to everyone who previously responded.

I decided to reopened my search for a college beater/winter car. I am still looking at the models listed above and I would like more feedback and suggestions from people. There seems to be a lot of solid deals now on craigslist. Unfortunately, a lot of them sell the day they are listed. I am trying to take my time and find something that will be solid and a good deal. I have done a little bit of research about each model/marque listed above. Feel free to critique any of these and provide an opinion.

BMW E28/E30
Pros: Sporty, parts are cheap, car is reliable and easy to work on, snow tires and spare wheels are relatively inexpensive and abundant as well as other used parts. I could also turn it into a track car in a few years (M52 swap.)
Cons: A lot of examples in New England are rusted and have rot, the decent ones listed on craigslist sell very fast, the car appears to attract a lot of people my age who probably fail to maintain it and have beaten on it.

BMW E36:
Pros: 318 looks to be a very simple and economic car (onewhippedpuppy i'd like your opinion of the one you owned.) Used parts are also easily available
Cons: Not as well built as an E30, examples in my price range have lots of high miles, I'm afraid of electrical gremlins, parts are more expensive then an E30.

Mercedes 190e:
Pros: Tank like quality, very reliable, practically no rust on them.
Cons: Difficult to find a manual transmission, lots of them have high miles.

Volvo 740/240
Pros: Reliable, tank-like quality, parts are equal in price to an E30, people are less likely to beat on them.
Cons: Difficult to find a standard, lots of them have high mileage.

[dennis in se pa]

I have had 850s and a 2001 C70 Volvo I bought with 152,000 miles on her. Drove her back and forth to Florida 3 times last winter. Old Volvos - Cheap to buy, Expensive to maintain, but you can count on them getting you there.