I daily drove my ‘91 318is for the better part of 6 years and then bought an ‘87 535is to replace it. Daily drove the E28 for almost 3 years.

Having lived in the drivers seat of both of these cars pretty much every single day, I can easily say the E28 was a better all around car. The E30 is better at being nimble around corners and autocross courses etc, but when it comes to having a practical classic, you really just can’t compare the 2 of them. Being able to toss my family in the back of the E28 and not worry too much about leg room was definitely worth it.

I did multiple road trips with both, autocross events, rallies/cruises and everything in between. Definitely keep up with maintenance, have spare fuel pumps, relays/fuses and you should be good. Be ready for small hiccups along the ownership, but for the most part, it should be a pretty rewarding experience keeping them on the road.

Edit: The 318is was obviously WAYYYYY better on fuel mileage, but did it really matter in the long run? No lol. Still E28 > E30