Mint 1988 BMW E30 M3 - One Take

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This 1988 BMW E30 M3 is an original, low-mileage example with tastful performance and cosmetic modifications; an excellent specimen for a review. But what makes this E30 so interesting is that the current owner inherited it when his father passed away, and so the experience of driving it in the canyons is a great way to connect with his father, now that he's gone.
Modifications:
Engine:
DTM style carbon fiber intake manifold
Alpha-N piggyback tune
Dinan chip
Eisenmann Race exhaust
Exterior:
Sport Evo undertray
Sport Evo style lip (CF)
Sport Evo style wing w/ gurney flap (CF)
Sport Evo style brake ducts
Euro front grille
Euro tow hook covers
Euro headlights "smileys"
Smoked turn signals
Suspension:
TC Kline rear shock mounts

[@travisio]

"Sucks about your dad but this car is siiiiick" "Yeah" - 75% of this video

[@spankyy101]

This guy obviously respects his father, car has been kept in perfect condition considering its mileage & frequent driving. Also he seems pretty shy but you can tell he really appreciates Matt's kind words. Nothing needs to be said for the M3, the car speaks for itself. Perfect One Take; Vehicle, backstory, dialogue & road. Well done Matt & Kevin.

[@garagers6667]

I don't think I can agree with you anymore than I do. Very well said

[@spankyy101]

Fantasma 115 thank you!

[@codyclark1782]

Poor guy, he almost seemed kind of depressed. Maybe because half the dialogue was about his dad

[@xogmaster]

yeah, could've done more to talk about the present rather than remind someone about a family member dying multiple times :(

[@spankyy101]

I think he just has more of a reserved nature. Matt can't remind him anymore than his beautiful vehicle already does, and in saying that, it is also the tool that best helps him preserve his connection with his father. Stories like these bring out the true depth of car ownership, and for that I am grateful

[@naufalkusumah2192]

This dude knows whats up, keeping the E30 clean and daily a Miata

[@kristenflores5527]

Kev (my brother) didn't tell me about this video until today! Thank you for taking the time to meet with him and talk with him about his baby, it was so fun to watch, and yes, my dad did have style with cars and motorcycles! =]

[@cade9571]

Kristen Lee really sorry for your loss. I’m glad your brother kept it nice. Your dad seemed like an awesome guy.

[@G-..-]

Thank you so much for keeping it stock.

[@onewhotech]

hahahahaha

[@Rossski]

nah, needs and ls motor

[@ryanmiddleton2431]

Touché

[@BChan1991]

Put a fat ass stereo and a neon green paintjob and a fast and furious bodykit and *STICKERS* and neon lights and airbags

[@pjt978]

B. Chan Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!! 😱😱😱

[@seanpetersen5553]

This is the definition of a perfect one take. Perfect car, perfect owner, perfect road. Well done 👍

[@iLupi]

Mint E30? instant like before watching

[@nohookshot9977]

Saw this pop up on my notifications and promptly decided the Asa Akira interracial dp gonzo bukkake facial can wait.

[@MarkCalica]

That Moist Tender Area Between My Nuts And Fartbox. ROFL

[@mack4608]

Lolololol!!! You're the winner of the internets for today, and the day just started!

[@hovnojede010101]

Nice username

[@ante4331]

SAVAGE!

[@tonyrocks951]

That Moist Tender Area Between My Nuts And Fartbox. Classic video

[@bbpleg]

God I would be nervous driving it, knowing that he inherited the car from his dad... Lovely car btw!

[@maxxjettfilms6322]

That intake!

[@esceda7800]

12 years and keeping this gem stock... a true bay area love story

[@VoloKinProject]

My first car was dad's red 318 E30. Well, not exactly an M3 but had a lot of fun in the winter time.

[@MrMakehi]

i have a 318is, its also very fun at winter time. Only 450 000km driven..still going strong, because bmw.

[@VoloKinProject]

+MrMakehi engine and gearbox are bulletproof on that thing.

[@JetCityHooligan]

I have a 318is as well. 210,000 miles still runs great.

[@Beer_Dad1975]

Most M40's aren't great for reliability - I think the M42 might be a bit better but pretty much every 318i I've come across has overheated and blown the head gasket at some stage - probably due to poor cooling system maintenance to be fair - but compare to most Honda or Toyota 1.8 litres that'll overheat again and again with zero issues once you fix the cooling system, it's pretty weak.

