E30 Zone

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/688326.htm

A large amount of MOT certs coming with it to verify mileage and a reasonable service history. So what do you think guys ? Thanks in advance for your comments.

Looks tidy. Shame about the damage to the rear 1/4.
Your daughter is lucky

i think i wish my dad bought me my E30

thats sounds alot of money realy considering that damage to the quater panel thats gonna cost around £200 to £300 to put right

that rear quarter would really put me off, but the rest looks good.
a grand should see you drive that away.

12 months ago you would of been able to buy the same sort of spec car half that price or less

town325i wrote:12 months ago you would of been able to buy the same sort of spec car half that price or less

I bought my similar spec 318i Lux for about half that price recently. Higher mileage but no damage.

Ask for more interior pics Luke, and that is slightly more than " a scratch" on the rear.
If the mileage is genuine, make him an offer.

What was it scratched with a lorry?

Lovely apart from the 'scratch'. My first car was a 1.1 Fiesta, lucky girl to have a dad like you!!

Keep us posted on your progress!!

I personally wouldn't be too frightened by the 'scratch' some filler and a little spray work and it'll be good. As long as the rest of the car is good, I prefer one bigger thing than trying to patch up loads of small bits and it ending up looking like an old rug. I'd have said the price was a little steep myself, I'd offer a fair bit less than that. 60mm is also lowered quite a lot

what is the proffesionaly lowered meen anyway (that a garage has fitted the springs)

I'd say that is probably double what I would want to pay for it. The damage is nasty. Also isn't it a hell of a long way from you?

The big question surely should be will your daughter actually like it? I dont know of any women who think my E30 is nice! Generally they say things like - "Its old and boxy" or "can you not afford a newer one" etc
Most women will prefer a modern euro hatchback.

My workmate is selling a 51 plate Ford Ka in black with just 33k on the clock and full Ford history for less money than that is up for. OK not exactly the same type of car, but if you are after a low mileage run around for your daughter I would say something of that type is a better bet.

I say go find the SAFEST car you can mate. I recently lost my girlfriend of 6 years to a 25mph crash in a Nissan Micra.

An E30 is not a safe car by today's standards.

[quote="pugboy"]I'd say that is probably double what I would want to pay for it. The damage is nasty. Also isn't it a hell of a long way from you?

The big question surely should be will your daughter actually like it? I dont know of any women who think my E30 is nice! Generally they say things like - "Its old and boxy" or "can you not afford a newer one" etc
Most women will prefer a modern euro hatchback.

You been talking to my missus?, sounds just like her!

What's so nasty about it? you can access the back of it beat it back as best you can then skim with filler and use some of that magic 'actually matches' bmw paint and you'll be fine . If anything it's a great reason to get money off it, I'd say the car was worth less than the asking price without the damage so at least get the cost of a bodyshop repair off the asking price.

Some girls have more class than others, if she wants to drive an e30 it's all good. My girlfriend loves mine .

[quote="jaistanley"]I say go find the SAFEST car you can mate. I recently lost my girlfriend of 6 years to a 25mph crash in a Nissan Micra.

Sorry to hear of your loss.

pugboy wrote:I'd The big question surely should be will your daughter actually like it? I dont know of any women who think my E30 is nice! Generally they say things like - "Its old and boxy" or "can you not afford a newer one" etc
Most women will prefer a modern euro hatchback.

. Well she just came in from work and says its lovely but its silver ! Doh . So whats wrong with silver I ask.... all of our cars are silver she replies. Jeebus young people today

Give her it and a rattle can of blue paint and tell her it's up to her whether it stays silver.

jaistanley wrote:I say go find the SAFEST car you can mate. I recently lost my girlfriend of 6 years to a 25mph crash in a Nissan Micra.

An E30 is not a safe car by today's standards.

Sorry to hear that, but you are right in that if its a gift for someone you kind of feel obliged to get something safe.

I dont really like our Zafira, but it costs us £200 a month to lease and its far safer for the kids to be in than anything I could have afforded when my wifes Passat Turbo broke last year.

On the subject of safety though unfortunately you can be in a modern 5* car, but if its a small one and you get hit by something heavy and high up like a 4x4 its going to come in at you at window height so aside from a curtain airbag the crumple zones wont do you much good.

Oh before anyone says - I know the pillars tend to be a lot stronger on modern cars, but its still potentially a sheet of glass between you and the ugly snout of a Porsche Cayenne.

looks good, shame about that scrape on the side

lol at the picture of speedo with pistonheads covering it up

jaistanley wrote:I say go find the SAFEST car you can mate.

An E30 is not a safe car by today's standards.

I am in agreement here , get an Ncap 5* car for her I remember top gear showing the difference between a 5 , 4 and 2 star car.

If you do get her a 5* car then dont tell her thats why you bought it, the safer people feel the more risks they take.

Not a bad looking car, but twice the price I'd be looking to pay for a 316. My old (1993) 316i lux touring cost less than that 6 years ago.

I can't believe all the armchair car traders here that reckon they wouldn't pay any more than £500 for a top spec 42000 mile 316i Compared to the 'damage' that is lurking underneath most E30s that is very minor and shouldn't cost anymore than £300 to repair.
The 60 mm drop, foglights blaring and the owners details would worry me more but If the rest of the car is really clean and the mileage can be verified ,that is £2500 all day long !

£2.5K!! You're kidding, right?

It isn't "top spec"...6btn OBC, manual roof, no aircon, no leather, presumably comfort seats for a start...

And "no rust"...I wonder if that is really the case on a 17yr old car.

I reckon the price in the ad is about right...Personally would probably want to negotiate down to around £1K, but even in mint condition, no scratches, quality tyres, not worn, everything fully functioning full history, etc it isn't gonna be worth much over £1.5k

My car was listed as no rust, some determined poking later and the seller was suprised by a hole in the inner wing.

Fushion_Julz wrote:£2.5K!! You're kidding, right?

It isn't "top spec"...6btn OBC, manual roof, no aircon, no leather, presumably comfort seats for a start...

And "no rust"...I wonder if that is really the case on a 17yr old car.

I reckon the price in the ad is about right...Personally would probably want to negotiate down to around £1K, but even in mint condition, no scratches, quality tyres, not worn, everything fully functioning full history, etc it isn't gonna be worth much over £1.5k

It wouldn't get £2.5K of my money but I daresay the Paddies will pay a premium for it.

The mileage, if 100% watertight, is the selling point on this car at 1k plus. While that may not be worthy of a premium in the eyes of many on here, it's true that it gets many folk's eyes on stalks. It needs to reflect the mileage in its condition 1st and foremost, and have EVERY MoT at the very least, and that still doesn't mean it wasn't clocked in its first 3 years so I'd want more paperwork on top if I was going to part with any more than one would for a 100k+ miler in comparable condition.

Frankly, there is no reason why the car shouldn't have every last bit of paperwork with it, but the ad suggests it is only MoTs so that sets alarm bells ringing, and I'd be interested to know how many owners it has had.

But if it's all pukka, it's worth every penny of £1000, significantly more if it weren't lowered and with that nasty battle scar in a pretty awful place.

As regards safety in a first car, obviously you pays your money and takes your choice, but I had an accident caused by tyre failure and rolled a 51-plate Clio at 70mph and the side airbag prevented my head from hitting the B-pillar so I walked out with no injuries whatsoever. Would the same be true if I'd been in an e30? Or a Ford Ka? Or anything pre-2000 for that matter? Bigger and newer is nearly always better (but remember a Ford Ka is a mkIII fiesta in a party frock, hence designed in the late 80s. I would rather be in almost anything else when the shit hit the fan. And they have old Kent pushrod engines in them, venerable old things but hardly the last word in refinement, power or reliability. Yuk.)

Personally i would also go for something safer, however if you really want it....... the scrape is a huge bargaining point and lets be honest, no point getting is fixed as no doubt there will be another similar to that when leaving a multistorey car park after a shopping trip.

If the car survives her '1st car experiences' get the scrape repaired and sell it to old colonel motors for a healthy profit.

Personally, i wouldnt get any young new driver a rear wheel drive car - id stick with an easy front wheel drive car first and then progressively move up, unless you have already taught her re understeeer and oversteer and she can handle the latter well...which in my experience with most women is NOT.

If you put someone in a proper handling car to start with there is at least a fair chance of them learning to drive it properly, I'd have thought. I would still have the same reservations though, whatever car you choose I'd say it was well worth getting her a skid pan training course; much better than any thing you can say.

If you want a safer car then a late e36.

^^^

E36's are not very safe, quite poor in the NCAP

Fushion_Julz wrote:£2.5K!! You're kidding, right?

It isn't "top spec"...6btn OBC, manual roof, no aircon, no leather, presumably comfort seats for a start...

And "no rust"...I wonder if that is really the case on a 17yr old car.

I reckon the price in the ad is about right...Personally would probably want to negotiate down to around £1K, but even in mint condition, no scratches, quality tyres, not worn, everything fully functioning full history, etc it isn't gonna be worth much over £1.5k

Bearing in mind we are talking about a 316 here, a sterling silver, colour coded dechromed 2 door with some nice extras is definately 'top spec'

Mileage is everything in the used car market , even more so in the budding classic section of the market where the E30 lies.

Try and find another 40000 mile E30 out there and see how much it is ?

WLN /old colonel cars etc would turn this into a 3k plus car EASILY.

Obviously this is all dependant on concrete proof and history to verify this mileage.