E30 Zone

Hi guys,

Am I wrong for considering ending my long term love affair with my e30?

I know there are a number of different varients of 944, some of which would be slower than my 325i, so I'd be looking at either a turbo model or possibly 3ltr S version if I could afford it.

If I keep my e30 I'll be spending about £3k on a respray and leather refurb. At which point it should be near mint and has a decent engine along with a number of other mods/improvements here and there. However my other option would be to use that £3k plus whatever I could get for selling my e30 and buy a 944 which are pretty cheap these days but could be hiding some very expensive gremlins?

What do you guys think?

Cheers,

Nick

Better the devil you know? Beautiful cars those 944's though, fancy one local to me'n all....

Better the devil you know is the term exactly!

Have a soft sport for 944 too. Cheap to buy but be prepared for Porsche parts prices!

A Polish chap rents a garage a few doors down from mine and he's doing up a 944. He does say that there are a lot of Audi parts and Porsche parts from different models that fit and do the job whilst costing less, if you know your way around the catalogues.

I think they have a really bad image of cant afford a proper porsche ,I dont mind them think some of them look really nice actually ,a friend of mine got one but sold it after not very long ,probs best to go drive one first and see how you like it , I would stick with the e30 that will use less fuel look loads cooler and have a holiday

a mate of mine had one, just got this pic from him facebook, if thats a 944 ?

he had it a few months, then it started over heating and things on the way out, i had a nice drive in it, wasnt too impressed looking around it, faily nice to drive, but cramped and uncomfortable, shabby well worn all round, a nice e30 for me any day of the week

gotta agree with sunnysr mate, 944 smack of "i cant afford a 911" which is probably unjustified.

if it where me as others have said, stick with the e30 far cooler and more retro than the porsch in every respect and of course theres the wonderful zone knowledge to go along with an e30

I know exactly what you guys mean about the e30 retro look being that much cooler but given most people see e30s as just old cars anyway (am afraid so), I'm not too fussed about what people think as those few that are 'in the know' will know how good 944s and e30s are anyway. I personally really love the look of a 944 but am concerned about going into unchartered territory when I don't plan on spending much more after the initial purchase but at the same time knowing what a money pit it could turn out to be... think I might have just answered my own question!

Cheers for the comments as usual guys!

They may be tag with a poor mans Porsche image but they have standard Porsche running cost from what I've heard. I wouldn't like the repair bills if something went wrong.

They are cool though! I'd prefer a 968 but they're a tad more expensive than the 944.

Having owned both there isn't much to choose between them performance wise. I had the 2.7 lux 30 mpg plus as well!
Porsche parts prices are surprisingly reasonable from main dealer and generally much better to deal with than BMW.
and plenty of experts out there,check out John Mitchell garages just google ,there is even a monthly payment service schedule for the more wealthy of us .
great cars but Im currently driving an e30 !! so I guess that says something

one other thing if you are considering a 944 service history is everything and just because they are galvanised don't ignore the dreaded tin worm!

I've tried to buy a couple on ebay but jokers pushed the prices up to silly levels.

Not really a fan of the early 2.5 cars - they're just too old now but The later "oval dash" '87 onwards ones are nice with the teledial wheels and the run out S2 models are very nice too.


IIRC they have a complicated belts/balance shafts arrangement as 2.7 to 3.0 is big for a 4 pot donk - and to change the belts is quite a big job.

a late 944 is on my list to own at some point

I've had both and would stay with the E30. I like the look of the 944 but my 325 Sport felt much more modern than the 944. Everything about the 944 just felt much more fragile and although there are plenty of good indies and second hand parts available, it always seemed more expensive to run than the E30. 

If you are looking to buy one, you are best getting a higher mileage one that has had the belts done and water pump replaced (rather than low mileage but belts due soon) as it isn't a cheap job. Belts I think were around £500 with a service but with the water pump and a few bits and bobs you easily get to £1K+. Quite hard to swallow on a car costing not much more. 

Oh, and one more thing, don't buy one in the dark. I did and didn't realise until the morning that it was pink  :D 

Didn't Spook have both cars this year?

Galvanised van engined 924 FTW

I was very unhappy when i sold mine, counting the grand profit that I made did cheer me up though

I have had both, I had a 944 2.5, it was fantastic to drive handling wise. Power sucked balls, I had mine when I was 21, the whole cool porsche thing.

Running cost wise I found mine not bad at all, apart from when the diff shat itself and took the box with it, gearbox replacement is a c unt of a job.
Turbos seem to be the only ones really worth a penny, my late grandfather had a pristine 3l S in his collection but it didnt feel much different to my old 2.5!

Great car though and a bit more class to a e30 to the non car fan

I had a 2.5 oval dash LHD one for a while back in the early 90s...

Fantastic car, really, but strictly a 2 seater...back seats not suitable for even children unless the front legroom is seriously compromised.

They handle well and the engine is a bit rough and coarse, but is strong enough...Build quality is gernerally superb and the engineering is top-class.

If I was buying one now (and I have considered it) I'd go for a 3 litre S2 or a 250bhp Turbo S...By all accounts the S2 is a better car, cheaper to run, better balanced and faster point to point.

id love a s2 cab but dont like the coupe's at all really unless it has a aero kit.still would prefer an e30 im afraid

e30topless wrote:Galvanised van engined 924 FTW

I was very unhappy when i sold mine, counting the grand profit that I made did cheer me up though

^ this.

I loved mine, probably not much quicker than a 320 if at all, but the balance and handling was sublime for a car of that age.

However if you're looking at a 944 pay attention to the following -
Rusty or bodged sills
Engine wear, bores are nickasil coated so rebuilds are more complicated and expensive
Cambelt an balance belt, its an interference engine, and the belts are expensive to buy and pretty difficult to fix
Clutches, they're expensive and again difficult / expensive to fit.

You could quite easily sink £1500 into a cheap 944 within the first few months of ownership if not bought carefully, but I'd still go for the 944.

Hmm, thanks again for the comments guys but think I might just stick with the e30 and get it freshened up.

Don't suppose you guys can answer another question... if I were to eventually go for an M62 V8 conversion would I need to change my wheel hubs? I was thinking about getting bigger wheels (currently have 15" BBS - would ideally like 16" or 17" BBS LMs or reps) but if I did go for a V8 conversion it wouldn't be a for a few years yet but wouldn't want to fork out on new wheels only to have to buy another set if/when I got the conversion done.

Cheers,

Nick