E30 as a daily driver?.

[Kos]

Thread cleaned. Kos, Daimlerman - just leave each other alone. Please.

yes boss !

[Morat]

mines a daily 325 touring its jucy but theres no monthly payment and its not some ordinary modern
in the car park its the only one(or is it that i`m the only one daft enough to keep putting fuel in it)

I hear you! I used to daily my 325i Touring until we LPGd the E46. I still prefer driving the E30 but now it's so expensive in comparison. Petrol vs monthly payments? I know where I'd rather be. I'm keeping my eye out for second hand LPG kits now... ;)

[George]

Hello, Iam looking to buy a 318is or a 325 sport maybe to replace my current car,I have a few questions! will a 318is return 30 ish mpg? could I rely on one to start on a cold day? will 2k just buy me a ton of rust?.What do they handle/ drive like? are they comfortable on long journeys?, are they easy enough for a semi competant home mechanic to work on? are service parts cheap enough and still avaliable? Thanks for taking the time to read this post.

- Yes you can buy a decent E30 example for 2k. But you can also buy an E39/E46/E36 which objectively are superior.
- I've used my 325i cabrio as a daily driver for the last 3 years. There are foibles, there are niggles. If you want to use an E30 daily, you'll have to accept this.
- To continue to use an E30 as a daily, you have to be prepared to put in some effort, it will require maintenance. If you want to just fill up petrol and drive, I'd recommend a newer E36/E46.
- Parts are cheap and plentiful, either new from ECP or second hand on the forum.
- It can be worked on at home but as mentioned, these are old cars. In their lives, there may be some bodging going on underneath and often I find much of my time is trying to remedy that as well as the initial problem in hand.
- On a relaxed motorway run, my 325i (auto) can do 32mpg. In town economy drops significantly!

[parkin10]

i would agree with george especially with
"in town economy drops significantly"

[Morat]

On the other hand, I came out of the pub last night to find an elderly German couple getting all enthusiastic about my touring. "Iz a Klassic, nein?". I felt like I was being told off for letting a superb piece of German engineering get dirty under my stewardship....

[parkin10]

in the time i have had an e30 so many people have said to me best car i had and so on
usually guys in there late 50s
but i do get lots of good comments

[George]

On the other hand, I came out of the pub last night to find an elderly German couple getting all enthusiastic about my touring. "Iz a Klassic, nein?". I felt like I was being told off for letting a superb piece of German engineering get dirty under my stewardship....

I find a variable response.

People who genuinely know about cars are very enthusiastic and ask lots of questions.

People who are impressed by a brand new A3 TDi in bright white will refer to it as an 'old banger'.

[Mike-]

I drive my E30 40 miles a day, an '87 auto 318 that cost £800. It's had a new battery and an alt mount that fell to bits in my hand when I was changing drive belts, but honestly the rest is rock solid. I get so many comments on it it's unreal, at least one a week, but I do think I've been a bit lucky - not a spot of rust on it.

I most recently got asked, 'how is it to drive?', and was perplexed the chap thought it'd be any different to drive than a modern car. I've had an E34, E39, E36 and E46 and they all cost roughly the same to run - which is basically nothing. Then I had a Peugeot for 5 months and it blew a HG. Go figure.

I get 40mpg on a run and currently average about 34 with all B-roads.

[greg124]

Been using my 316i as a daily driver for 6 years and covered about 55,000 miles in that time. Returns about 35mpg, but then I rarely venture into town.
Apart from routine servicing I've replaced the things you would expect to have to replace like tyres, exhaust, brakes and battery, as well as a few suspension bushes - just to tighten things up a bit. On average spend about £300 a year on maintenance.
So, in my experience, an E30 can be a practical daily driver, if you are lucky enough to find a good one. I wouldn't fancy the fuel bills associated with some of the 6 cylinder cars though

[Cotty]

Not a daily but Have run my 325i touring as my only/main car for 10 years. I get the train to work so it get used at the weekends for shopping runs, shows, camping trips. Done sterling service from 55,000 to 80,000 miles.

Just did a week in the New Forrest, 460 miles in a week (thats not a lot) no probs, starts stops does everyhting

[mcbonio]

I drive mt 325i auto cab everyday, can't fault it. Never let me down yet.! Can be a bit heavy on juice, I get about 70 city miles on 20 quid, but the fuel cost is offset by the cheap 13 quid a month insurance.! Plus you can't beat the poke and sound of the 325i engine.

As George says, the only people that like my car are ones that actually know anything about cars.! You won't get much praise from the younger generation as e30s just aren't from their generation, most wouldn't even know what one was if they were hit by one.

They make great daily drivers, they handle like a modern car and look great. They can be a bit needy so if you're not very practical with cars then expect to get your wallet out a few times, but parts are cheap and in abundance. Get the best one you can afford and watch out for rust.!

[Captain_Birdseye]

well I'm only 28 but still appreciate them an awful lot. I drive my 320 for 37 miles a day at a tenner a pop. Silly but fun. I wouldn't take the slightest bit of notice of someone who wouldn't appreciate a 325i auto cab no matter what shape it was in.

Edit: Off topic - but who like the sound of a 325 and who likes the 320 better? I'm biased with the 320 obviously.

[Batz]

I drive my e30 316i tourer kreg daily, it's no sprung chicken but i love driving it, returns mid 30s mpg. I bought both drive belts today & they came 2.99 & .2.49 + VAT.. fitted within' mins all i need was a 19m spanner.

[suchy]

They make great daily drivers, they handle like a modern car and look great.

They do look great, I'll give you that! but they do not handle like a modern car or drive like a modern car!!

They are fun to drive (when the fancy takes you) and have grin factor and do look and sound bloody great (well, the 6 pots do) but driving one every day WILL take the sheen off the fun eventually.

They are far more enjoyable as a weekend car

[E30Gheko]

I have driven E30's daily for around the last 10 years. The current turd is a lowly 318i auto that cost me considerably less than a grand with tax & test. It's been absolutley spot on. Maintenance wise it's had a change of oil, and 2 new tyres. It's sailed through 2 MOT's with no advisories.

Really can't knock it at all. I've done just shy of 3500 miles in it in the last 2 months and it hasn't missed a beat. The only thing I've had to top up is the air in the crappy replica alloys that I put on it.

If you get a good'un and look after it, there's no reason not to use it as a daily, as long as you don't spoil yourself by driving more modern cars on the odd occaision. I did a 500 mile round trip in my sister's 2007 Honda civic 2.2 diesel recently and now I want one. a lot.

[KimH]

Go for it. A well looked after one will last for years.

If you are reasonably handy with the spanners you will have a car that you can maintain and fix for yourself;

most parts are readily available (I needed a wheel bearing in a hurry last Sunday and was able to get a new one - though not a BMW manufactured part - within the hour);

there are a host of independent BMW specialists for the time critical or serious stuff;

there is very little on them that requires specialist tools or diagnostic equipment;

depreciation is negligible;

I've had people stop me and ask to buy my E30, plus notes left under the wiper asking if I wanted to sell.

Mine is a 325 Touring that, carefully driven, regularly returns 300 -325 per tank and I do between 20k and 25k per year. This week - on one of my regular long trips I even got 465 miles before the warning light came on (it does drink like a fish in town though )

Best car I've ever run, in my company rep days I destroyed a Vauxhall cavalier long before the 245k miles my Touring currently shows.

Get one; get the best you can afford, and if you are brave - get a 325. That engine purrs or growls with equal ease.