E30 M3 with 30K Miles! ! !

[einhander]

wankers...

actually only one wanker.

[almostki]

these threads with NC98M3 in them is good entertainment, keep it coming

[bmwm3n528]

Originally posted by almostki
these threads with NC98M3 in them is good entertainment, keep it coming

go ahead and post your daniel picture for those that haven't already seen it...and for our viewing pleasure

[E30 Stu]

Dare I say...

Bump, for the cleanest E30 M3 around.

[richt]

Can someone tell me what is so great about the E30 M3 Besides the body and maybe the handling. I had a 1990 that was mint condition with 68k miles for about 1 year and got rid of it. I thought it was a piece of garbage. The engine may have been great in it's hay day. But by today's standards it's nothing to brag about. And the pumped up 4 cyl. got horrible mileage around town (14 MPG).
Plus I had to replace alot


Rich

[bokes]

bump bump bump for possibly one of the cleanest, best condition, e30 m3's around. saw it at turkey tech and i must admit, my mouth was salivating!

btw- am i a 'freking joke' also? that'd rule. (i dont really know what's going on with the NC BMW scene... just now getting caught up a little in the 'drama' lol. someone care to elaborate?)

[///MaxO]

wes, stu, or alex could all tell you a lot more about the e30 M3 than i can but i hate to hear someone speaking so ignorantly about such a magnificent car. true the engine doesnt have gobs of torque and power but it harmonizes perfectly with the suspension and chassis. it is not made to pull off 4.5 sec 0-60s; its made to be an extremely nimble and fast car in the corners. the power is incredible in the twistys and keeps you glued to the road when u want to be and assout when you want to be. that is where the car truely sings. i'm sure somebody will probably correct what i said because of some minute detail or misused phrase but that is, at the very least, mostly correct. as for the reliablity issue. the car was not designed as a street car, rather BMW needed to produce a road going version to qualify for certain race circuits. what u were driving was a street legal race car. with that said an F1 team goes through roughly 5 engines a weekend so replacing a few parts should be expected in a race car. i dont want to start any new arguments but the only way i can say this is... if you didn't see the genious in your E30 M3 then you never drove it well enough.

[richt]

Thanks for your input. But it's just like I said. The handling was good but the engine is outdated. It's a street legal race car with an outdated engine. Let's face the facts.



Rich

[///MaxO]

if i were unable to control my reactions i would say something like, "are you sure you have driven one of these cars?" or "are you sure you owned a real E30 M3?" But all I am going to say is yes the technology is not the same as today's but in no way is it inferior. Any more power in that car and it would still be a very fun car but it would not be as perfectly balanced. The term outdated is probably not the word you should have used either. Outdated refers to something that has been in use for too long, or something that is new but still lags behind the rest of its class. The E30 M3 set the standards of its day so if anything it can be described as ahead of its time or revolutionary.

btw, are you the same rich t that was supposed to send me a bumper for my car about 6 months ago?

[richt]

That must be another Rich T because I am not that person.

Your point is well taken. Maybe outdated is not the correct word.

But I did drive my E30 pretty aggressively and it handled pretty good. But the engine was the deal breaker. And the other thing I hated was the aero dynamics. With any present winds, driving at about 100 MPH + the car did not feel as stable as my E36. I guess that boxy body style is not very stable when winds are present.

I think it would have been a much better car had they put a 6 cylinder in it, especially given the price tag of @ $34,000. Ouch, that was alot of money!


Rich

[NegativeCambre]

Originally posted by richt
That must be another Rich T because I am not that person.

Your point is well taken. Maybe outdated is not the correct word.

But I did drive my E30 pretty aggressively and it handled pretty good. But the engine was the deal breaker. And the other thing I hated was the aero dynamics. With any present winds, driving at about 100 MPH + the car did not feel as stable as my E36. I guess that boxy body style is not very stable when winds are present.

I think it would have been a much better car had they put a 6 cylinder in it, especially given the price tag of @ $34,000. Ouch, that was alot of money!


Rich

Actually, the E30 M3 was aerodynamically honed in a way that befited race tracks, not interstate Cruising.

Ever noticed that ridge above the C-pillar? That bump is to slow down airflow over the roof (thus reducing lift) and then force the air over the prominent spoiler (thus increasing downforce).

The E30 M3 came from a time when aerodynamics weren't so much about getting the coefficient of drag so low that it would work harmoniously with the air, but more beating the air currents into submission and bending them to your will.

The E30 M3 is deffinetely not for everyone, and if you don't appreciate it now, I'm guessing you will not ever. It takes a special kind of enthusiast to truly appreciate the E30 M3.

And please make no mistake... outdated or not, the E30 M3 carries engineering that still hold the torch in some faucets. The head design was just overtaken by the S2000's motor as the best flowing design, and the suspension geometry is propper.

I was watching a NASA race a few weekends ago, and it was remarkable how these little sports coupes from the 80's were fairing against more modern and contemporary foes.

So think what you want, but this is still the best and most "M" M3 of them all. There will never be another car quite like it.

Steve

[tylerblue]

That is the sole most beautiful e30 m3 in the world. I can't find a spec of imperfection anywhere on that machine. Bump

[tylerblue]

Well, maybe not the world.....but you guys get the idea....??

[155///MPH]

Here is a nice video describing the E30 M3. . .

Top Gear Video

Right Click > Save target as

Top Gear Video

Oh, and thanks for the compliments. There are a couple of blemishes, just very minute one. The M3 is still for sale by the way.

