Is the convertible the e30 to own?

Рет қаралды 1,564

The Euro Life.

10 ай бұрын

For years, the convertible was considered a “parts car” in the e30 community, but is it really the best e30 to own?

Пікірлер: 26

@laserfalcon 3 күн бұрын

Its a beautiful classic car

@rob379lqz 10 ай бұрын

Thank-you. I have my 1987 BMW 325ic in-line 6 cylinder automatic (convertible), since April 2002. I lived in Hinton, Alberta at the time. I’m in Calgary, Alberta now. I caught a 16 hour drive to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories in mid April 2002. Slept 3 hours, crawled into my winter coveralls, had the borrowed Satellite phone from work, winter boots on, winter gloves on, toque on, heat and fan at full, and left Yellowknife at 4:00am in -28C (-18 Fahrenheit) temperature. I crossed the Mackenzie River Ice Bridge, and it slowly warmed up as the day went on and as I kept driving south. It took me the 16 hours to drive back home to Hinton, Alberta. I have babied the car since. Oh, and the reason I bought my baby from Yellowknife, North West Territories was: My x-wife’s brother was stationed in Esquimalt, British Columbia, on Vancouver island. This is an American car, as there is a decal under the hood from Warshington State, and the speed and odometer are in miles and mile/hour, not kilometers. Anyway, once he resigned from the Canadian Navy, they moved up to Yellowknife, and had the car shipped up. My baby is red (had some kind of previous paint-work redone), tan leather interior, original black top, I have always inside stored, 167000 miles. Oh, and one thing to note is BMW added a factory side-rail we have to lift our leg over. It is a metal brace with a black plastic cover, which factory-compensated for not having a ridged roof. I’m not sure if it is steel or aluminium like our bumpers (I need to look into that for my own curiosity).Thanks again. 👍🇨🇦

@shannon4968 Ай бұрын

I have a 2004 E46 convertible Alpina.Number one-off the assembly line and it's got the plate on the dashboard -That car is so fast that it scares m 5:58 e

@polytanner1836 2 ай бұрын

I love mine! I'm going for OEM+ so when something needs replacement I'm trying to do stock or better. It's lowered with Raceland coilovers which are pretty good for a street car as it's all it will ever be. Found it did roll a bit with hard cornering so put a front strut tower brace on and that helped a ton. Damn fun car to drive!

@MichaelTroyMooney 2 ай бұрын

Well said! That's from one cirrus blue convertible owner to another ;) I've taken mine to autocross before and it was a blast (not at all floppy)

@-Scraps- Ай бұрын

Vert for the win! 🏆

@stingerfist 6 ай бұрын

Love the e30 content!! I’ve been interested in the sedan but the cabrio is growing on me, in the UK we get a great deal of rain and some summers can be very wet, is it even more essential to store it in a storage unit (more cost) or can I get away with covering it up on the drive 🤔 I am looking at a cabrio with good history and only some rust to the rear arches which the seller says he has been quoted $630 to restore, thanks

@TheEuroLife. 6 ай бұрын

As long as the top is in good condition, along with the seals, you could park it outside and have no worries. Make sure you could bring it in to a body shop and get your own quote before you buy it, unless the car is a very good deal. Plenty of people who try to cover up larger problems and pretend it’s small and cheap to fix, but that they haven’t done it only due to time. The cabrio really is a fun car to drive. Nothing better than roof off summer days. Cheers!

@d.michaelmcbridedc1082 Ай бұрын

I have the exact same color and interior. I agree on the automatic it is dog shit. I enjoy the 5 speed. Given the speed limits in the US, it’s fast enough; this is my daily on Maui. I put 5k into the suspension (Stock). Upgraded brakes, new interior and top. I’m not selling! An M3 E30 would be nice but they cost almost as much as a Ferrari now. One tip is getting the alignments properly done with your new tires. They can align both the fronts and rears! This makes it handle famously. Aloha

@christopherweisenbach296 9 ай бұрын

Well said

@bobfangio4713 7 ай бұрын

I think you got it exactly right, look at the E30 as a Miata that can carry four and luggage for the weekend, it's about the driving experience and fun rather than outright speed. Can you make an E30 a fast track car sure but it will lose most of what made it so fun in the process. Besides the E36 and E46 are better options and of the three the E36 is the best bang for the buck, dollar for dollar an E36 track car will be faster than an E30. Personally I like the sedan, the four doors make rear seat access much easier and I lack the gene that makes open air driving enjoyable. But for those who want options they do have removable hard tops for the cabriolets.

