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This website features much more than Bmw E30 pictures, and this include links to car articles, posted by experts in the trades and information on the latest car shows, latest car related news from around the world, faqs and car spares and vehicles
What used to be a racing beast, the BMW M3 E30 has now taken a totally different role as it has been converted to be the ultimate gaming machine. and more »
You may remember Pandamonium Racing as the team that brought us the 24 Hours Of LeMons Jackass Reel last year. This is also the team that donated number 43 and more »
As you may have read about earlier this week, our very own RacingPete is enjoying trundling about in his brand-new BMW M3. But it has got us thinking - a
2010 BMW X6 M - Automobile Magazine February 05, 7900
For those who do know the differences between an X6 M and other X6 models, like the guy in the E30-series BMW M3 who gave me thumbs up, it's definitely
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Design 'n Drinks with Matt Grigsby
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About half of what we do is education and the other half is sourcing materials. We work mainly with product designers and a little bit with architects. We do mostly consulting work, but we also have a physical database with papers, plastics, inks and some industrial products too. Right now we're about to launch a high-quality, in-depth sustainable materials database [called Athenaeum]. From that, we made design and material recommendations. We also have our Product NutritionLabel, which is a third party certification. We did a project for Hasbro where we took four of their products and did life cycle analyses.
what are the common problems with bmw e30 central locking?
My BMW E30 central locking has stopped working. I have checked the fuse and it is ok. What can i do next? (asked by Jam on October 29, 2009)
A: Check the microswitch for the drivers door lock. These can sometimes fail. (answered by GeneHunt on October 29, 2009)
Q:
How reliable would a bmw e30 be?
On average, do you think an bmw e30 would still be reliable today, or would I have to put in thousands and thousands to keep it running ? (asked by coLouRb3rryy on February 26, 2009)
A: I drive an '87 325[e]. I've always loved E30s (my mom drove an old 318i for years and then it was the car I learned on when I got my permit--the 318 isn't the best of the E30s, but it has its fans). They are great little cars, however I don't consider them cheap to maintain. They're moderate. Cheap would be a Toyota or a Honda.
If you're looking to buy an E30, remember to check the trunk for water. The gasket leaks on almost every one I've seen (probably around fifty or so). Sometimes the taillights fill with water too. It's likely that you'll need to replace that gasket at some point. Another issue with both the 318 and the 325 is the idle control valve. It goes at around 100k, and if it hasn't been replaced yet, it will need to be.
Word of caution: If you live in an area that gets snow and this is going to be your one and only means of transportation, I recommend against it. E30s are notorious for their fishtailing in wet/slippery weather. I moved to NH this year and this is my only car, and it is a NIGHTMARE in the snow. (Of course, if you're richer than me you could always put snow tires on it in winter and fill up the back with sandbags, and you could get by.)
Oh, the 325e supposedly gets 27mpg city and 34mpg highway. In real life mine gets 26 all the time. If I use premium gas that number gets bigger. My friend had a 535i and she got 17mpg. Not at all the same. Though everything else in answer #1 looks solid.
Edited to add:
I only objected to the first answer's judging all 3-series based on the mpg of the 325i, i.e."above all else the 3 series only gets 1 to maybe 2 MPG more on the highway than a 535i."
Actually, the 318 and 325e both get significantly more per gallon, and I would guess those account for at least half of the E30 3-series on the road today (though I don't have the exact on that). Compared to a 535i in peak condition, the 325e and 318i still get at least 7 more miles to every gallon.
Also, I think this tangent has little to do with the asker's original question. Oops. (answered by faust part iii on February 26, 2009)
A: Well all the BMWs basically from 1983 to 1988 are the sweet years. If BMW kept building like that they would be out of business today. Very cheap to keep running and reasonably easy to downright easy to work on. The mid 80's to late 80's, with the 3 series being an exception since they ran their 80's design into the 90's had the perfect balance of technology, not to little not to much. They were and still are very safe even without all the airbags and such, long lived since most all of the survivors that were not totaled are still on the road. These cars outlive their paint jobs so to speak.
