There Are No Substitutes for a BMW E30 M3
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- There are no substitutes for an E30 M3, and for Gabor Mester, no ordinary M3 would cut it. Gabor had his heart set on the specific M3 that started him down the path of BMW: a car that belonged to the parents of a childhood friend. Walking through his friend's garage one day and spotting this M3 instantly turned teenage Gabor into a car guy, who from that day forward took every possible opportunity to see and even wash the car. The dream of owning those '80s flares, boxy lines, and a screaming S14 came true after many years (and a bit of convincing) when the car was ready to be handed to the next generation of E30 appreciators. Now Gabor's E30 M3 love affair has been raging for seven years with no signs of stopping.
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"I didn't want any e30 M3. I wanted this one." And that folks, is what being a car guy is all about.
James Texeira ha ha thats very true 👍🏻
No being a car guy is about making the car your own he could buy any other e30 M3 but he is not a car guy so he doesnt get it This car had no sentimental value what he got to wash it
@jtex1013 yes!
This story just touched me, i remember the first time i saw my friends dads imported BMW E30 333i and i love it. I would talk to my friend and convince his dad to drive us down to the local shops to buy candy but all i wanted to do was sit in the back seat and hear the rumble of that big 3.2l straight six. When i got older my friends dad handed the car down to him and all it did was sit in a shed and gain rust. I was soo saddened, that i had to purchase the car and promise myself i would restore it back to its original running order and appearance when i first stepped in it as a kid. A year after acquiring the car i'm still working on it, i'm not the richest person in the world but i promised myself i would finish it and well every nut and bolt brings me closer to the way i remember that car. I understand this mans passion, just wish my girlfriend could understand mine haha
lowrider649 good luck with the restoration :)
+lowrider649 The 333i is a South African car, she's really a beaut. All the best with that. Please restore her and make a vid of her running one Day. :'(
+lowrider649 How's it going with the restoration? You are extremely lucky to have an E30 333i! As a fellow South African, you will know the 325is. I was looking for either a 333i or 325is, but as you know, the 333i is even more scarce! After searching for over a year, I was so pleased to find a virtually mint condition 325is which goes like a rocket and turns heads like no other car I've had and that includes two Porsches and an E36 M3. : ) All the best!
As long as she’s your girlfriend...there’s still a chance...but if she becomes your wife, before you finish the car...you’ll need every bit of luck and prayers to keep them both!
respects man
This guy deserves this M3.
One of the most beautiful sounds from a 4 cylinder engine.
William M And in what part of my comment i said it doesn't have a v-tec?
+William M What v-tec, that's not a Honda...
William M Yeah, what a fun. The problem is that many people read the comment sections of the videos and somebody really interested in cars can get a wrong information.
+Towel1e Lancia Fulvia V4
galerio995 lool it has an inline 4 not v4
so much better than twilight. Now this a true love story.
Joe Ziadan This is Love at first sight.
HAHA
Stories like this is the reason I love this channel.
Absolutely
Having bought my M3 new in 1988, I love the car still. I cannot understand the people who sold this guy the car. He said they were in their 50's and didn't want to drive a stick anymore, yet he said they were real car people... Well, I'm 65 and cannot imagine driving an automatic of any sort.
I loaned my car to a young guy like him who worked for us as a lawn guy maybe 15 years ago. Told him to be careful and he totaled it. Bought an identical car and have never let anyone else drive it. Prefer it day to day to my 512TR, ZR1, Rx7, and BMW 850.
Maybe my favorite car ever and will be running it hard when I die.
I remember the first time I saw and heard and felt an M3.
I was a little kid, and my grandma was working in Germany and after a couple of years she came back home.
With a red E30 M3.
I was in love with the car, everytime I saw my grandma I would ask her to give me a ride in it.
When I turned 18, she gave it to me, and I'm ashamed to admit it, but it was neglected.
This video might be the push I needed to make it run again.