[@niggaplz80]

Got a 91' 318is when i sold my E92 335i and weirdly like driving the E30 more

[@chrisdooley6468]

I had the chance to buy one of these for a crazy low price in the early 90's and bought a newer 325i instead. What a mistake😩

[@iphone202020220]

No "Ragrets"

[@theways1234]

kanervatie Cmon

[@Thibault_95]

Shitty you messed up.

[@NN-wd2vi]

Chris Dooley nah. You got the car with better sound and cheaper to own. Anyone wants to own nya vintage car that increase in value. Doesnt mean you`ll enjoy it

[@anonimo120797]

325 sounds better, and you upgrade it

[@xXAcrobatixX]

This kid must've had a badass father.

[@kristenflores5527]

Simple Skyline he was the best. =]

[@JL-dz8sj]

I dream of an opportunity to drive an e30 M3. This would truly be the most pure ultimate driving machine experience.

[@ChaosphereIX]

keep dreaming, or perhaps contact your local BMW club. Owners love to take people out for spins to share the love of their cars. I got to take a spin in an M3 because of that: our local Italian car club got a joint track day with the BMW and Volvo guys...we all drove each other's cars. Was a great time.

[@360chrisflip]

you'll need deep pockets man, where I'm from people won't sell them and they rise in price. to get one now, it cost you about 60,000

[@TWIRKNOLOVE]

You'll be underwhelmed unless they allow you to take it to a windy road. It's a bit of a dog in the low RPM's like an s2000, but other wise fun.

[@SubaruWRXspdManual]

Jesse L hard to do man. They're so rare.

[@JL-dz8sj]

Bimmer fanatics want to drive every great BMW, I have never had the opportunity to drive that particular car though. We have an amazing e39 M5 in the family which proves to be an amazing car providing an amazing driving experience for anyone who loves cars. The e30 is the same way but they blew up in value so it’s hard do. Anyway, the e30 is on my list and no its not the only car I dream of driving. I really would like to drive an 850CI (I think that’s right, the dual ECU V12), Z8, (likely not gonna happen) M1. There’s many many cars I want to drive but the e30 is an icon and it will only get harder to share the experience of that car

[@thedownshiftchannel]

This is serious car goals!

[@iphone202020220]

Dude this car is cool but it's not all that, Check out the video of this channel called "VFR800 powered, rwd 1972 Honda n600. That's one of the serious car goals. It's a motorcycle engine in a light body. Edit: Don't get me wrong, This was one of my favorite child hood cars, I appreciate that it's still this clean and rather mostly stock.

[@thedownshiftchannel]

Viewing yes I recall that it was an interesting build! Not really something I would compare directly with a production car but really cool in a different way.

[@roachm]

Don't normally respond to KZbin comments but buying one of these cars to drive is actually an awful idea. Yeah, they're nice, but when they say "expensive" they're not really explaining it correctly. The prices on E30 M3s in good condition are ASTRONOMICAL. Insanely bad investment if you're planning on driving it a lot. You're better off buying a non-M E30 and upgrading it to your taste/needs if you really wanna drive em. The beauty of these cars is in the chassis, full stop.

[@RtdXyron]

Why would you want an ugly brick?

[@eeterp32]

cool car but, soooo many better options for the current market price.

[@takl23]

I’m just here to see the turning radius

[@emansayed2454]

Are you can a driveng?

[@philp7012]

This is why I love cars. He gets to feel the exact same feeling his dad did when he drove it. Beautiful.

[@lasherrathompson5281]

Beatiful e30. When m cars were true light, agile, fun to drive cars. Very clean version.

[@Aarontlondon]

My Dad had this when I was a kid. It was my first memory of being in love with a car

[@ryanmiddleton2431]

Lovely car bud! What a wonderful thing to inherit. I'm sure the car always reminds you of your Dad, and I'm sure he will be so glad that you are enjoying the car as much as he did. Well done for looking after it and keeping it stock!

[@dannyjr7997]

With a Turbo this car would sound like an Evo imo. Much respect to this young man.

[@stuna101a]

That Carbon Fiber air intake is a work of art.....BMW has some stunning Carbon Fiber bolt on pieces for their engines.

[@TedwardDrives]

"you would be shocked to learn" *giggle*

[@hooves17]

Probably one of the longest I’ve watched a one take in a long time, sweet car and great owner. This is some good stuff.

