Should I get rid of my newer economy car and buy an E30?

[roblesjant]

I've wanted an E30 since i was 15 years old (i'm 21 now). As a high school graduation gift my parents signed a 3 year lease on a 2014 kia rio hatchback. this is my first car. i work at UPS and that is how i make the $230 payment every month. the lease will be up in May and I've saved up almost $5k to buy an e30. I've brought the idea up to my parents that i want to return the lease and buy an e30. they disagree and argue that an e30 is unreliable and unsafe. they think that i should keep the Kia and continue paying it off. what do you guys think?

[2santiago]

It already seems you're responsible and know how to save money. The E30s are great vehicles to have. Whether it's because you want to learn how to work on a car, its looks, etc, you should have what you want. Also, think about where you live. Are you in the northern states where and AWD makes sense due to winters? There's much to think about but as a BMW owner of two E30ixs, Z3 Coupé, Z4Coupé, buy one. Since you will be replacing the Kia, get one that only needs general maintenance from you. I'm sure others will chime in and offer better advice and compelling points. Consider all and food luck. Welcome to the community.


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[M_3_X]

I'd keep the Kia as a daily and get an E30 as a second (fun) car. Good compromise, you keep your parents happy and you get to have what you want.

[nick325xit 5spd]

The answer is that no, you should not.

[Kershaw]

^ That is the most logical choice. But buying an e30 is an emotional decision, not a logical one. I really enjoy my e30 as my weekend car, not my daily driver. Far fewer headaches.

The biggest deciding factor is, do you have a garage to work on the car and how much mechanical knowledge do you already possess?

[323i E30]

If you can cough up $2500 for the Kia lease on a yearly base.. That should *easily* cover the repairs on the E30.
A well maintained stock E30 is not an unreliable car imo..! Just don't get one that has been modded or engine swapped or anything to keep things simple.
Given that you've already wanted to have an E30 for 6 years is enough reason to get one.

[95BMWIC]

I actually hate disagreeing with Chris and Kershaw cause they are 2 reliable sources..

but,

I daily drive an E30 with 260K and have taken some long trips and short ones with confidence. I trust the E30 engineering so much that I bought one for my son (who is mechanically challenged) and he has drove it for the last 4 years (through college). When thinking about a car for my daughter, I bought an E30 convert for my 15 yo daughter (2 years ago). All have airbags, all have high miles, all were bought under 3K (but had $1500 or so upgrades done) and all have been fairly reliable. I have put hours in upgrading hoses, belts, pumps, suspension, tires, wearables, etc.. to make a 5k reliable. If you dont believe you can do that - then I wouldn't bother - but once that is done - you can easily drive these things 300K plus miles.

The E30s are easy to work on, parts aren't too expensive and you have a lot of support form the forums - more so for the E30 than any other.. Plus the style factor is 10 out of 10..

Options for a 5K car are limited - and you will have issues with any high mileage car (components wear out no matter what brand). Another suggestion might be an E46 (we have owned one for 8 years) and those can be found under 5K and those are a reliable model.

[roblesjant]

It already seems you're responsible and know how to save money. The E30s are great vehicles to have. Whether it's because you want to learn how to work on a car, its looks, etc, you should have what you want. Also, think about where you live. Are you in the northern states where and AWD makes sense due to winters? There's much to think about but as a BMW owner of two E30ixs, Z3 Coupé, Z4Coupé, buy one. Since you will be replacing the Kia, get one that only needs general maintenance from you. I'm sure others will chime in and offer better advice and compelling points. Consider all and food luck. Welcome to the community.


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i live in southern california, so the only thing i have to worry about is rain. i have basic auto maintaince knowledge (oil change, brakes, filter replacement). would it be a wise decision to go for an e30 with over 200k miles?

[ELVA164]

i live in southern california, so the only thing i have to worry about is rain. i have basic auto maintaince knowledge (oil change, brakes, filter replacement). would it be a wise decision to go for an e30 with over 200k miles?

Nah, probably not. The cars need attention to stay reliable and it sounds like it may be a bit over your head to perform a lot of it. You won't want to be paying someone else to do the "refresh" and maintenance work, either, as it'll add up pretty quickly.

Hold off until A) you have the desire, tools, and space to keep it up yourself, or B) you have enough extra money to pay someone else to. Otherwise, you're setting yourself up to have a bad time.