***** Your grandma must be cool
***** You fix that M3 and make it howl again and do your grandma proud !
+Eggly Bagelface fix that M3 my good sir
I was thinking about a restomod.
Yes or no?
+Eggly Bagelface Im more of a "NUR ORIGINAL IST LEGAL" guy :D Except little engine modifications..
I love how you guys capture the essence of each vehicle... from the owner to the induction noises, road noises. This channel makes me proud to be a car enthusiast.
Cheers to BMW for making a 4 cylinder sound fantastic!
+unlitdarkness6 Everyone despises the 4-cylinder, minus the M3
I love my 318is
The 4 cylinder in this particular car sounds amazing. This is probably my favorite BMW grill as well haha.
the 4 cilinder in the audi quattro s1 sounds much much better the legend of the group b
its a -+ 800 hp 4 clinder engine madness on wheels
Quatro S1 is a 5 cylinder engine... Real car nut huh?
You're an inspiration, man. This is how I first fell in love with the e30.. then the e46.. Some call it a car problem. I call it my way of life. BMW forever.
Same here, so true!
My neighbor had a new E92 M3 that was grey with red interior when I was about 10. Up until that point, I had never thought twice about cars, but every time he used to start it up in the driveway, it was so loud and I would look out my window and watch him as he drove down the street. Sometimes walking home from school, I would just stop in front of his driveway and stare at it. It wasn't a manual, and I never even got a ride in it, but it was the first car that ever made me feel something. Similarly to the guy in the video, it was an M3 that sparked my passion and turned me into the car enthusiast that I am today.
I will never love anything / nothing will ever love me as much as this man loves his M3.
That was just an pricelesss Comment!!
I love my White E30 but that guys just put it in perspective.
manucul28 haha oh yeah?
manucul28 Aw yis
same
Another amazing video. That sound is glorious. I've only driven an E30 318 once and I was blown away by how much fun it was to drive.
The thing I love about bmw`s is the passion and the history behind each models :) I remember when i was about 7 years old, when my dad come from work me and my brother used to run down to the road and he used to let us wheel the e28 to the garage, he was in the control of the gas pedal and the brakes :) i just love the e28 and e34, e30 is a lovely car to :)
This guy reminded me of love at first sight. He saw the girl of his dreams finally single and he just didn't know how to approach her hahaha...Great videos guys!! Subscribed!!!
It's not just a great car, it's an icon of engineering perfection. That's one very lucky guy.
A great story of the first time in one's young life when he is exposed the the passion of the ///M.
I had a similar experience.. It was my cousin who had an E30 which exposed me to the BMW world (in my early teens), then a few years later a neighbor of mine purchased a brand new E36 M3. I knew instantly what he had in his garage and we had many good times talking and sharing our interest and knowledge about the ///Machine.
Up to moving to the US in 95, I had only seen the E30 M3 in DTM back in the day. I was going to work one day and there it was, the real thing, seeing one for the first time its hard to forget, the flared fenders and the angular lines, hands down the most beautiful BMW in my opinion. That mechanical sound of the engine is magic.
this is my dream car , I'm getting this car when I get older I swear I am
me too!
same af
Same bro
Jay Baez same
I d like to have one if it was given to me......... Sell it and get something better a W201........ It's just a way better car. E30 is crap unless you are into cracked cylinder heads. I d say get an E30........ The normal one looks good the M3 looks so shitty faster than it is. Can buy a Porsche for that money in the US. That car will only lose value from now on. It's not even that hard to turn a regular E30 into an M3. And don't start about matching numbers coz none have matching numbers. They all head a crack in the cylinder head and those are numbered good luck finding one. Don't understand why yanks think the M3 won so much when I was watching DTM in the 80 early 90's there was mostly a Benz leading. Ill leave you in your dream of that being a great car although it isn't ok.
I have watched this one particular video so many times.
