E30 Zone

Been driving around recently and think the e30 is pretty brisk even compared to newer cars.
I have owned a few BMWs and it feels quicker than the e46 325. Infact up until around 70-80 I'd say its pretty close to the 330's. Or is it because it just feels faster ...

although build quality had gone down over the years modern BMW's have got faster but you feel it more in the E30 as it has no driver aids

A mid range diesel rep mobile is a match for a 325i these days.

They're not quick cars, but feel quicker than they are because they're old fashioned.

harry_p wrote:A mid range diesel rep mobile is a match for a 325i these days.

They're not quick cars, but feel quicker than they are because they're old fashioned.

If it was all about speed, I wouldn't even entertain an E3O.

You only have to look at a half decent one, parked among
a host of modern euroboxes to see there appeal.
If you can't, then you just don't get it.

Lack of refinement, less sound deadening, lighter in weight & old suspension/chassis tech make an E30 feel more rapid... They aren't quick!

Not much of a comparison, but I regularly used to blow my buddys Lexus IS200 away off the traffic lights. The traction control kicking in on his car was almost soul destroying.

Based on power to weight the e30 325i is only 20bhp per metric ton down on the 3 door F21 125i, other BMWs with more doors, larger chassis or lesser engines will have even less (or no!) advantage.

The E30 was never a sports car even in its hay day. It always was and is a mid range saloon.

I dont think they where mid range in there day at all! Merc and BMW where always high end, nowadays any feccker can have one on the never never or lease!

Nobby_N wrote:I dont think they where mid range in there day at all! Merc and BMW where always high end, nowadays any feccker can have one on the never never or lease!

You don't get my point about mid range! Sure BMW and mercs are more accessible now, but don't forget the three series was the smallest car BMW made at the time and whilst there were plenty of shite euro boxes for less money around at the time there were also plenty of more 'executive' choices especially if speed (which is the topic of this thread) was the biggest concern.

This was an era when vauxhall had a 167bhp V6 engine and 200bhp turbo charged engine, ford had the Sierra cosworth and escort cosworth, and Christ only knows what else was available from the other Marques. Remember the Audi quatro?

Don't kid yourself the e30 wasn't even thought of as a 'fast' car in its day, it was eclipsed by so many other 'fast' versions of other manufacturers so why would it be now?

It wasn't even that executive! mid management were driving them!

Well mines pretty quick and puts a smile on my face every time I push the pedal to the floor, thats all that counts in my book!

march109 wrote:Don't kid yourself the e30 wasn't even thought of as a 'fast' car in its day, it was eclipsed by so many other 'fast' versions of other manufacturers so why would it be now?

That depends on which E30.

0-60 in sub seven seconds and 140mph+ was considered quick back in the 80's.

Well mines pretty quick and puts a smile on my face every time I push the pedal to the floor, thats all that counts in my book!

Can't agree more

bss325i wrote:

march109 wrote:Don't kid yourself the e30 wasn't even thought of as a 'fast' car in its day, it was eclipsed by so many other 'fast' versions of other manufacturers so why would it be now?

That depends on which E30.

0-60 in sub seven seconds and 140mph+ was considered quick back in the 80's.

and when you concider most other cars out there on the average street/town - masses of 1.3-1.8 cars like escorts,fiestas, capris, astras, 109s. cavalliers, sierras,etc etc etc. with the gte, gti, xr3i, xr2i type "sport" models, conciderd quite fast and nice cars, a 325i e30 was concidered a fast but very exclusive type car to most people, and you didnt see them on every street

jimbom30cab wrote:

Well mines pretty quick and puts a smile on my face every time I push the pedal to the floor, thats all that counts in my book!

Can't agree more

amen !! the smile factor- makes it, plus you can get in many other 80s cars, even mentioned cars like cosworths..are no where near as nice to sit inside, or feel as nice to sit inside, and as well thought out, than a nice e30 interior of bmw quality

plus its a car that when you have ouside looking real nice that youve worked to get nice with many hrs of love,or walk back to parked up or come out of work etc.. you see it...and just smile, i love that smile factor of owning a nice e30

i beat a cosworth ford fiesta st in my 325 coupe, my mate in the fiesta was gutted lol

i love that smile factor of owning a nice e30

fix your engine mate and you can also smile whilst driving it too - a whole new level of happiness

suchy wrote:Lack of refinement, less sound deadening, lighter in weight & old suspension/chassis tech make an E30 feel more rapid... They aren't quick!

Back in the 80s a 325i was very quick and refined.
Compared to modern standards less so
But the interior really was a work of art IMO

bss325i wrote:

march109 wrote:Don't kid yourself the e30 wasn't even thought of as a 'fast' car in its day, it was eclipsed by so many other 'fast' versions of other manufacturers so why would it be now?

That depends on which E30.

0-60 in sub seven seconds and 140mph+ was considered quick back in the 80's.

