How many zoners use their E30 as a daily driver?..

[harj]

Guys,

Going through some serious cross roads right now..I've had some really bad luck with cars (including an E30; granted, I made my own luck by rushing through with buying and not having someone more experienced with me)..anyways, I've got a new job which will make me travel about 300 miles per week..so clearly, I need something reliable and that won't break down on me..

I can either buy a nice 05 plate Corsa which is likely to give me little to no problems because of it's age..or I can buy an E30 (a clean, unmodified example; ideally a 318 lux cab or a 318 cab that has full service history)..the question is, can an E30 be used as a daily driver for up to 60 miles per day? And will there be alot of costs associated with buying an E30? (wear and tear, etc)..

Aesthetics I don't care about..I just want something which is mechanically prestine..something I don't have to worry about when waking up in the morning!

So a Corsa or an E30??..

Feedback appreciated!

[Blitz]

If the E30 is well maintained then its a very reliable car. I think you will much happier with a 318i Cab then a Corsa. Cost in terms of maintainence wont be much on a 318i Cab. You will also find an 05 Corsa will not wear as well as an old BMW.

[Dave_M3]

What do you expect on an E30 forum

I'd still go for the E30 if you can find a minty mint one which has loads of parts previously replaced such as bushes, brakelines, centre prop bearing, engine well serviced like ICV cleaned etc, brakes done and all those kinda consumable stuff.

An '05 Corsa will go wrong in that bits of trim will start falling off it before too long like 90% of other small cars these days

An E30 will easily handle 60 miles a day, just depends if you can live with the extra fuel cost of an E30 over a modern car. My choice of a daily driver would be a very well running 318iS since it can get as good mpg as some of the most frugal new yokes

[Rav335uk]

Totally agree with Blitz, E30's ride alot better and a 318i cab will be good but not a quick car,but kept well will goes to the ends of the earth. I've had a 320i cab for just over 10 years now and the only problem i get is a small leak by the window which should be an easy fix.But I keep it of the road for 9 months of the year and it starts first time everytime without fail.

[B7]

Corsa or e30???? Are you f*cking serious????

[Emm3]

If you can afford it buy both, i run a v reg corsa diesel as my daily driver. Ive done 30k in this car and not had a problem. My e30 was only used in the summer for approx 3-4 months. Personal opinion is old cabs are only best used in the summer months because most will have some kind of issues with water leaking in through the roof.

[Jeepster]

The e30 will cost more to insure, more in terms of fuel and probably more to tax. I would also think the consumables will be more on the e30. Plus, even for that money, there will in all likelyhood be issues to start with.

That said, the e30 will be more fun, more rewarding a drive and will be a damn sight cooler than the corsa.

If monies going to be a factor then it has to be the corsa (although it pains me to say it), if you can cope with that then it has to be the e30, without doubt.

[harj]

^^ Would love to be able to buy both, but I can't afford to in all honesty..so it's either one or the other!

I'm willing to spend about #3,000 on an unmolested E30..power wise, that's not an issue for me..I'm not buying the car for performance..just love the look of E30's!!

Again, I don't mind forking out money for usual wear and tear, things like break discs, oil changes, etc the usual stuff which all cars go through..but with a car of this age, and baring in mind the mileage I have to do, would there be anything else that I should be concerned about with these cars?

I think I should rename this thread to "how many zoners use the E30 as a daily driver?"..

[gareth]

mine is my daily drive and if i'm honest, it's not the most practical. though i only do 500 miles a month so it's no biggie. to be fair, the lack of practicality is all my doing (M30 economy, coilovers etc).

for a decent daily drive, i'd get a well looked after 325i and chuck a LPG kit on it. best of both worlds

[fuzzy]

if its purely down to being mechanicly reliable id take the newer corsa.

[Blitz]

Also the Corsa has some way to go in depreciation where as the E30 318i Cab might even go up in value.

318i Lux 57K http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/577279.htm

[daimlerman]

My 2 E30s are in daily use.The 2.7 has been running 400plus miles each week since the waether perked up enough to allow reasonable sailing.The 316 is covering about 200 miles each week.Both cars are serviced properly and have proved reliable.In more than three years of E30 owning I have never had to recover a car or had a 'roadside' problem.

[harj]

^^ wow! With those kinds of posts, I have no doubt in my mind that I want an E30!

[gooner1]

Its a heart v head thing imo Harj, i use my cab nearly everyday, purely for the enjoyment value and it has never left me stranded anywhere. Having said that i really would,nt want to rely on it for the amount of miles you are going to be doing. So for me it would have to be the Corsa or similar, unfortunately.
Emm3, the fact that your cab leaks just means that you need to replace either the roof or buy new seals, just done mine and its as dry as a bone now.

[Blitz]

I wonder what they will say on a corsa forum.

[DaveD]

do 200 miles per week in my 325 but only from april til October...no problems at all ....and the roof doesn't leak..but its better with the hardtop

[Jeepster]

I wonder what they will say on a corsa forum.

Corsa and a combat kit, job done.

At least that's what I think they would say.