Great story! I was never a BMW fan until the mid 90s. Like you, a friend's dad owned a 92 BMW E36 325i and I fell in love. In 97 I bought a '95 and still own it today - 400,000KMs later. I' drive it every single day and still has that special connection between driver and road. Ironically it still releases the seratonin and spikes conversations at refueling stations every time. Cheap as Borscht to maintain if you use good gas and change the oil. Beautiful machine you have there.
Last year (19 years old) I bought a mint '89 190E. I can relate to these stories. The rush of buying your first "cool car", and a car that you desired since you were a kid is just amazing.
Thanks to Petrolicious for this video. I don't know how many times I watched this video, turning the sound up to hear the intake sound of this marvellous car. I would fantasize about being that guy, driving my dream car through the twisties just like he does. Fast forward a few years and I now own a1990 e30 M3, diamantschwarzt, beautiful condition and I can honestly say that all the hype you've heard, read and seen regarding the e30 M3 is true. This car has a soul that is difficult to explain. It truly must be driven to understand and driven hard at that. After all, this was a purpose built race car, sold to the public for the sole reason of homologation requirements of DTM in Europe. That heritage is felt in every aspect of the car. This isn't a regular car, not a supped up civic or even some high HP mustang. It's different. This car is able of so much more than all but pro drivers can demand of it but it doesn't make you feel inferior in any way. Quite the opposite. It encourages you to push a little more, to demand more of yourself as a driver. It gives you so much feedback that you're aware of everything. It always leaves you feeling like what you just experienced was a privilege very very few people will ever have and you better not forget it. And I get it - I always grin like an idiot when I drive my M3. It makes me feel like the luckiest guy in the world to have one and to experience it.
Thanks for fueling the dream Petrolicious!
Wow you reminded me, mine story with my bimmer. I have an e21 which was my father's 1st car. He bought it with the first money he made. He went all the way to Germany to buy it and he drove it back to our country. This was the car of my childhood. At some point my dad had to buy a new car but fortunately he didn't sell our old bimmer. However he placed the car in a garage were it stayed untouched for 14 years (something that created a lot of problems that didn't exist before). So when the time came that i got a job i also used my first money to restore it and take it out on the road again. I could buy another e21 for less money, than it took me to restore mine but no, i wanted that particular car that i grew up with. To this day it is my only car and i love it!
I was 7 the first time I saw an E30 and I asked my cousin about it, who was shopping for a car, who said “this is a BMW and it’s a very nice, but expensive car.” That memory stayed w me for years and never forgot that moment. Today I have an E36 M3 and E46 M3, but no E30 M3. Still looking for the right one.
Every time I watch these old Petrolicious films I get goosebumps. That's what really got me into cars.
I just love this. You've managed to talk about cars in a totally different way than all the others. I mean, between the humor of top gear, the professionalism of evo, autocar and many more, you manage to find something, an angle that nobody had ever covered. I personally think it is the best, because a car, isn't just a car: your relationship with it is more important.
keep it up, so far, so awesome !
There are a lot of great automotive videos on UA-cam (Top Gear, Fifth Gear, Drive, Motor Trend, etc.)...but these new videos by "Petrolicious" are, by far, the best. Keep up the great work!
That's what I call a true love.
I was 14 years old when I first saw a BMW E28 520i. I fell in love with it immediately. I love that combination of small and large headlights. So I said to myself , one day I'm gonna own that car.
Nineteen years later, I bought myself the car I love- 1985 BMW E28 520i It was a pleasure to drive, my wife did not understand it. She said," Everything is heavy".
As the time goes by, the paint starts to peel and the dashboard cracks. I shall restore it someday.
They were seriously the best if not top three back in 80's. Kind cars that put chills under your skin they were so nice.
Great story. You are definitely worthy of, and deserve, this car.
I think the car deserves him to.
This is such an amazing video. As an owner of a bmw E30 318 with everything from the s14 to all e30 m3 suspension and M interior and my father whos always had e30 m3's and currently owns an 88 e30 m3, this video always brought me happiness and hope to my project. You know, once you hear a story about these cars, you just have to listen and its always interesting, just as this story goes. Beautiful car, amazing story!
