Quote:
Originally Posted by Sniz
Anyone here have an e30 M3 that can tell me how the car is to love with on a daily basis? I'm not the biggest luxury whore, so it being overly plush is not my concern.
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First, congrats to you for considering an E30. I've had mine for over 3 years now, have dropped about $8,000 into it and still love it every single day I drive. An excellent vehicle all-around and a true drivers car.
Now, having said that, I need to make something clear for you so you don't make a mistake:
The E30 M3 is NOT a daily driving vehicle. There are a few reasons for that, but most of it will fall on the S14 engine. That engine is developed to be a race motor, not a driving motor. The E30 M3 is not like the M3's that followed it, in that they make an excellent road car that can be tracked. They were really designed to be tracked, and that's it.
Your first pitfall is that the engine does not have any power you can use while driving. The powerband is such that you need to be up in the revs to develop any sort of usable power, even trying to pass someone. In the real world, especially as a daily driver, that makes it difficult to get around. I've had plenty of cars that need to be actually driven (Integra Type-R, my E30 M42) but the S14 really develops no power down low at all. It would make it a pain to rev the crap out of the engine each and every time you accelerated from a stoplight, or while in traffic, etc. Occasionally? Sure. As a daily? No way.
Secondly the S14, because of its racing origin, is developed so that it needs to be entirely rebuilt (I mean entirely) every 100-140k miles. Parts wear down quickly and need to be replaced pretty often. The reliability and stability of the E30 engines don't apply to the S14. Cost wise, almost every single E30 M3 owner I've known has said there is no way they would submit to putting on 10k+ miles a year, as it would get too expensive to continually replace parts.
Other than that, a standard E30 is an absolute joy to live with. I've been using mine as a DD for about 14 months now. Other engines BESIDES the S14 are very reliable. I've put maybe $400 of preventative maintenance costs into my car over the 3 years I've owned it and it still starts each and every time, no hesitation. The build quality of E30s are much higher than say the E9xs. Of course having been through more, you may have to search to find a clean shell, but things like clinging windows when doors are shut, something I hear E9x owners complaining about, is non existant. Things don't fall apart, etc. The transmissions are wonderful. If you're a manual driver you'll be ahrd pressed to find something more enjoyable. A Z4 shifter can be used to reduce your throw as well.
Um.... if you'd like to know anything more, ask. I've learned a heck of a lot about these cars and would recommend one 100% for a true driver. While the E30 M3 is a fantastic vehicle, it's certainly NOT a DD. You'd be better off buying a standard E30 and throwing some money at it like I've done. I can talk engine drops too, if you need more powa.
