I'd love an E30- but got an '09 MINI Cooper S...

Sat May 23, 2009 12:32 pm

...I used to own a variety of Mk2 Golfs, moved on to the lardy Mk3 VR6 and then decided to go for brand new...
Had an 06 A3, then moved on to a Cooper D (I was doing a few miles). I then had a crash on the motorway, the guy behind me was drunk and decided to hit me in the rear end. Spun, rolled, and written off...
It was replaced by a Cooper S. I had this old for new policy so thankfully didn't lose a penny. The S is huge fun, only a few weeks old with 500 miles on the clock.
But I miss "old" cars. The smell of them, everything! I grew up around the E30 area, being born in the 80s!
What do I do? That is the question! The S is new but will have lost £2k at least probably. I cant face losing that amount but I couldn't afford the £6k a good E30 would be worth.
help, am I mad? Should I do it? Should I keep the S?
Thanks!

Sat May 23, 2009 12:36 pm

sat1983, you can pick up a good e30 for a lot less than 6k.

Sat May 23, 2009 12:37 pm

Its up to you really, a good e30 wont command 6k though, depends which one your going for.

Thats the problem with new cars, you lose money as they depreciate where as with e30s depending on the model, they rise in value

Sat May 23, 2009 12:39 pm

No depreciation with an E30 and better looking than a MINI

Sat May 23, 2009 12:40 pm

£6G for an e30? what have you been looking at?

Sat May 23, 2009 12:41 pm

sat1983 here is an example of an e30 sport

http://pistonheads.com/sales/1006886.htm

Not as much as demanding price as you thought

Havent looked much as an example, just picked the first one I found so dont quote me on it lol

Sat May 23, 2009 12:43 pm

6 bag would get you a dog E30 M3

Sat May 23, 2009 12:47 pm

pac1982 wrote:6 bag would get you a dog E30 M3

unfortunatley it would cost the same again to keep it going

6K would get you a good psort or motorsport cab, but a solid 325 or 318iS should be alot less than 6K

Sat May 23, 2009 12:50 pm

Much much less than 6k from what I’ve seen over the last 12 months £3.5k ”“ 4k will buy you a really nice 325 sport and £1.5 -2k should get you any of the lower class E30's in good nick.

I paid £700 for my IS which admittedly needs work but it is very original and most importantly rust free solid and straight

Sat May 23, 2009 12:52 pm

I've seen "mint" sports for 6k which are shit and rotten, and then I've seen good ones go for less as tey've wanted a quicker sale, they can be had for ~4K, but you have to be very carefull as there is still alot of turds in this price bracket

Sat May 23, 2009 1:23 pm

The OP's tale of woe regarding his diesel mini shows that modern cars at least allow one to walk away from a serious accident,not too sure that a 20 year old E30 would stand the same test.
Has the OP considered all the implications of older car ownership?
E30's range in price/value from less than £100 to,what,£10/13/15,000 for a minty M3.. huge oppotunity to get taken in by a shiny coat of paint and a bodykit...
Modern mini needs little maintanance,elderly E30 needs tinkering with most weekends if it's to be kept running properly..then there's the performance/fuel economy issues to consider.
Lack of depreciation is handy,though!

Sat May 23, 2009 2:18 pm

daimlerman wrote:The OP's tale of woe regarding his diesel mini shows that modern cars at least allow one to walk away from a serious accident,not too sure that a 20 year old E30 would stand the same test.
Has the OP considered all the implications of older car ownership?
E30's range in price/value from less than £100 to,what,£10/13/15,000 for a minty M3.. huge oppotunity to get taken in by a shiny coat of paint and a bodykit...
Modern mini needs little maintanance,elderly E30 needs tinkering with most weekends if it's to be kept running properly..then there's the performance/fuel economy issues to consider.
Lack of depreciation is handy,though!

Thanks all for your words of wisdom. You have indeed hit the spots worrying me.
My MINI accident will truely haunt me forever. When you're hit @ 70 mph you're very lucky to get out alive. My gf was fine thankfully and I have suffered with a very sore rib, but thankfully that's all. 3 airbags possibly saved our lives.
I wouldn't buy an E30 for commuting though- it'd be more for the pleasure of owning it and meeting you all hehe.
The tinkering bit worries too, I have very little mechanical know how, rust being an another issue. I have never owned a car with rust being a significant problem, even the Mk2 golfs have no big problems.
What sort of performance can I expect from an average E30. I am used to quite a bit of shove (bar the Diesel MINI) and I certainly couldn't afford an M3!

Sat May 23, 2009 2:34 pm

325i's are quick. You might even be able to get an Alpina in that price bracket.

Sat May 23, 2009 2:40 pm

Buy a cheap-ish E30 and some tools. You don't need a lot of mechanical know-how as any problem you have will have been fixed before. Everyone here is generally happy to give advice on how to fix E30's.

Sat May 23, 2009 3:00 pm

sat1983 wrote:
daimlerman wrote:The OP's tale of woe regarding his diesel mini shows that modern cars at least allow one to walk away from a serious accident,not too sure that a 20 year old E30 would stand the same test.
Has the OP considered all the implications of older car ownership?
E30's range in price/value from less than £100 to,what,£10/13/15,000 for a minty M3.. huge oppotunity to get taken in by a shiny coat of paint and a bodykit...
Modern mini needs little maintanance,elderly E30 needs tinkering with most weekends if it's to be kept running properly..then there's the performance/fuel economy issues to consider.
Lack of depreciation is handy,though!
Thanks all for your words of wisdom. You have indeed hit the spots worrying me.
My MINI accident will truely haunt me forever. When you're hit @ 70 mph you're very lucky to get out alive. My gf was fine thankfully and I have suffered with a very sore rib, but thankfully that's all. 3 airbags possibly saved our lives.
I wouldn't buy an E30 for commuting though- it'd be more for the pleasure of owning it and meeting you all hehe.
The tinkering bit worries too, I have very little mechanical know how, rust being an another issue. I have never owned a car with rust being a significant problem, even the Mk2 golfs have no big problems.
What sort of performance can I expect from an average E30. I am used to quite a bit of shove (bar the Diesel MINI) and I certainly couldn't afford an M3!

E30s are very tough: I was unfortunate enough to aquaplane on a badly drained section of dual carriageway in February and stacked my 1989 Tech 2 Sport head on into the central reservation crash barrier at around 70mph. The car bounced off it, ending up on the grass verge right over the other side of the road. I got out without a scratch, just a slight bit of neck ache the next day. The passenger cabin was intact, no broken glass and the doors still worked fine

Performance wise, you can expect 0-60mph in around 7.5 seconds and top speed of 135mph out of a standard 325i. They can easily and cheaply be modified (with a chip, BBTB, etc.) to bring the 0-60mph time down to around 7 seconds and top speed up to 140mph or so. Economy of the six pots is around 25-30mpg average.

Sun May 24, 2009 6:08 pm

daimlerman wrote: Modern mini needs little maintanance,elderly E30 needs tinkering with most weekends if it's to be kept running properly

Maybe I am doing something wrong or maybe I just don't drive mine enough (3,000miles a year max) but the only thing mine gets at the weekend is petrol, a thrashing and if its lucky a bucket of water thrown over it.

Oh I check the oil every now and again "yep still got some". Washer fluid "yep thats there". Rad water "yep thats there too". CD's "yep good to go".

Sun May 24, 2009 6:15 pm

£6k is Alpina money which would make for a good one too.