Hi - good to be on the forum, looks like a good bunch of folks. The following ramble is mostly to get my thoughts down, but I'd also appreciate your input.

It's time to replace my beloved and much-abused but disintegrating 1988 325i. The most likely contenders are the 2011 Elantra GLS with manual and A/C, and a long-desired 1991 BMW 318is in uber-rare slicktop (non-sunroof) configuration.

A nicely restored/low mile 318is could be had for roughly half the cost of the Elantra, with working A/C, refreshed suspension, and new upholstery. For those who don't know, E30-vintage BMW parts are mostly simple and cheap, however you have to replace just about everything at this point.

Both cars come in at just under 2700 pounds, both are 1.8L DOHC inline 4's. The Elantra has about 10HP more than the 318i. Both take 225-width tires with rolled fender lips. The BMW has a limited-slip differential, not available (correct me if that's wrong) on the Hyundai. Both cars have good 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS.

The Elantra would be under warranty, not have the constant niggly 20-year-old nickel/dime issues, and would get better gas mileage. Back seat and trunk space would be somewhat better in the Elantra as well. Elantra would also have a good radio, cupholders (318is has none) and other nice creature comforts. Safety probably goes to Elantra, however the 318is does have 1st-generation front airbags.

BMW E30 purists would never consider a front-wheel-drive car. But having autocrossed both FWD and RWD, I could be happy either way - it's just a different experience.

So the real question for me is whether an Elantra with H&R sport springs, rear sway bar, camber bolts, and sticky autocross 225-50-16 tires like the Kumho XS would happily tolerate constant redlining, full-G cornering, and general hooning around without imploding.

Any ideas, or feedback from Elantra owners that ride their cars hard? How abuse-resistant are they?

Took me two years of autox to shoot the diff pin in my 01 elantra.I say it held up fairly well.

I would say an e30 would be a better track car, it rwd and like you said parts are cheap and there is a ton of people autoxing e30's anyway.Buy the elantra for a nice dd, and the e30 for a toy.

^^What he said. The Elantra will be a comfortable, quiet, reliable ride that will get you good mileage and peace of mind. Even if you mod it and push it, it will take what you give it. The E30 would be a far better track car, but you would also be facing the headaches of things needing replacement from time to time.

If you're looking for a car that will be your daily driver while still being a serviceable auto-x car, the Elantra would be a decent choice. That said, it sounds like you've longed for the E30 for a while. How serviceable is your current car? Can you keep it for a DD and get the E30 for a toy? How about getting an 01-06 Elantra and the E30, you would come in well under the price of a new Elantra, and still have some cash for some mod toys!

-Roy

Current E30 is a bit of a pile, with no A/C in Las Vegas, fried suspension bushings, blown shocks, etc. The 4-door vanilla 325i is not worth restoring or race-prepping, however with only 87K on the clock and rust free, it still has YEARS of service left in it for someone else with more time and workspace. My new daily driver will need to be considerably nicer, and something worth putting some restoration or mods into.

I used to daily drive and autocross a 2002 Toyota Echo, which worked pretty well for both purposes. An MD Elantra is better than the Echo in pretty much every aspect, which is why I'm considering one.

This is a strange question. Not that many people come around trying to compare a new Korean FWD compact to a 20-year-old German RWD car for DD and autocrossing. You're right that in stock form the power and weight are comparable. The Elantra makes 148hp and 131lb-ft @ 4700rpm. The 318i, from what I'm reading, made 136hp and 127lb-ft @ 4600rpm, only 12hp and 4lb-ft less at least 20 years ago when it was new! And both cars are a bit under 3000lbs.

BUT... for the same power, you get 29/40mpg on Regular instead of 19/25 on Premium. That's almost half the gas cost of the BMW. Similarly, for the same weight you get six airbags, a much quieter, plusher modern interior, better stereo with USB input, etc, etc. Not to mention the much better reliability of a brand-new car with a 5year bumper-to-bumper warranty compared with a 20-year old one where just about anything could go wrong several times a year.

For autocrossing, besides being FWD, in the Elantra you'll have to worry about defeating the stability control (can it be totally turned off?), and modifying it for power will probably be much harder. The ECU for instance, won't be easy to 'chip' or upgrade as the BMW's. I'm sure Hyundai has optimized just about everything in this engine and there's less left to improve. Other parts will be pricey too because it's a brand-new chassis. Maybe it depends on what class you're staying in for autocross.

This sounds like a personal choice. I'm actually thinking about finding something like a nice E30 to tinker with, but I'd never want it to be my DD. Like someone suggested, if money is the issue, buy a not-so-new but still reliable Elantra (or Civic, Mazda, etc) and the E30. It might still have some warranty and it'll be far more reliable than a 20-year-old car.

^dont be so sure that hyundai as done all that it can....all that it can for the sake of MPG's maybe but not for power. i'm sure you can easily see some gains with simple bolt on mods.

i would pick the newer car even if it is fwd and has a solid torsion style rear bar.

I think I would as well. The 20-year-old BMW would be a great track toy or second car to tinker with, but I'd want a worry-free DD. You can take a hiatus from autocrossing, not so much from getting to work every morning.