How reliable is an E30 325i compared to a Toyota Camry of the same age?

Is the Camery paid off? If so, then do not get rid of it. Buy an E30 that runs, but use it as a project car. A car thats not reliable enough to depend on for the moment. So if it does break hard, you still have a camery to lean on. Thats exactly what im doing now. I drive a 2000 mitsu galant as a daily driver, bought my E30 a few months ago, it now has a fuel leak that im traking down, so its dead in the driveway and is useless to me for now, but i still have a car to drive. IDK how insurance is in Australia but in the US, if ur car is paid off and you hold the title, you can forgo full coverage and switch to liability, which for my E30 is under $40 a mo. I dont have my lead foot anymore, so im not worried about wreaking it. There is no point in getting rid of a perfectly good running car that you own completly, only to replace it with an unknown. Keep the Camery, buy the E30 when ur ready, and slowly bring her back to her glory days.

Originally Posted by mysterious_7

Best advice on this thread so far!



While this is very true for a lot of cars but Japanese sports cars are still peaking even after a long life of thrashing and abuse! Here's my brother's old Skyline, it's a 1987 R32 Nissan Skyline GTR.. it's a 25 years old sports car and you can rev the hell out of it 24/7, never overheats or misfires and still does 0-100km/h in about 4.8-4.9s and it smoked a 135i off a traffic light before, it beat a 2009 6.0L V8 Commodore and a 2006 WRX STI while carrying four passengers! I don't care about covering the number plates in these photos coz he doesn't own it any more.. it got stolen from the driveway of his house about 4.30AM on his birthday.. And the night it got stolen it outran the police three times.. and one of them was a special unit undercover highway patrol police car.. those are heavily modified V8 Ford XR8..

The police found this car crashed in Queensland, about 2000 km (1250 miles) away from Melbourne where it got stolen!! It was used in a drug deal.. My bro got $29,000 back from the insurance and he bought a 1999 R34 Skyline GTR that I might take off him when he gets his Audi S4 next month But Jap sports cars although a lot of them are beasts, they still lack the presence, charm and built quality of European cars.. like BMWs, Mercs, AUDIs.. etc.

It'd be worth mentioning that this car never ever broke down.. not even once in the 4 years he owned and he thrashed like no tomorrow.. drifting, burnouts and dragging.. etc. it's almost as reliable as my Camry but with way better looks and performance!

I honestly have no idea how this fits in with your question? It just seems like you trying to make yourself sound better because your brother and his friends have better cars than you do and youre trying to make everyone here feel the same way. No one cares for your brothers GTR on a forum called "Bimmer Fest", go to Nissansilvia

All I have come to realise is that youre a spoilt, immature kid who wont appreciate the car you have, no matter what it is. You said in the last paragraph about the reliability of the Camry being so great, so if you knew that already why post a whole thread about it?
Its more of attention seeking than anything to me, "Look, I can buy whatever car I want because Im rich and money is no concern for me. But Ill ask if I should sell my Camry and buy and M3 anyway even though Im dead set on the idea and wont let anyone convince me otherwise"

Im a uni student too, Im looking to buy an E30 and I know it wont be as reliable as a Japanese car and especially a Jap family sedan, thats general knowledge for anyone who can tell the difference between a European sports car and a Japanese family car. But I want the car for the fact that it will be a hobby to fix and for the enjoyment and pride of owning such an awesome thing, not to say to my mates "Look how cool I am with this car"

Go buy your M3 if you want and dont complain when you crash it being a dick on the road

Originally Posted by _Ethrty-Andy_

then why not buy a skyline.

Yeah I am getting my brother's car for now. I'll keep it side by side with the Camry.

I took it for a drive today and took some photos.. this thing flies! it's a lot more decent than a Camry for now.. But I'll still have to own an E30 beemer one day







I've decided that I should delay owning a beemer till I am a bit older.. it should be worth the wait.. When I have a family I'll buy a nice luxurious sedan BMW for the family and sell the beasty Japanese toy or pass it on to my younger cousins..

Also I've noticed that you can't drive a Skyline when you're 35 or 40yo, you'll just look weird in it, so might as well take the opportunity and own one now when I am 21yo. But big classy BMWs are associated with older age and maturity... I'll keep it for later

I'd look 10-15 years older if I ever drove any of my parents cars..






