E30 M3's- DD

[vinuneuro]

I'm contemplating selling the Prelude at the end of this year, or next summer. Few different options: replace with 97-98 Integra Type R or 2000-2001 S4, or keep the lude and get a bike.

Or get an E30 M3. There is so much stigma around that car, that it is insanely horrible to own and maintain. Is it that unreliable, or are parts that insanely expensive? I looked through some parts catalogs, and some parts seem even cheaper than Honda parts while others are ridiculous. The valvetrain, pistons and some body parts are criminally expensive. At the end of the day, these are mechanincal parts that don't randomly fail when maintained properly as a whole.

I'd appreciate any insight regarding daily driving this car. It's within my budget (10-15k) and is one of the cars I revere tremendously (much much more than the E36 and E46).

It's funny that the E30 M3 is just as in-expensive as the E36 model.

[SANguru]

for the e30 M3, you are talking about a very 16-18 year OLD car. Don't get me wrong, it drives incredible BUT, as you age, more and more things tend to break. Just because parts in a catalog does not mean that they are available. IMO, it's going to be very expensive to maintain. I would talk to PersonaNonGrata as he has had one.

as for the 01 S4's fairly bulletproof cars. Depending on how hard it's driven, there will be drivetrain wear. Turbo's and bypass valves will break a lot and they do get pricey if you're not cooled down properly. Maintenance is also pricey for an out of warranty which is the case for a lot of them. Also window regulators suck on that thing. They break more than the X5's.


Forget the type R. POS...
my question: how many miles do you drive a year. Have you considered leasing a new car. 10-15K is a pretty bad budget and are you ready for a maintenance bill? Why throw cash away???

Originally Posted by vinuneuro

I'm contemplating selling the Prelude at the end of this year, or next summer. Few different options: replace with 97-98 Integra Type R or 2000-2001 S4, or keep the lude and get a bike.

Or get an E30 M3. There is so much stigma around that car, that it is insanely horrible to own and maintain. Is it that unreliable, or are parts that insanely expensive? I looked through some parts catalogs, and some parts seem even cheaper than Honda parts while others are ridiculous. The valvetrain, pistons and some body parts are criminally expensive. At the end of the day, these are mechanincal parts that don't randomly fail when maintained properly as a whole.

I'd appreciate any insight regarding daily driving this car. It's within my budget (10-15k) and is one of the cars I revere tremendously (much much more than the E36 and E46).

It's funny that the E30 M3 is just as in-expensive as the E36 model.

[vinuneuro]

Good info. Thanks.

Why is 10-15k a bad budget? That's what these cars cost. I'm in school and don't need a vehicle that's anything more. Paying cash for whatever this will be, and it's not like I'm blowing my all the savings on the car. Maintenance isn't a biggie as long as it isn't ridiculous.

Maintenance in terms doesn't matter since I've been able to do everything with relative ease with the right tools. More interested in what parts cost.

Don't plan on spending more than 15-20k cash on a car before I own the roof over my head. Renting in most cases is for losers.

There's nothing worth leasing, and that is throwing money away. All the new Honda's suck. I don't want to drive a new BMW at this age, or deal with the payments. In the end, insurance will be a factor to reckon with as well.

Originally Posted by SANguru

for the e30 M3, you are talking about a very 16-18 year OLD car. Don't get me wrong, it drives incredible BUT, as you age, more and more things tend to break. Just because parts in a catalog does not mean that they are available. IMO, it's going to be very expensive to maintain. I would talk to PersonaNonGrata as he has had one.

as for the 01 S4's fairly bulletproof cars. Depending on how hard it's driven, there will be drivetrain wear. Turbo's and bypass valves will break a lot and they do get pricey if you're not cooled down properly. Maintenance is also pricey for an out of warranty which is the case for a lot of them. Also window regulators suck on that thing. They break more than the X5's.


Forget the type R. POS...
my question: how many miles do you drive a year. Have you considered leasing a new car. 10-15K is a pretty bad budget and are you ready for a maintenance bill? Why throw cash away???

[SANguru]

you have a lot to learn grasshopper. There are cases where it will be beneficial for you to lease. Cars are depreciating assets by nature. Doesn't matter if it's used or not. Why not share that depreciation with somebody else and possibly come out on top if you have a good money factor and decent residual. It's all simple math and you're not doing it... I suggest you open your eyes especially if you are considering dumping a sizeable amount of cash on transportation. So let me guess, you're willing dump 15K cash on the spot rather than making $300 a months. Tell me how many months is it going to take you to get to $15K? oh btw, do you plan to keep the car over 3 years??? chances are no... in that case, you just dumped a bunch of cash and will lose it when you resell it... BTW, buying used car = paying taxes on the entire amount up front. Leasing, you pay the tax on the lease pmt per month.

[vinuneuro]

I realize all of that. You're assuming I'm going to find a new car that I think is worth leasing and driving (and I can afford), and then that the lease will work out such that the depreciation will be greater than what i would have paid over the course of the lease. Plus, how much do you think an E30 M3 or an ITR is going to depreciate? The market value for a clean 97 ITR is ~$15k, and that's not getting any lower. Similar situation with the M3.

The only advantage I see with leasing most of the time is the broken-up tax benefit. Cars depreciate less as they get older, esp these. If I sell down the road, I'll get a good chunk of the money back. Can't same the same at the end of the lease.

Not being arrogant, just rationalizing things from a different angle.

[SANguru]

you're assuming that somebody's going to want the car after you're done with it. The car's value is what somebody if anybody is willing to buy it at a certain price. Doesn't always work that way especially with something 10 or 20 years old... type r ain't no classic.. and did I mention it's slow...

why not pay a little more and find a used STI or Evo?

Originally Posted by vinuneuro

I realize all of that. You're assuming I'm going to find a new car that I think is worth leasing and driving (and I can afford), and then that the lease will work out such that the depreciation will be greater than what i would have paid over the course of the lease. Plus, how much do you think an E30 M3 or an ITR is going to depreciate? The market value for a clean 97 ITR is ~$15k, and that's not getting any lower. Similar situation with the M3.

The only advantage I see with leasing most of the time is the broken-up tax benefit. Cars depreciate less as they get older, esp these. If I sell down the road, I'll get a good chunk of the money back. Can't same the same at the end of the lease.

Not being arrogant, just rationalizing things from a different angle.

[LeMansX5]

I used to have a Honda which I did not lease. I owned for 5 years and it ended up costing more than lease. Sometime lease does make sense.

[rickp]

I have to agree with others... Lease and invest the rest of the money (or pay off bills). Hell, try swapalease.com or leasetrader.com and get a "new" car every year.

[iop9000]

good luck finding an ITR!

[Wagner]

You can lease the new 3er for under 300/mth. just throwing that out there.