[1SGDHORN]

While an overall reliable car you will have to have the ability to change the timing belt/idler and water pump while your there and if you don't have the ability to do this yourself it can be a costly shop bill. Other things to consider are:

- Valve adjustments need to be done periodically. An easy thing for someone who has worked on cars a while but, MAY be intimidating for a novice.
- Starter replacement can be a pain. If you buy a higher mileage car always realize that this can need replacing at any time.
- If a manual car, and I wouldn't recommend anything but, think clutch replacement if one hasn't been done and a higher mileage car.
- Rubber wears out/deteriorates. At some point, if not as soon as you buy a car, all the rubber bushings, belts, hoses and bits may need to be replaced. And when in comes to rubber suspension bushing IMHO, OEM is the only way to go. URO, while inexpensive, is utter garbage.
- Smaller issues like inop power antenna, sunroof, power windows, door locks, heat/AC etc... can be a pain on a car that has to be 100% because it is a daily driver.

I have both an E30 Vert and an E24 M6 and while I love the cars they are only for fun and summer driving on occasion and don't have the daily reliability of a newer car, though admittedly they do evoke emotions that a Kia never will evoke.

[aaverhulst]

If you have an older car, then you need 2 - one for backup. IF you have alternate transportation, then you can get by with one. But you must allow for the down time you need to make repairs.

[Beefkake25]

I have a 1986 e30 as my daily driver. It hasn't let me down because I'm restoring it and I've replaced most of the parts that fail Alt, starter, fuel pumps(both), all relays and fuses, any questionable wires, lightbulbs, throttle position sensor, idle control valve, o2 sensor, fuse between batt and main relay, clutch and throw out bearing, head gasket. I've done all of it over time. I've also done the window gaskets and seals. Just remember the cars age. It is reliable when it's cared for. All I own is my e30 because I only live once and that's where I want to invest my money. I say go for it. Then go get some winter rat Honda for $400

[JIM1inWisconsin]

Pay attention to what beefcake has had to do with his car. It's a long list and his problems will not necessarily be your problems. Point is these cars are all over 25 years old and although well made anything and everything is subject to potential failure at this point. I've owned four E30's and budget about $100 per month repair/maintenance just to keep it on the road. Hopefully major repairs can be avoided but again as they get older I doubt it. In your case because of parental involvement the old man will never let you hear the end of it when you have to pay for something that's gone wrong.
As an alternative consider using your money as a down payment on a well priced 128i. Twenty years newer, similar road feel and a far better car than any E30 you'll find for $5k. The numbers should be similar to what the Kia would cost and you'd have a BMW.

[my1stE30]

^^ the above three posts provide very good concise comments and advice ...

Reality is that despite the fact that these E30's are great cars ... they will experience down time and if it is your only transportation you will have issues while you are waiting for parts, space and time to DIY the work or waiting (and paying) for appointments at your mechanic .... that goes for my newer E83 as well

[DRVN2WN]

Probably best to buy out the Kia, I'm assuming it's a fair price now that the lease is up (maybe use enough of that chunk of change you've got stashed to get the monthly payment <$100). Keep that, and then keep saving money. Buy an E30 when you're at a point that it can be a second car.

[Kershaw]

I actually hate disagreeing with Chris and Kershaw cause they are 2 reliable sources..

I don't think you disagreed with me at all. I didn't say to not buy an e30, I just said it's an emotional decision. But isn't farhvergnugen why we're all here? I know I buy my cars on a strict 70/30 emotion to logic ratio.

You said exactly what I was getting at, if one can take of the car (or have a super generous father take care of the car) then dailying an e30 is awesome. One just can't buy an e30 and expect new Kia levels of maintenance.

[phishy]

as many have stated above, only seems like a logical decision to get an e30 if you keep the kia

[joeyjoe]

When i was 21 i moved back into my dads house living rent free. Saved up about 6k and spent most of it on what i thought was an immaculate e30. When i moved out a year later and started paying rent again, i couldnt save a dime with the bills and keeping up with maintenance on my e30.
Now i ve owned the car for 3 years, anf it has definitely set me back some cash, and now the exterior doesnt even look great anymore due to a DD.
My suggestion would be to get an e30 as a 2nd car.

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[joeyjoe]

Sometimes owning a 27 year old car is frustrating, but i havent even thought about selling it.

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[ChuckDizzle]

Do both. I leased an econobox Mazda recently and the warm fuzzy feeling of a warranty has been very nice and it entitles me to take the time I need to restore my e30. It was already said, buying an e30 is an emotional decision its not the most logical or practical. I have the leased car as my "A to B" car and for running errands, all the crap that I'd rather not do in my e30 because I like to make it an experience and an event to go out for a fun drive.

[ryanev70]

If I were you, I would keep Kia..

[ELVA164]

OP hasn't been back since he started the thread, just FYI everyone.