E30 Zone

looking to buy one soon just wondering if anyone knows what the main problems would be on these cars, like the big parts which are likely to affect my wallet,

and what else if anything to look out for,


thanks

Front wings are about £500 a side IIRC, they rot, and if you want to keep it absolutely OEM the TRX Metric tryes are expensive.

Lovely cars though

Kos is the guru on the E24

The body is quite a big part and could seriously hurt your wallet. Like, beat it to a pulp, stab it repeatadly, and leave it to die in the gutter....
Other than that, they are mechanically very strong. Just check for wear in the bushes and if its an auto make sure it shifts smoothly. Exhausts are expensive as well.

RUST is the enemy. Especially on earlier examples.

i know where there is a good one for sale around 4k thats been properly maintained pm me if interested.

ive found some info on it apparantly a/c is a bit of a concern it uses a liquid that is now illegal to use or something like that due to environmental reasons? and to change it to the new liquid you have to fit new parts ?

ive found one allready, cant seem to see any rust from pictures, im going to give the guy a ring tomorrow see if i can view it later on

wings, inner arches, foot well, sills, bottom of front windscreen, SUNROOF, tail light/corners, bottom rear windscreen, rear subframe mounting points, rear arches.
What looks like a small bit of bubbling on the roof can be decieving check drain holes then remove headlining and see what disaster entails.
Chrome on bumpers if you see a bit of bubbling, remove it and see more rust fettling.
Im restoring a M635csi and its going to be worth it but hey it aint cheap.
reason why a bought a project is because I see a couple for sale last year for 8-10K needing another 3-4K to put mint!! timing chain and rust.
if its a 636csi M30b35 engine dont really here problems with the chain.
if im right a lot of suspension,brakes can be sourced from the E28

Bigcoupe.com should help you with the A/C side of things, probably going for a later bmw compressor

Let me know if I have made a mistake

Sean.

The early ones have 2 brake servos - nearly £500 each new

DO NOT BUY ONE OF THESE WITHOUT A THOROUGH INSPECTION UNLESS YOU LIKE SPENDING MONEY !

Capital lock off !


I have had many of these cars and am very familiar with their issues and costs involved in righting them.
I also do autopsies/pre purchase inspections for £

Cecotto479 deals with a lot with them, he's a trader here and is based in Glasgow.

wow alot of factors to go wrong! thanks for the info peoples, im pretty good with cars mechanically, i just havnt had much experience with cars as yet to pinpoint particular faults,

he says its in pretty good mechanical condition its an 1985 model, im only interested cause hes selling it for £500 straight

Hopes of a salvageable e24 for £500 are pretty minimal IMO. Mechanicals are simple, but they rot for fun. If you really want one, as with all classic cars, buying the best is the most economical option 99 times out of a hundred.

bmw9818 wrote:he says its in pretty good mechanical condition its an 1985 model, im only interested cause hes selling it for £500 straight

£500? That'll be getting weighed then.

bmw9818 wrote:ive found some info on it apparantly a/c is a bit of a concern it uses a liquid that is now illegal to use or something like that due to environmental reasons? and to change it to the new liquid you have to fit new parts ?

ive found one allready, cant seem to see any rust from pictures, im going to give the guy a ring tomorrow see if i can view it later on

Believe me, A/C working is the least of your worries! You are talking about changing it from the old R12 gas to the later R134a Gas. Conversion is possible, loads have done it on e30's on this very forum.

As all have said above, the structure of the thing will bleed you dry. And that'll be probably 75% of them out there. These were in the same price bracket when new as a 308 Ferrari or a 928 Porsche. And to restore a shell properly now? Well they will still be in the same price range. Early e12 5 series based cars turn to paper doily effect very quickly. The later e28 cars are better but still suffered. Remember even the latest available examples are now 20 years old

Interior trim etc is mostly available but good second hand stuff is now rare. External Chrome parts are pricey new and again, good 2nd hand parts are rare.

Beware of Metric rims, Tyres are fortunes. A set of 15" e34 cross spoke BBS's are a popular choice. E38 16" BBS look better.

I looked at these before plumping for my e30 325i Convertible. I'm not afraid of a bit of work but every one I saw for around the £4k, was a complete shed. I love a big Coupe (also looked at W123 Merc 280ce's and they were the same!) and would still buy an e24 now. But I'd spend big money on the right car or not at all. And I'd not worry which model either. Just find the best one. I actually prefer the early chrome cars to the later bloated highlines TBO.

I've found that many of these fall into the hands of peeople who have money and want a classic car. They shout loud about how expensive they were new. But they shout less about how little they actually know about cars. Normally this will be at the bar in there local pub. They take them to so call "specialists" or to their local village garage where their "mate" in the aforementioned pub, does him favours but is actually more tooled up and used to changing the oil on the local mums Pug 106. The owner then throws thousands at it, just getting it through it's next MOT but believes he's doing the right thing and when he comes to sel it (i.e. when the realisation sets in that actually, it's a munter), he demands big money because he's "spent thousands making it better". In other words, they are either dellusional or have been hoodwinked!

