11-22-2004, 06:52 PM
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#1
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Regular User
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Location: Hurlburt Field, Florida
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What's better than a BMW E30?
I'm trying to buy a new car for around $5K-6K and the best car I can think of for that price is an E30 BMW. Does any one have any alternatives in the same price range?
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11-22-2004, 07:06 PM
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#2
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Nothing 8) Depends on what you expect of your car. E30s are pretty good cars, fun to drive, good quality but for winter are too dangerous IMO cause you have to have some skills to drive RWD. Dont know how its with snow in Florida 
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11-22-2004, 07:09 PM
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#3
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i dont think i'll have to be worrying about snow here in florida for a while
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11-22-2004, 07:11 PM
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#4
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11-22-2004, 07:18 PM
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#5
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do you know what year is best for the E30?
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11-22-2004, 08:06 PM
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#6
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second gen is better, dont know the years but the closer to 91 the better
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11-22-2004, 09:40 PM
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#7
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You might be able to talk an E36 318is or it down to about that range. especially if the engine seems to run rough. (there was a service bullitein to rotate the cams a little bit to smooth it out, but you lose some power) They are fairly simple cars, not as simple as the E30 but if you get a 96 or 97 you'll get traction control too 8)
but the E30's are pretty good cars. easy to swap engines too. save up a couple thousand after you get one, and an S52 should snuggle right in 
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11-23-2004, 02:34 AM
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#8
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'91 was the best year for the E30. The 318is was the best of the lot, exlcuding the M3's of course. You can find one in very good condition within that price range. Just be aware of the profile gasket issue; make sure the one you're considering buying has had it replaced (should be documented). As with any purchase, best to save yourself potential grief by having a professional mechanic check all the systems.
http://www.mesaperformance.com/faqs/318tcpg.html
I think a '91-94 Nissan Sentra SE-R is also a very good alternative.
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11-23-2004, 03:59 AM
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#9
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: MD {home} PA {school}
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why not get a miata? or a 240SX? But my choice for 5-6K is my truck, 1997 Ranger XLT 3.0L V-6, burns most ricers and is functional, here are pics but its not with me [sorry no customs sorry i will work on that]
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11-23-2004, 11:32 AM
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#10
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Originally Posted by brembo
If you are buying a bimmer and its not the E30 M, you should get the 6 cyl. cuz the four bangers from BMW sounds crappy.......the 6 on the other hand sounds great......
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yup, the sound of BMW's I6s can be taken as a benchmark
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11-23-2004, 03:41 PM
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#11
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If you are looking for something in the 5-6k range I would be surprised if you could find a low mileage M3 for that price. Keep in mind the E30's need a fair amount of maintenance and money put in them. Excellent cars but five or six grand is just the beginning. Check out http://www.s14.net it's an excellent forum and theirs a seperate section devoted entirely on purchasing and insurance.
If you decide that the E30 won't fit the bill I suggest either a 89-92 Supra Turbo, the aforementioned SE-R and 240sx and a little unknown gem, the 91-92 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4. It's basically an early Lancer Evolution. There's one right now for sale in Colorado with 60k original miles on it for 6500 which is an absolute steal.
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11-23-2004, 03:45 PM
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#12
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Originally Posted by mv
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Originally Posted by brembo
If you are buying a bimmer and its not the E30 M, you should get the 6 cyl. cuz the four bangers from BMW sounds crappy.......the 6 on the other hand sounds great......
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yup, the sound of BMW's I6s can be taken as a benchmark |
not to mention the I6 block is going to take much more power than the 4 banger. What i would do though is get a 318, save up some money and then go online to www.evosport.com and see if they know of anyone that is getting rid of an S52 or S54 motor (according to an ex-coworker that migrated to this shop, people tend to get rid of the S52 for quite cheap) then snuggle it into the engine compartment over a weekend, leave the 318 badges on it, and prepare to beat the living crap out of some punk @$$ ricers 8)
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11-23-2004, 03:49 PM
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#13
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Nothing is better than an E30 M3! 8)
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11-23-2004, 03:53 PM
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#14
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The 318is was the best of the lot, exlcuding the M3's of course
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Here in Portugal we had a 320iS version, with 190bhp, that is very close to the M3!! And I think.. far better than the 318!!!!
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11-23-2004, 04:00 PM
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#15
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Originally Posted by cooperluke
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The 318is was the best of the lot, exlcuding the M3's of course
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Here in Portugal we had a 320iS version, with 190bhp, that is very close to the M3!! And I think.. far better than the 318!!!! |
the US didn't get the 320 unfortunatley...we dont' much of the good stuff *cough*CSL*cough*
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