Your first drive in an E30?

[Zayyan]

Got my car back on the road again today after doing about 2,000 miles in a Citroen ZX (1.4i )........must say the difference was amazing

For the first few miles I hated it - seats were too low, steering wheel too big, pedals too stiff etc........but after a while (and some corners) I realised how much I'd missed driving the thing........despite it being a 316i it wasn't too slow either

So who remembers their first drive in an E30, and how did it compare to what they were driving before?

[HotboxDeluxe]

Came out of a scruffy modified Mk2 Cavalier (stripped out, lowered, loud exhaust, dents, rust, bits hanging off) cos it blew up after 3 years hard abuse and i decided i was too old for it (22) and got into an early facelift 320i 2-door. Even with struggle steering and windey windows it was something else. Really enjoyed it but foolishly swapped it for an XR4i in search of more speed. Drove it about twice, was bitterly disappointed and flogged it sharpish to buy an M535i. There and then decided BMW was the thing for me, and about 9 E30's later (amongst other stuff) i still can't put them down. It's nearly 3 in the morning and i'm glancing out the window at my new 325i and itching to go for a drive.

Hmmm


Laters

[grandad318]

the look on my mum's face when i pulled up in my 318 ( my first e30) having got rid of a family ere lom their polo p reg shit 1.4. long story had written off 3 cars b 4 so under my dads name it was cheap to insure, was priceless. Have been adictive since reer wheel drive was the way foward. brought 320 with uprated cam, now want some thing quicker any suggestions?

[StuBeeDoo]

First drive I had in mine was the 200+ mile drive home when I bought it. I had to have a 6 cylinder E30 Touring and was getting desperate!!
I had found it on eBay, e-mailed the seller a couple of times, spoke to him once and then hit the "Buy It Now" button.
Five days later I caught a train to his nearest station, handed over the readies, he gave me all the documentation, then I drove it home. I was a bit anxious about it, but I knew that if the worst came I could get rid again for what I paid for it. By the time I got to the motorway, I knew all would be OK. The only thing I was disappointed about was the gearing - 4000rpm at 80mph???? Come on BMW, you're having a laugh! (I've sorted that issue now though)
That was 16 months ago, and I've never regretted it once. :rock:

Before the Touring, I had a 1990 Orion 1.6i Ghia that had been fully RS'd. OK, that was fun at the time - and very quick too - but it was teeth-rattlingly hard and worst of all it was FWD. I had thought about doing a RWD/V6 conversion on it, but then along came the urgent need for an estate car. There was only one choice open to us. Modern sh1t was out of the question. Thankfully, Wor Lass is happy to leave choice of cars to me!

[Wilson]

My first drive in an E30 was a few years back when I had to buy a quick cheap run around for a while and I found a B reg E30 323i Red... (Matt pinky orange) bottle tops, and was jacked up at the rear!!!! cost me Ԛ£180.. It was fun, and for some reason it felt quite big... my main thing I remember about that was how smooth it was!!! I polished it up to hell, but just couldn't get the bonnet and roof perfect, the paint was beyond it, and sold it for Ԛ£300!!!

Since then I've had Audi Coupe 2.2 Auto
E34 525i auto, I liked that,
E36 M3 liked that, (I know you lot dont like em!!!)
and the last before the E30 now was Mk 4 Golf GTI 1.8T, and I hated it it was crap.... definatly a girls car!!!.. when I got the E30 and it was sitting on my drive with no door or engine... I was desperate to get it fixed, just so that I could get rid of the Golf!!!... and when I did and drove the E30.. it was perfect!!!

[Raz316]

I had been driving a 306 1.6 and to be totally honest it felt much much faster than a 316i. I was told to take the e30 out and drive it properly, so I did and half an hour later I had bought it ;)

I can safely steer the thing with a little finger even at 70mph and it sticks to the road like... i dunno, something sticky.

People comment on the beemer too, never happened with anything else, which was nice : )

[dsio]

E34 525i manual, then E34 525i auto, then the E30 318i was the first that I actually owned. Doesnt have the luxury feel of the 525i, but doesnt have the detatchment either. On the day it was purchased, I spent the test drive in the passenger seat while someone much more experienced did some heavy acceleration and sideways cornering.