I seen that one for £500 also got me interested just dont expect a lot for that money is what i was thinking

I recently bought a set of Black leather recaros for £500 and the previous owner through the rest of the car in (635csi). which will tell you what condition a £500 E24 will be.
A SCRAPPER or MONEY PIT!!

There are some non highline 635 csi's which look tidy.

http://pistonheads.com/sales/1344152.htm

You can usually get Recaro interiors for not much, or a parts car to put on the nice bits on this.

All been said before. A £500 car is almost certainly unsaveable. Mechanics are cheap and easy. Bodywork is dear and difficult. You can spend £10000 plus restoring one of these without any difficulty. Buy the best you can afford in terms of structure. It'll be much cheaper in the long run. Avoid the £2000 car MoT'd and just needing a little TLC. Feel fee to PM me for more scare stories.

Think the OP might have given up now?

Yeah given up just a bit still feeling to go an have a look at it though ! It's not too far from me so il give it a look tomorrow and check it proper

The other thing that I can tell you - and I can only speak for the Series 1 - is that unless you are on the Motorway where it is immense-it is actually a pretty crap drive

bmw9818 wrote::.: Yeah given up just a bit still feeling to go an have a look at it though ! It's not too far from me so il give it a look tomorrow and check it proper

I had one many moons ago and agree with all that's been said but they are a good pose and if the wings are OK (and that's a big if) ..they could be worth more than the car..

money pit

most of what you see is over priced shit. i've seen what 4 grand cars need. some one on the big coupe forum bought a nice usable car for about 4 grand. its failed its MOT and needs about 3 grand to pass it. the rusty wings he knew would need changing to make the look good, but the inner wings are shot, and the flitches are cracked. no doubt the sills need attention

a tidy usable e24 will set you back 5-6 grand. a nice one will be about 8 grand

parts are expensive, good used spares are almost non existant

values are creeping up and give it few more years they will shoot up imho. discussed this with a few people who know these cars and thats the general take on them.

i have mine issured for £12,500.

Kos wrote:values are creeping up and give it few more years they will shoot up imho. discussed this with a few people who know these cars and thats the general take on them.

Sounds about right. I'd gamble that an M635CSi will be £20-30k in the not too distant future.

I had one, for about one month, took it to pieces, I think think if I had hit it on it's roof with a plank of wood, it would have broken completely in half due to rot... They rust, BIG time, but that's already mentioned!

Kos wrote:
values are creeping up and give it few more years they will shoot up imho. discussed this with a few people who know these cars and thats the general take on them.

I think this is a general truth regarding 70s/80s BMWs - there are still enough weighbridge dodgers clinging on to an MoT to put people off the nice stuff. As they become a rarer sight they will start being appreciated more, restos will become more economical relative to values and then the average quality of cars in the market will go up. They're hardly going to be an investment, but very few cars ever are.

I guess the only trouble will be a proliferation of inexpert home restorations by people who don't appreciate the added complexity of these cars over earlier stuff - I guess this can already be seen in e24s, and I've seen some horrid e30 cabs lately that have been subjected to this sort of bodgery. People see the high prices that dealers start asking for them and think the addition of some p40 and refurbed wheels makes their car 'unrepeatable, one of the best'.

How does the W126 compare because its the same kind of car, in the same era and about the same value? I guess they dont rust like E24's.

A 'NICE' 126 SEC is a great car and superior in many ways to an E24. BUT its a close thing on the rust front , the SEC achilles heel is the rear screen arpeture/ rear shelf . The rear screen rubber starts leaking then the rear shelf and screen surround rot away, the car starts filling with water taking the headlining /boot trim and most other things with it

Like the 6, the 126 SEC has been lusted after by council types and some shocking crimes have been committed by modders / people of lesser stock.

Thankfully both cars are now emerging from their dark shameful past and proper cars are starting to command decent money.
As ever, the golden rule is buy the best you can. Turning a £1000 molested turd into a £5000 sorted car will invariably cost more than the £4k difference.

A C126 is alot bigger than a E24 (the boots are gigantic!) and in 500 & 560 guise would be alot quicker than a 635CSI.... 420 & the very early 380's are a waste of time...

Facelifted 87-onward cars are the best to go for and are also better looking with the smoother cladding along the sides...

Mechanicals are bullit proof & they have the kudos of being pillarless.

Im not sure what the price difference would have been between the two cars brand new, but i suspect the SEC would have been considerably dearer....

Stunning cars, and amongst the best ever made by MB imo.

I would love a SEC. Anyone seen Buffalo Soldiers? The merc on that is stunning.

Blitz wrote:

It's not a good look, is it, be honest. Any bird would laugh at you if you turned up at her gaff in that.

I would buy this if I had the money.

http://www.danielcurnock.co.uk/forsale/ ... php?id=144

I would love to put a M120 6.0 V12 in one.

I have some secondhand front wings!

djk wrote:

Blitz wrote:

It's not a good look, is it, be honest. Any bird would laugh at you if you turned up at her gaff in that.

Agreed it is an achoired taste but I think you'll find most birds will laugh at an e30, too old to create an image of wealth.