[@aeonsmusic]

You did your dad and all of us a huge honor by preserving this car and driving down to share it on the channel - thank you! He would be super proud.

[@MrHarryc727]

This Vid warmed my Heart this is why I keep coming back......Two Men accepting life its Ups and Downs.......I almost felt like I new you

[@nx_Exe]

Cheers to this dood for taking care of this m3, obviously the sentimental value will always be higher than resale value. I wish you nothing but fun weekends with it.

[@DDMSteveB]

A great car turned priceless with a wonderful back story. Bravo to the owner in maintaining it. Truly shows respect for his dad in how he has kept it up for so long. Loved the video!

[@bloo.]

Its a shame N/A 4 cylinders don’t sound this amazing anymore

[@ChaosphereIX]

So nice to see a well sorted and clean car. Fantastic build well done sir. Keep it original and clean: BMW did a great job the first time, preserve that racing legacy. 90s touring car racing was where this got famous, and it was some of the best racing of all time. I personally fell in love with the Alfa Romeo 155 from the period, so I bought that, but the M3 was also really awesome.

[@Rentta]

Oh that was fantastic era of touring cars

[@boylefranks]

These videos make me appreciate my lightly modified E36 318is headache machine even more. After two years of ownership I'm just now starting to understand why people love these cars. Great video.

[@muzman777]

Very nice Matt. Very respectful. In the past you would have slammed it for being slow and underpowered, but these days Matt is much more appreciative of his viewers. NIce.

[@DSP1337]

Wow, this is such an awesome car and a really down to earth owner. Appreciate it, great one take, Matt!

[@chamade166]

If only every car was as perfect as an E30 M3, the world would be a perfecter place

[@jamesmcclendon3932]

Wow! Bring back my days in the Army when I was stationed in Nuernburgh, Germany back in 1988! When I first saw the car, I knew it was special!

[@marcodm]

Exactly what he said. My 88 hennarot is priceless to me. Have it for 13yrs and now enjoying it with my 4 and 6yr old boys ☺.

[@stubbk3]

Just perfect.. Respect to a young man with a good head on his shoulders .. Must be a great car and a sad reminder at the same time.. Feel for him

[@YasumotoUS]

My god, that engine! I remember when these came out and when they were considered the value buy. Now I'm stoked that this young gentleman is able to continue both his family legacy and the automotive enjoyment. So glad that Matt brought up the OEM suspension refresh, too.

[@TWIRKNOLOVE]

Don't do coilovers. They require you to cut the strut housing, and the cost of E30 M3 strut housings are extremely high let alone the rarity of trying to find a pair used. New shocks and springs would do wonders already. Good luck!

[@85corolla]

ABBI NOLOVE e30 m3 strut housings are available again at your local BMW dealers. So no worries.

[@TWIRKNOLOVE]

Good to know. Probably cost more than my e30, hah :^)

[@kickazzz2000]

This is the best one take of em all. What a story, what a car!

[@jolmeaki]

Still my favorite BMW ever.

[@sirradster4671]

There are six BMW I love from 80's e30 with straight six,E3o vert,850i, s14 all that shit was hot kzbin.info/www/bejne/o56ooZqkh6yNiqs

[@chrissorreda4982]

Absolutely lovely one-take. More power to you Matt and the owner!

[@MichaelRCarlson]

I remember when a friends dad brought one of these home brand new. I still love the looks of those 80's grills.

[@LowLevel157]

Very nice M3. Take care of it, I have loved mine since the day I got it 10 years ago.

[@danmurphy1994]

Dope car Kevin, thanks for sharing it with us!

[@POVShotgun]

Kevin: “my father left me this car when he passed” Matt: “this car is the jam, son” 9:09

[@gravit8ed]

I once had a friend whose father was a BMW tuner. She drove one of these - a built and tuned M from the same gen - and took a lot of anti-anxiety meds, especially when at the bar around people. I volunteered to DD specifically because I knew at some point she was going to get sleepy and need someone to drive her home...while she was O-U-T in the passenger seat. I may have (often) taken the longer route, with all the turns and none of the traffic. Let me tell you, on the right roads you won't have to break the speed limit too much to have a great time. Also, 30 seconds without MF talking are the best 39 seconds of the video. Let the car do that talking...

[@1SaG]

The E30 is probably my favourite M3... alongside the E90/92 with that incredible, high revving V8. Around 200 hp in a small-ish car was pretty serious power back in the day of the E30. A Golf Mk II GTI had 136hp (16V, non Cat) and a Porsche 911 G-model had 231 hp. Even the 964 "only" had 250 hp, so that M3 did sit pretty high up on the food chain.

