any tips on buying a e30!

Post Thu Jul 13, 2006 12:42 pm

hello peoples! im new to this site and i dont own a bmw... yet. however, i am looking for one at the moment and was wondering if anyone could give me some advice, hints n tips etc. on buying an e30? in other words, common problems to look for? also, ive noticed that world wide the 323i is not quite common, with parts and accessories? is this because is wasn't delivered to certain countries or it isn't compatible/similar to the other e30 models? any advice would be great and if this topic has already been brought up.... ma bad! cheers

Post Thu Jul 13, 2006 12:52 pm

which country are you in?
In general, rust is your enemy and just about anything else can be fixed - but should of course be allowed for in the purchase price if you can spot it. There are guides on this site.. I'll link one in a sec.

Post Thu Jul 13, 2006 12:56 pm

im down under, in australia!

Post Thu Jul 13, 2006 12:58 pm

hmm, then I guess rust is less of a problem but spares will be more of one. I can't find the damn guides either

Post Thu Jul 13, 2006 1:07 pm

ahh, actually it gets pretty darn hot here and ive heard rust is quite a problem. parts i believe wil b a definite problem also. is the 323i popular where ur from? obviously, the 318i is the most popular and best budget buy, but i do want something with a bit of go... hence im lookin at the 6's. but the 325i seems a bit expensive. and i have kno idea about the differences of the 325i and the 325e....

Post Thu Jul 13, 2006 2:13 pm

I think the 323 was only available very early on in the production run, it was carried over from the previous 3 series and was replaced by the 325i - this is in the UK anyway. In the UK, 325i is not a rare beast but 325e was the economy version for the US which had a low revving 2.7 lump they can be used in the 2.7 conversion that you'll hear about if you read up on these forums

You're going to need advice from someone local about parts and what model to go for....

Post Thu Jul 13, 2006 2:23 pm

here is a useful aussie forum for european cars
http://forums.eurocca.net/index.php

there are a good few E30 owners on there, they may be able to give a little more guidance on what afflictions E30's suffer from over there

rust is the common enemy though

it is a popular past time to put Supra turbo lumps and Nissan 200SX lumps in once the BMW mill has given up, like it a lot!!!