E30 M3 - who has owned one?

[_leon_ 0]

Have been reading about them for the last 2 days - have always liked them and was another teenage dream car like the Corrado was. Going to do more research about them and have already started to wade through the endless E30 v E46 debates. Seems the 2.5L conversion is quite popular. Have uncovered a few places that source them and several things to look for - but what I am interested in are opinions of any Corrado owners (past or present) who've owned one themselves and their experiences of the car, costs involved, what its like to work on yourself, problems encountered etc. Without going into great length about personal opinion - its the raw/in-touch/alive (and basic) feeling I love about the Corrado (and that prevents me from buying any modern cars - despite trying) - I want to know if Corrado owners feel the e30 m3 offers all of that and more. Have gathered a good few of us here have a fondness towards them - any good information about them would be great 8)

 

Thanks

 

p.s. For the curious... http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=141873 Not into the addition of the turbo personally - but interesting to see none the less.

[vr6storm 0]

deffo one of the most iconic cars of the 80's,would love to own one too,but the maintenance costs can be horrendous......timing chains needing done at 100k and cost £1k+ to do etc,I also know that you should avoid any RHD converted ones due to them losing the dedicated M3 rack(its substituted with an inferior 325i item)

[Tifun 0]

I've had a chance to drive one over here in the states which I think has a considerably less amount of HP. My opinions of it verse the Corrado are simple. The Corrado is nice, well rounded in every category, including comfort and ride quality for daily use. The E30 M3 however was very rigid, a drivers car if you will. I found that it wasn't as comfortable to me as the Corrado but the overall drive and thrill was sooo much more that if I came across one to buy or trade that I would do it in a heartbeat. I love the feeling you get when you can feel everything that is going on, I wish I would have had more time to drive it before my buddy got rid of it.

[pkripper 0]

My mates have a had a few and I have considered it on many occassions.

 

They are a great car, but suffer with their issues. They suffer from rust (scuttle panel etc) and generally have a hard life. They are also expensive to repair and scope for performance upgrades are expensive and minimal. Plus they are expensive to buy, a good late one will be £7k and a really good one or a special one like a Europemeister or a Cecotto much more

 

If you find a good one you consider, get it checked out by an E30 M3 specialist first before buying. I would stear clear of engine conversions too, the 16v race developed engine is the point of the car.

 

They are the nuts though and i would buy one if one came up at the right time.

[_leon_ 0]

Excellent info above.

 

I thought they were only made in LHD and that any RHD ones are fobbed off as 'rare UK versions'. The steering rack is pretty important - but can be upgraded from a later model with a few mods (spacer on subframe etc - as a side point - couldn't believe the size of the column UJ's - they're huge!).

 

As above - it'd definately a weekend car, not a daily car. I think the Corrado would do the daily tasks unless it became essential to run a newer car. Theres a rule with the e30 m3 owners apparently - the $15k rule. One way or another you'll eat through $15k.

 

What are the BMW parts prices compared to VAG?

 

And yeah the s14 engine shouldn't be swapped - its perfectly poised for weight distribution and provides the intended power and peaks for the car. A lot I've seen seem to have one or two engine rebuilds by now.

[vr6storm 0]

from memory all the "RHD" ones were converted by Bird's(famous for their Hartge conversions now).........any fool who tries and pass of a RHD as being original should be shot

[Nuggit 0]

I had one in a couple of years back. Incredible amounts of fun to drive, and the kind of car you just keep looking at.

 

I'd have one, no worries.