The BMW E30 is a coupe from the 1980s that I’ve been really interested in recently. However, since it is a coupe, I don’t really like how it does not suit my vibe. I was wondering if there’s a car similar to the E30, but with shorter tail, similar to muscle cars like the classic Mustang, or none of it, kinda like the Toyota AE86? I’d prefer to see one under BMW, but I am also okay with other brands, as long as they have the box-like body design, the circular lights and characteristic 80s vibe.
Not really. At least in the USA. The early impreza was another unique one, but they are junk in the USA unless you get one someone else has swapped a later STI motor into. The early ones only came with the most pedestrian motors.
You know the E30 came in an M3?
The E30 was kinda fun to drive but if you can’t get a manual transmission, don’t bother. They were also kinda a pain for a first car kind of experience. If you don’t know how to wrench on things at an advanced level, the E30 can be a pain because a lot of tasks are sensitive to the order of removal and removing things that are not always obvious. Repair parts are also pricey unless you have a local pull your own parts junk yard and are willing to work on them.
Oh, I am not going to buy them lol - at least with my current situation. I was curious about retro cars, so I’ve been getting to know them. Maybe I’d like to think of owning them in the future.
I know that many rich Parsis own collections of retro/vintage cars, and when their owners die, they’re left to rot in the streets of Mumbai, or sent to a nearby junkyards. So, in a way, those cars are basically free. My idea was to see that I could get low-maintenance electric conversion kits, and other third-party parts like A/C, or electric power window in the future.
I was able to track vintage cars by the rulers of princely statws, but retro cars? Couldn’t find anything - most probably because they never came to India during the time. And the Honda e was probably the closest to the BMW E30, although they’re not sold in India.
You will have access to and see many cars and types that I can not. The USA is very different in our car market and what is possible when it comes to modifications. I can’t say anything about what you’ve really got available to you.
You’re driving on the wrong side of the road. /s So maybe you have some variations on the Datsun 210 that might be interesting cars (Datsun = Nissan).
If you love the E30 but prefer a less removed form factor, there’s always the touring. Not really shorter but the length serves a purpose I suppose.
You might like the Golf 2/Scirocco 2 and the Audi Quattro
The later E36 318ti was a shorter hatchback version o the E36. I believe it also had the E30 rear suspension which some people like.
