Which Classic Car Gets On Your Nerves?

I was on the market for an old BMWans while most people won’t get it my heart was set on an E21. Luckily for me a pointed me on the right direction and bought myself a 323i E21. Not nearly as loved or praised as the E30 but it just does it for me.

Toyota supra.

A rather amusing irony about the M3 is the (true) urban legend of how when new a lot of yuppies in the UK sold their E30 325i Sports to buy E30 M3’s, hated the M3’s and sold them pretty sharpish so they could buy E30 325i Sports again

I have a 1st gen MX5/Miata but you will never hear me say that it’s the best car in the world.
I just happen to like Japanese cars, and an MX5 is just the most affordable almost-classic that you can buy with a student’s budget.

The classics that get on my nerves way too much are Mercedes from ’70s – ’90s. They are mostly in horrible condition and not properly taken care of, and worst of all, diesels.

I owned a 1991 M3 and absolutely loved it but the car was only fun when you were flogging it pretty hard and keeping it high in the rev band while making the tires squirm around the pavement on corners. I sold it and got an E46 ZHP convertible 6MT, which was much easier to drive fast (deceptively easier as in, I had no idea I was doing 100MPH officer), though obviously heavier than the E30 it is 90% of the giggles at speed with 200% of the comfort and just a way better overall car. I loved the E30s appreciation though as I was able to own a car for over 3 years, put $5000+ in work on making it right, and then sell it for $8000 more than I paid for it essentially giving me 3 years of free driving after gas, insurance, tires, maintenance and more. I now own an 2002 M5 which is even heavier than the ZHP and I swear that v8 must be inside of Pandora’s box as it begs to be opened up in a way that will probably cost me a lot of money in legal defense of speeding tickets but it lacks the nimbleness of the ZHP which I aiken to Goldilocks. My cars are mirroring my body as I get older & fater but at least they are not getting slower 🙂

I consider myself a car enthusiast. The first car I bought with my own money was an e30 325i. I started learning more about the brand and the model line after the purchase, as well as more and more about cars in general. I bought an ’80s F Body, then an AWD e30, then my first new car, a ’97 GTP, as it one of the few supercharged vehicles available new at the time. And then an e30 M3 ‘fell into my lap’ when I was looking to replace the GTP. I had loved my two prior e30s and felt like it was the right thing to do. It was, I still have the car, but very quickly realized it wasn’t a great daily driver. WONDERFUL car, sure, but just a little too close to a race car for every day use (including factoring in possible moving violations that would be acquired as well). I know that it is not the best performing car out there, zero delusions about that. But it is something special that does most ‘driving things’ very well. I think I’m not one of the typical fan-boys though that only sees the car as that ‘dream’, although I’m still smitten with it. I’ve had other German sport sedans, muscle cars, and daily driver econo-boxes, but will be hard pressed to give up my e30 M3. When driven where it performs best (ie high rpms in turns), it is sheer driving pleasure. Can you get more pleasure out of other cars that cost less money now? Sure. And they are plenty nice too. And that is why I have several cars. But I guess I got lucky and bought in before prices climbed to where they are now. And I still see my car as a driving machine vs a classic car investment or something that needs to be just looked at as a show piece. It was a car that came out when I was getting my license, and much nicer all around package than the Fox Bodies (crap Ford interior from the ’80s) or Grand National (crap GM interior from the ’80s). I still want a GN at some point, have tossed around the idea too of a Fox (maybe a SVO? 🙂 ). But again, this makes it sound like I’m NOT the type of person that you take offense to Andrew as I do know there are other cars out there, plenty of them, and I like a LOT of them. I just also happen to like the e30 M3, own one, and enjoy revving it to 7800rpm any chance I get with the windows down and the exhaust singing to me.

I owned 6 911 among 12 Porsches in total …(I know) the front engines or transaxles as well as mid eng. 914 were superior in most respect. Older 911 are nice but way overrated & dare I say priced !

@Derelict

I tried to give two honest reviews of the 911’s I owned on Jalopnik, the 997 died due to IMS and the 71 constantly had issues. I also think I could hear it rust at night if I were real quiet. Because they weren’t glowing reviews I had people threatening me, calling me a liar, telling me I am the scum of the earth. Months after the posts I still get people responding aggressively.

It’s really crazy what happens to people when you say Porsche

Any car made in Germany.

The Skyline, every american muscle car ever, especially the Mustang. Every time someone talks about an air cooled Porsche I want sic a rabid dog on their genitals.

1. American muscle (try doing something really outrageous, like turning, or stopping)
2. 911 (how is a modified VW they made 800,000 of worth $150,000?)
3. Any other Porsche dragged up in value by the ludicrous 911 bubble (I’m looking at you, $40,000 914….)
4. Anything Japanese made after the 240Z (cough…Skyline…rivaling the Camry for Most Boring Looking Fanboy Car Ever)

Yeah, hear ya. I’m a Bimmerphile and my good friend here in NJ started SIGFEST[.com] 15 or so years ago when he bought his immaculate low mileage E30 M3 [for $9000]. So I’ve been there to a few shows with him and the 60+ other snobby e30 m3 owners. The things that make me cringe though, are the kids that forget the past, with their Subaru STi’s that never see dirt, but end up with a fart can and sitting on the ground loaded with stickers on the windows. My STI-owning coworker said to me today, “Fiat has a car that looks like the Mistake coming out”…..mum, you mean the 124 which was out back when your mom was not sure which man she wanted to give you that guido gene of yours? The original that was out decades before the Miata was a thing?

I don’t think there any classics that annoy me, just the ignorant kids and their stupid trends and glorification of the almighty turbo and 500-JB4/Cobb crap.

And I’m 28. I’ve always been a bit of an old man. Nothing new satisfies. Cable throttles, carburetors, naturally aspirated M30’s, hoods that open inconvenient ways and heat that smells like waffles. Mmm.

‘modern’:

I’m a sucker for the E30 M3, but I would rather have one with a 24V. The S14 belongs in the E10/2002 chassis.

I know it isn’t a classic, but the Carrera GT. Everything about it is ugly and annoying and it’s so difficult and expensive it holds absolutely no appeal to me at all.

Audi Quattro;
It just seems to me like the ‘I don’t know anything about rallying but I’ll pretend to’ crowd LOVE this car.

People claim that it DOMINATED the WRC for years on end. When in reality It won one WRC manufacturers championship and one WRC drivers championship, the same as the much overlooked, two wheel drive, Lancia 037. However, the 037 handed the Quattro it’s manu. championship due to a gearbox failure – Yes finishing a race is of course part of it, I know.

So, basically, the car irks me because of the people that endlessly drone on about them… It also wasn’t the first 4 wheel drive car either, another thing that I have to hear…

Sam

No doubt the e30 M3 has become an iconic model of BMW and I’m pround to have one in my garage (had 3 in total at some point), It has, like pretty much any 80’s and some 90’s sport cars, an analogue feel but the way ti drive the M3 is special.

I’m fortunate enough to have also a Skyline R33 GTR and two 993’s (Carrera and Turbo) although, these two last cars (R33/993) are cars developed in the 90’s which has better electronics, stiffer chasis which improve the handling overall and it wouldn’t be a fair comparison against the e30 M3, I must say the M3 that lacks of the rigidity of the chasis of these two cars of the 90’s, still has an amazing handling, very planted and timeless design…boxed is GOLD!

Porsche 911. Yawn, yawn, yawn. There is nothing left to be said on these things.