RE: You Know You Want To: BMW E30 M3
Discussion
rossmc88 said:
I've got a mint 318IS tucked up in my garage for in 10 years time when the prices go mental - mk1+mk2 escort style 
I owned a n E30 318is for a few months before I bought my E36 M3 ... The E30 was bought off ebay for £600 and sold on ebay for £600. It had 140k miles on it, but the body was solid and strong. Be worth a couple grand today maybe.My uncle used to have a convertible E30 M3, and it was fantastic. I can still remember seeing it parked outside my house now, and it was the first convertible I ever went out in. Great cars, these, and a shame BMW never managed to make another M car as good as this one.
Okay, so the Sierra Cosworth was always the better car but this DTM classic shouldn't be overlooked, along with the 190 E Cosworth.
Okay, so the Sierra Cosworth was always the better car but this DTM classic shouldn't be overlooked, along with the 190 E Cosworth.
Did someone mention E30 M3's ? Any excuse to repost this classic DTM gem from YouTube :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw-AxiVqihM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw-AxiVqihM
trackdemon said:
Real bargain is a 318iS: 80% of the driving experience for 20% of the price! Same power delivery, delightful steering, same architecture & same biddable balance - skimpier tyres ensure grip/power well matched. E30 M3 ('86 vintage) one of the most enjoyable cars I've ever driven though.....
have to disagree, having owned both I would say 50% of the driving experienceJ4CKO said:
Is an E30 really that much better than an E36, did they lose their way, ditto the E46, down to 8 grand, should we be buying them up and putting them away ?
I never liked the E36 (although I saw a 328i (I think) yesterday for £1200 - might be fun for a pittance), but the E46 (at least in my neck of the woods) is far too common to ever be truly valuable, unless you get a rarity like a CSL (probably JUST a CSL).Nice used car, but just that, forever...
The E30 is rare, which is why it's pricey, not because it's so good (even if it is).
M.
chippy17 said:
trackdemon said:
Real bargain is a 318iS: 80% of the driving experience for 20% of the price! Same power delivery, delightful steering, same architecture & same biddable balance - skimpier tyres ensure grip/power well matched. E30 M3 ('86 vintage) one of the most enjoyable cars I've ever driven though.....
have to disagree, having owned both I would say 50% of the driving experience
I borrowed my mates M3 for a few weeks couple of years back and it was great, when I acquired my 318iS last year it really did feel like M3-lite. Sounds similar, same handling balance? M3 wins by a mile for looks and overall chassis balance but 318iS a worthy budget substitute.J4CKO said:
Is an E30 really that much better than an E36, did they lose their way, ditto the E46, down to 8 grand, should we be buying them up and putting them away ?
I own an E36 M3 after owning an E30 M3 for 5 years, as a road/everday car the E36 is the better car but they are very different animals and in terms of sitting in your garage as a toy the E30 is the oneeta as a drivers car I would take the E30 everytime, fantastic little car to drive every journey I made in mine was an event
there will always be something special about the E30 because of the way it looks and the race pedigree, the E36 never achieved this but I do think the E36 is massively underrated and undervalued
Edited by chippy17 on Wednesday 14th March 13:15
J4CKO said:
Is an E30 really that much better than an E36, did they lose their way, ditto the E46, down to 8 grand, should we be buying them up and putting them away ?
The only E46 M3 worth anything will be the CSL, everything else was too mass produced to hold their value. Same problem with the E36 - too mass produced.J4CKO said:
Is an E30 really that much better than an E36, did they lose their way, ditto the E46, down to 8 grand, should we be buying them up and putting them away ?
Clearly some people think the e36 is better in every aspect but my opinion is not. The e36 and e46 are mega fast coupes they're not race cars. IIRC BMW weren't even going to call the E36 an M car, it was going to be called the 330 m sport.
Neither the 36 or 46 are ever going to be in the same league now anyway regardless of racing pedigree but mainly down to the amount of numbers still about. I don't know exacts but there must be 5 times more e36s than e30s if not more.
trackdemon said:
Bit harsh imo - settle for 70% ? I borrowed my mates M3 for a few weeks couple of years back and it was great, when I acquired my 318iS last year it really did feel like M3-lite. Sounds similar, same handling balance? M3 wins by a mile for looks and overall chassis balance but 318iS a worthy budget substitute.
lol well ok 60% maybe!! I know what you mean and cannot disagree with your general sentiment, I had my 318is after the M3 and it never got under my skin the way the M3 did, sold it and bought an E36 M3 which I think is great I borrowed my mates M3 for a few weeks couple of years back and it was great, when I acquired my 318iS last year it really did feel like M3-lite. Sounds similar, same handling balance? M3 wins by a mile for looks and overall chassis balance but 318iS a worthy budget substitute.falkster said:
Clearly some people think the e36 is better in every aspect but my opinion is not. The e36 and e46 are mega fast coupes they're not race cars.
IIRC BMW weren't even going to call the E36 an M car, it was going to be called the 330 m sport.
Neither the 36 or 46 are ever going to be in the same league now anyway regardless of racing pedigree but mainly down to the amount of numbers still about. I don't know exacts but there must be 5 times more e36s than e30s if not more.
the 330i thing is a bit of an urban myth and the E36 was designed from the ground up to go DTM racing but BMW pulled out before it got it's chance to shine, hence why they make brilliant track cars and racing cars in their own right, also very different philosophy went into making the E36 as oppposed to the E30 and from a business point of view it was the right decisionIIRC BMW weren't even going to call the E36 an M car, it was going to be called the 330 m sport.
Neither the 36 or 46 are ever going to be in the same league now anyway regardless of racing pedigree but mainly down to the amount of numbers still about. I don't know exacts but there must be 5 times more e36s than e30s if not more.
frankcastle said:
I personally came very close to buying a E30 M3, but ruled against it and bought a Porsche 968 Club Sport for just under £12K. Trouble is I'm now tempted by my neighbours Evo 6 RSX and his cousin's STI Type R Version 6 which are both up for sale.
Don't buy a ricer!! I had an FQ300 and it was rubbish! Very fast but rubbish. What colour CS is yours?
22 years ago I had up to £15k to spend on a car, I narrowed it down to a 220bhp 944 turbo, an E30 M3 or a 3 door Cosworth, the 944 had a yuppie image, the M3 handled but was relatively slow, but what the Cossie lacked in the twisty stuff it more than made up for with grunt (with a mountune chip). I went for the Ford and never regretted it, whenever I had a play with a 944 or M3 I absolutely mullered them. Got a late 944T now though and I reckon it is a much better built car than the Cos or the M3 from the same era.
and I reckon it is a much better built car than the Cos or the M3 from the same era.Edited by blade7 on Wednesday 14th March 13:30
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