[@Onedown5ups]

I'm jealous when I watch these videos. Not only for the sick rides but the roads are so dope. I live in west Texas where roads like that don't exist.

[@KTOWNK1D]

This guy's story is wonderful. I can only imagine what car I will leave behind either for my son or daughter, or grandson or granddaughter.

[@iphone3guru]

One of the best one takes yet!

[@Ethan-ut2lt]

Probably one of my favourite one takes, thanks a bunch matt👍🏼

[@Triquezz]

Repping San Jose with this beautiful piece of work, thank you.

[@kdub0988]

I gotta admit, I rolled my eyes at "carbon fiber intake" and then the under hood shot HOLY CRAP. that thing is beautiful.

[@davidhidalgo8465]

God dammit Matt waking me up in the middle of the night. Now I have to watch this One Take...

[@vanwiseman]

Matt, wind noise is never a problem in your videos, but you always worry about it! Totally understand, but your mic muff is doing its job. Great review, as always. Love the E30s!

[@mzondi1970]

At my age I'm not new to the e30 M3 been a fan since new and still am. Keep it in good order!

[@Braeserker]

Wow. Haven’t fully watched a one take in a while. This was definitely worth the time.

[@SubaruWRXspdManual]

Sad to hear he got this car when his dad passed, but what a sweet ride to inherit. Wow, so so clean. Looks stunning. I wouldn't change a thing.

[@mcspikesky]

Ah... this was really awesome. S14 on my B&Ws is heaven. Drive on, Sir!

[@lepetitnabot]

Great story, great guy, great car. This is why I come here. Thanks Matt.

[@DodgerBluetC]

Truly nice vehicle. There is no complaint with anything. Perfect

[@jo05dk]

Nothing but love for the car and the owner. This is one of the great ones

[@SubaruWRXspdManual]

What a great older M3. Tastefully modded. Nothing too crazy with it, which is what you want to keep the value up. I would be drooling to row through those gears.

[@carlitoway9120]

What a car love the e30 Love the body style and flare Must been a blast to drive this machine

[@hovnojede010101]

I was smiling the whole time watching the video.

[@joshisnot11]

This is one of the happiest rides I've ever seen on this channel ahaha. Beautiful car! In every way.

[@twhite5978]

Hands down my favorite care I have ever driven. Drove it band new when I worked at a dealership in the 90s .

[@sirradster4671]

OMG new ones 1988 EVO? 325i with manual was the shit back then nothing touched them except Mercedes or 911,944 cool as fruck. VW were junk if you drove BMW. GTI lol BMW guys rolled there eyes. Only thing as cool Supra turbo

[@MikeFigueira]

Fantastic car. He lives near me so maybe I'll be lucky enough to see it at a meet in the future. Great review Matt!!

[@ATX-js1to]

Just the look of this car is phenomenal

[@aubreyhinkson7683]

Love E30 M3 BMWs, beautiful sounds, intake and exhaust. Sad to hear it will be a garage queen.

[@willhoonforfood4463]

I came here for a one take, not to feel. Beautiful story. Beautiful car. Beautiful drive.

[@HTown729]

Respect for those 30 seconds of appreciation!

[@ivanhiliev]

nice one, maybe one of the best, very modest car, owner and comments from Matt!

[@NoHassle911]

A man with a taste! A daily miata and this as a garage queen. Absoluty amazing!

[@DamianSupra]

How the fuck did BMW go from this driving dynamics and design perfection to an M4, oh well at least the M2 is good.

[@bgtheo7891]

Iceman7 I agree

[@mr.butterworth4216]

Iceman7 - How’d BMW go from this to that? Chasing the trends and dodging the feds, along with everyone else.

[@butt5810]

such a nice owner.. i hope he really loves that car

[@ma-scalia8629]

Oh my god, another e30 video! Thank you, I love these things. I want an m3 but I love my 325ix!

[@andrewg.6279]

There better be a One Bake video for that gnocchi!

[@yerdone4]

It'd be a Two Bake video if i were him ;)

[@amessagefromthepatriots]

The sound of that thing is absolutely insane.

[@corruptor911]

Matt really seems to have fun in all these e30s, great vid

[@VirusTornado]

Dude those 20 seconds of silence were beautiful. 10/10 one take.