The E30 in general is a pretty reliable car, although its the most maintenance and repair requiring of the three major series 3 5 7 with the 6 basically being a 5 anyways. While non of the series but the 3 series had any problems of head cracking the 325i was the first after the horrid years of the 70's and early 80's to be prone to cylinder head cracking even if the car never overheated or ran hot they just cracked. The 3 series has a lot of issues with the heating and A/C system but to be fair the 7 was also a problem but much later in years. The 3 series being a smaller body has many more cramped area to work in. And above all else the 3 series only gets 1 to maybe 2 MPG more on the highway than a 535i. While the 535i has much more power and overall performance. Making the 3 series the bottom of the barrel to me.
Now the 325e does not have the cylinder head cracking problems and is proving its 400K promise over and over again these days. However it is a severe interference motor meaning the valves and pistons unless in perfect time will crash into each other and the whole motor is junk almost every time, if anything survives it might be a piston or two. Hence if a timing belt goes bad BAM its a total loss. When operating or depending on a 325e the timing belt must be payed attention to closely and inspected often.
The 318i is a total disaster car and all of them should have been recalled by BMW and the money returned to the buyer. Lots of reasons why but the serious lack of power should be enough of a reason alone.
My answer is solid about the 1 to 2 more MPG than a 325i as I said Highway MPG. The 3.5 motor is a very high torque motor and it acts like a diesel going down the road just sipping gas. However its heavier than a 325i so just getting it moving takes a lot of gas. His friends car that got 17 is in need of some work The average for a good running 535i (e28) is 19.1 to 20.3 MPG as all my 535i's get around that. (answered by BMWS GOD on February 26, 2009)
Q:
what is the largest size wheel and tyre i can fit to my E30 BMW without having to modify anything?
I want to fit some alloy wheels to my E30 BMW 316 and want to go as large as possible without having to modify the arches. The suspension i not lowered and everything else is standard. I would like to fit maybe 17 or 18" rims if poss. can anybody tell me if they will fit with no problems? (asked by bob s on August 23, 2007)
A: william is a moron. 20s will not go on an e30. (i've tried on a 325ix, and a 88 M3.) 17s or 18s should go on easy....18s may need a little fender rolling, but thats easy enough if you have a baseball bat. Just stick the handle end of the bat inside the wheel well, using the tire as leverage, gently roll the sheet metal on the inside of the well with the bat. Also make sure you get the right offset on the rims. (answered by wet sombrerro on August 24, 2007)
The BMW E30 was a compact executive car produced by BMW. It was the successor of the BMW E21 in 1983 and was replaced by the BMW E36 in 1990. BMW continued to produce the ... read more...
BMW e30 - everything you wanted to know about bmw 3 series model from 1982 - 1991. Tech articles, writeups and DIY procedures from regular maintenance to custom ... read more...
The Unofficial BMW E30 Homepage ... Buy this new book on BMW Tips, 101 Performance Projects For Your BMW 3-Series 1984-1998 read more...
Table with specifications for BMW e30 models. Included are specs for e30 325is, 325ic, 325ix, 325i, 325, 325e, 318i, 318is and 318iC. Performance specs such as HP, torque ... read more...
Introduced in 1983, the E30 was the successor to the popular E21 three. The E30 was more of an upgraded E21 than an all new car and it used some of the same ... read more...
What used to be a racing beast, the BMW M3 E30 has now taken a totally different role as it has been converted to be the ultimate gaming machine. and more »
Actually it was already one of my favorite E30 M3 BMWs before I even saw the front of it and realized that it is being used to play video games in!
As you may have read about earlier this week, our very own RacingPete is enjoying trundling about in his brand-new BMW M3. But it has got us thinking - a
Elva Matto says:
L Stride says:
Jon Bradbury says:
Mona Kennebeck says:
