E30 316/316i reliability and maintenance costs?

[acme15]

Red is a massive put-off for me... The cost of a re-spray is another massive put-off

[pacerpete]

Red is a massive put-off for me... The cost of a re-spray is another massive put-off

Many chrome turds were painted in 'interesting' period colours If you do not share the love for these happening hues , fear not, the 316 carb was also available in the facelift body right up till a G plate. Many of them were in more sombre boring colours.

Either way, the more specific you are, the harder your search will be

[Andyboy]

Anyone who buys that henna 316 to butcher it with an engine conversion needs shooting. There just aren't enough minters left to spoil. Any engine conversion would need to be done to the very highest standard, i.e a £5000 job. Whilst I really like Dan The's car, very few (if any) are built to that standard. I hope the red 316 gets left standard and cherished for what it is.

[acme15]

Anyone who buys that henna 316 to butcher it with an engine conversion needs shooting. There just aren't enough minters left to spoil. Any engine conversion would need to be done to the very highest standard, i.e a £5000 job. Whilst I really like Dan The's car, very few (if any) are built to that standard. I hope the red 316 gets left standard and cherished for what it is.

+1

Unless they keep all the original parts to enable it to be converted back to stock perhaps.

I would feel bad ripping the engine out of a mint 316 to put something else in it... But if you sell it with that in mind to buy a 325i (or something) to take it's place, who's to say the next owner won't rip the M10 heart out of it anyway?

If I started off with a slightly dog-eared 316, and eventually converted it to a 325i and sold the M10B18 on (perhaps to someone who wants to preserve a 316 themselves) it's not so bad.

[acme15]

Also i'm not looking for a 'minter', i'm just looking for one which is 'decent'.

Minor dents and scrapes? not fussed if they will pull out/buff out.

interior damage like a ripped drivers seat/split dash? not fussed to be honest. (to start off with)

Not really fussed if it has electrical issues like the aerial not retracting, rear electric windows not working, broken speakers etc either. Those issues can typically be fairly easily fixed. (as far as I understand)

So long as the body is structurally sound and free from significant 'PITA/impractical/expensive to repair' rust damage.

Not fussed what wheels it has on it, even steelies with missing hubcaps would be fine. They won't be on it forever because i'll eventually buy some BMW BBS rims, or bottlecaps at the very least.

Obviously I would want the suspension, brakes, engine and other running gear and such to be as sound as can be. I don't really want to have to do anything other than replace fluids, belts, pads etc. (not counting fitting the webber carbs)

And of course I wouldn't be too happy if *all* of the above apply unless the car is quite cheap.

At the moment £800 - £1000 is what i'm happy to pay unless my situation changes by the time I come to purchase.

[acme15]

I think the idea of having an E30 for a first car & daily runabout needs to be expelled from my mind. It is just too impractical I feel...

I do however like the idea of having a small side project, by which I mean an E30 which needs some TLC but not an absolute butt load of work doing to it, to keep me occupied when I have some spare time, and of course, to drive at some point in the future. (when it's in solid condition and ready to rock&roll again, and I have my no claims)

I must stress that I am *not* in a position to buy just yet, but from looking, this is the kind of car which I would consider taking on. Have I got the right idea, or am I barking up the wrong tree?


http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=234370

[Rich320I]

most e30s in that bracket will need work, as does the one above, but it does have MOT. et the running issues sorted and use it then do the work required as and when. iv seen far far worse given a new lease of life

[acme15]

most e30s in that bracket will need work, as does the one above, but it does have MOT. et the running issues sorted and use it then do the work required as and when. iv seen far far worse given a new lease of life

Cheers bud. I have ammended my post slightly now.

[Automaton]

The 316 to me is a modern classic that has enough conveniences and yet is a simple machine. Well, fingers crossed, have ordered a load of parts and plan to refurbish my uncared-for example in one shot to get that reliability in.

Was looking for a BMW and specifically an E30 after having owned an E36 that I couldn't maintain. (India, weather, melted ECU, customs and import duty, was a junior something in my organisation at that time, lack of good garages with adequate tools, dealers who cost an arm, a leg and a 'handling' charge for old parts, among many reasons, but in a nutshell, I didn't have enough money to keep it running).

For my 316 E30, a new Weber carb has arrived, among other things, like the busted trim and suspension parts.

The lack of injectors and sensors and 'electric this and electric that' is exactly what makes me happy about the 316. Again after so many years it again boils down to the amount of money a newer car will require to service and run properly without it becoming a garage queen.

