E30 Zone

Next week I'm going to pick up a 318iS I found on autotrader.co.uk, all the way in Manchester

From what I've seen from the various pictures and what the guy selling it has said it's a very clean car, runs well and has little or no sign of rusting. Having not seen the car in the flesh though I'm a little apprehensive, especially as the price is only £695...



That is the only picture I have of it at the moment, as the article has since been deleted.

What you think? Going by what the bloke said it seems like a steal. It's a trade sell, not from a private owner, however I did spy an E30Zone roundel sticker on the dash in the other pics.

Looks like it could be a good buy, however the fact that water is not beading off the car and there appears to be quite a bit of pinkness where the water has come off would worry me. Having said that it nothing a good mop couldn't sort out is it and if theres no rust thats pretty minor.

The paint was my initial concern as it doesn't look too brilliant (and it's red... )

Fingers crossed that's the only downside! I'm still pretty excited about it though.

is the spoiler wrong ? and the black side trim ? thought they were colour coded on the Is ?

james318i wrote:is the spoiler wrong ? and the black side trim ? thought they were colour coded on the Is ?

Nope, some might be though. I know appletrees isn't, although he doesn't have the black spoiler.

as said above it looks like it may be a bit pink under the water, thats obviosly why he took photos of it wet

but at that price you cannot go wrong a good t cut and it would look a smashing car

Its deffo worth a look though at that price

Covered in water.

Amazing what 'Gods Polish'can do to hide a multitude of sins!!

Fingers crossed mate. There's enough there to make what you paid for it should it be a turd.

Good luck!

Looks like a decent buy mate - lets face it whats the most you can lose on a £695 car ?

capri_rob wrote:Looks like a decent buy mate - lets face it whats the most you can lose on a £695 car ?

Err £695

I've also sold my 318i Touring to my brother for £500 which makes the deal that little bit sweeter I think. 2 E30s in the family

i think its safe to say the paintwork shall be erm.. tired and pink

gooner1 wrote:

capri_rob wrote:Looks like a decent buy mate - lets face it whats the most you can lose on a £695 car ?

Err £695

lol

if its pink so be it, thats what polish is for!! looks like a bargin for that money, hope its a good one.

The 250 mile drive back down to Devon will soon show me how it is. I'll keep you all posted how it goes, and I'll get some better pics when I get it home.

Best of luck with it.
If it all goes wrong you could easily break it and still make a profit on it

Looks like a great deal if its solid and rust free.

Bit of elbow grease should get the paint looking better. Even if you payed for it to be professionally done you would still be getting a good deal. Hope it goes well.

looks good for the £Â£Ã‚£s, and if paint fade is the only issue, then its no issue at all really.

mop + G3 =

Just to give you a bit of encouragement here's a pic of a little Daihatsu1.3 16v which I'm giving a makeover for a family friend.

Farecla G3 and a bit of elbow grease works wonders.

from my experience, either take a bottle of water with you or stop at the nearest garage on the way back and pick one up, a 2ltr jobby....just incase!

I thought the spoiler would be colour coded though and have fog lights?

At the very worst case senario, is engine and 'box £150, LSD £200, untorn interior £150, 4 cross spoke wheels £100........

Paint can be brought back to life no problem.

911 (964) paintwork correction.....






























http://www.stuttgart9.co.uk/upload/show ... php?t=3820

choppa7 wrote:I thought the spoiler would be colour coded though and have fog lights?

I thought the spoiler would be colour coded, but foglights were an optional extra

right if its a shed walk away a tired ratty old is will cost you thousands to sort you can buy a really good one of these for a couple of grand so why bother? if you want the hassle of breaking it go ahead but a hassle it is. I hope its a bargain but the odds are against it.

Good luck with the new purchase and get a tub of elbow grease for the paintwork, job's a good'un!!

Holy shit!!! that's cheap!

I must start looking in the autotrader again, lol.
Dodgy place to look for cars at times but for less than 700 quid, you can't loose.

