BMW E30 318i or NA MX-5?
This is my first post but I've been lurking for a while now!

Updated: 29 Nov 2024

If anyone could help I’d really appreciate it. I’m in the market for my second car and I have narrowed it down to a 1988 BMW E30 318i and an NA body MX-5/Miata/Eunos. Does anyone have any experience with either and which one would be more fun as a stock daily? (Mods to come later) Thanks!

Comments

I’ve had my 316i E30 for almost a year now and i absolutely love it! Put a set of coilovers and the handling is perfect 👌

I’m seriously tempted haha, do you know how difficult the fuel pump is to get to? Found one for £1,500 but the fuel pump is knackered

This is a really good comparison. Both the E30 and the MX5 are an absolute joy to drive. A 1.6 MX5 light and agile, whereas the E30 is heavier but packs more of a punch. With everything taken into consideration, they’re pretty similar.

The E30 is fast becoming a design classic too. So if you can find a clean one, chances are you’ll start to see the value slowly creeping up.

Thanks for the reply, I’ve heard the mx5’s road handling is almost unmatched but my dad had an E30 back in the 90’s and he swears its still one of the best cars hes ever driven! As you can see, I’m pretty torn between the two

You cant go wrong with either of these. I’d say deciding factor is whether you need space and to carry more than two people in the car. Miata is quite hopeless in practicality.

Well its more just transport for me to get to work and then take it out in evenings and at weekends to just go and rip it about.

I’m such a huge fan of the old E30’s. If I could get my hands on a very clean one I would snag it in a heartbeat!

They really are something special aren’t they, easily my favourite BMW style! Thanks for the comment

mx5 for me, no bmw never again in my life the mpg is bad they are very expensive to repair and break alot if you rip them every day !!

What BMW did you have? Repairs will be the main issue for me as I only get paud about £700 a month…

Do you have another car? What do you want the car for? Do you plan on modding it?

1) Do you need 4 seats and luggage space? E30 318i. If not.. Mx5.

2) Do you plan on modding it? For about €5k you drop an M42b18, LSD and tune the M42 to about 160ishhp. For about €5k you turbo an MX5 to about 200hp (or you can drop a BP4W and tune it a bit to around 150-160hp). Suspension wise the prices are about the same, but i think you’ll have a lot more options on the mx5.

3) Parts wise: Both get special tax, the E30 tax and Mx5 tax. Both have parts very available, but not as cheap as you may think. Still, great second hand market for both platforms.

4) Does the 318i come with rear disk brakes or drums? if rear drums, factor in the conversion..

5) The Mx5 is more "zippy". It will feel faster than you think, but it’s still slow; the 318i is even slower and it will feel even more slower than it really is.

6) Do you plan on taking the top off? Well, one is a convertible the other isn’t.

What is your budget? If you’re thinking BMW, why don’t you look at used 318is E36? Cheap as hell, easy to tune the engine to have a bit more punch..

I bought an Mx5 and I use it as a daily.

So far its looking like an mx5 until I can get insured on a bigger engine such as a 6 cylinder. I’ll have about €6500 after tax and insurance for the car itself and any mods/repair work that needs to be done. The 318i is a later model with rear disks not drums. I guess the main points are that the 318i wont suffer from rust as much as the mx5 but as its a 4-pot instead of a 6 cylinder that it isn’t worth it. Is the E36 4 or 6 cylinder? Thanks for the comment

If you look for practicality get the bimmer, tho I do strongly advice to look for a 6cyl engine. Bimmer has better build quality and should be less rotten than the NA MX-5. Consider you also need a garage to store the NA if you live in an area with cold weather. Or you can choose the best of both worlds and get a CRX 3 with the B16A2, you get a hell a lot of car for chips money.