Let's hope we shall all make it big time one day and cruise around in something like that




I'll delay owning a luxury car for now.. decision made! Thanks for everyone that helped.. It should be worth the wait

Originally Posted by _Ethrty-Andy_

im not quite sure where you get the fact that they dont have presence from,

They are starting to become very common here in Australia.. In 2005 when my brother had his first skyline, it felt like he's the only one in the world that had one.. Everyone used to stare at us when we drive past.. And school kids would gather around it and take photos of it, or try to have a peek inside through its tinted windows when he'd come pick me up from school.. They are quiet common these days but I still don't mind driving one as a transition state from a Camry to an M3

Originally Posted by _Ethrty-Andy_

when later on you say they look a lot better etc.any E30 you buy wont be half as fast as a skyline,

I meant it looks better than my Camry not an M3! And that's true even an E46 M3 won't beat a skyline in a straight line or around a track.. but sometimes you'll have to give up speed and settle for something a bit slower for the sake of luxury, uniqueness and a lot of other goodies.. for e.g. how often do you see a shiny very well kept E30 M3 in the streets?! Nearly never.. Now that's a head turner! I read the thread and saw photos of your project E30.. And I think it looks sick all black.. Nice job!

Originally Posted by _Ethrty-Andy_

and comparing them in any way is apples and pears. so your point abouy it is totally and 100% invalid.

How? Aren't both sports cars from the eighties? Both are 2 doors coupe.. And both used to cost around the same back then! And both were targeted at the same customers.. A customer who wants a fast car that he/she can take to the track on weekends.. I might be wrong, so enlighten me on this if you don't mind? coz I think they fall under the same category and they were both made in the same era and both come with 5 speed manual..

Originally Posted by _Ethrty-Andy_

Victoria cop cars arent heavily modified XR8s. they are run of the mill I6 cars with stiffer suspension and top shelf tyres. thats it. we have the very same factory produced models here in NZ.

You sound like you haven't been to Australia in a long time mate..

P.s. I wasn't talking about the day to day fleet cars, I said it got chased by the highway patrol, that's a special police force unit that drives modified V8 cars for excessive speed chases..

Here's a highway patrol 5.0L V8 Ford Falcon XR8.. 390hp and 520Nm (384 lb·ft) of torque.. (stock figures) It has the same engine block as the Mustang GT in the North American market, 0-100km/h (0-62mph) takes 5.0 seconds flat









And that's an undercover/unmarked police vehicle.. again a 5.0L V8 Ford Falcon XR8!







And that's another highway patrol 6.0L V8 Holden Commodore SS 360hp and 530Nm (391 lb·ft)




I don't know much about the police force in New Zealand, but from what you said they seem to be a lot far behind! Victoria police have been determined in the recent years to kill any sort of illegal street racing here...

Originally Posted by KingSpud

I honestly have no idea how this fits in with your question? It just seems like you trying to make yourself sound better because your brother and his friends have better cars than you do and youre trying to make everyone here feel the same way.

You clearly didn't read the earlier posts on this thread, I was replying to BmwMan92 regarding this part of his post

Originally Posted by BmwMan92

Yes it is considered a sports car but its still over 20 years old it won't perform like a new sports car just revving all day things will break.

I was sharing how from my experience I've seen a 25yo sports car been revved day and night and still surviving *Period* When did I say owning a Skyline is better than owning a BMW?! In fact I always criticize Skylines for their build quality in comparison to a BMW of the same age and I bag my brother about it too..

Originally Posted by KingSpud

No one cares for your brothers GTR on a forum called "Bimmer Fest", go to Nissansilvia

It's called skylinesaustralia.com and I just registered there today coz I'll be a Skyline owner in 3 days! Thank you!

Originally Posted by KingSpud

All I have come to realise is that youre a spoilt, immature kid who wont appreciate the car you have, no matter what it is.

Not sure where you got that from but it's ok, you can think whatever you like if it'll make you happy.. I don't care about what you think and I am sure no one else cares.. we are discussing cars here not life lessons..

Originally Posted by KingSpud

You said in the last paragraph about the reliability of the Camry being so great, so if you knew that already why post a whole thread about it?

