E30 Zone

Last year I bought a 1988 chrome 325i convertible, manual in lachs silver.

The specs:
manual roof
OBC
Indigo leather
Heated seats
Heated elec mirrors
Intensive wash wipe

The car was sold on the proviso it had full history. I have been in contact with the owner and he keeps fobbing me off saying he will look. Has now admitted he has looked and has only found MOT's. fine it's a start. But I don't have them in my hand.

I love the car, but it needs money spent. Interior needs re trimming carpet needs a deep clean, rust stains in it.

Full re spray and new hood and frame and bent and torn. New wheels and tyres as 1 broken and others shabby. And what ever else I come across when doing it. Hoses etc. it's sat for 3 years.

The body though is rot free, a couple of scabs but no holes. I had it on a ramp and looked. And 123k and engine is sweet as a nut. And it's got descent coil overs and poly bushed all round.

I paid £250 scrap value, I won't get another 1 if I sell it or Break it.

My dilemma is, I do want to keep it yes, but its never going to be a top money car without history what ever money I spend. Or just break it and make good money.

What is an up together car with only recent history worth, or will people just not be interested in it.

Is there anyway I can find history or track where it originally came from.
Reg is f925luf if there is a way.

If you give your local parts dealer your VIN number they can give you all the original build information confirming the full spec as it left the factory.

If the paper history is gone its gone - not really anything you can do about it but you can't really complain if you only paid £250 ! You can track MOT history now online over the last few years to give an indication if the mileage has been "adjusted"

These cars are so old now a stamped service book will only really add value to a properly mint original car. It wont add anything really to a run of the mill standard E30 project and certainly not a £250 convertible on coilovers. You got a good deal be happy with it.

If your not happy. I'll give you your £250 back and have it from you.

Coilovers and poly bushes tells me it's not that nice.

It's not an M3, it doesnt need a paper trail going back to the 80s.

If you're going to do a rebuild anyway, then full documentation of the work, in terms of photos and receipts, will mean infinitely more than some paper saying the car had a new oil filter in 1996.

What's more, existing history won't add a penny of value if the car is an unlved turd, which is what this one sounds like._

It's scrap , Get it fragged.

so you bought a 325i convertible for £250 and your scared the service history will not surface to add value...
yea ok ive heard it all now.

Its an old car as above a service history on something like this means diddly squat.

get on with getting it on the road and enjoy it next summer its a scrap value E30 convertible think your self lucky you're saying its relatively rot free. there's members on here have paid 3 figures for basket cases that have ended out costing a lot more to put right.

at £250 you can afford to put the car right and enjoy it and always have in mind its been a cheap cabby.

Keep it, fix it, drive it, document everything as you go.
Then when you come to sell the last couple of years of documentation will be worth far more than a dealer history in the 90's.

If it is totally or pretty much rust free and the engine is running well then don't break it, either fix it or sell it to somone who will. At least if its poly bushed and coil overed then you know its not going to fail an MoT on wobbly bushes and misting shockers!

FYI I have a tatty Cab, you have to regard the tents as consumable items I'm afraid.......... ...... eventually they all fall apart and need replacing, but thats the price you pay for being able to put the roof down when its not raining!

way to think about it is- if that cabby is the car you want to be driving and loving and keeping long term, then do it, dont think about the £££ , do it to enjoy- think of the reg, spec, color, etc etc, if it all adds up and thats what you want and couldnt easily get another the same,do it

same as buying a brand new car- if you want a brand new car, its because you want that car and to be driving it brand new, your not thinking about £££ depeciation soon as you drive off the forecourt or in 2 or 3 years time, your just doing what YOU want and want to be driving and enjoying.

get the cabby done, if it really is nice and rot free, that is better than an fsh dog with rot all over it

but its like above- once its all done, if done properly fully documented with lots of pics and reciepts etc (ie a nice resto not just a blow over re spray) then that will be like its new history starting

polsta wrote:way to think about it is- if that cabby is the car you want to be driving and loving and keeping long term, then do it, dont think about the £££ , do it to enjoy- think of the reg, spec, color, etc etc, if it all adds up and thats what you want and couldnt easily get another the same,do it

same as buying a brand new car- if you want a brand new car, its because you want that car and to be driving it brand new, your not thinking about £££ depeciation soon as you drive off the forecourt or in 2 or 3 years time, your just doing what YOU want and want to be driving and enjoying.

get the cabby done, if it really is nice and rot free, that is better than an fsh dog with rot all over it

but its like above- once its all done, if done properly fully documented with lots of pics and reciepts etc (ie a nice resto not just a blow over re spray) then that will be like its new history starting

It WONT be nice, it has coiloverz and was £250.

