What do you guys think of the BMW E30 (325i) ?

[epbrown]

I like the E30s. For a long time, my dream garage was a red E30 cab and Guards Red 944, a perfect 80s combo. Now, I'd probably go for an E28 and R80.

[onewhippedpuppy]

They are solid little cars as long as you keep up with the little things they always need. But as said, most are worn slap out or priced too high. I kind of miss mine, it was a great little beater

That's the issue to me, it would be a fun beater. But with nice varieties of the is models becoming $10k cars, I have a hard time buying in.

[lgb240]

The newest e30 is pushing 24 years old, so, like any car of that age will have issues to sort out. Once sorted, they require minimal maintenance and are mostly trouble free. My e30 touring (pictured in previous post) gets driven daily in the summer and I really only need to do oil changes. I had an e30 318is that was my daily winter driver for 7 years, again, very little required, just regular maintenance wear items. These cars were very well built and very expensive when new.
I now have an '05 e46 325xi touring for the winter and it needs way more attention than my e30's ever needed.

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by lgb240

The newest e30 is pushing 24 years old, so, like any car of that age will have issues to sort out. Once sorted, they require minimal maintenance and are mostly trouble free. My e30 touring (pictured in previous post) gets driven daily in the summer and I really only need to do oil changes. I had an e30 318is that was my daily winter driver for 7 years, again, very little required, just regular maintenance wear items. These cars were very well built and very expensive when new.

It's a blind spot with Pelican. A car needing the same amount of work as a similar-vintage 911 is always a "nightmare."

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by epbrown

It's a blind spot with Pelican. A car needing the same amount of work as a similar-vintage 911 is always a "nightmare."

The difference with a similar vintage 911 is that you might get your money back.

I really like the E30, I've tried to buy one on multiple occasions but they've always turned out to be junk. They have enough of a following that the money just doesn't add up, be it restoring one or buying a nice one.

[Rot 911]

I bought a 1991 318is over the summer. Has turned out to be a great car. Like new on the inside and almost new on the outside. Easy to work on, parts are readily available and reasonably priced. My wife and I took it on a 1000 mile road trip. Perfect size and a very comfortable driver. Just an all around fun car.

[beepbeep]

318is are great little cars. I share one with a friend and we have driven in hundreds of track laps for seven years without any major issues. Sure, 136hp isn't much but when stripped, it moves quite well. It cost 1500$ back then but now they are getting expensive.

Next year, coilovers and this engine is going into it (it is M44 block, M42 head, ITB's etc. and it has almost twice the power):

[yellowperil]

One of the best cars I ever owned, gone but not forgotten.

[maxnine11]

As stated, it is getting hard to find a nice original car at this stage.
When nice ones do come up for sale, they are usually quickly snatched up.
This one was on Pelican:
e30 1990 325is Delphin Gray / Black Leather

[A930Rocket]

Bought my 91 318is for $4k four years ago. Put about $1k replacing all rubber, cooling system, tires, etc. Drove like a champ with 160k miles and got 30 mpg.

Just sold it a couple of months ago for $5500.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by nostatic

wow - that is damn cool. I don't think I've ever seen the wagon variant before.

BMW 3-series E30 wagons are making their way to the U.S. | Autoweek

[aschen]

Man that e30 wagon is super cool.

[aschen]

How hard is it to transplant the drivetrain from an e46 car?

[SoCal911T]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Yup, it's like trying to find an unmolested Japanese sport coupe. Too many have fallen into the hands of morons and teenagers, or some combination of the two. As a result the few nice E30s are now selling for a premium, more than they are worth in my opinion.

Yes, I had been looking 91-93 convertible since 2009 and finally gave up. The decent ones are through the roof.

I picked up my 323i before things got crazy.



Other than redoing the seats and upgrading the stereo, I haven't had expenses other than maintenance items since 2006.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Are they practical to restore?

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

Are they practical to restore?

E21s arent practical to restore. The E30 is a better car all around.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

this looks like a nice little car

1986 BMW 325 / 325e / E30: totally sweet ride

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

this looks like a nice little car

1986 BMW 325 / 325e / E30: totally sweet ride

325e : 121hp :: 325i : 167hp

[futurefun]

I have had several e30s including a couple of '91 318is for daily driving. It puts a smile on my face because it talks to me with nice input & feedback, classic styling, amazing reliability with 30+mpg. It isn't fast but it is fun.

[thamlin000]

I recently test drove an E30 BMW.






The E30 325i makes 168hp at 5800 RPM.

I decided to plug some numbers in and compare......

Not that it matters at this point, but for the power to weight table, the 944 is under 2800 lbs and E30 is 2800 lbs.

Don't see too many E30s on the road anymore. Damn shame. The manual crank sunroofs were really cool.