In my opinion, this model is the most beautiful one of all M3's.
The body was engineered for this specific motor and in the end of the 80's it was one of the most powerful streetcar.
In our days the car industry builds powerful cars but they are so heavy and every is made to reduce the gas consumption and higher up the safety that they forgot to focus on building unique sports machines...
It would be a dream come true if i could called this car my own ;)
I feel like cars can't be fallen in love with anymore--no character left. My neighbor drove me around in his brand new 2014 M6, and although it's gorgeous, insanely fast, and comfortable, it's just not the same as a slower car from yesteryear. You have to turn a knob to get it to kick, and there's just nothing mechanical or raw.
What I love about Petrolicious is that your videos are always about more than the car; they involve a story that has the human element. Amazing video as always.
Üdvözlet Magyarországról! Nagyszerű videó, és a BMW... nem találok szavakat, gyönyörű! Vigyázz rá, és magadra is!
Petrolicious thank you again, the passion, love and sheer joy the owners have is beautiful.. Your video skills, music choices make this channel my favorite to find a reason to smile all day long....
I would love to own an E30 M3 one day. That 4cyl engine noise is very unique to that car and it just looks so right. I would own it along with my E46 M3 and drive them both equally and with a huge grin on my face.
Now, I just need some extra money.....
Puts a big smile in my face always when I watch videos from PetroliciousCo!
I love EVERY iteration of the M3...every change they make seems to work spectacularly and they have so much character
My first car at age 16 was a 1991 E30 318i. I bought it at an auction for $1600 with 298,000kms. Amazing platform for any engine configuration IMO. Love my car and will buy another when the opportunity arises.
Ok now be honest. What else were you doing apart from cleaning the car?
This is why I love to be a car fanatic. Everyone has a story to tell, and this one is a good one to share.
Great vid. Thanks for sharing.
I feel your love. The E30 is magic. I've had 2 and i still miss the 320i every now and then.
Now I drive a E34 520i, also quite a good ride.
I re-watch this every once in a while. One if my favourite car videos on UA-cam.
10 years on and this still reminds me of how much i love my e30 regardless of how much it gets driven
I been after an E30 M3 like this one, since i was 15 years old. In 2002 I remember seeing one just like this one sat in a Driveway in England. I'm still dreaming to get one. 22 years i am still planning on finding an E30 M3 for myself.
I agree. With a lot of car reviews its power/handling/&other specs and then its done in a few minuets and thats fine but with videos like this that really allude to the character of the car and the owner, its just addicting to watch.
This car is a legend. My dream garage would be a e30 M3, a e28 M5, e9 3.0 csl, late 60's 2002 turbo, 1 series M coupe, a couple x5M's for the daily driving, gotta throw in a e60 M5 purely because of that EPIC sound it produced, and finally a real period correct e21 320i racecar if i could even find someone whilling to sell one.. bmw is all i need...
If you ever in your life for some reason no longer wish to own your E30. Please let me know. It's just absolute perfection and I have the overwhelming desire to own it. Great video.
i might be buying one with in the next month or so, it needs a respray as the paint is in poor condition. what color do you think i should go. keep it black or change, i was thinking a blue or white. please help.
oz gamer I think white looks quite bad on the e30 - it makes it look dated and old. I recently bought a 318is in Royal blue (lazurblau) and even though the paint is quite chipped in some places, the actual color looks amazing. Ultimately, I think Atlantis Blue (paint code 399) would look absolutely epic :)
Vandemanable i like this e30 cartoscreen.com/4447-5586-bmw-e30-free-wallpapers-33158
Now in 2021, this remains IMHO a very desirable car. I've owned and driven many Beemers, including M3 models E46 and E92, but for me, while they are obviously very capable cars, there are too many lines of code between driver and road. Lovely to revisit this vid after so many years!