Again you're not reading earlier posts, The main point of the thread was asking about the reliability of an E30 compared to a 20yo Camry.. Not discussing whether a Camry is reliable or not.. I know Camry(s) are reliable.. I don't know where on the thread did you read that I was asking about Camry(s) reliability

Originally Posted by KingSpud

Its more of attention seeking than anything to me, "Look, I can buy whatever car I want because Im rich and money is no concern for me. But Ill ask if I should sell my Camry and buy and M3 anyway even though Im dead set on the idea and wont let anyone convince me otherwise"

When did I say I am rich? I read my earlier posts and I failed to find where exactly did I say I can buy whatever car I want and that money is no concern..

Originally Posted by KingSpud

Im a uni student too, Im looking to buy an E30 and I know it wont be as reliable as a Japanese car and especially a Jap family sedan, thats general knowledge for anyone who can tell the difference between a European sports car and a Japanese family car.

Good luck finding a good condition one, they are pretty rare where you live..

I genuinely didn't know how reliable an E30 is, I've only been into two of them and never owned one, none of my friends or family friends own one.. I had some sort of idea that it's less reliable than Camry but I wanted to know by how much! And someone has already mentioned above that there's always something to fix on an E30..

Originally Posted by KingSpud

But I want the car for the fact that it will be a hobby to fix and for the enjoyment and pride of owning such an awesome thing, not to say to my mates "Look how cool I am with this car"

That's kinda of what I was looking for too but I'll delay my plans for now as I figured out I might be too busy at this stage to restore an E30 M3 and get it shiny back on road.. and for the records non of my mates are into cars..

Originally Posted by KingSpud

Go buy your M3 if you want and dont complain when you crash it being a dick on the road

I am struggling to find the point behind this sentence in relation to the topic.. In fact your whole post was pointless.. I couldn't extract one useful single advice, but thanks for sharing anyway..

Thanks for everyone that posted and helped, I've reached a conclusion and made a decision.. I started this thread wanting to sell a Camry and buy an E30 and ended up with keeping the Camry and getting my bro's Skyline.. that's just for now, I'll definitely be back here on the forums sooner or later with a BMW M3... I won't be checking this thread again any time soon but obviously you can still give advice or have a rant/criticize as much as you want!

cheers!

Originally Posted by mysterious_7

Mm, look at that fart cannon. Overall ugly car in my opinion

Lol in my opinion id

It sounds to me like you want to buy a BMW for the badge on the front, not for what they car actually is which is why the rest of us on this board have them.

given the option of an R34 Skyline and an E30 325i, i would take the skyline. one of the few jap cars i like.

We have pursuit cars that are the Holden SS, those are modifed. i thought you were talking about the normal cop cars. All our cops here in NZ are from the Holden stable, even the rural ones use Rodeos. The only ones that arent are the paddyvans which are VW Crafters.

I don't think that is a GT-R looks like a GTS hence the GTS badge. No offense but that is a terrible steering wheel! For that R32.

The only place that I am aware of that had 190 hp is South Africa. Other than that it is a stroked M20B25.

I am pretty sure E30s take less than 8 seconds to get to 60. Maybe age made it loose a couple of horses, so we are talking 130-140 hp now.

E30 M3 is very expensive currently. It's a legendary classic.

Have you actually sat in one? I think you've just been making presumptions all along. You've been calling it classy and luxurious. It's quite bare. Driving the Camry is way more comfortable. .

I think you did the right thing. Wait it out, spend quite a bit more money, get an E46 or something new. You seem to want luxury and prestige. You want more of that.

Oh dear.

Also, there are heaps of skylines an E46 M3 would smash around a track... Any non turbo skyline for instance would be slower than an E46 M3.


INB4TL

Originally Posted by mysterious_7

Yeah I am getting my brother's car for now. I'll keep it side by side with the Camry.

I took it for a drive today and took some photos.. this thing flies! it's a lot more decent than a Camry for now.. But I'll still have to own an E30 beemer one day







I've decided that I should delay owning a beemer till I am a bit older.. it should be worth the wait.. When I have a family I'll buy a nice luxurious sedan BMW for the family and sell the beasty Japanese toy or pass it on to my younger cousins..

Also I've noticed that you can't drive a Skyline when you're 35 or 40yo, you'll just look weird in it, so might as well take the opportunity and own one now when I am 21yo. But big classy BMWs are associated with older age and maturity... I'll keep it for later

I'd look 10-15 years older if I ever drove any of my parents cars..






