There's no E12 subforum, but I see E12 threads here, so... hopefully this is in the right place?
No serious plans yet - my plate is very full at the moment - but I'm wondering about someday picking up an E12. I have extensive experience with the E34, so that'd be my main point of reference. I also have an '81 Toyota truck that I've largely restored and updated, so I have some idea of what to expect from a 70's vehicle, and how to make one competent by modern standards without losing its character.
My main interest in an E12 is the interior. Interiors are important; after 12 years of daily driving an E34, I still sometimes just sit in it and admire what I see:
E24 and (sorry) E28 interiors turn me off, but that 70's roundedness with wood trim... it floats my boat. Except for this steering wheel:
Reminds me of my Toyota, actually, and that's a good thing:
(pic pending)
For anyone who's driven, owned, or worked on one, what can you tell me about...
...The interior? It looks good in photos but is it plasticky crap in real life? I've never seen one in person.
...Refinement? Is there as much wind noise as the boxiness would suggest?
...Handling? I've read period reviews that complained about too much damping and not enough spring rate, and (contradictory?) also snap oversteer. Do modern shocks make it behave more like a modern car?
...Parts availability? I don't think I've ever seen one in a junkyard, despite junkyarding being a semi-full-time job for a couple of years, in the Bay Area no less. Are body and interior parts shared with anything else? How much of the mechanicals are or can be reasonably retrofitted from more modern chassis (E34 especially)?
I like the M30 engine but wouldn't keep it for a daily, especially if it needed to be rebuilt. In fact, the inspiration for this project was buying a 96 Passat TDI, immediately liking nothing about it except for the engine, and making a list of what I could swap it into.
You might have better luck posting some of your questions here:
http://www.firstfives.org/bboard/index.php
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