Is this E30 any good? What should I ask him?

[kingbreezer]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... L:RTQ:UK:1

Genuine sport,factory ordered granite silver,leather recaros,all usual sport extras,recent work carried out,new cambelt/tensioner,belts,hoses,all filters,oils,plugs,original factory shock absorbers and springs all round,new goodyear eagle tyres,bluetooth car kit.Full years mot. A lovely car in excellent ,original condition for year

Now I really like this, and my uncle said he'd lend me the money to buy it until I can sell my current Saxo VTR.
What sort of questions should I be asking this guy? What should I look for on a test drive?
It seems too good to be true, what with the leather, the servicing, the age etc. Only the mileage is a bit high, but it's not stupidly high is it?
Thanks!

[beardymat]

think that car belongs to a zoner

check out the cars for sale or ebay forums

[smithy318i]

Ask how much he will take for the car.
It hasn't sold at 3K of 9 days
Ask for a viewing, then start haggling on the price.

[Simon13]

looks a good straight car from the pic's done a few miles but better than one that has been standing in a garage.

When u test drive listen for knocking front and rear, if it does at low speeds some of the suspension is worn.

be an eagle eye check ALL OVER the car for rust in particular, the footwells from underneath the car

Engine,

This should be stone cold, u wanna hear it from the off

it should feel nice a torquey and waft along! not too rattley, quiet ticking is fine as it's the nature of the engine and they were desinged to tick quietly. Check for over heating mayo in oil filler cap etc.

Most old car things really mate, lots of recent history u want to see

Leather looks lovely, plus granite silver is ultra rare special order only colour. (as it's an E36 colour really) looks totally standard too which is rare!

[beardymat]

oh and the milage issue really isnt an issue,some people are running six pots well into 200k,and besides which the car is 14 years old so 140k is 10k a year,under the 12k average. and the service history counts for a lot on this issue too.

best colour for a sport too imo,just wish i had the time to return mine to this sort of condition,had to buy another e30 to get my fix of driving pleasure

[kingbreezer]

Awesome, thanks guys! It is a zoner car as it happens. (http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... ic&t=17093)

I'll have to go see it if it doesn't sell tomorrow, but it's a good 3 hour round trip. I love that colour and leather combo though. Let's just hope it doesn't sell on ebay!
I didn't think about it as 12k a year! Hehe, seems pretty decent in that case. I guess if I look after it there's no reason why I can't make the big 200k. How often do you guys recommend engine/'box oil changes? In my Saxo I do engine every 5k and I haven't owned one long enough to bother with g'box.

[Simon13]

oil no more than 6k on a fully synthetic but about 3-4k on semi IMO

gearbox not really sure every 30k i think
LSD (diff) not very often if it doesn't leak! about the same as the gearbox i also think

few things i notice though, those seats must be re-trimmed!

wrong back box as the tail pipes are angled and should be straight out of the valance and the number plate backing has been colour coded from factory black

clear indicators too!

[kingbreezer]

oil no more than 6k on a fully synthetic but about 3-4k on semi IMO

gearbox not really sure every 30k i think
LSD (diff) not very often if it doesn't leak! about the same as the gearbox i also think

few things i notice though, those seats must be re-trimmed!

wrong back box as the tail pipes are angled and should be straight out of the valance and the number plate backing has been colour coded from factory black

clear indicators too!

I'd run fully synth. Fairly standard then, thanks.
I rather like those modifications, with the exception of the exhaust. Hawk eyes for noticing that stuff though! Hehe

Exhaust isn't that big, but I'd rather have all engine bits standard for insurance purposes. (Well, I might have to get one of those zone chips everybody raves about!) Swapping a back box shouldn't be too hard though!

[OllieB]

Saw that car on the 'bay, looks lovely. Seems like a really good car for the money too. So glad you've decide to bin a chicken paxo for E30 power. Saxo's are the worst kind of car wrongness going IMO....

[kingbreezer]

Saw that car on the 'bay, looks lovely. Seems like a really good car for the money too. So glad you've decide to bin a chicken paxo for E30 power. Saxo's are the worst kind of car wrongness going IMO....

I wouldn't go that far. They handle very well when standard with good tyres, and the grip is phenomenal. The VTS model reaches 60 in the same time as the 325, which is quite a feat from a 1.6 that averages 35mpg.
They're amazing for the money, but I just fancy something different and more exciting.

[OllieB]

I'm sure they are good cars, just a bit tin can. To be honest its much more the image they present than the actual car. Anyway, good move fella, welcome to the E30 Gang!!

