Tell me about E30s
Discussion
Here's the story.
I'm currently driving a bangernomics Mondeo estate and, after a year and a bit (and 35,000 miles), I'm completely bored. I need to get back into rwd, especially as winter is coming
Most of the time, I don't need back seats, a boot or a tow bar so my plan was to buy an MX-5 as a daily driver and only use the Mondeo when I need to carry stuff or tow a trailer.
Then I had another idea.
If I spent the MX-5 money on an E30 instead, I could flog the Mondeo, and combine rear-wheel-drive fun with a practical package. So, suppose I bought a 16-year old E30 316 Touring...
What sort of mpg could I expect?
Would it be up to towing a trailer that's carrying a 650kg car?
Would it be reliable enough for 2000 to 3000 miles per month?
Budget is around £1000.
I'm currently driving a bangernomics Mondeo estate and, after a year and a bit (and 35,000 miles), I'm completely bored. I need to get back into rwd, especially as winter is coming
Most of the time, I don't need back seats, a boot or a tow bar so my plan was to buy an MX-5 as a daily driver and only use the Mondeo when I need to carry stuff or tow a trailer.
Then I had another idea.
If I spent the MX-5 money on an E30 instead, I could flog the Mondeo, and combine rear-wheel-drive fun with a practical package. So, suppose I bought a 16-year old E30 316 Touring...
What sort of mpg could I expect?
Would it be up to towing a trailer that's carrying a 650kg car?
Would it be reliable enough for 2000 to 3000 miles per month?
Budget is around £1000.
i got an e36 328i touring for under a grand.
good for 200k-300k miles.
40mpg on motorway, 25 around hills and town.
insurance is a bit high, group 16, but i'm sure a smaller engine would bring better mpg and insurance.
very reliable and practical. awesome spec for the money
very capable at towing. 200bhp on mine, and fast as hell. a good sleeper
good for 200k-300k miles.
40mpg on motorway, 25 around hills and town.
insurance is a bit high, group 16, but i'm sure a smaller engine would bring better mpg and insurance.
very reliable and practical. awesome spec for the money
very capable at towing. 200bhp on mine, and fast as hell. a good sleeper
You could get a decent E30 (I bought a taxed and tested 320i Touring for £250) but don't bother with anything other than a 325i or 318is.
The 320i engine is particularly s
t, slow and uses as much fuel as the 325i, the 318 and 316's are just continental drift (no pun intended) slow and wont be fun at all or even what you'd call economical.
If I had £1000 I would buy either a really nice E30 318is or an early E36 325i, I had one and the engine in 24v that was brilliant, so much better than the 12v E30 325i engine, revy and fairly good on fuel.
The 320i engine is particularly s
t, slow and uses as much fuel as the 325i, the 318 and 316's are just continental drift (no pun intended) slow and wont be fun at all or even what you'd call economical.If I had £1000 I would buy either a really nice E30 318is or an early E36 325i, I had one and the engine in 24v that was brilliant, so much better than the 12v E30 325i engine, revy and fairly good on fuel.
AdamW said:
I'd ruled out a 328 on the basis of fuel economy, but 40mpg on the motorway is more than acceptable. From all of the above, I'm thinking a 318is is the best compromise between fun and economy. Sound about right?
I'll have a look at the E30 Zone forum!
this 40mpg is on the 328 doing a steady 70mpg with all the family and luggage in the boot going up to scotland. i would expect better from a 323. I'll have a look at the E30 Zone forum!
Might be metter with an E36 for that price (as someone else has already said). They didn't do the 318is (E36) as a touring so it would have to be either a 316/318 or 6 cylinder. If it's just for pottering about through a 316 is adequate (drove a saloon).
My 330i only cost £1800 so you should easily be able to pick up an E36 for a grand, I swear by ebay at this end of the market
My 330i only cost £1800 so you should easily be able to pick up an E36 for a grand, I swear by ebay at this end of the market
AdamW said:
Legacywr said:
You would be very lucky to get a good 318is E30 for less than £1500 IMO
Maybe I'll have the revert to the PH default then... an MX-5!Either that, or an E36 318.
The latter should not be an issue, my E36 325i returns well upwards of 30mpg on a run and doesn't drop terribly low in city driving.
If insurance is your issue you could maybe consider an E36 318iS or 320i, both are reasonable to insure with 140-150bhp out of the box and retain decent fuel economy.
It should also be noted that, whilst the E30 is considered cooler, the E36 is a far superior car in every way. I've had two of each and there's a good reason why my current one's the newer of the two models.
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