[@kfitz77555]

Thanks for the video you two. Very humbling.

[@mathieusb508]

My favorite BMW with the bmw 2002 tii turbo ! and the Air intake carbon and the exhaust it's just Heaven

[@Kinuhbud]

I'm sure this guy's teenage years were rough. Good on him for staying disciplined with this car. I'm not sure what I would have done with a car like this as a teen without a father.

[@TheEuroCarShow]

An original classic M3 is always a good ideea! #KeepThemStock

Awesome car. That thing is a collector's piece

[@Mazotheman]

Amazing car with a great story behind it. That thing is worth ALOT!

[@peacems]

Thanks for sharing with the rest of the world Kevin. I remember in college ('88) a chick in our dorm had a red one. I was so jealous... she had no idea what daddy bought her!

[@johnmoreno3054]

much love to this car and kevin.

[@Contractnik]

Skip Barber racing school at Lime Rock used to use these for training. Sick.

[@ttroygotknife]

The pinnacle of Inline 4's, good revs, 200 hp.

[@SeemsLegal]

This car is an absolute icon. It reminds me of the good old 90s

[@tmh44]

Best one take ever--the car and road seemed to be a perfect match...zen moment!

[@FlyinGato]

looks really good! Reminds me of the 1989 325IS I used to own, still miss that car.

[@BMWE90HQ]

A beautiful car! Super clean! Great sound can’t believe a 4 banger sounds so good!

[@DiZZoLabs]

That m3 is priceless 👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸

[@eezeegeezaa]

The Best shed ever built

[@eezeegeezaa]

Gabbiadini always is the case, European car - Euro spec always better. There is no 321HP s52. The european M motor is the s50, and is not really comparable to the S52 (which is a bored-over M52 with slightly higher compression). There are two different Getrag 265 five-speed manual gearboxes were used in the E30 M3; a close-ratio version with a direct top gear and a “dogleg” shift pattern for European-spec cars, and an overdrive unit (shared with the E30 325i) with a standard “H” pattern for North America and Japan. The ratios are as follows: European market: 3.72 (1), 2.40 (2), 1.77 (3), 1.26 (4), 1.00 (5) North American + Japanese markets: 3.83 (1), 2.20 (2), 1.40 (3), 1.00 (4), 0.81 (5) E30 M3s equipped with the overdrive gearbox have a shorter 4.10:1 final drive (versus 3.25:1) to help offset the taller ratios. Both gearboxes are mated to limited slip rear differentials with a maximum locking of 25 percent. In europe, there were two versions of the regular M3 released (actually three. Very early with no cats(200hp), with cats @ 192hp, and with cats at 215hp (late build, after sept 89. You can also just use a late build ECU, the hardware is the same). Personally, the only difference in euro vs US spec is the dogleg trans. Unless you're racing or really need first gear down to brag to others, i'd get whichever makes more financial sense. If you want to spend the money, you can get an Evo II or III (238HP), which have some cool additional features, and are much more collectible. Engine spec (other than EVO III) is really more or less the same and you can get similar power out out of it. The s14 is a race motor, and requires maintenance. Its also at least 30 years old. I'd buy one with a recent, documented overhaul or be prepared to do one yourself. MC321, i dont really know what you're getting at with the Z3M. Unless you're talking about the early version (s50b32 euro vs s52b32 US), they are almost entirely identical. Both use the s54 with the exact same specs, NA makes 316hp (with catalytics), european makes 325 (without cats). This is the same as the e46 m3 making 333 with cats and 343 without. A software flash and a sawzall will easily recover this power if clean exhaust doesn't matter to the owner. If you can get either one, jump on it

[@eezeegeezaa]

Chev Chelios what us brits called it back in the day due to its aerodynamic friendly lines

[@eezeegeezaa]

Chev Chelios late 30's here + must be a black country thing perhaps

[@eezeegeezaa]

Gabbiadini if you get the opportunity don't let it pass either US or Euro

[@eezeegeezaa]

Chev Chelios haha, mums the word my son. yer as old as you feel! damn getting old using cheesy cliches

[@GethinJames]

What a Gem! Keep it for ever and pass it to your son! Very cool!!

[@scottm4267]

Great episode, Thank you Matt & Kevin. BTW, currently have a GT4 and whenever I drive that car it reminds me of the E30 M3 I test drove (but didn't buy :( ) years ago. Wonderful car..Drive long & prosper!