hi, coming from e34;s im looking at possibly getting an e30 320, or 325 coupes. i heard you could only fit m-tech kits to the later e30's can anyone confirm dates of ones that can have kits on them. also where are the places to look for rust? scuttle, sills, passenger footwell, boot, any others? any other things to look out for? which are the main bushings that die? subframe/steering?
cheers!
a few questions
Moderator: martauto
pre facelift e30's wore the tech 1 kit
facelift models wore the tech 2 kit....
a tech 1 kit (which i think is the better, more aggressive looking kit) can be fitted to a facelifted car with modification of the bumper mounts.... do a search on here but decide which kit you prefer first is my advise!
your rust places is pretty bang on to be fair but both foot wells, inner arches, inner wing ares, rear battery/storage tray area (to the right of the towing eye), bulkhead behind the glovebox ect ect
facelift models wore the tech 2 kit....
a tech 1 kit (which i think is the better, more aggressive looking kit) can be fitted to a facelifted car with modification of the bumper mounts.... do a search on here but decide which kit you prefer first is my advise!
your rust places is pretty bang on to be fair but both foot wells, inner arches, inner wing ares, rear battery/storage tray area (to the right of the towing eye), bulkhead behind the glovebox ect ect
A 2 door e30 with 8 cylinders, what could be better 
you can fit an m tech kit to any e30
there is the tech 1 kit (pre facelift) and the tech 2 kit (facelift)
but, your better off buying a 325i sport (proper m tech) rather than a 325/320 and then a kit then fitting it and getting it all painted etc
just go to the photogallery section and browse the threads to see pics of them in various colors etc, plenty on show and most will have tech 1 or 2 or sport in the title
there is the tech 1 kit (pre facelift) and the tech 2 kit (facelift)
but, your better off buying a 325i sport (proper m tech) rather than a 325/320 and then a kit then fitting it and getting it all painted etc
just go to the photogallery section and browse the threads to see pics of them in various colors etc, plenty on show and most will have tech 1 or 2 or sport in the title
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ninjastyle
- E30 Zone Newbie
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- Location: Cheltenham
cool cheers for that, what year did facelift come in and what were the differences? if its the one i think it is its pretty rare so will jump at the chance if its all ok condition wise. its more of an opportunity than shopping for one even though ive wanted one before getting into e34's. cheers
sorry polsta i disagree bigtime with your statement on being better off buying a sport rather than fitting a kit to a 320 or 325!!!
if you have to be a real homo and get a sport these need to be checked over sooo much more than a normal model.. people on here have taken off the side pods (tech 2 sport) only to find they have to sweep up their rear quarters and arches!!!
i would much prefer to buy a car i can see is solid then fitting a kit over the top than be bitten hard later on with hidden surprises.......
if you have to be a real homo and get a sport these need to be checked over sooo much more than a normal model.. people on here have taken off the side pods (tech 2 sport) only to find they have to sweep up their rear quarters and arches!!!
i would much prefer to buy a car i can see is solid then fitting a kit over the top than be bitten hard later on with hidden surprises.......
A 2 door e30 with 8 cylinders, what could be better
I'd disagree on that one. Far better off buying a clean shell non kitted car and adding the kit if you really want to. 99% of E30s that have had a kit on from new will be hiding issues under it, at least it's easy to check a non kitted car for rust issues and in the long rung will most likely cost less to buy and fit a kit than get something welded up.polsta wrote: but, your better off buying a 325i sport (proper m tech) rather than a 325/320 and then a kit then fitting it and getting it all painted etc
pre facelift models had chrome bumpers, chrome around the windows ect and rectangle shaped fogs in the front valance
facelift cars had plastic bumpers with black trims and black shadow line around the windows mate
facelift cars had plastic bumpers with black trims and black shadow line around the windows mate
A 2 door e30 with 8 cylinders, what could be better
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ninjastyle
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sweet, cheers buddy!e30-dk wrote:pre facelift models had chrome bumpers, chrome around the windows ect and rectangle shaped fogs in the front valance
facelift cars had plastic bumpers with black trims and black shadow line around the windows mate
worst thing about the tech 2 bmw did was to fit those stupid side pods!!