Its much more responsive, quicker, tighter, and lighter feeling that the E34 and cost a quarter of the price too. At the time I was choosing between the '85 318i and a '81 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Sportivo (mint). The sportivo sold, so the E30 it was. Im not sad about it

[dbanbery]

Bought my first car after searching through the usual trawl of first cars. i had Ԛ£500 to spend and i was looking at AX Gt's, Fiestas, Clio 1.4 RTs, etc..... took an AX out once, hated it, bean can with quarterlights that were too small...... then my dad peered over my shoulder one night while i was doing the "autotrader thing" and said "why dont you get a BMW?" initally i called him stupid but after testing out my 1986 318i in Bronzit Beige, cream leather, and air con, i decided it was worth offering some money too. i offered the guy Ԛ£400 and i got it... a month later after fixing the required stuff for the MOT it was wicked, and i was gutted when it got lamposted and subsequently knackered on a roundabout (hey i was a new driver and something went wrong.) when i bought that one i decided that the majority of french small and medium cars were shit. found another pretty smartish, my 1988 316i and even though it was noisy it was solid as a rock, or as i thought until it needed Ԛ£100 welding doing on it.... i couldnt be arsed so i bought the 900-S and am now selling that cause i'm bored with it. plus its too thirsty for the type of driving i do, so i may have a diesel merc for a while, then its a 323, or 325 or similar.....

and after working on the following cars, i still find the BMW the best to work on, with the saabs coming a close second.

405 Diesel (yuck)
R21 Diesel (yuck)
3x Saab 900s
Rover 214i (not bad actually)

[Bob_S]

driving it home from stoke.. finally got to open it up and push it into some bends.. damn this rwd is good, no understeering poo just turn and go! wicked, puts a smile on my face everytime i drive it, unlike the fiesta which wasnt as fun and didnt have the I WANT to drive this car factor

[Rearwheel_nick]

i think i posted up on here my first drive...

came out of a W reg ford focus 1.8tddi

car felt ridiculously fast to me, the car felt very weighty with the steering wheel ... seats felt super comfortable....in fact sometimes i long for when my e30 had its interior in and was just a nice smooth old bmw. hahah. i bloody loved my firdt drive though i was really scared when i saw how fast the fuel needle was going down.. ive got used to that now though. and then started the sidewaysness

[LOOPYLEE1965]

Got my car back on the road again today after doing about 2,000 miles in a Citroen ZX (1.4i )........must say the difference was amazing

For the first few miles I hated it - seats were too low, steering wheel too big, pedals too stiff etc........but after a while (and some corners) I realised how much I'd missed driving the thing........despite it being a 316i it wasn't too slow either

So who remembers their first drive in an E30, and how did it compare to what they were driving before?

i had a citreon zx 1.4i mate and got my 1st e30 a 316 carb and it was like getting out of a mini and getting into a rolls royce mate the ride quality was so different it was unreal

[Zayyan]

The ride quality was far better on the Citroen actually as the suspension was very soft indeed

E30 is much more fun though, it turns corners!

[topspark]

My first experience of an E30 was in 1991. A mate of mine bought a 325i metallic black on an F plate . It was an SE with full zender bodykit which was very tasteful if anyone has every seen one because i havn't since. He was going away for a week and said i could use it. Jesus it was awsome compared to the astra GTE i had . Anyway managed to fullfil my dreams when i bought my E30 in 1993. Brothers had it off me in 96 and then my dad bought it off him in 1999. I got it back for nowt 18 mnths ago but needs a bit of mechanical TLC as the cams had it and it got serious wobble gearstick syndrome. (Thats sister in laws for you!!!)

Hope to get her back on the road this year

lee

[tourer-dan]

We had an E30 318 auto pool car when I worked at a body repairers in 1994. It was a 1988 model which ahd been written off and repaired a few times, so it drove like a table with one leg longer than the others

I was already looking for a 318is at the time to replace my fiesta 1400S (I was 20 at the time) I asked my boss if the 318is would drive as badly as the pool barge. He laughed.

When I got my 318is (I bought the first one I saw for Ԛ£5500!) I laughed. I was fantastic. I was disappointed how noisy it was and how it wasn't too quick off the mark, but in brilliant red it looked amazing. It's only when I look back now I realise how lucky I was to have a 5 year old BMW at 20 years old. I kept it for 4 years and finally sold it in showroom condition for Ԛ£3000. I have honestly never seen one so mint since.

I've missed it ever since which is why I bought the 325I tourer a couple of months back off e-bay for Ԛ£500. I'm selling my every day car to use the tourer as main (just as soon as I get the head back on....)