I distinctly remember my neighbor had a red M3 like that and I fell in love with the look and the interior of the car, I would go inside the car and pretend I was rally racing when I was 10
The original and best.
Who could dislike this? Must have a heart of stone
Proves you don't have to be born to be a car guy. Some may think 1st generation M cars should only be owned by true fanatics like myself but the man's story shows how much M cars can endear themselves to even the casual enthusiast. M POWER!
Great Video! I love people like you who keep the roots of BMW alive. The e30 is a true drivers car!
Just discovered petrolicious. Your production is amazing. Like top gear before they got stupid and forgot they were a car show, not a sitcom. Great great job.
Yesterday i took my 1985 BMW E30 2.0i straight six to clean. Witch bought it from an old gentlemen, Only 18500 km don't know how much that is in Miles but its very little for a 29 year old car. The old '' gentlemen '' hadn't washed the car for years you could see small scratches in a circle motion, so many stones in the car i think i made it 20 kg lighter. Then i opened the oil cap saw something bad, it was filled with guie old oil.I thought to my self i have to take a look in there, so i did i took off the valve cap and the moment when i saw the camshaft ( witch i didn't) my life fell apart. I could take small pieces of '' oil'' and but it in a cup. The old man haven't changed oil in years. Now probably the gearbox and the diff looks the same :(
I feel so sorry for my little e30, i have always wanted a e30 sense i was a child.
I will NOT give up on him ! my future plans is to change the engine and restore the original one. i will not give up..
***** Nice to hear frrom an e30 lover :) Yes the litte an miserable sad little time i drove mine, i felt like the car was glued in to the road :D It will go up and down for me with this car! but i will get there eventually :) glad i have you as an informer already =)
I recently bought a 1982 BMW E21 320i with only 65k MI on it.
its just the power train, at that km's the chassis and suspension must still be amazing!!
Im sure the rust free/low mileage chassis more than makes up for it. Engines are easy to replace :)
YaKuZaffs hey I'm 13 and I have fallen in love with the e30 m3 any suggestions? I'm saving up money
Beautiful interior. Great design. The genuine M3 of all.
Oh god how I feel him...I fell in love with my acs3 e36 back in high school & finally bought it near 7 years later !!
I really enjoyed watching this- thank you! Special cars evoke passions that are very hard to resist...
Once you drive an E30 M3, there is nothing else you would ever want to drive. This is the ultimate driving machine, the essence of racing. And for those who make the mistake the sell theirs, they certainly always end up regretting and blaming themselves for that decision...
This story is inspiring. It shows how one thing can change and forever make a person happy.
Fantastic piece. As a car enthusiast (and Bmw owner) I could watch these kinds of videos all day. Great stuff, keep up the good work.
one of the best driver's cars in the world.always been a dream car of mine since the 80s.would fit right in in my ultimate 20 car garage (every petrolhead has one) along with vintage Porsches, Alfas and Jags.
Another well done Petrolicious episode. So tasteful!
I never get tired of seeing your videos over and over again
God damnit, not again! This video is WAY too good to be this short, you guys really need to make some longer ones. I know I'm not the only one who'd like to hear stories like these in greater detail. Great stuff!
I have fond memories of my 85 E30 5 speed. (But not a M3, sadly) Somewhere around 120 kmh, there's a "sweet spot' where the E30 sits on invisible road rails. Magic car. Beautiful smoooooth design. Thanks BMW!
Quality clip. Quality car. Almost made me cry. Fore real. I crashed my 4 door 6 cylinder tuned 320i and made it barely in the hospital. I had it first when it was not tuned and after traction tuning it became my personal god of the machines. Lower, harder suspension with 18" rims (225cm tires with very low profile). It was like a train on the asphalt. Insane. Some inexpensive engine tuning and you dont need anything else in your life, just gas and place to shit.