5k spent will make it a tidy 2k turd.

I have looked at all the usual rot areas of an e30, iv done my fair share of marrathon welding on one of these before.

It's a dog now but it's certainly not beyond the grave. I love the spec and colour and its a chromie, it hasn't been councilled. It's slightly lower with avez A's and standard bodywork, which will stay standard. it will get done properly in due course. I will get some pictures but its under a cover out the rain. the interior is out and being fed and cleaned. Roof I can deal with and paintwork will be sorted. If I put £1500-2k into it I won't loose out then with a car that's worthless (not that it will be sold)

Thank you for all your replies you have sealed it for me. Rolling resto and il enjoy it.

Frag it

polsta wrote:
but its like above- once its all done, if done properly fully documented with lots of pics and reciepts etc (ie a nice resto not just a blow over re spray) then that will be like its new history starting

pacerpete wrote:

5k spent will make it a tidy 2k turd.

Acox99 wrote: Roof I can deal with and paintwork will be sorted. If I put £1500-2k into it I won't loose out then with a car that's worthless (not that it will be sold)

Thank you for all your replies you have sealed it for me. Rolling resto and il enjoy it.

Why?
He's going into this with his eyes open (now).

A decent coilover set up is about a £1000, so it cNt be that decent of you paid £250 for the car lol

The car sounds like rubbish and it's probably not worth spending any money on it, it's not like it's been yours for years and years or been in the family etc to hold any sentimental value either

There's a lot of jumping to conclusions going on here.

We need photos.

@ Kos, how do you know it wasn't a £1000 set of coilovers 5 years ago? The car could have changed hands a few times by then, and maybe the last owner just wanted shot of it and was happy for the £250 scrap value rather than the potential liability etc

Widge wrote:There's a lot of jumping to conclusions going on here.

We need photos.

@ Kos, how do you know it wasn't a £1000 set of coilovers 5 years ago? The car could have changed hands a few times by then, and maybe the last owner just wanted shot of it and was happy for the £250 scrap value rather than the potential liability etc

The roof is foooked, the interior is fooooked, its scabby, the council rimz are foooked , it has coiloverzz and finally, the previous owner was a peasant.
My opinion is based on the FACTS the OP has stated, I do not need to 'jump to conclusions' It is obviously rather crap and not economically viable to fix.

Post some pictures so we can see what it really looks like.

I'm sorry but I just find that a rather narrow minded view of the facts.

You haven't taken in to account that he says he loves tha car and its spec, and won't get another one if he sells or frags it.

You Azevs will fetch you a £250 return on a good day, get the thing stripped and weighed and buy a nicer one!

Just get it running right and in good enough condition to pass MOTs and then just enjoy it.

It's all about vehicle condition in a situation like this. Bits of paper with numbers and dates aren't going to magically vanish the rot and council activity.

It is what it is!

Widge wrote:I'm sorry but I just find that a rather narrow minded view of the facts.

You haven't taken in to account that he says he loves tha car and its spec, and won't get another one if he sells or frags it.

HA HA HA! The facts are that car will need at least £5k spending on it and a shitload of man hours! It will always be shit until it is a nut and bolt resto job!

You can't "do-up" on an E30 on a shoe string budget, they are money pits I have been there and I have the history/receipts to prove it

Morat wrote:Why?
He's going into this with his eyes open (now).

going in to doing a resto with "usual welding issues" "new roof" "wheels and tyres" "ful re spray" , not to mention everything else

and thinking put £1500-2 grand in

is eyes very much blinkered, not open

pete knows the crack, its an expensive game and £1500 wont even touch the sides

polsta wrote:

Morat wrote:Why?
He's going into this with his eyes open (now).

going in to doing a resto with "usual welding issues" "new roof" "wheels and tyres" "ful re spray" , not to mention everything else

and thinking put £1500-2 grand in

is eyes very much blinkered, not open

pete knows the crack, its an expensive game and £1500 wont even touch the sides

Damn right, the henna red car my brother has needs a grand chucking at it in panels and paint alone let alone the labour of welding and painting to a professional quality standard!

Love these threads where people say need s bit of TLC etc, only a couple of scabs needs a respray like it's a Saturday morning job and £100


You might be able to cut corners but then all you are doing is carrying out the same sub-standard effort that put the sorry shitter where it is in the first place, clinging to MOT/bridge fodder/frag etc

However, I would say fill it with Isopon and underseal get a ticket on it and enjoy is not always a bad thing, just don't think you can get balls deep into something that will ultimately take ALL of your money and free time, that is 100% FACT.