not only do they look crap and tacky they are a den for crap and rot
i do like your tech 1 though mate, she looks tidy
not only do they look crap and tacky they are a den for crap and rot
i do like your tech 1 though mate, she looks tidy
A 2 door e30 with 8 cylinders, what could be better
thing is fellas...that would all depend on what you wanted, a nice sport or a non sport with kit, and if you can find a nice one/pay out for a nice one !!
if you cna find a nice sport thats un molested and not rotten to the core, then of course all day long its better than a 325 with a kit if they are the same solid wise
i pondered the 325i then adding a kit option... 1-2k for a car, but ...any e30 can have rust and rot issues , and a nice 2 door 325i now a days are not that often for sale, nicer ones command 2-2.5k + anyway or more, then buy a full sport kit, then that leads to wanting a sport interior and steering wheel,gear knob, sport suspension, lsd, all adds up...its endless
if you can get a nice sport, then of course its better is it not ??
if you cna find a nice sport thats un molested and not rotten to the core, then of course all day long its better than a 325 with a kit if they are the same solid wise
i pondered the 325i then adding a kit option... 1-2k for a car, but ...any e30 can have rust and rot issues , and a nice 2 door 325i now a days are not that often for sale, nicer ones command 2-2.5k + anyway or more, then buy a full sport kit, then that leads to wanting a sport interior and steering wheel,gear knob, sport suspension, lsd, all adds up...its endless
if you can get a nice sport, then of course its better is it not ??
i agree on the pods look naff !e30-dk wrote:worst thing about the tech 2 bmw did was to fit those stupid side pods!!
not only do they look crap and tacky they are a den for crap and rot
i do like your tech 1 though mate, she looks tidy
thanks mate, i do love her, its going to be super when its complete, one of the best i hope
All depends on budget!
What i consider a "nice" Sport would be far more expensive than a proparly solid 325i/320i and much harder to find.
What i consider a "nice" Sport would be far more expensive than a proparly solid 325i/320i and much harder to find.
+1 ^ real nice sports are sooo hard to find and you have to know exactly what your looking for, and even then you CANNOT see the ''hidden'' surprises that come with them! the risk isnt worth a badge and some leather seats which can be had off here and fitted....
plus posta your speaking to the wrong guy here mate lol, although i like 2 doors i purposely went out to buy a minty 4 door car in se spec so i had the extras then i could molest it into a 24v sleeper
plus posta your speaking to the wrong guy here mate lol, although i like 2 doors i purposely went out to buy a minty 4 door car in se spec so i had the extras then i could molest it into a 24v sleeper
A 2 door e30 with 8 cylinders, what could be better
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ninjastyle
- E30 Zone Newbie
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cool i have to say tho your tech1 looks sweet man! spoilers never really done it for me so the smaller the spoiler the better, if i fit a kit to it i wont be putting a spoiler on. i take it the pic of the one with the tech1 kit is a facelift as its shadowlined?
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ninjastyle
- E30 Zone Newbie
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- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2010 11:00 pm
- Location: Cheltenham
yeah spoilerless will be the plan if all goes through and how id like. fingers crossed ill be showing yall some pics soon ;)
At no point has the OP mentioned wanting a Sport, only a coupe with a bodykit!
Tech 1 Sport are prefacelift, however are dechromed. There is also a rare prefacelift 320i model that is dechromed from the factory.
Easiest way to tell the difference is facelift cars have plastic bumpers, larger rear lights, lower rear arches and a deeper rear valance.
Tech 1 Sport are prefacelift, however are dechromed. There is also a rare prefacelift 320i model that is dechromed from the factory.
Easiest way to tell the difference is facelift cars have plastic bumpers, larger rear lights, lower rear arches and a deeper rear valance.
Last edited by Kedge on Mon Aug 29, 2011 10:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Alex
- Married to the E30 Zone
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i would disagre, i'am quite anti sports, wierd as i own one, however the thing that sold it with mine was the fact i seen underneith the bodykit and bought it because it had new inner and outer arches and wings, nearly all re bushed, new brake lines all around the car..... etc etc.polsta wrote:
but, your better off buying a 325i sport (proper m tech) rather than a 325/320 and then a kit then fitting it and getting it all painted etc
however 80% of them all look fine and well but are very very very sad underneith the bodykits and are only fit for scrap.
i would remove your bodykit before you spend any money on it polsta.
buying a decent 325i 2 door and fitting the mtech kit would be a better idea.