@TheEuroLife. 7 ай бұрын

Exactly! Too many people get caught up in what they think others will like, and lose focus on what they’d like the most. An e30 is an iconic car because of its history and it’s fun to drive, not because it’s fast. I just happen to prefer the convertible, but definitely understand why others might have different opinions. Just wish more in the e30 community wouldn’t overlook convertibles, because they really are just as fun to drive.

@SaulidSnake 9 ай бұрын

Plus no Sunroof rust issues

@TheEuroLife. 9 ай бұрын

Exactly!

@alecmartinez838 10 ай бұрын

Hi! I am considering a 1987 BMW 3 Series 325i Convertible Automatic with 394,096 miles. Do you think $5,850 is reasonable price?

@TheEuroLife. 10 ай бұрын

With that kind of mileage, I’d be asking for proof of things done to the car(timing belt, water pump, transmission service). 400k is pretty high mileage, even for e30’s. It wouldn’t steer me away from it, if the car was taken car of. Only weak point I’d be worried about is the auto trans. If the car has service records, and is super clean, that’s about what it’s worth(though try to get it for around 5k). If it’s rough with no records, probably a 2-3k car, if it’s running.

@TheEuroLife. 10 ай бұрын

If you’re new to e30’s, watch my buyer’s guide. Lots of info in there for you.

@alecmartinez838 10 ай бұрын

@@TheEuroLife.thank you for replying to me and recommending your buyers guide. The body is rust free and the interior is amazing(besides the chairs). The only issue it has an overheating issue. There is no signs of a blown head gasket. Should I skip out on this?

@TheEuroLife. 10 ай бұрын

@alecmartinez838 Pass on this one, unless they are willing to drop the price to like 2-3k. You can find running and driving e30’s for that price. A rolling shell should only cost 2-3k, and that’s how you should treat this car.

@shannon4968 Ай бұрын

People that say bad things about BMW is never owned of BMW and anyway.She's got no business owning the BMW.If you can't take care of it once you're on a b m w you will never go back to any other car

@carloscastaneda5836 8 ай бұрын

Here is the thing. The convertible is not as beautiful as coupes. It is ugly !!. And I had several E30s. The convertible has no class at all. It is a parts car because it has the special seats, special steering wheel. Make a survey on the community. You will see. Nobody likes the convertible. Except for Richard Gere in Pretty woman !

@TheEuroLife. 8 ай бұрын

Just a matter of opinion🤷‍♂️

@EinKerl3554 7 ай бұрын

You might want to dial back the attitude a bit. Every e30 fan has their favorite and there isn't a bad choice, from the driver's seat they all feel the same. Does the cabriolet have unique front fenders and rear seating, yes but who cares (take a look at the 325iX sometime). FYI that "special steering wheel" was the sports wheel a no cost upgrade for cabriolets in the US since they were a higher priced premium model. Also if you prefer the plastic face lift bumpers to the US diving boards they will fit on any year cabriolet without the need to cut the ends off the rear. If you want to know what the e30 community thinks about cabriolets head to the e30 picnic in Seattle, the largest gathering of e30s in the world, you will see plenty of open top e30s getting just as much respect as anything else.

@llamplifiedll 4 ай бұрын

i just read this and the thing is, e30 enthusiasts most likely prefer the coupe. And sure, i get that. But from a regular person's perspective, the convertible is the nicer car. When a regular run of the mill person sees a hard top e30, the shape is a box. most normal people consider convertibles to be the more luxurious/sporty silhouette option. Also e30s are now considered the classic car, and for those people who want an intro "collector" car in their garage, they'll pick the convertible for their weekend cruiser for enjoyment and top down fun, as well as something that stands out. remember, not all car owners are enthusiasts. some just wanted that dream car or the IT car. and the convertible fits a lot of checks on most peoples boxes that aren't enthusiasts.

@Lucian02 4 ай бұрын

what a freak lie. log off rn u alien