I remember in the late 80s this double glazing owner had a white 4 door 325i .... Asian chap his bmw looked the bollocks

iceox wrote:i beat a cosworth ford fiesta st in my 325 coupe, my mate in the fiesta was gutted lol

There isn't a cosworth fiesta, according to Parker's a fiesta st is only 147 bhp..

jimbom30cab wrote:

i love that smile factor of owning a nice e30

fix your engine mate and you can also smile whilst driving it too - a whole new level of happiness

Lol , no winter driving anyway, more work to finish it off for the spring..

mine is faster than many modern cars and is 321bhp of awsomeness :}

pony wrote:

bss325i wrote:

march109 wrote:Don't kid yourself the e30 wasn't even thought of as a 'fast' car in its day, it was eclipsed by so many other 'fast' versions of other manufacturers so why would it be now?

That depends on which E30.

0-60 in sub seven seconds and 140mph+ was considered quick back in the 80's.

I remember in the late 80s this double glazing owner had a white 4 door 325i .... Asian chap his bmw looked the bollocks

Race again Pony, havent you got some foreheads to be whamming your load on!

They are not fast but as I have said a stock e30 325i having a power to weight comparable to the new F21 125i is respectable!

Especially given majority of the remainder of BMWs current line up have much heavier shells which negatively effect power to weight.

The e30 power/weight calculation I based on 170bhp and a weight of 1368kg but since most don't have aircon or heated leather etc. then the power/weight figure I came out with is also conservative.

I thought the E30 325i mass was 1290kg ?

The 125i isn't the top of the range like the 325i was though.

An m135i, which is in my mind the lineup equivalent of the 325i sport would pull an e30s pants down in a straight line, in the twisties, whilst being more comfortable and economical.

People buy e30s for all sorts of reasons, but comparisons to modern cars are usually pretty pointless.

Edit to add, I'm not sure exactly how much a 325i sport was, but £20k in 1988 is equivalent to £45,000 in today's money!

A 325i would be owned by a transit.


I bought mine because I want to be NI's answer to Gordon Gekko, red braces to boot.

I beat a Mini Cooper S in my E30 to 100mph which was a fairly close race.

I drive a lot of modern cars, especially diesels. E30s wouldn't cut the mustard with a lot of them.

But the way a good E30 drives is a hell of a lot nicer than any of these modern cars.

But the E30 325i sounds a lot nicer than most including many modern BMWs especially listening to the reverb in tunnels, bridges, narrow streets, zooming past buses or cars etc.

Plus u can hang the back out

I had a little tangle with a E60 530d.

Standard sport with lightened fly.

This was on a straight run on a duel carriage way. Definitely had the legs on me after 70mph but fairly even up to that point.

Leaves me thinking about M52 power!

I have an E92 3.0l as my daily driver but have the E30 due to wanting something different as a toy and to use now and again on a track etc so not to ruin my road car. I always wanted one since my friends dad took us up to the Otterburn ranges rally in his red 325i touring. Horses for courses but buy one due to wanting something different not to race rep mobiles.

maxfield wrote:I beat a Mini Cooper S in my E30 to 100mph which was a fairly close race.

I drive a lot of modern cars, especially diesels. E30s wouldn't cut the mustard with a lot of them.

But the way a good E30 drives is a hell of a lot nicer than any of these modern cars.

That is good going with the cooper, imagine, both of you on a private road at the same time, what a coincidence

I don't do much racing of modern diesels, but when a mate and I found our selves on another piece of private dual carraige way, my touring pulverized his 2.2 x type. Although my m20 is "breathed on" its still only 2.5.

As for the way moderns drive I really can't understand why you would want to feel so distanced from the controls of your car, so non tactile. I got into a peugeot the other day (a small one, POS) and forgot to engage my brain into peugeot braking mode. The first time I used the middle pedal I almost rearanged my own face on the inside of the windscreen, with an unplanned emergengy stop. I mean how weak are french peoples legs these days?

e30s are not about the out right speed, they are just a pleasant place to be, in a car, driven by the right wheels, in the comfort of a well layed out interior, with controls that are comunicative, and responsive. And they look cool too, especialy tourings

polsta wrote:

iceox wrote:i beat a cosworth ford fiesta st in my 325 coupe, my mate in the fiesta was gutted lol

There isn't a cosworth fiesta, according to Parker's a fiesta st is only 147 bhp..

Ford do it as an optional extra I think, different cams, air flow and mapped something like that. It ain't cheap though. I'll try find one

321224051166 ebay, his was slightly different that though. He couldn't get the power down for shit

march109 wrote: The e30 power/weight calculation I based on 170bhp and a weight of 1368kg but since most don't have aircon or heated leather etc. then the power/weight figure I came out with is also conservative.

Car in my sig was weighed when it was still M20, it weighed 1242KG
Its pretty much fully loaded too with leather etc...

coming from collecting my e30 from rally prep in Cornwall i embarrassed a 535d saloon and the new toyota thing that most people are raving about and i smiled, they came at me thinking i just had a loud cheap exhaust from halfords; unknown to them i had the lsd and full banana from the evo under the hood.