This is i think the best UA-cam "car" channel i have ever stumbled upon, appreciate the work so much!
Makes me a proud E30 owner !
And no matter what type of engine, they all run great !
I remember I was in highschool and I would walk to school everyday and would see one of these. It just looked so cool with the fender flares and you looked inside and it looked like a race car.
That exhaust note is positively intoxicating. So so good
These videos are soo good! Like the way the titles for they are chosen, really good camera work, and just the right time of day for that natural soft light. Awesome!
Remek videó, ráadásul sokat dob a hangulatán, hogy egy magyar illető jelenik meg benne. Ez most így mosolyt csalt az arcomra!
+Peter Balla Először nem értettem,miért 'GABIM3' a rendszáma:D Aztán látom Gabor Mester. Igen,és nagyon szép az autó is.
+Peter Balla és a "H" betű a szélvédőn?
+morcosboci igazából fel se tűnt, de köszi az észrevételt
@@morcosboci na meg Erdély címere :)
Omg this car !!! Since I was 10 years old if dreamed of owning one like this ! I'm 38 and still have yet to own one but the way the prices for a mint one like this are more than my house im going to have to wait a bit longer I think .....one day !!! One day!!!
I’ve just watched it for like the 10th time, every time it ends I miss that revving sound... awsome car
Love to see people who are passionate about their cars. Beautiful car.
Representative of the old school cars. Love E30 M3 just as how it looks and how it connects with its driver. "Accept no substitudes."
Great story man. I can imagine the joy of owning the very first actual car you fell in love with!!! Only in this site do I find people who understand, who feel it!!!
I have an E30 325 and E36 318 cabrio. Neither of them are very fast, but are they fun to handle and drive on twisty roads...!!! Love it!!!!
I know I’m coming in late to this video’s comment section, but an awesome car, and better story. Every petrolhead wants to pass on their cars to someone like this
Nice to see a car with decent quality paint, looks really good, no swirls or anything.
I happened to come across 2(!) E30 M3s next to each other in a parking lot last Friday when I was going to hang out with some friends of mine. by the time I had parked and circled back, only one was there but I still checked out the car thoroughly. it was pretty damn cool.
i miss mine so much. Love my Maserati but there was just something special about the E30. i had a 1990. :( RIP my first love
Now the cars just get heavier and heavier, they are slowly becoming what Mercedes AMG used to be. The E30 M3 in this video is a perfect example of what an M car is, lightweight, raw, simple and a lot of fun to drive. It doesn't need a million horsepower because it weighs 2700lbs.
Third time I have watched this video, love that with these videos I'm of course drawn in by the cars but what always ends up being the most interesting is the stories behind them.
Cars with a real story make these videos more enjoyable. Helps that's its a e30. Good job petrolicious.
I love it. Great video. The Original M3 forever.
13 people have not mounted on a m3 e30.
Am i the only one , who got a little tear in his eye? Damn, such a beautiful story , such a beautiful car.
I love this channel. Takes me back to a different era of driving . Thank you!
Nailed it with the sound, something a lot of car videos don't do well, other than Petrolicious ones.
hatalmas tisztelet és meghajlás a tulaj előtt, nagyon szép vas
respect from Hungary!
What a great woman..
We love this video! The car, the music, the history... perfect!!! it's not about a car, it's that special car!! This video inspired us to discovery new historys (Portugal) e document them in video! Congratulations e thanks :)
We also have 2 BMWs, so... nothing else to say :)
In 1988, I was 20 years old. The BMW dealership in West Palm Beach had seven E30 M3's parked side by side on the lot. Exactly $34,000.00 plus $295 destination and $180 dealer prep. Unfortunately, a new 1988 Honda Accord LX with 5 speed, a/c and radio was $13,300 + TTT...
I totally understand why people love this car, I do myself love the noise but as a package it doesn't do it for me, I don't know why but I don't have that emotional want of the car. Great video too.
Such a great car story!! Wish something like this would happen to me :/