5 Cool German Cars Of The 1980s That You Can Buy Today

Up to £2000 - BMW E30 3-series

The BMW E30 3-series is a cool, solid and seriously reliable German car of the 1980s. Just a few years ago, you could pick up a nice 325i coupe manual (170bhp) for well under £1500. I should know; the car pictured above was my own 325i (admittedly rough but always ready), which I paid £800 for. Nowadays, you’ll pay around three times as much for something with a six-cylinder engine, especially if you want it to come with a manual gearbox.

However, if big power isn’t at the top of your list of must-haves, then you can still buy a tidy E30 for under £2000. It’ll likely have four cylinders, will probably be the less appealing four-door model, will have a bunch of miles on it, and will be hard to find (especially one that hasn’t been messed with or welded to be a self-appointed ‘drift missile’).

If you’re handy with the spanners, then you’ll be pleased to know that working on E30s (like many older cars) is relatively simple. There’s a wealth of literature online about how to fix these cars up and the forums like E30 Zone are very helpful. There are also a variety of engines that can be slotted into the E30 engine bay (the six-cylinder M50/M52 engines from the E36 models are a common swap), which is worth bearing in mind if you prefer your cars with more modern power and retro looks.

Up to £5000 - Porsche 944

The Porsche 944 is widely regarded as being one of the best handling cars of the 1980s thanks to its wide track and near-perfect weight distribution (50.7 per cent front and 49.3 per cent rear). It’s also a practical sports car, with rear seats that fold flat to reveal surprisingly decent luggage space. And because the the 944’s got pop-up headlights, you know you’re already sold on the idea of owning one…

And guess what? With a budget of around £5000, you’re well into 944-buying territory. In fact, £3500 gets you an early 1982 2.5-litre Lux, while £5000 buys you an S-badged car which ups the 2.5-litre, four-cylinder engine’s power to 187bhp (minus a few which will have escaped over the years).

If 944 ownership sounds like something for you, then again, join a respected owners’ club and do plenty of research before buying. Basic things you need to insist on when looking at a 944 are an extensive service record (especially for early S models), and evidence that the engine belts have been done every 28,000 miles. Rusty engine mounts and faulty water pumps are also things to look out for.

Up to £10,000 - Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 'Cosworth'

If rarity is your bag, then look no further. The Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 ‘Cosworth’ (there’s also the earlier, less powerful 2.3-litre version to consider) was equipped with up to 204bhp (197bhp for cars with catalytic converters), making it one of the fastest sports saloons of the 1980s.

With the addition of a subtle body kit for both versions, the car’s drag coefficient of 0.32 made it one of the most slippery cars in its class, and a quicker-than-standard steering ratio ensured that the car turned in more sharply.

As you’ll remember from an old Top Gear episode, James May often confused reverse gear with first gear due to the transmission’s ‘dog-leg’ layout, but this issue was faked to look funny; engaging reverse gear requires a heavy lift of the gear knob.

Anyway, let’s chat prices now: a 2.3-litre will cost you around £5000, while a high mileage 2.5 Cosworth (we’re talking in excess of 200k miles) will set you back closer to £8000. For an example with fewer miles (around 120,000 miles), you’re looking at £11,000.

Things to look out for when buying are rust, including on the jacking points, boot floor and wells, and wheel arches underneath the plastic lining where water likes to collect. For a full list of 190E problem areas, take a look at this link.

Up to £20,000 - Audi Quattro

The Audi Ur-Quattro is the rally-inspired road car that featured four-wheel drive and a the choice of three, five-cylinder turbocharged petrol engines in either 2.1-litre 10-valve, or 2.2-litre 10-vale and 20-valve flavours (the latter producing 217bhp and achieving a top speed of 143mph).

The Audi Ur-Quattro remains one of Audi’s coolest cars, and not only because of its multiple appearances in UK TV series Ashes to Ashes. Fans of fast, brick-shaped German machinery of the 80s were catered for, although their rarity today means that prices are on the up at a rate of knots.

Prices for early 2.1-litre Ur-Quattros (197bhp) start at around £18,000 (minimum), but figures vary to upwards of £25,000.

If you want in on Ur-Quattro ownership on a £20k budget, then you’d better act fast!

Up to £50,000 - Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera Super Sport

The ultimate 1980s German car for up to £50k is arguably the 911 3.2 Carrera Super Sport. Styled to resemble the 930 Turbo model (which you won’t be able to buy on this budget), the SS featured a massive ‘tea tray’ spoiler, wide arches and got the suspension, brakes and wheels from the full fat, totally mental Turbo.

With 231bhp on tap, the Super Sport is seriously fast too, clocking 0-60mph in just 5.4 seconds (rapid even by today’s standards) and hitting a top speed of 150mph.

Rarity is this car’s ultimate USP, however. In 2005, there were only 14 Targa SS models registered in the UK, a figure which probably hasn’t changed (people tend to hold on to cars like this for many years). For that reason, you’ll only find one or two for sale at any given time. In fact, the only one we found with a fairly quick search was this 86,000-mile Targa example which is up for sale within our £50k imaginary budget.

What German cars of the 1980s would you choose for the aforementioned budgets?