E30 Zone

Last year my daughter picked up a very nice 1990 325i Cabriolet.
For the winter it is stored in my extra garage. It needs a few things that I have been working on but in researching the car I find that the E30 is a much sought after BMW model. Being a life long Ford guy I wonder why. I know little about "foreign" cars. What makes this car so special? What is the future of this model? Will it become a classic with a capital C or just another collector car? Seems to me from all the internet gab it is destined for at least some degree of greatness someday. All this factors into how much she/we should invest in preserving and restoring it although other than the leather seats and a bent front bumper it is in very nice condition.

Just car guy rambling about a new thing to me.

For those interested, she paid $1000 USD. My research indicates that she dang near stole it. Agree? or not?

The E30 is a proper classic, in fact it was almost an instant classic due to it having the right formula of looks, build quality, wide array of engines, trim options and body styles all at the right time, but what cemented it as an instant classic was the way in which it became a synonymous part of the 80's Yuppie scene: if you were on your way up in life in the 80s and you wanted people to know about it you almost certainly had one of a small breed of aspirational cars: one of which being the E30. It targeted a wide audience due to it being affordable quality to many: ok if you ticked a few option boxes prices rose steadily but if you kept it sensible it wasn't far out of reach of joe blogs in the street who wanted a better class of car that could never be achieved by the likes of Ford. You also had its success on the track and it's not very often the man on the street can look out onto his drive and see something similar to what he has just witnessed dominating on the track. For many, myself included, it symbolises BMW at their absolute peak (and grounded their reputation as one of the main players)- a time when they had the looks, design, reliability and build quality all in a nice package: the original compact executive and this I feel has secured its place firmly as an absolute classic. Interest in 80s cars, especially Iconic ones like the E30, has grown rapidly in the last few years and for what your daughter paid yes I'd say she nearly stole it!!!

she got it for a very good price, but be weary of my signature message..a cheap E30 can be very costly to fix (unless your have been one of the lucky ones).

Most of us on here were around when the E30 was released and aspired to own one from a young age,couple that with excellent handling and build quality (the UK fords of that period were of a very poor build quality) and most of us were hooked years ago..i purchased my first E30 for my 21 birthday and have owned at least one ever since.

I hope they do not end up being that sought after (and expensive) that it prices out the likes of most zoners (including me).

Thanks for your comments on the car. Not too worried about the funds it will take to get her all fixed up. It really has very few problems that I have found. Needs new oil pressure switch and brake pad wear sensors and I found both of those locally. The leather seats are the biggest issue that we will have to deal with. They are in pretty bad shape.

There is a coolant leak inside and I believe that to be the heater core. That looks like it will be a fun task.

I am fortunate in that I can take care of nearly all the mechanical work. No body work neded that I can see. Just needs a good detailing.

And there is that front bumper issue. Not sure yet exactly what that is going to take to get it straight.

We will have the seat out replacing the leather. Doing the fronts first then get the rear done.

"Fiddly".... good word. I'm learning a whole new vocabulary on this site.

If the coolant leak is on the left side of the gearbox (transmission) tunnel then it is likely to be the valve leaking rather than the matrix.

Ben

The seals for the valve are very cheap from the dealers and I have done this repair on my LHD e30.

It's not that difficult, all you need to do is cut down an 8mm (I think that was the size) spanner to about three inches or so and you can then take off the bolt/nut (can't remember exactly).

I would take the carpet out and dry it thoroughly first as it has a lot of foam and holds a huge amount of water.

BenHar wrote:If the coolant leak is on the left side of the gearbox (transmission) tunnel then it is likely to be the valve leaking rather than the matrix.

Ben

Thanks Ben. That is where it is.

Supafly wrote:
It's not that difficult, all you need to do is cut down an 8mm (I think that was the size) spanner to about three inches or so and you can then take off the bolt/nut (can't remember exactly).

Bolts are undone using a 1/4" socket extension bar pushed through the rubber seal for the pipes, attached to a ratchet in the engine compartment. Wrap insulating tape around the flange to keep the little square nuts in place when you refit.

Sounds like Supafly only replaced the O ring seals rather than the valve itself. The more usual fault is that the rivets holding the two halves of the valve together pull through and the diaphragm is damaged. This can be caused by a failure of the original radiator pressure cap, which should have been replaced on all E30s with a 1.4 bar cap under a recall in '97.