E30 Zone

Right im 18 i've only been driving 4 months and i've wanted an e30 for ages but never had the fundage to own one. Recently i came into a quite a bit of money so the being able to afford it isnt a problem anymore but. the question is should i buy a 325 sport (i love the way they look and they seem to be alot easier to come across in good condition then the 316 and the 318is) but the problems are a) will it be a bit too powerfull for someone whos only ever driven a ford KA and b) the insurance will be Ԛ£3600 which is a stupid amount (as i said i can afford it) but it could be seen as being a bit of a waste which could be spent on my future and all that bollocks

Go for the 325i.

I was in a similar position.. i could have afforded a 325i, but insurance was a pain in the tits, so opted for a good condition 316i.

Cheap insurance, cheap running costs.. but the M40 engine wouldnt pull the cheese off your knob, its slow as a week in the jail.

If i were to do it again, id bite the bullet and go for the 325i.

go for a 318is, unless you like giving your insurance man a yearly carribean holiday

got a good 318IS
the 1.6 isnt that slow but the 318IS is a hell of a better car
Spending Ԛ£3600 on insurance really is a complete waste might aswell wait a couple of years

Go for the cheap car and save the money for about 2 - 3 years.

As you have only been driving for a VERY short time you are more than likely going to have a ding or two.
Better to 'learn' in the cheaper car.

Karl

Get a 325i Non Sport and kit it up like a Sport!

cheers for the advice... i'll probaly end up getting a 318is just have to look around for a while and find one i like. is it that hard to fit the bodykits on them?

coldo wrote:Go for the 325i.

I was in a similar position.. i could have afforded a 325i, but insurance was a pain in the tits, so opted for a good condition 316i.

Cheap insurance, cheap running costs.. but the M40 engine wouldnt pull the cheese off your knob, its slow as a week in the jail.

If i were to do it again, id bite the bullet and go for the 325i.

fpmsl you have such a way with words

i would agree go for the 325 and do some mods when your feeling a bit more confident in your abilitys

wouldnt go for sport unless your heart is truly set on it
far to overpriced in my oppinion

Daz shuffles off and awaits the hate mail

Are the 325i easy to come by or are they pretty hard to find and more then likely going to be about a 200 miles away?

Well the sensible part of me says go for a 318is but my heart says 325 sport any day, you will only regret it if you dont get one and end ep selling it after a while.

Im probably not the best guy to ask for sensible advice though, i bought my M3 at 19

I'm a firm believer in working your way up the power chain of a car... learn how to drive a slow car fast and you'll drive a fast car better and safe.

part of me says go for the 325,,,, though they are beasts in all senses, speed, power, insurance, petrol etc..

i would have gone for a 325 on my quest for my e30 after a year driving, though i couldnt insure it.... i have gone with the 318is.... and trust me you wont regret especially cost of running,, occasional thrash about and still get 30mpg good to learn he ropes in i say, theres a nice little 318is possy forming and we all love them do a search ;)

though i will envy you if you can get the 325 sport so dont buy it, otherwise il never be your friend lol

who u geting insureed with btw?? i couldnt find ANYONE to insure me at all... they wouldnt consider me driving anything over 2.0 !

im insured with insureyourmotor.

Most companies will insure you on anything you want if you call them, internet companies wont as they have certain fixed rules built into their system that will decline you instantly.

I agree with you though, work your way up the power range. If you only started driving recently you would be better off with the 318. I started driving at 13 and iv been on track since i was 15 and i still cant get the best out mine

cheers for all the advice, just rang up for another quote on an 318is still Ԛ£3000 this is very frustrating... would cost my dad Ԛ£325 to insure by himself but the company he is with wont even let him put me as an additioanl drive because im not 21 and he doesnt want to change companys the lazy bastard. so it looks like im going to be raped either way i do it.

hmm i cant remember the insurance companys name did a confused.com search there was only 2 out of the 41 companys that would consider insuring me p phoned up both and one was Ԛ£3600 and the other was Ԛ£4100

Ԛ£3000 WHAT THE HELL! thats rediculous mate!