Let's hope we shall all make it big time one day and cruise around in something like that




I'll delay owning a luxury car for now.. decision made! Thanks for everyone that helped.. It should be worth the wait



They are starting to become very common here in Australia.. In 2005 when my brother had his first skyline, it felt like he's the only one in the world that had one.. Everyone used to stare at us when we drive past.. And school kids would gather around it and take photos of it, or try to have a peek inside through its tinted windows when he'd come pick me up from school.. They are quiet common these days but I still don't mind driving one as a transition state from a Camry to an M3



I meant it looks better than my Camry not an M3! And that's true even an E46 M3 won't beat a skyline in a straight line or around a track.. but sometimes you'll have to give up speed and settle for something a bit slower for the sake of luxury, uniqueness and a lot of other goodies.. for e.g. how often do you see a shiny very well kept E30 M3 in the streets?! Nearly never.. Now that's a head turner! I read the thread and saw photos of your project E30.. And I think it looks sick all black.. Nice job!



How? Aren't both sports cars from the eighties? Both are 2 doors coupe.. And both used to cost around the same back then! And both were targeted at the same customers.. A customer who wants a fast car that he/she can take to the track on weekends.. I might be wrong, so enlighten me on this if you don't mind? coz I think they fall under the same category and they were both made in the same era and both come with 5 speed manual..



You sound like you haven't been to Australia in a long time mate..

P.s. I wasn't talking about the day to day fleet cars, I said it got chased by the highway patrol, that's a special police force unit that drives modified V8 cars for excessive speed chases..

Here's a highway patrol 5.0L V8 Ford Falcon XR8.. 390hp and 520Nm (384 lb·ft) of torque.. (stock figures) It has the same engine block as the Mustang GT in the North American market, 0-100km/h (0-62mph) takes 5.0 seconds flat









And that's an undercover/unmarked police vehicle.. again a 5.0L V8 Ford Falcon XR8!







And that's another highway patrol 6.0L V8 Holden Commodore SS 360hp and 530Nm (391 lb·ft)




I don't know much about the police force in New Zealand, but from what you said they seem to be a lot far behind! Victoria police have been determined in the recent years to kill any sort of illegal street racing here...



You clearly didn't read the earlier posts on this thread, I was replying to BmwMan92 regarding this part of his post

I was sharing how from my experience I've seen a 25yo sports car been revved day and night and still surviving *Period* When did I say owning a Skyline is better than owning a BMW?! In fact I always criticize Skylines for their build quality in comparison to a BMW of the same age and I bag my brother about it too..



It's called skylinesaustralia.com and I just registered there today coz I'll be a Skyline owner in 3 days! Thank you!



Not sure where you got that from but it's ok, you can think whatever you like if it'll make you happy.. I don't care about what you think and I am sure no one else cares.. we are discussing cars here not life lessons..



Again you're not reading earlier posts, The main point of the thread was asking about the reliability of an E30 compared to a 20yo Camry.. Not discussing whether a Camry is reliable or not.. I know Camry(s) are reliable.. I don't know where on the thread did you read that I was asking about Camry(s) reliability



When did I say I am rich? I read my earlier posts and I failed to find where exactly did I say I can buy whatever car I want and that money is no concern..



Good luck finding a good condition one, they are pretty rare where you live..

I genuinely didn't know how reliable an E30 is, I've only been into two of them and never owned one, none of my friends or family friends own one.. I had some sort of idea that it's less reliable than Camry but I wanted to know by how much! And someone has already mentioned above that there's always something to fix on an E30..



That's kinda of what I was looking for too but I'll delay my plans for now as I figured out I might be too busy at this stage to restore an E30 M3 and get it shiny back on road.. and for the records non of my mates are into cars..



I am struggling to find the point behind this sentence in relation to the topic.. In fact your whole post was pointless.. I couldn't extract one useful single advice, but thanks for sharing anyway..

Thanks for everyone that posted and helped, I've reached a conclusion and made a decision.. I started this thread wanting to sell a Camry and buy an E30 and ended up with keeping the Camry and getting my bro's Skyline.. that's just for now, I'll definitely be back here on the forums sooner or later with a BMW M3... I won't be checking this thread again any time soon but obviously you can still give advice or have a rant/criticize as much as you want!

cheers!

:j ack: