Which project car to keep

I am curious to hear other enthusiasts' opinions on what they may do with this situation. So my current project car is a 1988 BMW 325is that I have owned for about five and a half years now. It is a good running driver's car that is in decent shape for its age and is fun to work on due to its simplicity. It is by no means a concours quality car, but it is not completely beat up like many E30s out there. It has 223k on the odometer and is alpine white with a tan interior. My original plan was for this to be my "classic" car to own and work on over the years as the classics I'd like to own have become prohibitively expensive (Alfa Romeo GTV and Datsun 240Z).

My 2003 Subaru WRX has recently obtained project car status after breaking down this past January with a catastrophic engine failure. Cylinder 1 ended up misfiring and knocking badly which damaged the piston and cylinder wall, so the short block is toast. Options would be to buy a new short block and rebuild the turbo and heads, or buy a used long block for less money. Other options would be to part out the car and scrap it, or sell it as is as a project car. Maybe I have watched too many Wheeler Dealer episodes because it seems like a waste to scrap the car considering that other than the short block, it is in decent shape. It is platinum silver metallic with 148k on it and I am the original owner.

I keep going back and forth on which may be best and/or more fun to keep. Keeping both would be great but is unrealistic living in a townhome with a small two car garage. Thinking of some pros and cons of both:

Both are fun to drive in very different ways.
E30 values are slowly appreciating, however that could also make parts more expensive.
Being in Colorado, the WRX is great in the snow.
More and more kids are buying older WRXs and many of them are lunatics behind the wheel, so I don't exactly want people to associate me with those types.

 

I would keep the BMW, but then again I am not a Subaru guy at all. I think the BMW is much more interesting to own, if for no other reason than there are less of them out there and it's something different.

 

I vote for the Scoobie.

Turbo + AWD + manual trans =

And the aftermarket is as deep as your wallet

 

I had a 89 325is for close to seven years. It was a great car, but been there done that. Sell both and put the money into Vanguard

 

bought an 04 wrx back in 04, blew the engine at 75k miles, dropped in an STI short block and ran another 75k strong af. spent about 5 grand on that but i was a reseller and had shortblock stock, they are now a bit more expensive. Bought an 09 135i back in 2011 and sold the subaru shortly after, it was simply no match for the twin turbo beemer.

if i were in your shoes id keep the wrx over the bmw, the awd + turbo makes that an easy decision. if you had a turbo bmw, id vote that. i surely miss my wrx at times, it was a beast.

 

Well that would certainly be the fiscally responsible decision, though not quite as fun. I'll keep it in mind though.

 

Keep the Scoobaru.

Dump the BMW.

 

Haha, the funny thing is I am also the original owner of a 2008 135i and that car isn't going anywhere. It is too much fun to drive.

 

Bmw for sure. No brainer

 

Keep the E30. Let the crazy kids buy the WRX and put that cash to find another daily.

I know how you feel tho I have a Datsun and sometimes I wanna sell since I only drive it 2-3 times a month. Would be a nice chunk of change to reinvest.

 

It's probably still worth holding onto the Datsun seeing how they are appreciating. It's hard putting a price on one's enjoyment.

 

I'd keep the E30, personally.

You can probably sell the Subaru shell pretty easily to someone wanting to do an STI engine swap anyway.

 

Move out of the townhome and get a house with a bigger garage and a driveway.
Ive owned 3 WRX's (I have an addiction) and they are way fun to drive. But an older BMW is way cooler than a WRX.

 

I thought the exact same thing! Make some money on the money and spend time researching your next project. Sometimes the hunt is much more satisfying than the kill.

 

That would be ideal but is easier said than done with the current real estate market around the Denver metro area.

 

Keep the bugeye and get rid of the BMW! Is it a wagon? Hope so! I just got my 3rd Subaru my first real project car. 05 Saabaru 9-2x Aero(wrx if you're not familiar). My mom ran it into the ground for the past 12 years and I told her from day one, when it was time for it to go I wanted it. I might be a little biased. Automatically associate BMWs with douchey guys and women in their mid 20's. However Subarus are usually associated with kids who drive like idiots.

 

Sell 'em both and free up some time and space in your life for a new project. Or just save and invest the money for now. Even if BMW prices are going up, I'm guessing the real gains will be seen in clean, stock, low-mileage cars – not modded-out, hard-driven examples with a quarter million miles on them.

 

The BMW seems to be a more difficult car to find considering the car is in good shape, I always admire someone who takes a classic car like that and keeps it looking like it just came off the lot.
Subarus are everywhere, it will take some time until its considered a "classic".

I own a 2006 BMW M3 with very low miles in pristine shape.
I'm planning on keeping it for the long haul, it's definitely a looker.

 

Sell them both and get a 'vette.