[jmc330i]

My first E30 drive was my brothers 1990 320i touring when I was 20. Bit slower than the Cav SRi I had at the time, but it was lovely to drive. So smooth and the sound....

I knew I was going to have one, just with less doors and a bigger engine, so after a year of searching I bought my 325i Sport. Didnt even test drive it, had it checked by a mate (bmw guy) who said "if you dont buy it, I will".
I told the guy I would buy it and I went back the next evening with a cheque, slapped on the trade plates and drove it home - the best feeling ever.

The look on my parents face when they came home to find a nice shiny red BMW parked on the drive was priceless. Probably should of told them I was going to buy it
That was 3 years ago this August and now I cant wait for my first drive of a 330i E30

[6potWil6pot]

Being a bit younger than afew other zoners, my first drive was recently in 2002 when i test drove the 316i. Coming from a number of cars (including a Diesel Citroen ZX!) it was a very nice drive, quick enough and seemed to handle nicely!

[Wyldie]

My first Drive in an E30 was when I went to look at my iS.

We arrived at the guys house to find he wasnt home from work yet. So made small chit chat with his dad and then had a look at the car. Anyway the guy came home and took myself and my dad out in it. We went on some quite twisty country roads into the countryside in the Burgess Hill/Haywards Heath area and then he pulled up and asked if I wanted a go.

So after changing sides I got comfy. Exactly as Zayyan said, compared to my 306 1.4i Meridian the steering wheel was huge, the pedals were tight and so far apart. But after pulling out of the layby and the first few 100 yards down the road I knew it was for me. The sunroof open, nice noise as well and it was so much faster than the Pug.

I knew then I had to have it. So slapped a deposit down and then came back 4 days later and picked it up. Drove it on my own about 40-50 miles in the pouring rain to get it home. Was quite an experience I can tell you!

[reggid]

i had my first driving lesson in my Dad's 1983 323i 5 speed manual. The pedals were like rocks and i never managed to get out of 2nd gear on that day (it was an industrial area with not much room for going through the gears), the steering felt beautiful from the word go. Now i have my own 325is and like most on the forum i just drive for pure enjoyment.

[k130]

My new and first E30: I went to kent to buy it and took it for a test drive in feb this year. It was a nice day and the road was dry, I waited for the engine to warm up then floored it on the exit to a roundabout... Fuc*ing brilliant that straight six noise!!

I passed the three cars ahead as though they were standing still (and one was an MGF) and all in second gear! It had a surge in power that I just didnt get from my last car (270BHP renault Safrane!!) and it felt good.

Bought it 10 minutes later from its white faced owner!!

[Sjoerd320i]

never even driven one

[Jimbob]

I remember as if it were yesterday...(Saturday April 17th 2004), got dropped off at E30Adam's at 9am which was my first e30 experience (2.8 powaar) 40 miles later I was driving home my 318is at the tender age of 18 after leaving behind my 1st car: mk5 escort 1.6!

[Turbo-Brown]

My first E30 drive was around a little trading estate next to heathrow airport. I bought the car for all of Ԛ£275 on a Wednesday and picked her up on a Saturday.

The first proper drive was a bit clinical with me nervously listening to every little noise (of which there were few ) and getting used to the gear ratios.

Only floored it once to be greeted with that delicious I6 howl

My last drive in the E30 was onto the back of an AA truck as the brakes had failed, then the last time it started was on Christmas day when the big end knock set in.......the complete E30 experience in 5 months

[georgen]

Yeah, I remember. 18th Dec 1999. Got my old 320i auto for a bag of poop Mk1 Golf GTi. He gave me Ԛ£200 quid too !!! I'll never forget the smoothness and comfort the first time i drove her. Never looked back !!!

[Guest]

So who remembers their first drive in an E30, and how did it compare to what they were driving before?

In 1989 in my old man's company M3. I was learning to drive in my Mk1 Golf Gti at the time that I had saved up for since I was 15.

At the time it felt so fast it felt like their was an rift in space and time...

but I was soon lucky enough to have a E34 M5 as a company car myself a few years later and it made it feel slow. However, I've only ever been in a few cars that can outhandle it (although I would say it is still one of the best 'balanced' all rounders ever.

Only the Lancia Delta 'Grale, Audi Quattro UR and a couple of others have really impressed me more.