BMW E30 325i Buyer's Guide and 0-60 test. #E30 #VintageCars
Channel: Juan Carlos LTO
Date: 2022-02-26

In today's video, I will test the 0 to 60 on my E30. I give you a quick introduction to my car. Also, if you are in the market for an E30, I'll give you some quick pointers on what to look for in a prospect.
The BMW E30 was sold in the US from 1984 to 1993
It’s main competitor back in the day was the Mercedes Benz 190E but the E30 sold in way bigger numbers. 
When I bought this car back in 2013, I’d say you could get a prime example for about $5000 dollars. 
E30’s are pretty common but it’s getting harder to find them in these conditions. I would consider mine a 9 out of 10 especially considering that it is a daily driver.
Why did I pick this car? In 2013, my wife and I decided to turn our finances around and part of the plan was to get rid of as much debt as possible so we got rid of two cars that were being financed and we had a budget of $10000 dollars to buy 2 cars that were dependable. We bought a 1993 Lexus SC300 that turned out to be super reliable as expected from Lexus and I took a gamble with this E30.
I wanted something rear wheel drive so most Honda Products were automatically excluded, a manual transmission and it had to be under $5000. Other choices considered were Celicas, Miatas, and Fox Bodies. Long story longer, I found this one on Craigslist and bought it for $3200. 
First thing I did was find a good local mechanic who knew these cars and resealed the whole powertrain, changed the timing belt and water pump.
In the following years I swapped the transmission for a 5 speed, added a 3.73 limited slip differential, changed the suspension and dropped the car an inch. I also upgraded the stock exhaust for a Super Sprint that sounds amazing, added a short shifter and went through a series of wheels until I found these 16 inch AC Schnitzers. 
I’ve driven 700 miles on a single day without breaking my back. 
It’s so reliable that I’m not afraid to put a lot of miles on it. I bought it with 134000 miles and 9 years later it’s about to hit 230000. 
Back in the 80’s, the E30 was the standard of the small sports sedan. At 8.5 seconds 0-60, the E30 was au pair with the 190E from Mercedes Benz. For context, a 1989 Ford Mustang GT was doing 0-60 in about 7 seconds but for that it made use of an 8 cylinder engine with 225 horsepower and 300 pound feet of torque. But the Mustang GT was front heavy and about 300 pounds heavier altogether. The magic of the E30 was in its balance. These cars drive super smooth at highway speeds... mine starts losing composure at triple digit speeds but there's no need for me to go that fast.
Things to look for: 
If you are in the market for an E30 I recommend to get one from the year 1987 and on, which has the better 6 cylinder engine, the 2.5, M20 is called with increased power to 167 hp. I would skip all variations of the 4 cylinder as they are slower, reliable but slower. The M20 is super reliable and don't be afraid to get one with higher miles as long as it has been maintained properly. 
I would say that the best year for the E30 is 1989, because by then it had lost the bigger metal bumpers known as "diving boards" and these were replaced by plastic bumpers which subjectively look nicer. And, 1989, it didn't come with an airbag so you get the nicer steering wheels. 
I'd buy an E30 that it's originally from drier climate states as with any older car, they are subject to corrosion and rusting. 
E30's are known to leak so don't be afraid to get one with a leaky undercarriage within reason as long as you have it inspected to get a good idea of what to pay attention to once you take over.
The dashboard is prone to cracking so if you find one with the dashboard in pristine condition, consider yourself extremely lucky.
Manuals are more expensive than automatics. Also, I should warn you that sourcing good parts for an E30 is becoming more expensive as of late, and, finding a good mechanic that knows these cars as soon as you can, can definitely improve the ownership experience as with any old car, they are likely to break down once in a while.
As far as current market value of E30's, prices are all over the place! I won't over complicate this video, as they say: a car is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Mine, in its current condition I would say is worth about $15000, maybe more, maybe less, depending on how long I'm willing to wait for the right buyer.
What an irony: my European Sports Sedan from the 80's is slower than a Toyota Prius which is the epitome of the modern, boring and slow driving appliance. Thank you for watching!
for further reading, I found this great article that helped me gather my thoughts in order to put together this video:
https://www.bmwblog.com/2020/06/12/bmw-e30-3-series-buyers-guide/

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