E30 Zone

Hi all, I've been after an e30 convertible for a while now and finally got round to selling my car. I've got a budget of around £5k. My question is what are e30 cabs like as a daily driver? Do I carry on looking for a 325I for around 5k or do I get a cheaper 318 as well as a runaround for daily use?
Cheers

Cabs as a daily are a bit of a pain in the arse, there not a modern convertible so there cold in the winter and prone to leaks if you don't keep on top of maintaining the roof and seals. Your also talking about cars that are the best part of 20+ years old now so expect to do plenty of preventative maintenance.

As much as I love an E30 I would only have one as a weekend toy and get something more economical and modern as a daily. Plenty on here run E30's as dailys but it all depends on how often you want to get your hands dirty.

I agree that cabs are a pain for the reasons above...but I still use mine as my daily...just enjoy driving it...but then again I have recently redone the interior, roof and roof seals...

It just so happens that I may be selling mine purely due to a change in job which means I will be racking up more miles than what is feasible...

So if you are serious about buying a cab maybe we can chat...I based in London...

Yes that is what i was wondering. I have a mk1 MX5 at the moment, so i am used to a little discomfort, but i imagine they are more refined than that!

Gavla could you send me some details, london's not to far from me!

I have a cab - weekend toy, but there isn't another convertible of it's age that I would rather have. A tintop is probably a better daily TBH.

I bought a 318i as there are more about, they are a bit cheaper to run and a little more simple to fix. But my budget was £1500 and I was looking for a project. I do wish I had a 325 and maybe one day I will trade up.

I have a 320i. I was looking for a 325i but for my budget found them all to be rust buckets or needing a lot of work. Im happy with my choice

dont overlook a good 320i. They are not the fastest but when properly sorted are seriously smooth and a pleasure to cruise around in with the roof down.

I've had a 318 and 325 facelift convertible and now have a 320 chrome prefacelift convertible.

They are the nicest looking convertibles from this era the only other one I would consider is a early 90's Mercedes sl500 they are very nice.

As above if you are buying one as a daily make sure there are no leaks in boot or footwells, also get one with a good roof as a new roof will set you back about 700. I'd also get a hardtop if its going to be a daily.

This said you may be better off just getting a 2 door non sunroof saloon as it should be slightly easier to maintain and less leaks, road noise etc.

I have a 320 chromie cab that I have used as a daily for the last 7 or 8 years. Think a hardtop is needed to do this. For me the 320 lack of power is ok for b-roads type commuting. Yes I have spent periods with towels on the seat due to leaking seals, but it can all be fixed. The worst part is that it is horrible to work on them if you dont have a garage when the weather is shit.

After the novelty of a convertible wears of (2 summers) you will wish you had bought a tin top.

+1 for a hardtop, mine is only a summer car but a hardtop is a worthy investment.

For me the novelty of a convertible never wears off, I've had a MK1 Golf, Porsche Boxster, E46 330 and now the E30 318. I just love it!

+ 1 on the novelty not wearing off.

I have a 320i cabbie, its my daily, as has been said above, the leaks can be fixed (ignored),and is all worth while when the roof comes down.

If you get a 320i, a mild chip from SpeedTouch makes it a lot more drive-able, I still can't believe the difference a £40 chip has made.

I've had mine for 3 years approx,the only thing that is slightly anoying is the interior dose not hold the warmth as much as a solid top e30 in the winter.

I loved my neon blue 318i but to be honest deep down I wished I'd bought a 325 at the time. There are still reasonably priced cars out there, a tidy 325 that had room for improvement went through ACA for 4k on Saturday.

Personally I wouldn't bother with a hard top, for not much more money you could build a garage

BackinBlack wrote:+ 1 on the novelty not wearing off.

I have a 320i cabbie, its my daily, as has been said above, the leaks can be fixed (ignored),and is all worth while when the roof comes down.

If you get a 320i, a mild chip from SpeedTouch makes it a lot more drive-able, I still can't believe the difference a £40 chip has made.

+1. I also fitted a decent front strut brace and its a bit more predictable when cornering.