We have 9-10 E30s in the country.
So no one has an idea what they are, and experience, tools, parts are all non-existent.

So Acme, while the worlds are different, and the reasons even more so, it all boils down to driving a car, now, that will put a smile on your face. Doubt a Lupo will do that.

If it makes sense for you to have the affordable 316, just go for a decent example now.

[acme15]

Its the simplicity that I like. The lack of things to go wrong is probably the only reason they rarely do, but that is good enough reason for me.

Currently the plans to get a 316 as my first car have been quashed. A second car, perhaps. But I need to get a little more money in my mitts first so I can go for a better example to start off with.

Who knows, the 316 may even get forgotten about altogether and I might just buy a 325i in several years time. We'll see. Right now I don't know what is going to happen.

But you are right, I doubt a lupo will put a smile on my face. But then again, I won't have to deal with instinctive rust checking and over-zealous cleaning to keep the rust at bay. Nor will I have to worry about fuel consumption, and the insurance will be a-lot cheaper.

(listen to that hopeless attempt at self justification, I know I still want a 316... It just doesnt seem to make sense right now )

[capnmchl]

You don't even have to crash a lupo to make it feel disconnected from the road.

Don't worry about the rust. Just get one with a bit of surface rust, nothing major or structural, and just drive it for the love of driving. If you get a nice one, then you'll feel guilty about ruining it, and there's no point getting a turd, so just get a slightly scabby one and over time, spend some money on it.

Infact, I think you should get a lupo or some shit first, and then buy an E30 a year later, just so you can realise how good they are, and how awful VW's are. If the first car you drive is an E30, every car after will be shit.

[acme15]

The insurance difference is a lot more hefty than I initially thought it was between a small car and an old 316 now I have started shopping around a bit more.

So an E30 will have to be a second car from a financial standpoint as well really. After a year of owning a small car I will begin to look at E30's again. Or maybe even before then. As I said in a thread on here before, I could always buy an E30 and start to sort it out before i'm ready to drive it.

[Rich320I]

The insurance difference is a lot more hefty than I initially thought it was between a small car and an old 316 now I have started shopping around a bit more.

So an E30 will have to be a second car from a financial standpoint as well really. After a year of owning a small car I will begin to look at E30's again. Or maybe even before then. As I said in a thread on here before, I could always buy an E30 and start to sort it out before i'm ready to drive it.

sounds like a plan, go forward and act

[acme15]

The insurance difference is a lot more hefty than I initially thought it was between a small car and an old 316 now I have started shopping around a bit more.

So an E30 will have to be a second car from a financial standpoint as well really. After a year of owning a small car I will begin to look at E30's again. Or maybe even before then. As I said in a thread on here before, I could always buy an E30 and start to sort it out before i'm ready to drive it.

sounds like a plan, go forward and act

Minor success, 1.4 75BHP Lupo costs the same to insure as a 1.0 49BHP Lupo.

This means that although it may be a bit depressing when I walk up to it in the morning, it will at least shift itself... That's a better power to weight ratio than a 316 at any rate...

...

[Billwill]

I have had my 318i M40, 1991, for 10 years now and am very happy with it.

Just make sure the timing belt and idlers is replaced properly and timeuosly and replace oil/filter etc. on a regular basis then it is pretty reliable and economical.

That said though....I would love to have the extra performance that an M42 motor would bring and would like to have disk brakes at the rear.

[Jones]

I've had my E30 316i lux 2 door since I was 16 I'm 23 now, and family had it before that, only time it really let me down was when the fuel pipes perished under the inlet manifold, I've done 40,000 miles in it in that time most of it was daily use, I've spent about £2k on it in parts in that time a lot of that being bbs wheels, front lip etc, its just been an amazing little car, yes the cam makes it sound like a fiesta, and it might being a little heavy on the juice although i have lead feet, in terms of speed, it's actually only marginally slower than my old e34 525i sport, power to weight etc.

I have had the timing belt done, and its still going very strong at 172,000 miles

[capri_rob]

Anyone who buys that henna 316 to butcher it with an engine conversion needs shooting. There just aren't enough minters left to spoil. Any engine conversion would need to be done to the very highest standard, i.e a £5000 job. Whilst I really like Dan The's car, very few (if any) are built to that standard. I hope the red 316 gets left standard and cherished for what it is.

This one ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-316-E30-3 ... 1c32ff93cf

Agreed that really needs saving

[acme15]

That one's so good that even if I had the money I wouldn't buy it for fear of damaging it or not taking adequate care of it.