[///MaxO]

Worst mistake in my life thus far was selling my E30 M3. Its funny how that outdated engine tore up an E36 M3 in about an hour of twisties, even with several long straights. I had to stop and actually wait for the E36 M3 to catch up, and he was "wide open" then entire time...hmmm.

Wes

P.S. This is Wes posting on Max's SN

[bokes]

bump again for a nice m3.

[mrsha007]

Originally posted by richt
Thanks for your input. But it's just like I said. The handling was good but the engine is outdated. It's a street legal race car with an outdated engine. Let's face the facts.



Rich

so outdated that they still use it in BTCC racing and all of the compact sports cars of today are trying to copy the same format that the s14 set right? (4 cyl 200 hp 2.0 high rever)

you want to know whats so special aobout this car? you already said it your self, the body, the handling, the motor, and the fact that it was and still is the winningest race car ever built, and it was a race car built for the track but put on the street, not a street car that was changed and put on the track.

bump for a clean m3

[SeattleE30///M3]

Originally posted by tylerblue
Well, maybe not the world.....but you guys get the idea....??

Very nice car, but after Gary's 12K mile $45K E30 M3 bubble car hit the market, no E30 M3 can hold a candle to it. BUt at currently half the price, it's a relative bargain

[EVOIIIM3]

Originally posted by richt
Can someone tell me what is so great about the E30 M3 Besides the body and maybe the handling. I had a 1990 that was mint condition with 68k miles for about 1 year and got rid of it. I thought it was a piece of garbage. The engine may have been great in it's hay day. But by today's standards it's nothing to brag about. And the pumped up 4 cyl. got horrible mileage around town (14 MPG).
Plus I had to replace alot

Did you really own one, or just had one for a year?

I have a grin on my face every time I drive mine! It does everything so well!

Body, a clasic design that is highly fuctional.

Suspension, AWESOME! bone stock the car sticks!

Engine, well, that is the best part! With a few simple BMW bolt ones it just rocks! Yea, not kidding it doesn't have the low end torque of the E36, lets see...
E30 M3 I-4 2.3l 2700lbs
E36 M3 I-6 3.0/3.2l 3300lbs (us trim)
The E36 has almost a liter on the E30. then 2 more cylinders. Drive the Euro spec E36, it feels a LOT more like the E30 in the low end. This is not a American HP 1/4mi car, this is a track car that turns left and right!

My car will out run just about any car on the track!

About your 14mpg, you had some SERIOUS problems going on! Can you say running WAY rich? Even on the track with big injectors and WOT the whole way, I get at least 16mpg

This car is for some one who wants a nice drivers car, if you want a plush civlil car, get the E36.

Some people will just never understand this car.

I think most E36 people car just pissed that a older E30 BMW cost more then their E36 M3's.

[TeamZ4]

reality check:

No way, no how does anyone get 16 mpg WOT in any M3, any year, any where (except maybe in Fantasia)

your M3 weights are off in both directions; E36 is too high, E30 is too low

more often than not drivers outrun drivers more than cars outrun cars

that said, I like the E30 M3 for what it is, but I also like the E36 M3 for what it is too, there's no need to get bruised ego's over somebody prefering one over the other. :

[johnnym3]

Well I'm not trying to take any sides, I own a 97 4 dr m3 and a 90 m3 with a 2.5 motor. I will say the e36 m3 does ride better, but the the e30 m3 is funner to drive and handles a little better. Matter of fact my e30 m3 is just a little faster than my 97 m3 , the 97 m3 isn't stock either. My e30 has plenty of low end torque for that little car. I have always said I would allways consider selling my 97 m3 but will probally never sell the e30 m3.

[EVOIIIM3]

Originally posted by TeamZ4
reality check:

No way, no how does anyone get 16 mpg WOT in any M3, any year, any where (except maybe in Fantasia)

your M3 weights are off in both directions; E36 is too high, E30 is too low

more often than not drivers outrun drivers more than cars outrun cars

that said, I like the E30 M3 for what it is, but I also like the E36 M3 for what it is too, there's no need to get bruised ego's over somebody prefering one over the other. :

I got the weights from the BMW 3 series book, my car is a little under 2700lbs.

My car is build up, a 300hp car eats a lot of fuel at WOT, I'm at 85% injector cycle WOT @ 7600rpms, 8200rpm redline.

But you are right, they both are what they are.

The E36 is a great daily driver, and has a great aftermarket, the E30 is a factory car, with all the go fast parts being factory parts! Make a quite fun daily driver, not on par with any other modern BMW.

[mrsha007]

my car is well below 2700 lbs

[///MaxO]

im really enjoying this thread. even though its way off topic its making me consider switching to an E30 M3.

[NegativeCambre]

Originally posted by EVOIIIM3
I got the weights from the BMW 3 series book, my car is a little under 2700lbs.

My car is build up, a 300hp car eats a lot of fuel at WOT, I'm at 85% injector cycle WOT @ 7600rpms, 8200rpm redline.

But you are right, they both are what they are.

The E36 is a great daily driver, and has a great aftermarket, the E30 is a factory car, with all the go fast parts being factory parts! Make a quite fun daily driver, not on par with any other modern BMW.

Look again at that BMW book... that is not the right weight for an E30 M3. That looks more like the 325is. 2865lbs is the weight I have for a 1990 E30 M3.

Steve