If its going to be that much id advise forgetting an e30 for now and buying a cheap small car for a year, get some ncb then go for the sport

hoshy wrote:I'm a firm believer in working your way up the power chain of a car... learn how to drive a slow car fast and you'll drive a fast car better and safe.

Agreed. Im 17 and drive a 318i, wanted a 325i but apart from the costs, i want to live to see 18, and i know i would drive a 325i in a manner that would not allow me!

Paul

Get a 325i Non Sport and kit it up like a Sport!

WHY??? haha, such a bad idea!

Mate check out churchill or nationwide insurance, i got insured with them last year when I was 18 with 0ncb, for a fair bit less that what you quoted, still a lot mind! That said I would tend to buy a shitter first, you will have bumps and scrapes, plus driving a worthless car is much more fun i rekon. Then when you are 19 with 1yrs ncb you can insure it for under a bag.

Captian sensible me. Learn to drive, then get a faster car. If you learn how to hustle a car through corners quickly (316?) and have learnt about RWD handling, you will be a much better faster safer driver when you get a more powerful car. If you read through the posts here, lots of more experienced drivers have wrapped their cars around trees, bounced off kerbs etc etc just getting used to the power and handling, its not that easy. And most people want to be able to drive well, who wants to be king of the road in a straight line? So for what its worth, buy a less powerful car year one, spend what you save on insurance on trackdays and tuition learning to drive it properly, then get a better car in year 2 when you have a years no claims.

Cheers and good luck, whatever you decide

Brian
(boring old fart)

even though i really dont want i think im going to have to stick with my shitty ford ka for a while get my own policy and build some no claims up oh well... i can dream i spose

Btw thanks for all the advice!

I had a Sport at 19 years old, Insurance was Ԛ£950 TPFT. I went from a Ford Orion 1.6i Ghia, so much fun driving from the rear! Did spin it a few times but then got used to it very quickly! Now I can drift my Zafira! Thats how good I got!

Don't be silly, it's a complete waste of money.

And you'll die!

Sod the money, Have fun!
You only live once!

IMO your doing the right thing, you could always buy a sport that needs work and work on it for a year or so then drive it when you can insure it.

stevetigger wrote:Sod the money, Have fun!
You only live once!

You ONLY LIVE ONCE, yes, so make it a long run, get a 4 pot 316i or 318i.

stick with a 318is for now.. the 325i would bite you in the ass esp as you used to a ford ka..

then in a couple of years get the 325i..

bmwe30mtech wrote:

stevetigger wrote:Sod the money, Have fun!
You only live once!

You ONLY LIVE ONCE, yes, so make it a long run, get a 4 pot 316i or 318i.

Make it a long run, if you live like that you get run over by a train or sumit! Live for the moment, then when a train does run you over at least you know you had fun!

you can have plenty of fun in a 316i!

stevetigger wrote:

bmwe30mtech wrote:

stevetigger wrote:Sod the money, Have fun!
You only live once!

You ONLY LIVE ONCE, yes, so make it a long run, get a 4 pot 316i or 318i.

Make it a long run, if you live like that you get run over by a train or sumit! Live for the moment, then when a train does run you over at least you know you had fun!

Fine as long as you can guarentee that you won't get somebody else killed, woman died here a couple of months back when she met some tit coming round a blind corner too fast, out of control and on her side of the road.

Bob_S wrote:you can have plenty of fun in a 316i!

yep even an auto one!!

Maybe you should look at something cheap but with more power than the KA, that way you would get experience of a more powerful car at the same time as not getting screwed on insurance?

Jhonno wrote:

Bob_S wrote:you can have plenty of fun in a 316i!

yep even an auto one!!

never driven one but I sure have fun in mine.. also it kicks out a healthy 110bhp (dyno'd) and it was 18degree's in the place at the time I got mine on too!

mines auto and in the right conditions the back end is willing to play..

it will out handle alot of cars as well with the suspension setup

M40 is not staying in there tho

Brian28 wrote:Fine as long as you can guarentee that you won't get somebody else killed, woman died here a couple of months back when she met some tit coming round a blind corner too fast, out of control and on her side of the road.

I dont think he will drive a 318is any different to a 325i

Steve's got a point then again as soon as he finds out the arse end can get loose he will start wanting it more, we cant all be hero's though!!!