E30 m3 dd?

so I want to buy an E30 M3 to replace my 323i. Is this an overall stupid idea? How much could I pick up a good one for? What types of issues should I look for?

I've heard an ineresting rule of thumb on the E30 M3. You are looking at a range of $15-20k. If you find one that doesn't need work in great condition, you'll pay near the top of that range. If you find one for, say, $8k, but it needs work, you'll end up putting $7-12k to get it into great shape.

Good luck with your search. I've always thought it would be awesome to DD a classic M.

S14.net is where it's at for E30 M3s. Owning this car will require a good amount of "getting your hands dirty".

I don't know why you would do that to replace for a daily. Save an E30 M3, don't daily it!

Originally Posted by Gheybe

I don't know why you would do that to replace for a daily. Save an E30 M3, don't daily it!

I agree that it's too nice of a car for DD.

Get a regular e30 to dd. Same sexy styling. Similar fun drive. And at a fraction of the price and you won't waste a rare car.

Originally Posted by peytonracer4

Get a regular e30 to dd. Same sexy styling. Similar fun drive. And at a fraction of the price and you won't waste a rare car.

Waste?

Wasting it would be keeping it in a garage all the time.

If you can wrench on your own car then go for it. Otherwise it won't be much of a daily when it's in the shop. Not that they are not reliable but unless your forking out big bucks for a well serviced model your probably looking at some downtime for various repairs.

Originally Posted by RockLee

Waste?
Wasting it would be keeping it in a garage all the time.

I don't mean keep it in a glass box away from the world. But a daily drive is different than a recreational drive. If you buy an m3 and only drive it as a secondary car and on recreational drives you'll put significantly less miles on it. That's why I said as a daily driver have a regular e30. Using an m3 as a grocery getter isn't right. Doesn't mean you can't drive it if you have one. I just say it shouldn't be your primary.

what exactly requires constant wrench time? i have no problem getting my hands dirty hen it comes to my cars, but what is so unreliable that i will have to constantly work on it.

Originally Posted by Gheybe

I don't know why you would do that to replace for a daily. Save an E30 M3, don't daily it!

im assuming any e30 i pick up will have 150,000+ on it and may need to have the engine "refreshed" so i have no problem then putting miles on it

Originally Posted by Ky///m3

im assuming any e30 i pick up will have 150,000+ on it and may need to have the engine "refreshed" so i have no problem then putting miles on it

If you just want an E30 M3 to daily drive, then there is nothing one can say.
Don't expect great mpg's.

And if you're looking for one with 150,000 miles, how can you DD something that will be another project? A sensible DD would be an E36 325i. Or a Honda Civic.

Originally Posted by Ky///m3

what exactly requires constant wrench time? i have no problem getting my hands dirty hen it comes to my cars, but what is so unreliable that i will have to constantly work on it.

An e30 with 150,000 miles. Take it from someone who owns one. Me. Once you repair something, something else goes bad. These cars are like our e46s. They have their little issues here and there. But the e30s are 30 years old. So they have them X10. If you replace every rusted piece then fine. The engines are good it's just the little things that will fail.

Originally Posted by Ky///m3

so I want to buy an E30 M3 to replace my 323i. Is this an overall stupid idea? How much could I pick up a good one for? What types of issues should I look for?

It's not a stupid idea, but it can be a challenge - these are my cars from 5 years ago:



That's a 1983 Porsche 911SC targa, 1983 Porsche 944, and 1983 Porsche 928S, each in Guards Red with black interior. Each of the cars were in good repair, with the 911 and 928 at 60k miles and the 944 at double that. They never left me stranded, but at 20+ years old there was always something to do - some hose, bushing, belt needed replacing, some piece of metal finally gave out, some electrical contact needed cleaning, some relay, some gauge, some thing. They never left me stranded, but they never left me alone either. In the end, as cool as it was to leave the house everyday thinking "Hmm, which Porsche today?", I sold the lot and bought a 2003 Z4 2.5i roadster and 2003 325i sedan, both black/black 5-spds (I like my cars to match, okay? )



Almost as cool, not nearly as much work. Keeping an old car on the road is work, and expensive even if you're doing all the work. Daily driving it just makes it that much more stressful. Would I buy a an E30 M3 in Diamondschwartz Metallic with Cardinal Red interior, ideally a 1991? Can't say I've considered it But I wouldn't daily drive it wihtout thinking long and hard about it...

^ Why even bother with a 944 if you had a 911 and 928?

Originally Posted by GlockMan

^ Why even bother with a 944 if you had a 911 and 928?

Are you kidding? The 944 became my favorite. In my opinion, the best Porsches have always been their entry-level models: the 356 Speedster, the 912, the 914-6, the 944/968, the Cayman S. Freed from the constraints imposed by sticking to the 911 shape, you get a great driving car every time. The way the press raves about the Cayman now is how they raved about the 944 in the 80s.

That pic of my Z4 reminds me - those wheels have a new home, my Z3 coupe:

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