Duke137 wrote:

polsta wrote:

Morat wrote:Why?
He's going into this with his eyes open (now).

going in to doing a resto with "usual welding issues" "new roof" "wheels and tyres" "ful re spray" , not to mention everything else

and thinking put £1500-2 grand in

is eyes very much blinkered, not open

pete knows the crack, its an expensive game and £1500 wont even touch the sides

Damn right, the henna red car my brother has needs a grand chucking at it in panels and paint alone let alone the labour of welding and painting to a professional quality standard!

Love these threads where people say need s bit of TLC etc, only a couple of scabs needs a respray like it's a Saturday morning job and £100


You might be able to cut corners but then all you are doing is carrying out the same sub-standard effort that put the sorry shitter where it is in the first place, clinging to MOT/bridge fodder/frag etc

However, I would say fill it with Isopon and underseal get a ticket on it and enjoy is not always a bad thing, just don't think you can get balls deep into something that will ultimately take ALL of your money and free time, that is 100% FACT.

100% fact.

amazes me the people you see, who think masking up a car and a new wing and set of wheels and quick cheap re spray , is doing/restoring a car, all it makes it is a shiny turd, or putting £1500 in to a £250 scrapper will make it restored

i can imagine a £250 car, will probably have rust rear panel issues, inner arch issues, need new wings, and any other cab turd specific water ingress issues i have no idea about, and being a chromie cabby- the floor willl 100% have hidden waiting issues , the usual jacking points and lots lurking under the sealant around the inner arch walls to find once you scrape it back

next thing you know your initial 2k topps budget is swallowed up and youve not even got near paint or a roof, if you re spray a car- could you put a used roof on it ? surely not and theres another £600 or whatever, then you need new horse shoe seal, and all the other seals, and it goes on and on

nothing wrong with patching a car up to enjoy and hoon about in, but its only worth going to re spray levels and expense, if you sort everything underneath properly- dash out, bulkhead and floor, arch sealants and a rust hunt, etc etc, and sadly- it will soon eat cash i know only too well myself, but do it and do it properly, the car will be good for years and stand the test of time and be a pleasure to own and enjoy

I would patch it up with filler and a rattle can and enjoy it for what it is

If you want a decent one frag that and buy a good un

It came with another descent boot lid. Yes it needs money but I wouldn't be paying the labour. All the work will be done by myself. Even the stripping of the car for paint. I won't do the paint. But I may do some prep. Arches aren't scabby and they appear to be all metal and no pug. I haven't got any pictures of the interior. The bloke wanted rid as the council had told him to move it, if he didn't it would be crushed. So I offered him the money and collected it. Drivers seat had collapsed, passenger door mirror and the odd wheel as far as I could see without looking further where the only obvious reasons why it got left after the MOT ran out.

Say what you want I haven't got the blinkers on. It's had money spent. Just not in the last 5 years with the previous owner.

Depends on the level I go. It wouldn't be a full resto where it gets pulled to bits. I haven't got the funds for that. It would be smarten it up and make it usable. Deal with the rust issues that I find so it doesn't go further.

I haven't got 2k or more for a descent example. And as its been pointed out. I may spend that on a turd that's been fudged up and isn't as good as it seems.

What would this break for 800- 1k tops?

Back window should buff out with a bit of T cut

What does the interior look like?

Widge wrote:Back window should buff out with a bit of T cut

What does the interior look like?

It'll be the rare rattle snake option

Rear headrests and top of the seat are rotten and drivers bolsters are hanging. Otherwise seats good. Carpet will need removing and having a serious clean, or replacing. Some bad stains. Dash cracked. No supplies there. I don't have pictures unfortunately.

And boot trim needs replacing.

looks and sounds like a shed, rear window like that, rear head rests and seat tops rotten- WATERRRRR , youl be in for a whole load of aggro once them carpets are out

Acox99 wrote:Depends on the level I go. It wouldn't be a full resto where it gets pulled to bits. I haven't got the funds for that. It would be smarten it up and make it usable. Deal with the rust issues that I find so it doesn't go further.

I haven't got 2k or more for a descent example. And as its been pointed out. I may spend that on a turd that's been fudged up and isn't as good as it seems.

What would this break for 800- 1k tops?

wouldn't break for much tbh mate, the roofs knackered which would have gave you around £200+ if it was in good nick, the interior is shagged, not sure what your alloys are worth but wouldn't have thought much.

if the front wings are in good order they can fetch £50+ as they only fit cabbys

Does it have any other nice bits, OBC, tech 1/2 steering wheel?

depending on the level you want to go to on breaking it I dare say its not worth much more than what you paid even breaking it