[e30bmlover]

i use my e30 every day... its never let me down. saying that i only do 8 miles a day!

[zaust]

The Mrs and I share one touring as a daily, But my road/track motor get's loads of use during the week too.

The other two are for fun and show's.

[Speedtouch]

60 miles a day is hardly intergalactic mileage for any reasonably maintained car, it should be a breeze for an E30. I mostly use my E30 as a daily driver, have had four and none have ever left me stranded - good strong cars

[maz1]

318i lux cab for 3k will get you a very clean and reliable car. so e30 all the way!

[maxfield]

I use my E30 everyday. It gets me from Nottingham to London every week.

I usually go everywhere on the redline too

[e30topless]

I have used e30's as daily drivers for years and have never been let down,well maybe the odd puncture
wife had a fairly new corsa that was always in the garage with some kind of problem

[hongkongfuey]

if you want a daily get a 316i , for a few hundred quid, i can't see the point in spending a few grand on a 1.8 cab, total waste of funds.

my girlfriends 316i (m40) took us (4 with suitcases) to heathrow from portsmouth, dropped two off and return journey on about 1/3 of a tank (160 miles round trip)

car cost £400, for the mot it needs front section exhaust and front lower ball joint , this time round about £100

my 88 325 daily driver sweetas , nuf said

[gooner1]

Of course one of the main ponderables in all this, is how handy with the spanners are you Harj?.
That would make a great deal of differnce in respect of upkeep and the unlikely case of a breakdown.

[daimlerman]

Of course one of the main ponderables in all this, is how handy with the spanners are you Harj?.
That would make a great deal of differnce in respect of upkeep and the unlikely case of a breakdown.

This is the key post,any car can be made reliable and kept that way,but for the person who can do their own maintainance an E30 is a sound buy.

[harj]

To be honest I ain't got the foggiest when it comes to car mechanics..but then again, I'm quite a bright lad, so I'm sure I can look at forums such as these to pick up things..and maybe do things on my own..so long as its not too complex and doesn't need much in terms of tools, I think I could do the odd thing or two if need be..

I'm really confused now..I absolutely LOVE cabs..and I've wanted to have one ever since I sold mine a few years ago..

[siddiqi1]

i use my sport to go from Epsom to Islington everyday; apart from taking a lot of petrol because i dont drive that economically; it never let me down on the side of the road, here and there its done the typical spit and bang; but its always got me home!

the problem; mentioned many a times before is the fact that prior non maintenance leads to problems in the future; so as long as i think you keep on top of it, it will be really relaible!

[harj]

^^ This is why I'm looking for a newish cab (J or K plate) with FSH..preferbly BMW!

[Brianmoooore]

Once sorted the E30 will be streets ahead of any Corsa for reliability, assuming you buy a reasonably good one to start with.
My wife and I have driven about 200,000 miles in E30s by now and they have never had a problem on the road that prevented us from finishing any journey, although the fuel pump failure in France came close!
Plenty of much newer and brand new cars around me here (including a 535d), and none of those have a reliability record anything like as good.

[fuzzy]

i used to use mine daily for commuting as the touring is ideal for lugging my tools but using upto £125 in a 7 day week for v-power fuel wasnt really the sensible option but mine is an exception to the norm . cruising at 130 doesnt help either mine has let me down a couple of times with disintegrating clutches etc but luckily a mate has a recovery truck business. i drive mine hard all the time though. foot to the floor even if its only 100m to the next set of lights.
diesel runarounds are the way forward . i picked up a p plate escort diesel van in surprisingly good condition for £200 with 6 months T+T and that hasnt let me down once although thats on the back burner as well now since i got a new mitsu warrior company car

[Rosc0PColtrane]

That's just it. Once sorted. These old turds need regular tlc. I guess, to a degree, so will a 3 year old Corsearse. Just out of warrantee and primed to go wrong.

I know feck all about car mechanics either. I barely know part names. However, with people like brianmooooooore and countless others with experience and the willingness to help, an e30 is a great car to learn on.

Next for my 'Race Bus' will be a bit of welding, change of bushes and a small air leak about the inlet manifold. I'll not do the welding, but will do the rest.

Corsarses are called coarse for a reason. Fooking awful uncomfortable at anything over a trip of 10 miles. Vauxhalls are just litter. Cars for people who know feck all about choosing cars.

An e30 is a comfortable place to be. Epecially if you're fortunate to get air con.

For a daily drive, I'd pick up a touring to use as a work horse. I had a cab. I sold it. I want another cab, but I'd prefer it to be a bit more of a garage queen.

[HartgeH27]

Daily driver

[Brianmoooore]

using upto £125 in a 7 day week for v-power fuel .............. cruising at 130 doesnt help either................. mine has let me down a couple of times with disintegrating clutches

None of which have much relevance to a 318 cab!

[harj]

As I mentioned guys, having two cars is not going to happen (unless I buy a banger on the sly and use that for emergencies lol)..the cabbie is going to be the be-all end all..only reason I was going for the Corsa is because it's a good little car for the price..an 05 plate with next to nothing miles would only set me back a few k..

But, of course, I want the E30..hence why I'm on here