E30 Zone

Hi every my name is James or Jim whatever suits u.

Ive always loved the E30 bmw's since my mum had an old Y reg 323i auto in a dark gold colour BAY519Y.....lol
Anyone know if this car is still around?

She had it 9 years and it never let her down!
She had to sell it in the end after somebody tipped paintstripper on it and couldnt afford to run it anymore after her and my dad split up.That was when i was about 10!
Im now 21 and until about a month ago had a cavalier gsi 4x4.Loved the car it was pretty fast for what it was luxury enough with leccy everything and handled the road absolutly superb....But,failed the mot with a rottern rear chassis and i was gutted.I stripped the car and im slowly selling everything off.

Had a thought a few days after it died that i wanted an E30.Pref a 325i but id cope with even a 318i for now.I dont really want to go down on the performance my cavalier had though and being 150bhp standard was pretty good!

So could u people give any advice when looking to buy one? i dont have a lot to spend as yet but hopefully ill have a about 1000 soon.

What are the 325's like to run? i cant imagine them being amazing on fuel but there not exactly big cars so also cant see them being terrible.....

Anyway as i said any advice wouldnt go amiss if thats ok lads.

Jim

Welcome to the zone,the home of all things E30!! You will find a buyers guide at the top of the tech help section, it is sport related but all the buying pointers you need are there.Also check out the cars for sale section,might be something there that yells'buy me'.Fuel consumption?My 316i touring (just confirmed this week it has a leaky tank..)returns 32mpg,my 2.7 4 door sleeper gives 34mpg,click on the link below(I hope)for a piccy of my fleet.

The main thing to look out for nowadays is rot. Check rear arches, scuttle, boot, sunroof etc. Removing the trim in the boot can often reveal a few nasty surprises. If you thinking of a 325i, check for overheating as the M20 engine is known to crack the odd cylinder head (caused by BMW casting the heads with a water jacket that wasn't thick enough). All M20's have a cambelt so evidence of this being recently changed is a bonus. If there isn't any, change it immediately.

325i running costs aren't too bad but the secret is to buy a decent one to start with. A lot now are just money pits. The problem is they are now a cheap old car that fall into the wrong hands and end up bodged beyond belief. Buying a £2000 well maintained and original 325i with evidence of regular mainteance often works out cheaper in the long run than buying a cheaper example. Fuel economy is fair for their age - expect to average 25mpg.

thats fairly good then.My Gsi only did 100 miles to 20quid around town and i havnt exactly got a light right foot lol.the comp always stuck at around 25ish mpg for the cav so pretty much the same

Do u think it may be better to got for a 320i? ive heard there a bit sluggish tbh

welcome to the zone. you will get as many different suggestions on what model e30 is the best as there is different models. my preference was originally the 325 mtec touring but didnt have the engine in it long enough to find out how economical it was but 170bhp as standard should be enough to outperform your cav
£1000 will get you any e30 in decent condition except the sport or the m3 obviously and with a decent spec, electric front windows,mirrors,sunroof etc. they are cheap for parts even from the main dealer and generally easy to work on and are usually good solid cars if theyve been maintained.
where are you based?

jimbobjimmy wrote:Do u think it may be better to got for a 320i? ive heard there a bit sluggish tbh

320i running costs are identical to the 325i. Some would say even worse as it takes more revs to get them to shift. From personal experience though its far easier to find a decent 320i than a 325i. A different type of owner bought 320i's (i.e. older!) and they just tend to be better looked after. They're not a bad car by any means (silky smooth and sound lovely) but, whilst they really sing at the top end, they lack the go of the 325i.

a 320 is more suited to motorway cruising and leasurely paced driving but isnt to slow with 129bhp imo.

hi cheers for the replies guys.Im based in melton mowbray (yes where they make pork pies lol)

Ideally id prefer a 325i.Never really thought of a touring tbh.spose they could still be asmuch fun? ie sideways?

its good to know there fairly cheap to run etc,i may hold out for a 325i.id love one with the alphina wheels and lowered around 40mm.

or this one which is on autotrader right now for nearly 3.5k iirc
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b228/jimscav/5454.jpg

fuzzy wrote:a 320 is more suited to motorway cruising and leasurely paced driving but isnt to slow with 129bhp imo.

Agreed. The 320i gets an unfair press. Fair enough they're not particularly quick, but were far superior to most other manufacturers 2 litre engines when new.

tourings are just as much fun,if not more as people dont expect an 'estate' to shift

and tourings dont rot to the same extent as saloons.......

how about this??
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... :IT&ih=019

close ratio box aswell......

How do u know if they have LSD? and what differance would that make?

The vehicle details for BAY 519Y are:

Date of Liability 01 07 1997
Date of First Registration 17 03 1983
Year of Manufacture 1983
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 2316CC
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type Petrol
Export Marker Not Applicable
Vehicle Status Unlicensed
Vehicle Colour BLUE
Vehicle Type Approval null

Not taxed since 1997, safe to say it's long gone

Thats a shame.it was a very good car.didnt even have leccy windows or sunroof but was stil "a pleasure to drive" as my mum puts it.best car shes ever had she reckons.
My dad had over 130 out of it aswell!!

And it had only done 109K when she had to sell it for 300 quid

welcome to the forum.

Thank you

320's are unloved,no one wants a 4 door,therefore the cheapest way into E30 ownership is a 4 door 320...

daimlerman wrote:320's are unloved,no one wants a 4 door,therefore the cheapest way into E30 ownership is a 4 door 320...

i loved my one wish i had'nt sold it

Well ive just bought my 1st bmw!! 325i touring.not much mot or tax but i reckon i got a fairly good deal for £367!

will be getting it through an mot 1st off then id like to change the interor for something more sporty,like the M sport is it? like semi buckets but not leather.Had leather in my cav gsi and its not practical enough in the summer/winter!!
then it will be lowered and a nice set of alloys will go on

Its also got the close ratio gearbox in which is another bonus

nice one bud had that in my watch looks like a bargain would have been bidding against you had it been a bit closer. welcome to the zone and welcome to e30 ownership.

ive got a 325i tec1 sport which is lying in the garage stripped ready to start welding her up im looking for a cheapo to knock back and forward in at the moment. ive had the cavi gsi 4x4 aswell and love driving the e30 more than the cavi.

best way to tell if its got a lsd is to jack up the rear spin one wheel and see if the others turning the same way oif it is then its a lsd if its turning the other way then its an open diff.. the other fun way of telling is to have it in first and give it loads of revs and drop the clutch if it leaves 2 black lines then yea its a lsd

awesome.im so excited!!

The thing is the mot runs out next month he mentioned front discs but i can do that myself.are there anything else like common problems they tend to fail on? or am i pretty much safe(ish) in that department?

which is beter to have would u say...LSD or an open diff? or is that down to personal preferance?

it could be down to personal preference but i used to run old skool fords and always preferred the lsd compared to an open if your looking to drive it hard i would go for a lsd. as for mot time main thing like any other car look at brake pipes, handbrake, exhaust system make sure there's no blows, tyres, the e30 can be a pain on the front jacking points rusting but i beleive its a fairly easy repair the one youve went for has the se side skirts so you cant see the sills which the mot inspector is not allowed to remove to inspect behind this but look at the inner sills for any corrosian there should be ok though

ok cheers mate.tbh i think if it fails bigtime id still get my money back if i relisted it on ebay.or near abouts.

Thanks for advice though.ill be getting it booked in soon as poss.get it done early