Can anyone give any info on this car? (e30 w/e36 m3 conv)

Post Tue Aug 29, 2006 4:19 pm

Looking at buying this, was on ebay recently....has anyone got any knowledge on it, good or bad!

So far not heard great things!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 4650905675

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... playType=2

All comments GREATLY received!

Post Tue Aug 29, 2006 4:22 pm

Was at ace cafe last month, involved in some sort of incident.

Looked good to me but heard most people have different opinions!

Post Tue Aug 29, 2006 4:26 pm

it keeps changing hands, leads me to think one thing.............there are a few things wrong with it

i've heard a few things about this car aswell, mainly negative ones

rad looked too small, pipe work didnt look too clever either

come on guys, help the guy out

kos

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 12:03 am

its being talked about on this link
http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... 843#442843

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 12:03 am

Kos wrote:its being talked about on this link
http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... 843#442843

please read this before you buy it son!

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 8:22 am

I thought you'd bought the car already mate

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 10:01 am

deposit down, picking up next week!

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 10:07 am

There are some more replies in the ebay section saying this have not been done properly on the car. I dont know where that leaves you, but i'd go with those information and try and get some monet off to get the mistakes corrected or walk away mate. Last thing you need is a money pit

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 10:41 am

Don't I know it mate

The guy is adamant everything has been corrected and will not budge on price, especially now he has my deposit

Not a nice position to be in to be honest!

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 10:51 am

No it's not. You have 2 choices now. Go with someone who knows about cars to check it over proper to make sure it's all ok, or Take the boys round and get your deposit back

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:06 am

Trouble is I want it

I always go with heart not head!

Here's the problems so far as I see them:

'knock' at ace cafe
spoke to him about this, he said the damage was tiny (at least he didnt deny), and had actually pointed it out to me before, albeit wasnt told the same "how" but dont really blame him who would say the real how! The damage was a scuff to the front lower spoiler. Does that tally with the crash can anyone confirm?

radiator really small
also asked about this, he DID say it used to have cooling issues, but when i saw it the first time he said the kenlowe fan fixed that. I double checked with him last night and told him that someone had said the rad was very small. He said thats not the case, and he said he reckons they didnt see it properly as its quite hidden but in fact its an M5 rad and actually huge and more than adequate. So possibly this point is also ok? Will obviously check for sure when I pick it up

Air filter is, erm crap
Can't comment really, probably true, but then thats not too hard to fix maybe couple hundred?

Throttle cable backwards
this one im really not sure about. ok its done wrong, but it does work! Im not sure why its reversed, i did ask him and he just said thats how it has to be done with the E30 cable, otherwise you need to get one fabricated. Sounds about right to me, again, not a huge issue if it works - maybe another hundred to put right?

That's about all the problems I think, unless someone says otherwise! A car like this is always going to be driven hard so I can't be too concerned with the stories of doughnuts and burnouts etc. Not ideal, but I suppose to be expected to a certain degree.
Engine sounds sweet, pulls strong and doesnt smoke so I'm thinking maybe it could be okay?

(as you can see, i think positively LOL)

Thanks for all the help so far though guys, i do appreciate it! Good to see LOADS of Guildford area people as well, will definately start going to the meets

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:15 am

The throttle cable is different on the first Ebay auction... you can see the U-bend in it so that it enters the throttle linkage the right way...

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:17 am

yeah that's what confused me, either the cable broke and its a new one, or.....? well I cant think of another reason!!

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 12:51 pm

Ive got this quote from the other thread, so we are talking in one place.

ballin wrote:just a few points,

I queried the throttle cable, and was told it had to be done like that to get the e30 cable to fit, otherwise you need one making up - dont know whether that is true or not, just passing on what I was told!

The rad I am told is an M5 radiator, and is in fact very big! You cant see it as it is hidden so looks small, but again, this is what ive been told!

Air filter no comment, but what will/can fit that would be better? any ideas?

In both ebay links the throttle cable looks bodged. They must have tried to use the E30 cable which is too short, hence the tight U bend and it then fitted the wrong way. The E36 cable will fit easily, by either having the cable shortened or the bracket on the intake trumpet being moved slightly.

I cant see how or why the rad would be mounted there. Ive just had a quick look at mine and I dont think my E30 rad would fit there without some cutting - I dont know how big an M5 rad is compared to that.
There is more than enough room for a rad infront of the engine and then the leccy fan can be mounted on the front of the rad. The standard E36 M3 rad will fit without issues.