Was there any pics of the engine? A cheap 318 always has the idea of someone passing off a 318i as an iS.
Especailly with the odd non-colour coded rear spoiler.
But then again, not many would go to the trouble of putting an iS lip on a 318 just to try fool people.

good luck with it anyway, and hope it's not too pink

As we were touching the topic of restoring paintwork on this thread, check out Aldi's Sunday offers, which include an electric car polisher for a mere £12.99 ... I'll be off to buy one myself

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/2867_5589.htm

Atta boy Gridculture!

Too many folk say "you're too far from me" etc.

they should just get off their arse and go get the car if they want it so badly..

Personal best is Picking a car up from Gatwick- 507 mile trip back home

and as already said- a £695 iS will easily break for £700

Dave_M3 wrote:Was there any pics of the engine? A cheap 318 always has the idea of someone passing off a 318i as an iS.
Especailly with the odd non-colour coded rear spoiler.
But then again, not many would go to the trouble of putting an iS lip on a 318 just to try fool people.

There was, it's definately an M42 lump in there!

EDIT: I also used the RAC registration check thingy and it's listed as a 318iS.

tomze30 wrote:As we were touching the topic of restoring paintwork on this thread, check out Aldi's Sunday offers, which include an electric car polisher for a mere £12.99 ... I'll be off to buy one myself

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/2867_5589.htm

Be carefull with that, too much pressure and you'll soon burn the paint off not restore it.

march109 wrote:

tomze30 wrote:As we were touching the topic of restoring paintwork on this thread, check out Aldi's Sunday offers, which include an electric car polisher for a mere £12.99 ... I'll be off to buy one myself

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/2867_5589.htm

Be carefull with that, too much pressure and you'll soon burn the paint off not restore it.

Might just get that and practice on some spare panel, i mean at £12.99 whats the most i could lose

march109 wrote:

tomze30 wrote:As we were touching the topic of restoring paintwork on this thread, check out Aldi's Sunday offers, which include an electric car polisher for a mere £12.99 ... I'll be off to buy one myself

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/2867_5589.htm

Be carefull with that, too much pressure and you'll soon burn the paint off not restore it.

Might just get that and practice on some spare panel, i mean at £12.99 whats the most i could lose

march109 wrote:

tomze30 wrote:As we were touching the topic of restoring paintwork on this thread, check out Aldi's Sunday offers, which include an electric car polisher for a mere £12.99 ... I'll be off to buy one myself

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/2867_5589.htm

Be carefull with that, too much pressure and you'll soon burn the paint off not restore it.

I'll be gentle ... and try it on a non E30 first

Let us know how you get on - I never spotted this one on my travels - I would have had it for £695

Picked it up today, and to be honest I now know why it was £695. Not that I'm too dissapointed, it's something to keep me occupied!

Bad points:

The paintwork does look quite tired, not as pink as I'd thought but a bit tatty round the edges, and there is a bit of rust , but nothing a day with a grinder and a teeny bit of welding wont put right.

Slight whhuuurrring noise from the rear, not sure what it is, any ideas? It gets kinda faster at higher speeds, something to do with the diff?

The diff sensor needs cleaning/replacing i think, as the speedometer, odomiter etc. don't work. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Central locking doesn't work, but no doubt there's about a million threads on here that'll help me sort that out if I can't get anywhere.

Electric rear mirrors don't work.

Good points:

Excellent interior, only a bit of wear on the gear knob and a slight scuff at the very back of the headlining.

The engine is amazing, really quiet, smooth and goes like a mad man after about 3500rpm.

Brakes and suspension feel fine.

Lots of receipts for things like new disks, new fuel lines, fuel pump, head gasket, yadda yadda yadda all fitted pretty recently.

Plus it got me all the way back from Manchester without putting a foot wrong!

I do like this car alot, if I had been more patient though, would I have waited and spent the little extra on a better condition one? I guess I'll work that out when I start sorting out all the niggles.

I'll try and get some pics up soon too!