Clash of the titans

So, I'm weighing options on 2 of the Holy Triumvarate....

which makes a better combo of DD and autocross mule...the E30 or a Miata?

why?

Discuss.

P71! Oh, wait...

I've never driven an E30, but I have driven E36's and E46's. I think I would like the E30 but there just aren't any up here that aren't clapped out. I've driven Miata's and I love them! As long as you aren't in a rainy area (unless you have the hardtop) then the Miata is still the answer.

do you need a back seat? What is the availability of these in your area?

back seats? I'm sure they're available locally, but I don't need one....

I might have a line on an 88 325 IS in good shape....if it's stil there....

I had kind of settled on the Miata, but it will mean waiting a little bit longer. If an opportunity came up on a good E30 (notice I said good), would it be worth jumping on?

Do you care about being competitive? There are tons of AutoX classes where the Miata can hold its own, not so many for the e30.

It also depends alot on condition.

ultraclyde wrote: I might have a line on an 88 325 IS in good shape....if it's stil there.... If an opportunity came up on a good E30 (notice I said good), would it be worth jumping on?

I'm not sure where you're located but I still see some respectable E30s around here (CA). If you have someone to stay with, it might be worth a flight out to check out some cars.

The money you spend on plane fare will come back tenfold because of the better bodies on cars from the southwest (except for some salt-air areas). There are cars in junkyards here with metal so good they will make you cry.

^ What he said. My next E30 will involve two plane tickets (for my wife and I) to California, and an EPIC road trip back to Toronto.

I DD a Miata. I have a Mazdaspeed3 that I'm keeping the miles off by doing that.

It's small. I drive it like a motorcycle because I swear SUV drivers can't see it below the fenders. Not their fault, just a matter of size again. You won't haul much in it but as a commuter appliance it's fun. Drop the top on nice days.

If you need to haul 4 people or anything of moderate size home I'd say go E30 if it's in comparable shape. What you'll sacrifice for that is the convertible top and mileage. I am tempted to say reliability but I'm sure that either will be as reliable with the other assuming comparable maintenance.

I daily drove a '99 Miata for a couple of years. It was perfect. The trunk is big for a car this small - you can fit a cart load of groceries in it. Just don't get anything really big! And you absolutely can't fit three adults in one. Well, unless two of them are really, really close.

Reliability will almost certainly be better. But I don't have firsthand experience with an E30.

I live in california, and I couldnt find an E30 that wasnt too nasty to be a daily driver. I havent driven a miata, but if the lack of space isnt a problem that might be a better choice. I only drove one E30 (a 325es) and it was nice, but needed too much work for a $1500 car (nasty paint, stock on chrome on the bottom of the doors, sloppy shifter, cooling system didnt hold pressure, no maiintance records at all, etc).

P71 wrote: P71!

part of the holy triumverate my butt..

I'd say E30 for the OP

Look at pictures of each one. Check your pulse. Is it faster when looking at one over the other?

Now, close your eyes and imagine yourself driving a back road somewhere. Which car are you driving?

Sit in one. If you're not smiling in anticipation of turning the key before you start it up, it's the wrong car.

I DD an E30

shockingly large trunk space, very roomy for its size (im 6'2 and am fine)

parts can be a touch harder to get if in a hurry, but BMW quality is exceptional. (and bavauto and pelican parts are GREAT companies)

you will at some point have to hunt some kind of electrical problem, it is a trouble area with them, that said, its usually harmless annoying things (my experiences, "NO IM NOT OUT OF WASHER FLUID STOP TELLING ME I AM!", "I OPENED THE DAMN DOOR, WHY WONT THE LIGHTS COME ON?", "ROLL UP FASTER WINDOW!!", and a recent fav, "WHY WONT MY HORN WORK NOW!?!?!") its character, not crippling. (and its a satisfying tinker to fix most things of this nature)

do you do your own work? getting a mechanic for a miata is cheaper then for a E30 (they see BMW, they gouge and dont even ask about what a dealer charges!)

yes, I find myself chasing electrical gremlins in my 318ti.. right now the power locks do not work. Not a big problem, but I can't lock the hatch.