Its all stuff that can be sorted, so I wouldnt worry too much - after all youve found the right place to get things done.

As long as the car is all straight and your happy with how it runs, then the little bits and bobs can be sorted without too much hassle.

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 12:59 pm

Do you mind if i ask how much your paying for this beast - looks a lovely car dispite the minor problems?

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:06 pm

Would be a good project.

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:26 pm

James, thanks for that, has put my mind at ease a little!
Ben, I've got no discount from the ebay ad

!!

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:36 pm

ref. the rad, if you look below you can see the top hose going through, which gives an idea on the width of the radiator - how much wider than a 325 is that?

perhaps the reason it is mounted there is for extra air flow? If the rad was further back towards the engine then the front panel would block all the flow to the edges of the rad, making it a a bit pointless?
Does that make more sense why it is where it is now? (even tho air needs to flow THROUGH not just onto the rad!)

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:03 pm

Looking at the earlier ebay photos, it looks like the engine had the original viscous fan fitted, so theres the probable reason for mounting the rad where it is - theres no room for both.
There was no plastic surround around the fan, so that could be a reason for cooling issues he talked about and by fitting the leccy fan with its own surround - problem solved.

If I was buying the car, the first thing I would do is sort the throttle cable. It probably works fine as is, but thats not how its meant to be and IMO I would prefer it as it should be - less chance of it going wrong, Im not saying it will.

In the pic above, whats the thing between the header tank and suspension turret?

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:16 pm

I can answer that one!! It's the control box for the kenlowe!

And yes again you are correct, it DID have the viscous fitted which was inefficient hence the kenlowe, so I guess you've explained why the rad is where it is - thanks!!!

I will sort the throttle cable for sure - it has a ridiculously light throttle at the moment, so much so its jerky, i assume this is the reason!

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:26 pm

ballin wrote:I can answer that one!! It's the control box for the kenlowe!

Ofcourse it is, sorry, I looked at it and forgot it had the leccy fan

Cant help with the light throttle, Ive only driven mine once for 30secs and I didnt have the exhaust manifolds fitted at the time so I wasnt really thinking about how well it worked.
Having the correct cable will probably help matters.

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:28 pm

TBH mate, i dont think you got much to worry about. 6k for a car like that is a bargain. Cant wait to see some decent pics when you get her home.

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:35 pm

m3ben05 wrote:TBH mate, i dont think you got much to worry about. 6k for a car like that is a bargain. Cant wait to see some decent pics when you get her home.

I agree, you would be hard pushed to get a decent car and do the conversion yourself for 6k - believe me

and Ive not even got the paint work sorted yet

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:42 pm

good stuff, you dont know how much i wanted to hear that!

the only thing that concerns me now is the stories of it getting ragged to bugger on frequent occasions, quite often from cold! Any particular things I can check the engine for, or just common sense usual stuff?

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:47 pm

These engines are built with the single purpose of having their arses ragged on every occasion. Dont worry about it

My advice would be to take it to someone who knows these cars (bexly's/moseley etc) get them to check it over properly, may end up costing a few 00 but worth it for peace of mind i would say.

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:47 pm

If you compare the prices hes made a big profit!!! Still wouldnt give it the steam off my piss.....could be a moneypit. Theres too many question marks over certain aspects. As someone else said, take someone down that knows all about the car and quiz the guy.

Why would he be getting rid after only owning it for a couple of months?? If its such a scream then you wouldnt be ridding yourself of it would you??

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:50 pm

m3ben05 wrote:These engines are built with the single purpose of having their arses ragged on every occasion. Dont worry about it

not quite ben,

they are stong engines but MUST be maintained and repected

you cannot floor it from cold, and no one knows the history of the engine. the 3.2 evo lumps can be fragile, i know a fair few have thrown a rod and not to mention vanos packing up

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:53 pm

Sorry, misread the question.

It goes without saying they should be treated gently from cold like any engine really!

Its true they can be fragile, especially the vanos units. My advice still stands, get it looked at by an expert for peace of mind.

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:58 pm

dont worry, i've been guilty of that on some posts

just gota be double carefull on this one, dont want the dude to spend 6g on a shitter

having said that, on break down you could get some money back

Post Wed Aug 30, 2006 3:05 pm

Kos, thanks for all your advice mate, really do appreciate it, good to know there is strong club running when you need help!
And of course thanks to the others as well, advice has been invaluable and has certainly opened my eyes a bit!

Will be giving it a much more thorough going over on Tuesday when I pick it up (date has creeped forward!)