A. because you know whats under neith the bodykit
b. could actually be alot better value for money.
for what it will cost you could buy a decent 325i and get a bodykit painted and fitted, and you will know fine well its a solid car or for the same money buy whats probably a rot box where one day you will slam the boot and bits of bodykit will fall off leaving large holes.
tech 1s are the older ones and alot are very very rotten beware
of course you have to beware of tech 1s being rotten, doesnt mean to say nice ones cant be found or ones that dont need too much, near every e30 will have rust somewhere or other or had issues fixed and resto work done , cars without ever having kits on can have rotted sills and inner arches or hidden rust etc
but it all depends what you find and looking around
i pondered the option you mention, when i was looking for a tech 1 sport
me and adit went and looked at a nice silver chromie 325i a few months ago £1500 , was all nice and original, but had had some welding done to the sills- plates put in and thick weld lines, but all in all it was a nice car and adit said well worth 1500 and would of been a nice base for a tech 1 sport "alike"
i weighed up..
car £1500
rough costs-
lsd £300
hounds tooth sport interior £300 , to replace comfort interior
full tech 1 kit £300
sports head lining £60 - then the aggro of fitting, or not bother
tech 1 steering wheel, gear knob, gaitor, £90
bbs wheels £200 or more with new tyres or whatever
then sports suspension £300 ?
then the kit painting £300 ?
plus a ton or 2 eaten up aswell with general parts you might need to replace other/worn parts
thats £2000 alone on top of the car cost !
then as most old e30s have some paint issues or other when putting on a whole kit, you could easily just get a full re spray and cost a fortune
and whatever else, and the car value wise wont be like genuine sport value and youve forked out a lot of cash and well in to sport money , your better off just waiting and looking patiently for the right sport to turn up surely
even on a tech 1 thats nice all round bar under kit, to get it all put right isnt going to cost the amounts buying all the above mentioned sport parts like interior,wheels,kit,suspention etc would cost, il be finding out when i get mine sorted and be posting my findings, im fully expecting costs there and rust, but not mega amounts as the rest of the car is too nice and original and not rotten in other usual tech 1 sport areas above kit level
but it all depends what you find and looking around
i pondered the option you mention, when i was looking for a tech 1 sport
me and adit went and looked at a nice silver chromie 325i a few months ago £1500 , was all nice and original, but had had some welding done to the sills- plates put in and thick weld lines, but all in all it was a nice car and adit said well worth 1500 and would of been a nice base for a tech 1 sport "alike"
i weighed up..
car £1500
rough costs-
lsd £300
hounds tooth sport interior £300 , to replace comfort interior
full tech 1 kit £300
sports head lining £60 - then the aggro of fitting, or not bother
tech 1 steering wheel, gear knob, gaitor, £90
bbs wheels £200 or more with new tyres or whatever
then sports suspension £300 ?
then the kit painting £300 ?
plus a ton or 2 eaten up aswell with general parts you might need to replace other/worn parts
thats £2000 alone on top of the car cost !
then as most old e30s have some paint issues or other when putting on a whole kit, you could easily just get a full re spray and cost a fortune
and whatever else, and the car value wise wont be like genuine sport value and youve forked out a lot of cash and well in to sport money , your better off just waiting and looking patiently for the right sport to turn up surely
even on a tech 1 thats nice all round bar under kit, to get it all put right isnt going to cost the amounts buying all the above mentioned sport parts like interior,wheels,kit,suspention etc would cost, il be finding out when i get mine sorted and be posting my findings, im fully expecting costs there and rust, but not mega amounts as the rest of the car is too nice and original and not rotten in other usual tech 1 sport areas above kit level
Well I actually prefer the Tech II kit myself
Personally I wanted a Sport in my colour with black leather and I managed to find mine. BUT if I wasn't bothered by the 'Sport' bit (and there are loads of you out there!) then I'd either go with a pauper-spec 316 if a heavily mod'ed end result was required or a heavily-spec'd 325ise without a kit if I fancied a six-pot. Then you can find the cleanest one you can and add the bits you wish too
The kits hide horrors
Personally I wanted a Sport in my colour with black leather and I managed to find mine. BUT if I wasn't bothered by the 'Sport' bit (and there are loads of you out there!) then I'd either go with a pauper-spec 316 if a heavily mod'ed end result was required or a heavily-spec'd 325ise without a kit if I fancied a six-pot. Then you can find the cleanest one you can and add the bits you wish too
The kits hide horrors