[kingbreezer]

I'm sure they are good cars, just a bit tin can. To be honest its much more the image they present than the actual car. Anyway, good move fella, welcome to the E30 Gang!!

Hehe, thanks.

Yea, the image sucks. There are so many monstrosities out there that people forget some of us own standard Saxos! Lol. It's part of the reason for my move, vain I know.
The other part of the reason is that back in the day my dad had one of the 6cyl 7 series (he moved onto a new V8 and it's a pain in the arse) and the 6cyl made such a sexy noise.
First up is one of the zone chips, then depending on my finances next year maybe a 6 branch manifold but with a quiet exhaust. (Again, the boy racer image sucks!)

[OllieB]

I went from a R5 GTT to a G reg Dolphin grey sport. Best thing I ever did, even though its a money pit. I have a Scorpion system on mine and it sounds sublime, recommended. Seriously want a 6-branch though. Next is pipercross, BBTB, and wild zone chip. Agree with you about the noise, 6-pot M20 engine is aural sex....

[kingbreezer]

I went from a R5 GTT to a G reg Dolphin grey sport. Best thing I ever did, even though its a money pit. I have a Scorpion system on mine and it sounds sublime, recommended. Seriously want a 6-branch though. Next is pipercross, BBTB, and wild zone chip. Agree with you about the noise, 6-pot M20 engine is aural sex....

How much of a money pit is it? Fuel isn't too bad is it? I heard roughly 30mpg is the average for a 325?
I guess repairs are probably needed, but if I can get a good one the chances are smaller right?Oh, and when did the M50 24v replace the M20 12v? I guess there's a fair performance difference between the two?

[OllieB]

Fuel is a joke on my car, not as bad as the GT Turbo though. That thing was running 17psi with a carb that pumped fuel like niagara falls. You cannot expect reasonable MPG on an old, brick shaped, heavy tank mobile with an equally heavy and juicy 12 valve straight six. The main reason for this IMO is the fact that you will be kicking it everywhere to hear that noise.......


You watch the economy dial thingie on the dashboard when you drive around, don't know how accurate this is (Anyone...?) but as soon as your foot goes near the throttle its down under 15mpg....

Don't let me put you off your saxo wrongness though!!

If you buy a tidy one then hopefully you won' thave too much trouble, parts are not to dear but labour will be because these cars are massively over engineered, meaning everything is a feckin mission to repair/replace.

[kingbreezer]

Fuel is a joke on my car, not as bad as the GT Turbo though. That thing was running 17psi with a carb that pumped fuel like niagara falls. You cannot expect reasonable MPG on an old, brick shaped, heavy tank mobile with an equally heavy and juicy 12 valve straight six. The main reason for this IMO is the fact that you will be kicking it everywhere to hear that noise.......


You watch the economy dial thingie on the dashboard when you drive around, don't know how accurate this is (Anyone...?) but as soon as your foot goes near the throttle its down under 15mpg....

Don't let me put you off your saxo wrongness though!!

If you buy a tidy one then hopefully you won' thave too much trouble, parts are not to dear but labour will be because these cars are massively over engineered, meaning everything is a feckin mission to repair/replace.

Damnit, I thought they'd be easy to work on...

Is the 320 much better than the 325 on fuel then? Would I have any chance of averaging over 25mpg? Even my dad's 4.4l bmw can manage 26.9 if he's careful...
Going down to a 4 pot sucks, but if it's a big difference may be worth it. Also, how much is an LPG conversion on one of these? Would almost certianly be worth it if I'm going to keep it for many years I think...

[kenwoir]

I had an Impreza STi WRX, 20mpg going as easy as easy gets, sold it and got a 328is E36 and was getting around 28-30 mpg, sold it (biggest regret) bought a Clio 16v (phase 1 old skool), sold it for the need to go back to a bmw but this time it had to be an E30 325i sport and i'm loving it. I'd say im getting around 28ish mpg sometimes maybe a bit more. Defo get an E30 mate, i've only had mine about 6 weeks but have had 2 get a couple of things for it namely a new centre cap and a wiper clip for the headlights and a couple of guys on here sorted me out right and quick which has made my choice of an E30 all the more sweeter... You will not be dissappointed.

[kingbreezer]

Thanks for the advice man, I've got my heart set on one now, I just have to find the right one (well, and sell my car, but my uncle said he'd lend me the monet if the right one came along before my car goes)

Ԛ£3k should get a tidy one from what I've heard.