Germany. The home of the Nürburgring, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Sabine Schmitz, Michele Mouton and three of the world’s fastest production vehicles . Germany is in love with the car.
BMW E30
It is only natural then that this is also the country that pumps out technological advancement after motoring marvel. Mercedes Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, BMW and all of the car brands under these umbrellas are all supported by relentless reliability, an air of indestructability and a sporting pedigree.
And that’s exactly what the BMW 3 Series E30 has, in spade loads. On top of that, values are set to sky rocket up to £14,000 (€17,000) in as little as four years from now. You can pick one up today for as little as £600; not to say that at this bargain price it’s going to be in good condition. For this money think more along the lines of a teenagers modified, and once wrapped around a tree, monstrosity. A good condition E30 will need a budget around the £2k mark. A lot of money to pluck out if you even have it in the first place, but not only is this very wise monetary investment indeed - it will restore your passion for driving, guaranteed.
BMW’s are often driven, as Jeremy Clarkson says, "to the max by drivers on a budget." For this reason alone it’s imperative that you make sure the E30 comes with at least a smidge of a service history – with the cars age it should be quite a size and will help you sell it once it’s worth its weight in gold. If you can get your hands on a convertible in good nick, book your expensive holiday to the Caribbean for around five years’ time – the price tag on a good condition E30 is likely to rise faster than any other convertible on the market.
While the E30 is fun, inexpensive and aging gracefully; there are traits to watch for bar a lifetime of abuse. The sills and wheel arches rust badly and are often botched on repair by a DIY mechanic or shifty garage. Fixing this up can cost in excess of a grand. A further problem is the fuel pump, which falls apart like Justin Bieber under police questioning around the 90,000 mile mark – nearly all of these vehicles will have that sitting on the odometer. If it sounds like Brian Blessed is humming in the back seats then your fuel pump is on its last legs. Oil seals also perish young and if the E30 omits blue-ish smoke out of the exhaust then you’re in trouble.
Engine noise may indicate worn valve gear due to neglected oil changes. Prime candidate for fully synthetic oil, but if the engine is old don’t suddenly switch from whatever is in there to synthetic. Unless you fancy the idea of potential sleepless nights as the car slowly ruins your life.
The upper models in the range, with their power derived from a straight-six paired with rear wheel drive and perfectly balanced handling, are the ones to find. Nothing gets you closer to an untainted drivers experience than a pure-bred BMW; and this one is the daddy. Wild over steer was curbed from previous models, even if wet weather will still scare the hell out of you, and the engine, although not particularly frugal, doesn’t drink like a fish. The space in the front is ample even for Michael Jordan but as the front seats are huge, legroom in the back isn’t comfortable for anyone who doesn’t have paper thin legs.
Rapidly disappearing from the UK’s roads, grab a good one now – values are on the up big time. The potential is here to make 4 times the amount you buy it for, perhaps investing in some more E30s?