What do E30 owners aspire to own after their E30?

[chief]

c76jon you could be write with the first choice if you got at least 40k spare
but after my e30 goes to metallic heaven my next choice is oh so easy
another e30

[M5pilot]

Ive already done one realistic upgrade after owning 7 e30's.......E34 M5 3.6. Its a very good upgrade but a very different machine. Very very quick.

Was considering an E39 M5 last month but understood that that fuel is so so bad and the reliablity isnt great either.

Heres a list of cars ive wanted to buy/do for some time but couldnt because of where i live (but im moving now!)

Audi S4 with major upgrades - very very quick machine
Alpina B10 4.6 V8 (M5 quick)
E39 540i Sport manual (cheap car with the right exhaust makes the right noises and can give 320bhp)

Alternatively I could turbo charge my M5.......500 BHP easy!

[clackmac325]

Im lucky enuff to have driven good cars cus im a valeter.(16yrs) im not rich but in my price range the only car what id let my e30 go for is(please dont hate me) is a GT4 celica st205.Because its the whole package 4wd hatch(Dog goes with me every were) turbo.I owned a mr2 sw20 and i was amazed by the build quality.I always thought japs were tin box crap.But the 2ltr 16v lump is an impressive bit of kit.
If i go to la la land id have the new M5 MONSTER!!!!!

[ian332isport]

You mean to say that there's life after E30

I drive mine because I choose to drive it

[Treeman612]

Very interesting choices, guys. My mate has offered me a 635 CSi on an E plate, mechanically A1 but needs proper wheels/tyres and new leather. Ԛ£1800 cos he needs the cash. Have driven it often - fast as f**k, handles well. NOT selling the 320i, but wot do you peeps think about the 635??

[StuBeeDoo]

My Touring is all the car my family and business needs. When we needed more load space, there were only 2 options E30 or E34.
Hopefully our E30's got plenty of life left in it, so the current plan is to maintain the status quo. OK, so there are things I don't like about it but, hey, we don't live in a perfect world, do we?
Providing that the bodywork doesn't deteriorate too badly over the next few years, when the engine gets too long in the tooth, I'll source a 328i lump to go in.
Modern cars, no matter who they're made by, just don't float my boat. They're dull in the extreme. I don't want my car making decisions for me, I want to be in control! Traction control?? B***icks! ABS?? S*i*e!! It's all a con trick to force the punter to spend megabucks when components fail.
Maybe I'm getting old, but all the fun's gone out of cars since the manufacturers made them DIY un-friendly. I'd rather not have Motronic, but Tourings never came with Jetronic so I'll live with it.

[M5pilot]

You mean to say that there's life after E30

I drive mine because I choose to drive it

Aaah, but your is no normal E30 is it! Its probably beter than a brand new car and its got a superb engine in it.

If my e30 was like yours I would be keeping it!

[Ant]

I dont ASPIRE to anything after my e30, I'me with Ian on this one, I drive it out of choice not necissity(sp)

get the question @ work all the time, "why do you drive that old 3 series?" my answer is always the same, its modern enough to have all the right bells and whistles , but too old to be as unrelaible as a more modern car.

Jars them everytime, helps that they just spent Ԛ£1K + getting some module or other replaced on a 5 year old car

[StuBeeDoo]

I dont ASPIRE to anything after my e30, I'me with Ian on this one, I drive it out of choice not necissity(sp)

get the question @ work all the time, "why do you drive that old 3 series?" my answer is always the same, its modern enough to have all the right bells and whistles , but too old to be as unrelaible as a more modern car.

Jars them everytime, helps that they just spent Ԛ£1K + getting some module or other replaced on a 5 year old car

That is EXACTLY where I was trying to come from!!

[AARONM3]

Agree with the previous comments- in terms of buying price the M3 is the cheapest car I've ever bought (let's forget the bloody maintenance costs!) even including my first car but I keep it because I love it and will never part with it.

Some people just don't get it- like yesterday I dropped my mum off at a friend's house in the little Alfa GT Junior and some random woman said to her 'should tell him to get a new exhaust, that's far too loud and knackered' and my mum, gawd bless it, said 'the exhaust isn't blowing, it's meant to sound like that, it's a classic Alfa Romeo- a CLASSIC CAR!' and the woman still said it was an 'old banger' and suggested that I get something like the 3 year old Astra parked across the street!! Not an E30 point I know but I know that's what some people think when they see me turn up in an 'old BMW' when I used to drive new cars and then a newish 328i before the M3. They think I've fallen on hard times!! lol.

After driving a 1980 911 Turbo for a few days I've definately fallen for that though and think it would make a nice complement to the M3 when funds permit Although the 911 may be about 50 years old by the time I can afford to run both!

And a 635i CSI... ohhh yes

[HotboxDeluxe]

There's a 1001 cars I'd like to own, been through about 250 in my days as a motor trader (mostly rubbish ) but the car I'd buy and never replace would be an E28 M5. It would have to be Diamond Black, dechrome (metal bumper spec) with 17" bolted x-spokes. The KING of cars as far as I'm concerned, I don't give a toss about the general public and their perception of old cars, I drive what I like. When I went from a T-plate E39 last year to a D-reg E28 everyone reckoned I'd fallen on hard times In reality I'd written the 39 off and was enjoying the insurance money and enjoying driving a proper old car again.

Saying that, I couldn't fault the E39, superb car, just not "old skool" enough for me

[johnl320]

Defo E28 M5 , i had an E28 528i and that was great on the autobahn until i got a go in my bosses M5 ,wow

john

[E30BeemerLad]

It's all about personal preference at the end of the day isn't it folks.

You go with what you like at the end of the day and stuff anyone else's misguided opinions, usually the ones from people who are clearly ignorant about cars and are obsessed with having a newer reg number than the neighbours.

Every drive in my E30 is an adventure, be it the commute into work or a 3 hour motorway journey. You actually interact with the car and are involved in what's going on, rather than having a computer play policeman with your throttle inputs. If I want to hang the back end out on a wet or DRY roundabout then I can, much to the displeasure of the missus riding shotgun. My wife loves the car too and is right with me on the little tweaks and jobs that are needed to keep the car looking and going tip top.

Don't know why i wasn't behind the wheel of an E30 long ago!

It's the simple pleasures that matter and long may they continue!

[M5pilot]

E28 M5 is a fantastic car.

It looks the bolloxs, sounds superb and they are rapid.

Forget what the general\public thinks!

Everyone asks me why I drive an old E34 M5!

Answer: Because I want to drive an old E34 M5

Ive driven 250 cars and there aint alot of newer cars that I really would like to own in all honesty.

There is an E28 M5 on ebay at the moment!

[320Touring]

TBH, after playing with the 525i, I'd have to say that the only thing I'd swap my e30 for is an e34 m5 touring...

The e30 is beautifully built, easy to work on and commands respect wherever it goes (even the saxo boys up this way nod and give a 'thumbs up' ).

I love the way you start off to do a job, and it all just 'flows', so much so you get more done than you'd planned

As for the 'old' car thing... my boss has offered me his 54 plate 2.0 zetec Focus with Leather etc for my 320. he knows its old, but he's wanted one since he's been a kid

I'd rather have an 'old' car that I can fix 90% of the stuff on myself, than some 'eurobox' faceless piece of cr@p.

As for the e34....

these things are gargantuan cruisers

TBH short of a Cerbera they're my ultimate car...

I LOVE the looks,
the 'attitude',
the 'duck' at the rear when you boot it,
the handling,
the ride,
the fact it looks like its doing 100mph standing still,
the fact it looks just as good dirty as clean
and most of alll, I love the way it feels like it has been hewn from a solid block of GRANITE

[scintaar]

TBH... I never really thought I'd EVER get to own an E30... but what a trip!!!

I've just bought an E36 as an interim car. Realistically, I'm thinking E46 330d... what I REALLY want is an 8-series!! WOOOHOOO!!! or a Z1...mmmmmm, Z1 aghhghaghagaahhhhhh...

[E30BeemerLad]

scintaar - I'm with you on the 8 series

A nice 840ci, love the back end of the 8 series

[Jesus325iTouring]

I had the oppurtunity to change my car about 18 months ago,could have bought something for about 10k.
Picked up autotrader and started flicking through and promptly went out and bought a new car.........................a Rover SD1 3.5V8 VDP for Ԛ£240!
Seriously though,I couldn't find anything to replace the Tourer with that had everything I wanted,the Tourer does everything for me,I can't really think of anything else I woiuld prefer.
So for me,the Tourers staying for good
TBH I never get the line about why do you drive and old car,i only get ooooooooooooo.......a BMW

PS the Rover lasted a week until the auto box blew

[backy]

mmmmmmm a lancia delta hf itegrale as my dad had one when i was a young pup and deffinatly red...from what i can remember it pinned you in the seat more than hi current 2003 m3 cabby.

[Simon]

but nobody has said the E46 M3 CSL

Apart from about 3 people!

[Widge]

This puppy when I get it finished, it's been 5 years now, keep getting sidetracked. Will have to change the engine as soon as I get it on the road. It's only got a 1300 crossflow, thought it would be enough when I started it at 16. Have to finish it first and then will decide, maybe an M20 2.7 with ITBs remap, cruise control OBC and all the other E30 toys and bmw instruments etc, just dunno

[Karan]

porsche GT3 RS or a RUF would be sweet!!!! to be a hero in one of these on the public roads is nigh on impossible....which is what makes it such a tempting prospect for me.... i like something which is really a challenge to drive...

anyone seen the walter rohrl rug yellow bird vid on the nurburgring!!! he's prob the greatest driver alive today!!!!

[Widge]

That porche is well cool I want one bet it goes tooo
It'll make an awesome noise too

[E30BeemerLad]

Karan - really do like your drift shots.

I'm still experimenting. Not fully got the bottle to keep it nailed yet. The back end goes when I push it off a roundbout or out of a bend, but I instinctively back off the throttle too soon, just have nightmare visions of fishtailing it and twatting something!

Is it just a case of keeping the throttle in/ feathered?

[HotboxDeluxe]

That yellowbird is SEX

[E30BeemerLad]

sure i've seen some shit hot video of the RUF test driver called Stefan doing some incredible drifts in that thing

[Widge]

Wot is an RUF

[Karan]

Karan - really do like your drift shots.

I'm still experimenting. Not fully got the bottle to keep it nailed yet. The back end goes when I push it off a roundbout or out of a bend, but I instinctively back off the throttle too soon, just have nightmare visions of fishtailing it and twatting something!

Is it just a case of keeping the throttle in/ feathered?

uve just gotta have the balls to keep ure foot in really....

i know what u mean.... i used to just back off too....

[Boots_Walker]

certiainly no 'life after e30's' for me, i'm planning on a touring with an m60/62 transplant and an m3 with a hot 2.5 further down the track (ie, when i have more money).

other bmw's i can see myself owning would include: 2002, 3.0CSi, e28, e34 540i, and perhaps a Z4 i am pretty biased towards the older cars though, you certainly wont catch me driving an e36 but i'll gladly take the engine ;)

loads of other cars i'd like: 240Z, W126 560SEC, XB falcon coupe, FC RX-7, S1/S2 Esprit, AW11 MR2, old Audi Quattro Sport, McLaren F1 just to name a few

[astondg]

Karan - really do like your drift shots.

I'm still experimenting. Not fully got the bottle to keep it nailed yet. The back end goes when I push it off a roundbout or out of a bend, but I instinctively back off the throttle too soon, just have nightmare visions of fishtailing it and twatting something!

Is it just a case of keeping the throttle in/ feathered?

uve just gotta have the balls to keep ure foot in really....

i know what u mean.... i used to just back off too....

I know how that feels. I do a bit of dirt racing and when I am racing I keep the power on and slide it of the corners (not big sideways because that would be too slow, but a bit of opposite lock) but when I am on normal roads I just can't bring myself to do it. Sometimes when it is wet and I am all by myself on a fairly wide road I'll I get a little sideways (probably not even 1/4 turn opposite lock) but I just don't feel comfortable at anymore than that on normal roads.

Aston

[StuBeeDoo]

3.0CSi

Yummy Yummy!!!!

i am pretty biased towards the older cars though, you certainly wont catch me driving an e36 but i'll gladly take the engine ;)

Right on Brother!

[325iSportMark]

I have my Sport for occasional use, as an antidote to the modern hatch I have as a company car, and to have my own car to really take pride in keeping mint. I chose it because I'd never owned a rear wheel driver before , or a 6 cylinder.

In the 15 months I've had it I've really grown to enjoy it rather than being scared of it, but I'm starting to think about the next one now. Maybe it's because I've never used day in day out, and only done 4000 miles since I bought it, but I've never truly become attached to it, so I'll probably change it early next year.

Anyway, top of the list at the moment is either a BMW 850i, cheap to buy though the repair bills can be really scary, or push the boat out and get a Porsche 993.

My mate says I'll miss the 325 when it's gone, and he may be right.

[6potWil6pot]

Porsche 993!

Gotta get the last of the air cooled Porsches!

[E30BeemerLad]

Anyway, top of the list at the moment is either a BMW 850i, cheap to buy though the repair bills can be really scary, or push the boat out and get a Porsche 993.

My mate says I'll miss the 325 when it's gone, and he may be right.

[E30BeemerLad]

what i was trying to say above was that the V12 in the 850 is a liability mate, better with the V8 840 all day long